Page 126 - ShowSight - January 2020

Presentation
IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE
BY WALTER SOMMERFELT
tion. The description I found was that “Presentation is the art of modifying, processing, arranging, or decorating food to enhance its aesthetic appeal.”
The definition brought me back to an experience I had several years ago while living in Memphis, Tennessee. I had the opportu- nity to be a part of a team that was cooking in the world famous “Memphis in May” Barbecue contest. During the competition I learned just how important “presentation” was involved in the over- all scoring of the team. I was surprised to learn that if any of the sauce itself dripped onto the plate it was a DQ for the dish. There have also been times when I have watched one of those Chef Shows on cable TV and again the presentation of the food carried a very high value in the evaluation process.
YOU ARE PROBABLY WONDERING WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH DOG SHOWS?
Just look at the definition “The art of modifying, processing, and arranging to enhance its aesthetic appeal.” Is this not what we all do when showing our dogs.
Just like food we start with the main ingredient our dogs. Then through a variety of ways we work toward presenting that dog in the best possible way to appeal to the judge.
The first part comes through raising happy, healthy, sound ani- mals with good temperaments. Hopefully we follow that up with training, and conditioning building strong muscles and a very good basic physical specimen.
Once our exhibit has the basics solved, we move on to the other phases. Enhancing virtues and minimizing faults in the eyes of the judge. So, I guess you could say we only want the judge to see the good parts and hope we can fool them from seeing the not so good parts. This can and is done in many ways.
Let’s start with a coated breed. Coated breeds can offer you blessings as well as difficulties in the presentation phase. If you are blessed with a dog with enough coat in quantity and texture you
118 • ShowSight Magazine, January 2020
Iwas reading the critique of a local restau- rant the other
day in my local paper. The critic was talking about the food, the prices, the décor and what made it unique. When evaluating the entrées there was a specific mention of the “Presentation” of the meal itself.
Being curious I looked up presenta- tion in food evalua-
may have hit the jackpot. Coat can be used to create many illusions to the judge that fails to search the coat to see what is under it. Some examples would be a dog that when standing naturally is east and west in front or maybe cow-hocked in the rear. A skillful groomer can use scissors and other techniques to make it appear that when the dog is stopped and standing naturally, he appears to be truly perfect. Hopefully a skilled judge feels through the coat to find the faults or is good enough to pay attention to the pads of the feet to pick it up while the dog is in motion. Likewise, an animal lacking in neck can be enhanced through stripping out coat or even clipping it at the withers and having the neck hair lay over it to make it appear much longer than it is. Toplines can be altered through numerous approaches to make them appear not what they really are so the judge must use his hands and his eyes to get a true evaluation. Even though the coated breeds are often a lot of work a skilled person knows how to use that coat to their advantage.
Keeping the nails trimmed properly is another important part of the puzzle. There are times when the nails are so long you can hear them clicking on the mats on the down and back and in some cases this can lead to making the feet themselves look very bad.
Many people use special shampoos, chalk, hair dye and other substances to alter or enhance the animal under their care. The secret to this is being sure it’s done correctly and does not come off onto the hands of the judge or leave white spots on the mats or even a big puff of smoke when the dog shakes out inside the ring. Foreign substance found in the coat gives the judge the right to immediately excuse the dog from the ring. All judges will tell you two things they hate are dirty dogs and dogs that when they are examining them have a bunch of gunk in the coat that comes off in their hands.
If you have a smooth coated animal, you don’t have as many opportunities, but you can still do things to be sure you know what you need to do to make your dog look its best. Start by being sure you are stacking your dog properly to present a picture to the judge of the balance and type of your dog. How you hold the head, and the tail, being sure the front is set properly under the dog and the rear is not over stretched or under stretched make a difference in what appears to the judge. Also being sure the topline is being shown properly for that breed is equally important.
Everyone needs to learn how to properly show the bite and should make sure the dogs’ teeth are clean and look white and healthy. When practicing showing the bite remember your showing it to the judge not looking at it yourself so don’t block their view with your head.
Assuming you have done all the correct things regarding health, coat care, and proper set up the most critical part of the equation is next.
HOW SHOULD I MOVE MY DOG?
Obviously, all dogs have some type of movement described in their individual standard. Learning the different gaits and