COLLIE CLUB OF WALES
Championship Show 1st April 2017 – Bitches
Many thanks to the Club for giving me my first opportunity to award CCs and to the exhibitors for giving me the opportunity to go over some lovely bitches.
Overall, I found the entry of good quality. Points to note are that there are some very strong and unfeminine heads in evidence, particularly in the younger classes – although I do not want to judge as a ‘head breed’ and will not forgive poor movement for a good head, we need to keep the refinement that is the essence of the Rough Collie. With these strong heads are coming stronger bone throughout – our standard calls for moderate bone, more is not necessarily better.
A theme for judges’ comments of late is that rear movement is a worry – although less in evidence today than I have seen at some shows, there were a few very poor movers here and this obviously influenced decisions even where I liked their type. There is no doubt that some of this is around conformation, but people also need to exercise properly. Not many fat ones here today, but really good muscle tone was in the minority - a good place to start!
Presentation for most was excellent, although teeth still need attention, but a small minority of exhibitors are letting their dogs down.
Minor Puppy Bitch (13 entries, 1 absent)
A lovely class of babies, ranging from the very young through to those who have grown on quickly and now need time to mature. Some lovely babies at their first shows gave way on maturity here, but look very promising for the future.
1. Burrows’ Erjon Esme at Revdvicki, 8 month old blue pup, whose colour is not her fortune, but who is just so sound and has the outline I was looking for, giving me the best balance of breed type, conformation and movement in this class. Appealing expression coming from a good length of head, good stop, medium eye that is of nice shape and set. Good angulation fore and aft, with nice length of back, giving her lovely proportions. Her condition enabled her to move soundly. Hope she grows on a little more.
2. Gladwell’s Monsolana Love N Kiss Jotars, another blue here, this one of better colour, more mature than 1 and in good coat. So sound on the move, but for me rather compact at the moment and I would like to see her grow on and lengthen out in both head and body for a touch more elegance. That said, her soundness cannot be denied, and I celebrated her qualities.
3. Humphrey’s Shasam Shades of Guilt
Puppy Bitch (5, 0)
1. Williams-Smith’s Danrox Delightfully Wicked, an easy winner of this class, with a size and elegance that I loved. Refined head of good length that was lovely today and I am sure will only improve with maturity, rather than coarsening. Good reach of neck in to well laid shoulders, firm topline, rise over loin, giving a very typical outline. In lovely harsh coat of rich colour. To be picky, her front movement could be a little tidier, but overall a very promising puppy bitch. Delighted to see her take BPIS.
2. Ware’s Bella Bimba Della Buca Della Fate at Wassail, another that I would like to see grow on, but an appealing small package. Very mature, huge coat and glamour. Good length of head for her size with a nice eye, although I hope maturity will bring a little more moulding in foreface. Angulation good front and back, hocks well let down and moves very soundly.
3. Barrenclough Touch of Thyme
Junior Bitch(10, 1)
1. Jones’ Erjon Exclusively Special, b/m bitch of good size, with lovely proportions. Clear colour with good rich tan, coat needs to come and will make a lovely picture. Head of good length, correct stop, would prefer a darker eye but correct to the standard and judged as such. Bone correct for her size, good proportions of length to height, good muscle tone and all these elements showed in her movement. Should make an interesting and useful adult.
2. Wray’s Beldones Pandora, like the way this shaded sable is maturing, refined head of good length with sweet eye, and nice stop. Correct harsh fitted coat. Would like a touch more length of back for balance, but she has good angulation front and back and moved out very soundly.
3. McDade’s Beldones Sweet Illusion with Lyndale
Yearling Bitch (5, 2)
A difficult class, 3 very different bitches at an ‘in between’ stage. Placings came down to soundness.
1. Gladwell’s Lynmack Lets Dance with Jotars
2. Boyle’s Barrenclough Golden Pearl
3. Congdon’s Aaronwell Azure Betty
Maiden Bitch (6, 1)
1. Erjon Esme at Revdvicki
2. Monsolana Love N Kiss Jotars
3. Monsolina Fortune Feit for Chelborn
Novice Bitch (9, 1)
1. Gladwell’s Monsolana Love N Kiss Jotars
2. Boyle’s Barrenclough Touch of Thyme, compact but sound enough golden s/w bitch, would prefer more length of neck and back. This bitch needed better presentation and would no doubt benefit from her owner entering fewer dogs, enabling more time to be spent on both presentation and settling between classes.
