Page 34 - ShowSight Presents The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
P. 34
"THE EYES ARE SO IMPORTANT IN THE CAVALIER,
aS they giVe the Soft exPreSSion the CaValier iS Known for."
things like “that Cavalier is too big or does not have enough coat.” Very uned- ucated statements! What is TOO BIG? What is not enough coat?
Some CKCS are at the top of the standard, 13 inches. The standard is very loose on height, as it states slightly bigger/smaller is acceptable. Well that leaves it to the judge, and I have rarely seen a Cavalier that is too big. In UK most the top males are larger. In the UK they don’t care and feel if a dog is in balance with the proper head, it is correct. You never hear a judge saying that Cavalier is too small...12 inches is the bottom, and slightly smaller... OK— Yes it’s a Toy breed, but the biggest of the Toys. If a 13 inch dog is stand- ing next to a 12 inch dog, the 13 inch CKCS will look giant! One inch makes a BIG difference and judges need to get a handle on this before they step in the ring to officiate. If the dog is balanced and within standard and looks correct, that is all that matters with size. Most top winning males weigh 1-3 pounds OVER the 18 pounds the top of the stan- dard calls for because of good bone and body, most certainly not because they are too big. Of the top 25 Cavaliers cur- rently being shown in the USA, NONE are over 13 inches, in fact most are in the 12.5 range, but many weigh more than 18 pounds.
CKCS has enough coat if ears, tail and leg feathers are long. Correct body coat is moderate, not long!
Much more serious is bad structure. Short necks and bad shoulders go hand and hand and are a problem in Cavaliers at this time. The short necked dogs are quite often longer with shorter legs and often a topline that is not level. Tails up in the air above topline more than 1-3 inches or curled gaily over back, some judges are rewarding. This is as seri- ous a fault as white in the eye, with the
worst a ring of white, or not ROUND and dark. Lots of almond eye shapes are showing up, VERY faulty!
The eyes are so important in the Cavalier, as they give the soft expres- sion the Cavalier is known for. I have had other judges ask me how to know a face is correct. I feel if you look at any Cavalier face and your heart skips a beat and you feel like saying awww- wwwwwww, with no questions, I find it correct.
The dogs that win are normally bred, which is the reason we are seeing so many inferior Cavaliers in the ring today. The correct dog/bitch often looks different from most the entry. Judges rarely have the courage or knowledge to withhold a ribbon. The dog that has a ribbon withheld today can win the next day. The owner of the dog of course says the judge that withheld is an idiot, but big applause to the judge that with- held. Good breeders consider you as the best for our breed.
At a National Specialty, several years ago, an entire class of bitches (9) had ALL RIBBONS withheld. That took guts! As a judge I would not hesitate with- holding a ribbon to keep an inferior exhibit out of my Winners class. I per- sonally have given a third place ribbon to a class of one. That dog may well be a Champion today, but not with my name on record as rewarding it.
Grooming and cleanliness are of the utmost importance to a judge. Yel- low hair, that according to the CKCS standard should be pearly white: dirty teeth or eyes, long nails and not freshly bathed are turn offs to judges. What should be more of a turn off are TRIMMED coats, mostly ears/backs and feet!
I am the first to acknowledge that CKCS are “neatened,” however it’s the PRO handlers who started trimming
ears and top lines, etc. Worse yet are the judges that are rewarding these exhib- its, when the standard clearly says they should not be in the ribbons! Cavalier ears do not grow round (the same look as the totally shaped ears of the Cocker Spaniel), yet the top handlers of Cava- liers have perfect rounded bell ears all layered to be fat and full. Very cute indeed and totally incorrect!
Dips in top lines are the handler spe- cialty, as they use thinning scissors to cut in above and below to level it out for appearance. However you can still FEEL IT! Most of the winning Cavaliers that have a bad rear assembly (cow hocks, etc.) grow the hair very long on the rear and it’s hidden from most judges but you can still FEEL IT and see how the pads come up as they move away. Sad that some judges only judge by what they see visually and have not a clue of these faults when examining on the table.
It is a great sport and one that I have been in since I was a child. I read a book just before I showed my first dog, by Virginia Nichols, 50 years ago, title was How to Show Your Own Dog , which is most likely out of print, but that book taught me so much, even to be able to use and say the word “bitch” correctly without cringing.
From the judge’s point of view to exhibitors, we are very forgiving of nov- ice handlers showing their own dogs. Don’t be afraid to show your own dog. It is OK to make mistakes, that is very normal and how we all learn. Just as many owners have put Championships on their dogs as professional handlers.
From the judge’s point of view to judges, when you look at Cavaliers and your heart hopefully skips a beat, let’s make sure you are perpetuating this beautiful dog for correctness.
