Crufts 2010 Critique

[Ralph]

Thank you to the Kennel Club for the invitation, to the exhibitors for the super entry & to two excellent stewards. Now for what I was presented with.



To the person who said my BOB was tall & the ones who said he was too long & low, please read the Standard. The state of the breed is not good. They should have a broad rounded head & large round eyes, they were in the minority. This, with the correct balance of body, make a Shih Tzu.



My top winners were from Scandinavia, but they are clever breeders & if you look at their pedigrees they have over 60 per cent British breeding. So where have we gone wrong?



VD (6,2a) 1 Gilkes’ Ch Hashanah Lock Stock ‘N’ Barrel, g/w, done this boy well before, correct balance, correct head & tail carriage, turned out well; 2 Devine’s Mirazian Symbol Of Freedom, c/w, always liked the balance of this dog, large head, correct nose placement & well turned out; 3 Stevens’ Ch Peekin Jimmy Choo Tu, g/w, not the expression of 1 & 2, but is well balanced & good rounded ribcage, looking good. PB (7) Not the best class to judge, so mixed in type. 1 Smyth’s Cazhmir Theodorable, pleasing in head & expression, good eye shape & colour. Needs to mature & come together; 2 Johnson’s Caserose Colour Of Magic at Shionah, b/w, OK in expression & body. Just found him up on the leg; 3 Crossley’s Santosha Sunset Warrior, would have been an easy winner, get your act together.JD (13,1) 1 Diffey’s Marhilway Livin On The Edge, g/w, loved the balance & size of this boy, very good in head, excellent eye & nose placement. Just needs to come together, maturity will tell; 2 Brown’s Rossvale Red Xcess, loved this boy’s expression, the eyes are to die for. A little larger than 1 & will take longer to mature, but will then be up with the winners; 3 Morris’ Sazkey Heaven Can Wait, solid/g, liked the balance, lovely hind action, correct flick back. Needs to come on in head. YD (9) 1 Marks’ Tansingh Double Jepardy & 2 Stephenson & Howard’s Mishas Made To Order, these two boys a little up to size, but both had correct Shih Tzu balance, both good in profile movement with correct flick back of hocks. 1 won on head quality; 3 Podd & Turner’s Cwhar Star Edition, balance OK, typical movement. Not the eye shape of winners. PGD (14,1) Good class. Two lovely dogs that will go to the top, 1 Cooke’s Thaisu Rebel Rebel, c/w, loved the head of 1, lovely nose placement, excellent large round eyes, broad skull without being coarse, front OK, rounded ribbing, his profile movement was spot on; 2 Dolphin’s Dolha’s Beyond Doubt, g/w young boy, just not as forward. So much going for him, just shouts Shih Tzu, his balance & movement is quite spectacular, his head features all in the correct place; 3 Taylor’s Yakee Making Waves for Fewaun, the expression is good, his balance & movement is Shih Tzu. MLD (9) 1 Turner’s Tameron Mr Givenchy, not a glamour boy, but a lovely one to go over, so pleasing in head & expression with excellent eye, was all Shih Tzu in action, close up to 1; 2 Lee’s Jenade Take It Or Leave It, nicely balanced, oblong in shape, sound hindquarters, good ribbing. Liked his head shape, but not the eye of 1; 3 Vose’s Tansingh Sweet About Me to Cimona, masculine in head, balance & movement OK. LD (11) 1 T Mr Givenchy; 2 Dolphin & Berggren’s Anibes Bee-yond Belief, was my RCC the last time I judged, still think highly of him. Is all Shih Tzu, but was not in top form; 3 Yorke’s Minfaa Pinball Wizard at Middletune, pleasing head & expression, good all the way through. Failed to winners in hind movement. OD (17,2) Wow, what a class. 1 Paalsson’s Int/Swe/Dan/Fin/Nor Ch Fossella Kama Sutra, gave his father a CC before he went to Sweden, gave his mother BPIS & BV at two Swedish club shows, this is a dog to die for, thank you for bringing him, head just melted me, balance is so right, ribbing is rounded & extended, giving him a short loin, tailset & carriage spot on, lovely movement just like a sailing ship in full sail, is the best Shih Tzu I have judged, presentation was perfection, has coat & muscle. CC & BOB; 2 Howard’s Ch Tameron Mr Black XS, is the best to come from this kennel, only a young boy & needs to finish. Would not alter him, large rounded head, correct in ribbing, lovely rounded hindquarters which gave him the correct Shih Tzu movement; 3 Easdon & Martin’s Ch Santosha Hijacked for Yakee, lovely dog to handle, a good Shih Tzu. Just overshadowed by 1. GCD 1 Jones & Harp’s Zuthis Fact Not Fiction among Carlita & 2 Jones & Harp’s Harropine Comanche among Carlita, in tip-top condition & well presented. 1 now on correct balance.



