East Anglian Collie Club CH Show
Rough Collie dogs
4 Aug 2024

I was very honoured to be asked to judge males at my ‘local’ club show. My thanks to the committee for a well organised day with a relaxed atmosphere. Thank you to stewards Pat & Cathy for their efforts, always appreciated. The weather was cooler after a very hot week, so perfect for dogs & humans alike! I wish I could be more positive about our breed but I must speak as I find. Recently, breeders have faced difficult choices, with genetic values taking precedence over aesthetic quality. We have been taking sideways steps to ultimately move forward. Whilst genetic health is the way forward, in the show ring we are judging to a breed standard, where aesthetic quality is king. It will take many a year plus huge dedication to realign our beautiful breed, with the ‘clean’ genes of today's collie & the superior quality of yesteryear. Top class animals still exist but are few & far between. I could also see that the bitch entry was of superior quality to the males. I am not going to make further remarks generally as I think most dedicated breeders/exhibitors know the issues we are faced with. Thank you to all exhibitors for coming along today. As always, I enjoy judging every single one of your dogs. I was in full agreement with my co judge for all in-show awards. Veteran (3;1) Good start to the day. 1st French Samhaven Name That Tune At Breckamore. Grand stamp of a male, dignified & regal. Richly coloured sable in full coat, well turned out. Impressive outline, good front with plenty of neck, sweeping quarters with bend of stifle, neat hocks. Excellent bone. Lovely head pattern, balanced with good moulding. Eye placement correct, ears well placed, all added up to kindly collie expression. Low Tail carriage well held on move. Didn't move as well as his build suggested, a little untidy, costing him BV. However, I would have happily taken him home. 2nd Mill’s Lynmack Starman at Levimee. Very pleasing golden sable in good coat. Balanced head, excelling in eye & fore face, flat skull, neat ears giving very sweet expression. Moved enthusiastically & was sound.Shorter in head & body than my ideal though balanced throughout. In full rapport with handler making a good team.

Minor Puppy (2;0) 1st Tippers Tiganlea Turned to Black Really loved the make & shape on this young Tri boy. Excellent build & outline, well angulated front & back, good length to neck. He also moved accordingly, positive with drive. Head needs to settle in skull & fill in fore face, but he has age on his side. Excellent ear carriage, eye shape & placement all good. He knew how to make the most of himself, attentive to handler. Will be interested to see him develop. 2nd Radford & Durrants Ingledene Spirit is Legend at Five jays (Naf, Taf) Very raw baby who was in good coat, jet black tricolour. Still getting his act together, lacking coordination on the move. Another whose head needs to develop, but ear carriage was good & had medium size eye well set. Long low set tail carriage. Will benefit from more practice & maturity.

Puppy (2;0) 1st Lockyear’s Gataj Lewis Capaldi Bright golden sable performing like an old pro. Presented a typical collie outline. Very clean head on this pup, flat skull, correct stop, beautiful moulding to forface. Very sweet eye, well placed, neat ears with correct carriage. Strong neck into well laid shoulder, good depth to ribs, good rear angles, neat hocks. Moved very soundly, tad close going away, holding well set tail. Really liked this boy, reminiscent of his sire. BP on account of his finished headpiece which was extremely appealing. Good luck with him, I’m sure he is destined for greater accolades. 2nd Collino’s Imaginist A Griffins Mark. Stronger & larger type who will take time to mature. Has a decent neck, length of back, lovely bend of stifle. Moved erratically with puppy enthusiasm. Long head pattern needs to mature & fill in. Ears well set & used. In shiny black jacket, well presented. Junior

(3;1) 1st White’s Mejola Top Gun. Sable boy whose coat was on the blow. Good type of excellent size. Strongly made with good bone & substance, standing over plenty of ground. Stood & showed his good neck length, excellent front angulation, strong ribcage into rise over loin. Well angulated thigh. All gave rise to super sound movement, steady topline, with plenty of drive and minimal effort.Balanced head pattern, though stronger in skull than I would like. Correct medium eye well placed, flat skull, ears I would like tighter. Masculine outlook. Sound workmanlike collie who will excel when looking his best again. 2nd Lockyear's Salsina Red Hot Crush with Gataj. Well schooled sable boy holding his coat. Much smaller make of dog with less scope. He was balanced in body & moved very precisely with good tail carriage. Shorter head pattern with flat skull, ears well placed & used. Needs more forface, a little pinched under eye, lacked underjaw. Much preferred his stable mate for BP.

