I was delighted to be invited to judge Min L/h at the Hound Association & was thrilled with a numerically good entry in present times. However I was rather disappointed in the quality & think some breeders/exhibitors need to take a long hard look at their dogs & in some cases make some difficult decisions about whether dogs are actually good enough to show & breed on from if they want to improve the quality of their dogs. I understand the first time breeder who only has one bitch to breed from wanting to try & improve on her, but why go on to breed multiple litters from the same bitch? Keep the best & breed on from that & ask for & listen to advice about where you need to improve.

Coat presentation was generally good with a couple of exceptions but many had very dirty teeth which is inexcusable & a welfare issue if not controlled. I just don’t understand why people would pay £20 plus to enter a dog at a show & then not bother to clean its teeth. Most bites were correct but there was a surprising number who had misplaced incisors where it appeared that the tooth was twisted & sticking out at an angle, this needs careful watching.

Most people know my opinions regarding weighing & while I am happy to reward dogs who are slightly over 11lbs if their construction warrants it, I was surprised at just how many are being shown who are not only a little bit over 11lbs but significantly over in some cases & some that while they had just enough covering on them should be a lot more than they actually were on the day to really see them at their best. It is possible to breed correctly constructed dogs who fit within the Standard regarding size it just takes a bit more planning & thought.

On the plus side I felt that temperaments had slightly improved since I last judged Min L/h, with more showing the confidence which the Standard calls for & there were slightly less with tummy-tapping hind action which is a real pet hate of mine.

Many thanks for the sporting way in which my decisions were accepted it was lovely to hear clapping round the ring for most of the classes.

MPD (1) 1 Woodage & Halsall’s Totonian Dolore, 6 months well grown b/t in excellent coat for age. Appealing head & good front construction. Little short in second thigh which affected his hind movement but hopefully this will settle as he matures. Active & confident mover who shows promise for the future as long as he stops growing. PD (4) 1 Lockett-Walters’ Ralines One Of Those, lovely 10 months cream dog with a coat typical of his colour at this age. Attractive head, excellent front construction, well ribbed back. Correct hind angulation which showed on the move as he powered round the ring. Most settled in the this class & pressed hard in the challenge, just preferred the balance on the day of the more mature Junior dog so he had to settle for the RCC; 2 Norton’s Halunke Going Dutch, dark red dog of totally different type to 1 with lots to like. Excellent head & neck giving him the elegance I prefer, good shoulder placement, but lacking the pro-sternum & upper arm of 1. Excellent ribbing & neat rear. When he settles he moves with confidence showing good reach & drive, just needs to cooperate a little more & channel his exuberance in the right way. Should be a very useful dog bred to the right bitches & nice to see new lines being incorporated; 3 T Dolore. JD (3,1a) 1 Kennedy’s Denkena Loganberry, very smart cream dog who has excellent proportions & is totally balanced. Attractive head held confidently on a good length of neck. Well angulated shoulders & hindquarters, well ribbed back with correct top & underline. Has a typical junior coat at the moment but this meant he had nothing to hide & his excellent movement was there for everyone to see. He really uses himself well to show excellent reach & drive & is true coming & going. There was no denying him the CC today (his first) & for BOB I preferred his more compact proportions over the lovely bitch. CC & BOB; 2 McCarthy’s Nagshall Mr Tambourine Man, much rangier red dog of 16 months. Excellent head & correctly angulated shoulders but rather elbowy for my liking. Holds a good top & underline both stacked & on the move. Would like to see him when he’s had chance to fill out & mature. BD (3) 1 Rouse’s Doujac Simply Red, correctly sized shaded/r dog with a good coat & in good condition. Good angulation in front but lacks 2nd thigh which reduces his drive behind. Moved out confidently; 2 Drady’s Tolberg Paddy Guinness at Indiko, masculine b/t dog with a strong head that could use more refinement. Well angulated shoulders but a little elbowy. Moved out well but doesn’t always hold his topline correctly. In lovely condition & well handled; 3 Green’s Neertanauf Jack Jones. PGD (3) 1 D Loganberry; 2 Cooper’s Jumanda’s Renaissance, smart b/t 2 years dog in excellent coat & condition. Very attractive head & good front construction, just lacking a little in length of neck. Ribbing OK, neat rear which he uses well on the move. At times just roaching his topline slightly on the move; 3 N Mr Tambourine Man. LD (8,1) 1 Woodall’s Half Century at Rarewood, really lovely well marked silver dapple dog of excellent proportions. Very attractive head & the length of neck I like. Excellent shoulder construction with tight elbows & plenty of pro-sternum. Good ribbing & held his excellent top & underline at all times. Moved out with confidence & attitude, true coming & going, just lacked a little in rear drive as he is slightly short in second thigh. However he is a really lovely dog who was very close for top honours; 2 Broad’s Neertanauf Sea Magic, mature s/r dog of good type. Heavier in head than 1, reasonable length of neck leading into well placed shoulders, would prefer tighter elbows. Correct top & underline which he held well on the move. Moved soundly with good drive. Lacking in side coat but he makes up for it in trousers & tail feathering which slightly detracts from his good movement; 3 McCarthy’s Nagshall Just Santana. OD (3,1) 1 McCarthy’s Nagshall Oklahoma Sunrise, 3 years cream dog with a typical coat for his colour, OK in head but lacking in length of neck for me. Well angulated front & rear. Moved soundly & with more enthusiasm than 2 Graham’s Ch Jadag Heir Apparent, well marked choc dapple dog with an excellent head. Could use more length of neck to give him more elegance. Front & rear construction good but just doesn’t use himself on the move to advantage. With more oomph this dog could do much better. VD (2) 1 Young’s Ch Willowheath Hendrix, 7 years b/t dog in excellent coat & condition. Would prefer more neck to give him more elegance. Adequate front construction with tight elbows. Well constructed rear which he uses to advantage on the move; 2 Brearley’s Lyndarlea Silver Wave at Xanadax, 7 years silver dapple dog in good condition. Lovely head, front construction adequate. Lacking in second thigh which affected his hind movement which was rather erratic at times.

