Ceylon Kennel Club’s 1^st Breed Speciality Dog Shows

Judge’s Critique

Dr. Freya Javeri

To begin with I would like to express my gratitude to Ceylon Kennel Club for inviting me to judge and to the exhibitors at the dog show. Special thanks to Mrs. Lucille Dahanayake for making our stay in Sri Lanka a memorable one.

One of my main observations of all the breeds I judged was the lack of firmness. This essentially is due to lack of the correct type and amount of exercise. All large breeds require at least 30-45 minutes of brisk walking on rough ground surface twice a day (this is over and above their regular ‘play time’). Lack of exercise in the early developmental age can lead to irreversible damage to joints. I also found a lot of dogs still had their hind dew claws. Dew claws in the hind legs, when present, are generally removed by the age of 3 days.

ROTTWEILER

The Rottweiler must show physical power and a stable temperament. Hence heavy bone, good depth of body, deep and wide chest and an overall strong, muscular look is most desirable in this breed. The head, a characteristic of Rottweilers, should have the right muzzle:head ratio and should be wide with a deep, strong jaw.

LABRADOR RETIREVER

The Labrador Retriever is a breed built for endurance. A good Labrador has a heavy head, deep body and good bone and muscle. The ‘otter tail’, characteristic of this breed, is thick at the base, perfectly staright, gradually tapering to a rounded tip

GOLDEN RETIREVER

The Golden Retreiever, like the Labrador, is a versatile Gundog. A good Golden Retriever has a heavy head, a strong, deep body, heavy bone with good musculature. The coat is of medium length and weather resistant.

GERMAN SHEPHERD DOG

The German Shepherd was developed as the most versatile breed of dog. A relatively young breed, having been developed in 1899, it has already been the victim of a blatant disregard for its breed standard through the 1980’s and 90’s. The true German Shepherd has a firm, straight, slightly sloping (never roached or bent) topline, good balanced angulation in shoulder and stifle, good overall depth of body, heavy in bone, good musculature and a moderately wide head with a soft, intelligent expression. The beautiful flying trot of the German Shepherd is a characteristic of the breed: the well laid back shoulder and good hind angulation together create a gait that covers maximum ground with each stride; the slight angle in the pasterns gives the movement the ‘spring’ typical of the flying trot.

BULLMASTIFF

The Bullmastiff, though not as tall as most other giant breeds, is a heavy-boned, muscular dog. The head is heavy with a strong jaw, the body is deep overall and the chest wide.

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105^th All Breed Championship Show

BEST EXHIBIT IN SHOW - BEST WORKING DOG     SECOND BEST EXHIBIT IN SHOW - BEST HOUND

THIRD BEST EXHIBIT IN SHOW - BEST GUN DOG                      BEST TOY IN SHOW

BEST TERRIER IN SHOW                  RESERVE BEST IN SHOW - BEST PASTORAL EXHIBIT IN SHOW

BEST UTILITY IN SHOW

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