Yearling (3;0) 1st Ross Siluto Blue Wizard at Amberwish. Lighter framed blue in reasonable coat, well presented. Finer in head, though balanced, good ear & eye placement with attractive expression, just felt he lacked a little masculinity. Moved well fore & aft, need to watch tail carriage. Attentive to handler & always had ears on top. 2nd Skinners Ladnar Make it happen for Nikal. Longer cast boy who will take time to fill in & mature. Does have a good balanced head, not overdone in anyway. Correct medium eye with well placed stop, skull needs to flatten off. Immature generally but kept his act together on the move & was sound enough. Well shown & presented. 3rd Farthings Didek Once In A Blue Moon, not sure if this boy was particularly happy here today, seemed a bit distracted. Blue of good colour, a little between coats. Moved well enough. Shorter head, deeper in stop, lacked underjaw, so losing correct head planes. Well placed medium eye. Not keen to use ears.

Post Graduate (4;1) 1st Brands Tudorlyn Midnight Magic. Tri boy of pleasing type though would have preferred a bit more of him. Good body ratios. Correct length of head broken by well placed stop, medium dark eye, intelligent expression. Moved well enough but slightly proud of tail. Showed steadily for owner. 2nd Ingledene Polar Wind over Fivejays. Blue who stood showed solidly for handler the whole time. Presented a very appealing outline, well made body, good bone. Moved out positively & purposefully. Masculine head, strong forface & well filled very flat skull that didn't fall away. Defined chin. Tiny neat ears but also small deepset eye and lacked stop, so making expression a little hard. 3rd Melonie's Atirakin Snow Slides On High. Tri boy who was a bit of a character, quite a fidget, keeping handler busy. Wealth of coat but hid quite an immature frame, rather narrow all through. Long narrow head, lacking stop, skull needs to flatten off & fill in. Well set neat ears but eye rounded & a little square set. Moved erratically, narrow front caused issues coming towards & very close going away.

Mid Limit (2;0) 1st Howard's Ladnar Dreamchaser. Strongly built blue of good size, no mistaking his sex, excells in bone. Presented immaculately in fitted coat. Masculine head with well rounded muzzle, strong underjaw, slightly untidy lipline. Good eye set & shape, ears a little light but used all the time. Medium length neck nicely crested, parallel front, good shoulder placement, good back length,shorter through loin but hindquarters had pleasing sweep to them. Ultra neat feet. Steady mover, very precise out & back, keeping topline. Unfortunate tail carriage. 2nd Ambartr Black Knight at Wicani Tri boy in heavy coat but did not detract from attractive outline with lovely sweep over hindquarters, well bent stifles & long tail. Long neck but rather narrow front & lacked body under his big coat. Long lean head, needs more strength in forface & flatten off in skull. Neat ears well used for owner. Moved enthusiastically but narrow front was an issue.

Limit (9;1) 1st May’s Camanna Careerchanging for Maqueeba. Mature rich sable in good order,well presented. Good size, with lovely bone, no mistaking his sex. Attractive head pattern, well rounded muzzle, good chin, flat skull that was clean through. Almond eye well set in skull, neat ears but a little reluctant to use when he did, created soft intelligent expression. Good reach of neck, correct shoulder but carrying too much weight over withers & ribs. Well angulated rear. Movement was ok, strong rear drive, pinning a little coming towards, weight issue not helping. 2nd Chelborns Gambling List. Balanced Tri boy of different type who stood & showed his socks off. Presented attractive picture though more square all through. Pleasing head pattern,with enough stop, lovely eye, well set ears used non stop. Needs better chin. Happy lad who moved purposefully with drive. 3rd Gataj Turn Back Time Golden sable boy who knew his job & showed very well. In excellent coat & condition. Smaller type lacking a bit of scope though he was balanced all through. Moved positively with purpose. Pretty head, creating soft outlook, well filled muzzle, good stop, well filled back skull, smaller almond eye, felt ears could be tighter. Just not the masculine outlook I was after.

