Page 86 - ShowSight - May 2020

FORM FOLLOWS FUNCTION
Figure 3. Borzoi Running in Field
long months of bitter weather, or go to ground after a badger, or win a race chasing a real or mechanical bunny. This beautifully sound dog is unsuited for any particular job and so it lacks type, as we define it here.
The opposite of no type is often called “excessive type” or “overdone” and means that some or several attributes of the breed Standard have been first over emphasized, then later overdeveloped by breeders. This usually occurs when the breed is no longer used for its particular pur- pose—like the Bulldog today, whose massive head and jaw, completely capable of pinning a bull, are too often set upon so light a body and such infirm legs that the animal could not survive one instant in its terrific task.
It calls to mind the famous Cheshire Cat in “Alice in Wonderland” which vanished, leaving only its grin behind. “I’ve seen cats without a grin,” said Alice, “but never a grin without a cat—it’s puzzling!” Well, one sees dogs without type, but type without a dog is more than puz- zling; it is grotesque and is, in fact, a caricature.
This quality the public abhors. The ignorant breeder may rejoice, but once his breed’s ability to be useful has been sacrificed to mere appearance, that breed is on the decline for the public will not buy. “What good is that dog, except to show?” is the reaction of the aver- age would-be owner, and he shows more intelligence than he or we may realize.
Caricature is a form of mockery, and when a breed’s history has been tossed aside as unimportant, there is no longer that impersonal criterion toward which to breed, namely that a dog must look and act as if it could do whatever it was developed by man to accomplish. Perhaps, unconsciously, the public feels this and loses faith in the breed. Too, such dogs will no longer act a certain way because they are no longer bred for a certain purpose-even their appearance is a travesty of dogdom.
This is the reason for preserving a Standard, built upon the purpose of the breed. Therefore, a dog most typical of its breed is not exagger- ated; he is so much in perfect balance that at first glance he appears far from extraordinary. The others around him in the show ring are more noticeable. Their faults and virtues hit one like a blow; yet the eye keeps returning to that smooth, functional creature whose every part seems proper to him. Even the novice observer is drawn to him and exclaims, “I cannot help liking that dog; he just seems satisfactory.” He is indeed a satisfaction. He is an ideal come true and, therefore, he is perfectly balanced. True type, because it is functional, is always completely balanced.
Figure 4. Australian Shepherd Working Sheep
Our own breed, the Poodle, no longer hunts professionally, and since this article is about him, let us study the “original” Water Dog. Compared to Spaniels, he was shorter in body and higher on leg. These characteristics enabled him to climb, to get through swamplands and heavy mud with greater ease. His chest made one think of a prow of a ship-deep rather than broad, with a moderate spring of ribs. Everything about this dog was effective for work in and out of water.
His hindquarters were unusually well developed and strong for the purpose of climbing and swimming; for a similar reason, his feet, though well padded, had long, flexible toes with considerable thin membrane between them—“webbed feet,” the ancients called them. In thick mud and in water these strong feet spread out most effectively, and on dry land the muscular toes arched well up; it was a strong and useful foot, not in the least like that of a terrier. Today, when one heard someone say that his Poodle has “ feet just like a Terrier,” one knows that owner is either ignorant of Poodle type or else he hopes to impress an equally ignorant Judge!
The neck and shoulders of the Original Poodle were like those of any good hunting dog: The latter was sloping and well laid back, and the former clean, long and flexible enough to permit a high head carriage on both land and water. (Figure 7)
The head was oval-shaped with a moderate though definite occiput- the “bird bump”—a moderate though definite stop, and extremely flat cheeks; a head streamlined for sharp, marsh grass and actual water diving, yet roomy enough for a calm, unexcitable brain. The muzzle was long, strong and tight-lipped as, of course, pendulous lips and open flews could choke or drown a dog delivering a struggling bird through the water. Also, unlike Spaniels, the eyes were not at all prominent; they were almond-shaped and set far apart. A large, prominent or pro- truding eye could be severely damaged in sharp marsh grasses and in rough water.
Ears of the Poodle were Spaniel ears, but the length was of small account; the set-on was the important feature. They were to be set low, about on a level with the eye, because highly set ears were not only in the way in thick, rough coverage, but they did not efficiently protect the actual ear orifice. Today, low set ears give any Poodle the “right expres- sion,” regardless of length.
The coat of the Water Dog (Figure 8.) was very dense, inclined to crinkle and curl; it was supposed to be just long enough to freeze on top in bitter weather, while remaining warm and dry near the skin.
84 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MAY 2020