Page 32 - ShowSight Presents The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
P. 32
aalier in arles saniel q&a
With stephanie abraham, Cindy huggins, dr. John v. ioia, eriCa venier & lamont m. yoder
moderate in length and width. Variations on the 11⁄2" length mentioned in the standard should be permissible, but the muzzle should never look long or short. The eyes should be large and round with good fill under them.
CH: We must remind judges that this is a moderate breed. Moderate in coat, size, head shape and they must not be rewarded if their tail is tucked between their legs while on the move.
JI: A Cavalier King Charles Spaniel must have good depth
of chest, nice prosternum and proper layback of front assembly with matching rears. This assembly will provide proper reach and drive with level side gait and correct level tail carriage to complete the picture.
While Cavalier breeders strive for a nice layback of shoulders (40o- 45o) the reality is that many specimens are more upright. This will be apparent both on the table and as soon as you watch side gait. Similarly, the rear angulation should match to balance the dog and once again movement will expose correct or incorrect structure. There are many good to excellent specimens in the ring today and the breed continues to improve.
I do however see some issues. With popularity comes large numbers; with large numbers comes
some disparity.
The Cavalier is a Toy Spaniel and I am concerned when I see some very large or coarse specimens winning. The Cavalier is a moderate dog and anything overdone should be avoided, whether it is size, coat, bone, heads or eyes that appear too large. Another important issue to Cavalier breeders concerns eyes. A tiny amount of white in the inner corner may be acceptable but white around the eye is awful. Similarly, light brown eyes ruin the warm Cavalier expression.
The manner in which Cavaliers are being exhibited is also important. The Cavalier is a natural breed with many accomplished owner-handlers and professionals in the ring. I am concerned that excessive grooming, sculpting and trimming plus an over-abundance of coat are becoming all too common. The ACKCSC reminds judges in their education program that, “Specimens where the coat has been altered by trimming, clipping, or by artificial means shall be so severely penalized
as to be effectively eliminated from competition.” Finally, an issue that is extremely important to the breed and to our sport relates to Junior Handlers. The Cavalier is to be shown naturally and free-stacked. The American Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club is proud of our Junior-Handlers and their accomplishments. Unfortunately, I have witnessed a Juniors Judge correct a handler and tell her that she needed to hard stack her exhibit. This is incorrect and our Juniors know better.
EV: A few words about trimming: Exhibitors, you disparage the breed when you trim a Cavalier like a Setter.
Use your artistic skills to present the Cavalier the way our standard requests. Scissoring a belly line suggests laziness to the trained eye. Hone your skills to include being able to present a Cavalier properly. Most judges will recognize your efforts.
LY: Everyone tries to avoid fault judging, as that can
very easily result in not choosing the best specimen
of the breed. Overall, I have been extremely happy
and excited to see many stellar representatives of our breed in my first year of judging. At the same time,
I have been surprised at the number of bad bites,
some so undershot that it even affects expression.
I have not had an assignment without bad bites yet
and as breeders we all know that happens frequently
as babies and sometimes takes a couple years to correct. However, at specialties we should not be seeing fully mature adults in bred by and open classes with really bad bites or, even worse, champions in the Best of Breed class that are undershot. That disappoints me and I’m hoping that breeders continue to balance the quest
for ribbons with weighing strengths and areas of opportunities within our breeding programs.
The breed depends on great breeding programs,
which is why I remain hopeful and optimistic
about our future.
7. And, for a bit of humor: what’s the funniest thing you’ve ever experienced at a dog show?
SA: Many years ago at Western Reserve, I watched a
well- known handler race frantically across the
huge arena to get his puppy into the ring to be judged for reserve. Only trouble was, when he breathlessly stood next to the judge, there was no dog on the lead. He had lost him somewhere along the way.
This anecdote was a source of amusement for
years among those who witnessed it.
CH: So many things come to mind, but recently, was treated to a story of someone who had never shown
a dog before. When asked to make a small circle, she very daintily made a perfect pirouette. I love that one.
LY: I remember a Cavalier breeder years ago who had been touting her new whitening shampoo the night before a specialty show. When we saw her enter the ring the next day her dog had an electric blue hue to his coat that could only be seen because of the different lighting in the venue and, yet, his feet were still orange from the red clay dirt where she lived. I felt kind of embarrassed for her, but it was quite funny looking from ringside.
It is important to have a sense of humor and to even be able to laugh at yourself on occasion. But I am glad I’ve never laughed at myself for this one!