Open (5;2) 1st Alfsden He Lives In You. Very much a dog of impassive dignity, regal outlook & presence. Clear blue of outstanding colour & markings, fitted coat that didn't hide his shape, beautifully presented. Medium size with correct bone, ample neck down into well laid shoulder, good fore chest. Good length to back & rise over loin, lovely sweep over curvaceous quarters, with well bent stifles. Tail correctly set, carried well. Loved his clean head, parallel planes broken by correct stop. Strength in forface, rounded & smooth, no flare in cheeks or skull. Good underjaw. Beautiful medium eye & well placed ears, all added up to give soft kind intelligent outlook. Economical when he moved, without being flash, correct footfall out & back, topline held. I loved him for being unexaggerated in any department, no part out of proportion to the whole, he filled my eye completely. CC, his fourth, thank you for bringing him. 2nd Blaikie CH Kourika You’ll Do For Me. Medium sizeTri dog, liked his cheeky character & happy demeanor. Not flashy to catch your eye, but hands on, he appealed immediately. Head type a fraction shorter but very balanced, smooth rounded muzzle, good chin, neat lipline, correct stop,lovely filling under eye, beautiful almond eye obliquely set. Skull very flat, no lumps or bumps anywhere. All added up to make a very appealing expression. In body, he is made well, very balanced,strength throughout. This showed on the move, where he moved with enthusiasm & verve. Tidy action coming & going. Standing, he sometimes loses his outline, he has the ability to stand like a sack of spuds sometimes! Nevertheless a quality dog, Res CC, well done! 3rd Flowers Androma Dreamcatcher at Serenlas (Imp) Classic type who had an eyecatching silhouette. Good reach of neck, correct shoulder placement, longer cast body, strong quarters gave the impression of working capability. He moved accordingly, light of foot & balanced. Longer leaner head, for me lacked moulding, stop could be a tad cleaner, giving appearance of long foreface. Well filled flat back skull. Neat lip line, sufficient underjaw. Lovely eye, bit reluctant with ears which could have been tighter. Beautiful shaded sable coat fitted him perfectly enhancing his outline. My favourite colour, just my cup of tea.

Champion (4;1) 1st CH Kourika You'll Do For Me, see previous. 2nd Cronks CH Chelborn Storyteller Super Tri boy who was a lesson in presentation. Jet black coat of which there was just too much, slightly swamping him. Good size, upstanding, showing all the time. Underneath the wealth of coat, was a very well constructed body, lovely front angles, deep ribcage, good length of back, attractive quarters. He moved as I hoped, correctly, tail ok. Really lovely head pattern, good wedge, very clean, no depth or breadth in skull. Sweet almond eyes, well set, correct stop. Small expressive ears well placed. Very pleasing expression. Lots to like. BVD as he moved so well over the lovely sable boy in veteran. 3rd CH Brooklynson El Dorado Shcex, well known sable of different type. Not quite the head pattern I was after today. But he comes into his own on the move, super construction enables him to power round the ring. Fit & athletic, truly an example of how a collie can move freely & a great embassador for our breed.

Special Beginners (2;1) 1st Corben’s Atirakin Snow Slides On High. See previous.

Barbara Blake Memorial Stakes (12;5) Extremely proud to be asked to judge this class. I hope Mrs Blake would have approved of the winner. I wasn't expecting to find this in the last class of the day! 1st Quince Oakley Ice Queen at Karafayre. Very taken with this young lady. Ultra feminine blue girl of beautiful type, excellent flowing body lines made for a super silhouette across the ring. Very clean head, no depth or breadth, good chin, flat skull. Beautiful almond eye obliquely set, topped off with neat well set ears. Would like a teensy bit more stop but this did not detract from sweet intelligent outlook. Movement was effortless & flowing. A very bright prospect indeed, good luck with her. 2nd Sewell's CH Wynele Strike It Rich to Lewarne JW. Elegant Tri boy, extremely well balanced through correct body lines. Good head pattern, lovely eye, correct stop & underjaw. Kindly collie expression,ears well used. Moved positively & powerfully as his build suggested, giving true impression of a working dog. 3rd Vogans Luminous Moon over Lenosann. Well up to size all male blue boy of striking colour. Wouldn't want any larger. Strong in head but totally clean skull which was flat, good wedge shape, strong underjaw, well placed eye & ear set. Happy show boy. Well made rangey body, deep ribs but carrying too much weight. Light on his feet he moved with strength, but front movement coming towards affected by weight over shoulder. Very interesting boy who still has to reach his best.

Judge Tracey Jackson (Sassari