| Northern Counties Shih Tzu Club 2023 | Date : 1st April 2023 |
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I would like to thank the Committee of the Northern Counties Shih Tzu club for inviting me to judge for them and for the kind hospitality of those present throughout the day. Thank you to all of the exhibitors for allowing me the honour of judging their dogs and for their appreciation of my placings. There was a lovely friendly atmosphere. Thank you to my fabulous stewards for keeping things running smoothly.
As always, I was looking for a dog who was not only sound but true to the breed standard, free from exaggeration, with plenty of breed type and character. I certainly found this in my main winners.
Now for the hard part. Whilst I don’t wish to be negative, many of my concerns from previous appointments are still valid. Upright shoulders, giving uncharacteristic, high stepping and often stilted front action and poor deportment, short ribcages, shallow chests and Apso like bodies are all in evidence. I was saddened to find some narrow jaws, all of which followed through with narrow bodies and shocked to find a few jaws that were wry! This must not be encouraged as, in severe cases, it can be detrimental to the dog’s health and wellbeing.
As always, presentation was, on the most part, very good, but underneath the coats I was shocked to find some lacking in body and muscle tone. Temperaments, on the whole, were excellent! |