VB (4,1) Three lovely bitches, in excellent condition & presentation. Just personal preference placed them in this order. 1 O’Donnell’s Santosha Sequence to Chiaru, g/w; 2 Carter & Leigh’s Ch Gladmin Nandi, g/w & 3 Macdonald’s Ch Centastage Moondancer, c/w. PB (12) 1 Stangeland’s Weatsom Never Say Never, pale g/w, has the sweetest of heads & expressions, lovely balance, such a showgirl, used her hindquarters to best advantage, will go far; 2 Diffey’s Marhilway I’m A Single Lady, loved the head & expression. Not as forward as 1, but a very promising girl; 3 Bushell’s Caserose Poetry In Motion, not the head & expression of winners, but deserved her place in this strong class on her balance. JB (10,2) 1 Howard’s Rossvale Miss Insolence at Tameron, g/w, feminine, large head & eyes, your hands just flowed over her, everything in the right place, close up to winners; 2 Diffey’s Marhilway Shes Got The Edge, so pleasing in balance & type, love the head & eye, used her hindquarters to advantage; 3 Masson & Diffey’s Marhilway Diamond Edge at Erible, had to be placed on type & balance, but not so good in hindquarters. YB (13,2) 1 Cooke’s Thaisu She Rocks, would be in the too few for CC, so strong was the competition, could have easily signed 5 CCs. Very pleasing in head, lovely low slung bitch, body & hindquarters spot on; 2 Richie’s Ambergate Firebird & 3 Gettings’ Surianne Mz Tameca China Cup, little to choose between these two quality bitches, but outshone by 1. PGB (17,4) 1 Barron’s Maitreya Calypso, black, has it all in a small bundle, excellent in head, good in rib, both in width & length, good in hindquarters, correct flick back; 2 Crossley’s Santosha Susaki, solid gold, nicely balanced, good in head & eye, loved her profile movement; 3 Farnworth’s Tsantha Happy Go Lucky, not quite the balance of 1. Has quality & deserving of her place in this large class. MLB (13,4) 1 Macdonald’s Hin Chen’s Power Of Love at Centastage & 2 Hatten’s Thaisu Pussycat Doll at Marbo, close call between these 2, the quality of head, in fact all the way in formation, both excellent. Just preferred lowness to ground of 1. Liked them both; 3 Williams’ Paliden Shining Gold, smallish girl, but of high quality. Liked her head & eye. Just lethargic on the day. LB (14,2) 1 Farnworth’s Tsantha Prime Ballerina, c/w, all quality, the broad rounded head with nose & eyes in the correct place shouted Shih Tzu, lovely freedom of movement, good ribbing, close up to winners; 2 Carter & Leigh’s Gladmin Shakia, pleasing in head & balance of body, well turned out, has quality; 3 Diffey’s Marhilway Double Edged, this kennel is producing quality & Shih Tzus of a lovely type. OB (13,2) Wow again. 1 Frode’s Nord Ch Ta Maria Fantasy Forever, not a stranger to me, gave her, her first certificate & BIS at Swedish club show some 2 years ago, loved her then & still do, g/w with the most lovely head & expression, had the balance I was looking for, excellent body ribbing & muscletone, so much of a type, if they produce like themselves they would be interesting to see. CC; 2 Farnworth’s Ch Tsantha Sugar Plum Fairy, & a repeat of the last time I judged at WKC & still like her lots, so Shih Tzu in head & expression, the balance, head & tail carriage is spot on & can really use her hindquarters, turned out in tip-top condition. RCC; 2 Morris’ Ch Tsantha Sunnyside Up at Sazkey, solid gold, in no way disgraced by being in this position, love the eyes & expression, correct balance & really drove round the ring.

D S ILEY