3. McDade’s Fridens Captivation with Lyndale
Graduate Bitch (8, 2)
1. Lllewellyn’s Salsina Black Magic, 2 year old glamorous tri bitch, gleaming black fitted coat of the correct texture with a big white collar to set it off. No getting away from the fact that I would like this bitch a good size bigger, but there isn’t much else I would change and I could not resist her. Her outline is just what I look for, lovely length to height proportions, with an excellent reach of neck. Every time I looked, she was standing right, and she moved well in all directions. She has a good length of head, with correct stop, decent eye and expression, a lovely package.
2. Conway’s Amalie Lynmead Just Dreamy, loved the shape on this golden sable bitch, and her good proportions and angulation were evident in her movement. Appealing expression, but just felt she flared a tad in backskull and would like a slightly sweeter eye.
3. Beldones Sweet Illusion with Lyndale
Post Graduate Bitch (5, 1 w/d)
Two very different bitches first and second here, very good on the move but different in type.
1. Cronk’s Chelborn Kiss N Desire, shaded sable and white bitch, who I would personally like a little more refined, her head and bone are all just that bit strong for me, although her head is of good length with beautiful moulding and her expression is appealing. Her outline is good, she has a harsh coat of lovely colour and texture, and she is beautifully presented. She has good strong muscle tone, which coupled with good angulation fore and aft meant she was sound as a bell on the move.
2. Daley’s Tremaro Tainted Love with Rahlissa, rich golden sable bitch with excellent length to height proportions, good angulation and strong muscle tone which showed in her movement. Her head is of good length and balance, although I would like a little more moulding and a slightly sweeter eye.
3. Jones’ Erjon Eye Candy
Mid Limit Bitch (5, 2)
1. Margetts’ Collingvale Crème Anglais, shaded sable and white bitch, very feminine with good length of head, sweet dark eye giving a very pleasing expression. Enough neck in to a sound body with good angulation front and back and, like all this exhibitor’s dogs, in strong hard body condition making her so sound on the move.
2. Tame’s Rahlissa Love Song, sable and white bitch of good size, with a pleasing head of good length. Her profile movement was lovely, but today I felt her just a touch narrow coming and going.
3. Congdon’s Monsolana Sunwish for Aaronwell
Limit Bitch (7, 1)
1. Shipp’s Prince of Sunlight Naomi at Tremaro, rich sable bitch who makes a lovely picture, correct harsh fitted coat with lovely furnishings, good length to height, slight rise over loin giving a good outline, good angulation front and back, hocks well let down, although to be critical her movement coming towards is not her fortune. Her head is of good length and balanced, but for me her head type is a little extreme.
2. Wray’s Beldones Duchess of Dreams, shaded sable bitch just coming in to gleaming new coat of fabulous colour. Perhaps just a little strong in head and bone for me, but an appealing expression and nice eye. Would like a little more length of neck and upper arm to give more elegance in front construction, but she is balanced front and back and moves very soundly.
3. Walker & Ritchie’s Hana of Lowlands Green Valley at Starlenga
Open Bitch (10, 1)
1. Williams-Smith’s Danrox Loves To Be Wicked, this glamorous sable bitch is of lovely size and stature, with good length of head and a lovely dark almond shaped eye, although I would like a little more fill in foreface. Her skull is flat (although you would not think it, and she would benefit from different grooming here). Good neck in to well laid shoulders, firm topline, nice rise over loin all combine to give a lovely Collie bitch outline, and she moves out very well.
2. Margetts’ Collingvale Crème Caramel, a favourite of mine who is very much out of coat at the moment, but I love her throughout for her length of head, sweet expression and a body of excellent proportions and angulation, in excellent condition, making her so sound on the move.
3. Hollywood’s Amalie Lynmead Love Story, a special note for this bitch who appeals so much to me for her type and elegance, but who does not feel the show ring is for her!
Veteran Bitch (5, 3)
Loved these two veteran girls – both on sparkling form, neither showing their age at all and well able to compete with the younger bitches.
1. Margetts’ Amalie Let Me Be at Collingvale, 8 year old golden sable bitch, harmonious from her nose to the tip of her tail with no exaggerations anywhere. Her head is so very clean and well moulded and handles beautifully, eye correctly shaped and set, ears correctly tipped and used well. She has a good neck, flowing in to nice shoulders and a firm topline, with angulation correct fore and aft. All this is set off by excellent condition in muscle, weight and coat. Her movement is efficient and effortless, and she pleased me very much to take the CC above some lovely bitches. I was thrilled to see her go BIS.
2. Humphrey’s Brilyn Kiss at Midnite to Jamesfair, another 8 years young, and another I loved. Length and balance of head that match her body proportions very well, good reach of neck that she does like to hide when stood, lovely length of back balanced her overall proportions well. On the move, she is a powerhouse, and she was in strong consideration to follow the veteran above for the RCC, surely a testament to the lasting qualities this breed should have.
Judge: Marina McLaughlin |
