Scottish Kennel Club Championship Show
Smooth Collies
18th May 2018

Judge Mrs H R Gibson
My thanks go to the Officers and Committee of the Scottish Kennel Club for offering me this appointment. It was an honour to accept.
Whilst I realise that this was not a representative sample of the Smooth Collie breed, may I offer the following suggestions? Ours has always been a freestanding breed, when shown, so why are many exhibits being presented for judging in an exaggerated “stack”. Often this is accompanied by a handler on their knees. Balance is something that the breeders need to watch. Upright fronts and overangulation behind is more apparent than the last time I judged the breed. Having offered these thoughts, I did enjoy my day among the “Smooth Folk”! 

Puppy Dog; 0 entries

Junior Dog; 0 entries
Post Graduate Dog; (1 entry) Forbes’ Natalain Star Lord at Willowhurst (Imp Rus), Nice 2 year old sable dog. Good head construction and eye placement. Lovely dark eye.  Good neck and topline with slight rise over the loin. A little short in body for me. Angulation  rather upright in front, which showed in his movement.

Limit Dog; 0 entries

Open Dog; (1 entry, absent)

Veteran Dog; (4, 1)
What a pity these three lovely dogs came in the one class.
1st Williams’ Ch. Foxearth Forward Thinking at McClelland, Lovely sable boy with excellent head and expression. Good ears when he used them properly.( I think boredom had set in by the time our ring became available!) Lovely neck which flowed into a correct topline. Correct length of body and rib. Well sprung ribs. Correct angulation throughout, giving flowing movement on excellent feet.  In lovely coat and condition. DCC. 
2nd Leach’s Manordeifi Dionysus at Hilltarn, Clear blue merle chap who stood and showed well, but was rather reluctant to show his ears. He did enough though to show a lovely expression.  Good neck and topline. Correct angulation and moved very well individually. RCC.
3rd Bell’s Foxearth Fashion Guru for Koczkodan.

Puppy Bitch
1st Johnston’s Foxearth Full Moon, 10 month old Tri bitch in sparkling coat and condition. Lovely head and sweet expression, marred only by her ears which I think will lift as she comes together. Excellent neck and topline, correct angulation front and rear. Good deep body for her age. Had the length of body and rib I was looking for. Moved very well. RCC.
2nd Fort’s Shulune Imperial Design, sweet 10 month sable bitch in excellent coat. Much smaller proportions throughout. Good head and expression, though eye slightly too full. Good topline and angulation, moved well. Just a little too chunky, for me, at her tender age.

Junior Bitch; 0 entries
Post Graduate Bitch (1)
1st Bell’s Koczkodan Serenity, nice Tri bitch of good size and length.  Lovely head with sweet expression only marred by her wide set ears. Lovely dark eye. Good neck which flowed into a correct topline. Good angulation front and rear, moved well.

Limit Bitch (2)
1st Lusty, Williams & Hutchings’ Blamorder Ice Cream Dream, Lovely pale blue bitch with a beautiful head and dark eye. Used her ears to advantage giving her a sweet expression. Good neck and topline leading to a nice sloping croup. Angulation spot on! However I found her movement rather pottery. I don’t think she was finding the floor to her liking. 2nd  Forbes’Willowhurst Vanity, Another lovely bitch with excellent head properties. Lovely dark eye giving sweet expression. Good body and length. Sadly I found this one to be rather unbalanced in outline. Angulation behind is rather atypical. Moved very well in profile but going wide behind today.

Open Bitch (3,1)
1st Forbes Natalain Kilkenny at Willowhurst (Imp Rus), Gorgeous deep golden sable girl with a lovely dark eye of correct shape. Super expression, correct head properties. Standing naturally she has a lovely neck and shoulders leading into a correct topline with a rise over the loin and a sloping croup.  Good depth of chest and ribs well sprung. Good length overall. In lovely coat and condition. Well balanced angulation. Moved with drive. BCC & BoB.
2nd Lusty’s Blamorder Just My Luck, pretty Tri bitch with good head and expression. Nice dark eye. Sadly somewhat naked today! Nicely put together but lacking some of the body and length of 1st. Moved well with her handler.

My thanks for the sportsmanlike way that my choices were recieved.    Ruth Gibson.