MPB (1) 1 Worswick’s Dolyharp Coppelia, stood alone but very worthy winner. Most attractive 7 months cream bitch in excellent coat for age. Really lovely type with an attractive head & good length neck. Excellent shoulder angulation, good ribbing & an excellent rear. Moved out with confidence & drive. BPB, just lost out on maturity for BP but will follow her career with interest as we should hear a lot more about this lovely girl. PB (6,1) 1 Brooks’ Lyndarlea Little Pearl, 10 months cream baby with an excellent head & neck. More pro-sternum than 2, good shoulder angulation. Ribbing OK, good rear which she used well on the move. Just a touch long in body; 2 Norton’s Halunke Dutch Affair, dark red elegant girl of European type but with lots to like. Lovely head & good length of neck. Correctly angulated shoulders but lacking in pro-sternum & upper arm. Excellent rear angulation which gave her super drive on the move. Really powered round the ring but like her brother needs to settle a little to really see her at her best. In beautiful coat & condition. Will be interesting to see her as she matures; 3 Rees’ Yumares Xandra. JB (8,1) 1 Johnson’s Charpurdy Just Willow, really lovely b/t bitch of almost 18 months. Loved her head & neck. Excellent shoulders & pro-sternum. Very well ribbed back & good rear. She is such a lovely balanced type & even better than her mother who I did well for at a similar age. I think she had been caught in the rain as her coat was not as well presented as I’ve seen but this did not detract from her overall quality & more than happy to award her the RCC in good company; 2 McCarthy’s Nagshall Just So, cream bitch with very good angulation at both ends who was close up to 1. Moved out soundly showing good reach & drive. Just preferred the overall balance of 1; 3 Graham’s Jadag Fancy That. BB (3) 1 McGavigan & Pettigrew’s Walpines Peel to Pettigans, well coated b/t bitch, slightly broad in skull & short in muzzle, lacking neck but she is well constructed in body with adequate angulation at both ends & a neat compact body. Moves out well keeping a good outline. She has a lovely straight b/t coat which is in excellent condition but she has a little too much of it which makes her look like she’s carrying too much weight which she isn’t. Should breed something good if mated to the right dog; 2 Drady’s Jumanda’s Silver Sparkle at Indiko, fairly big silver dapple girl with a lovely head & neck. Good shoulder angulation but tends to stand a little ten to two in front. Could use more hind angulation but moves out soundly. Well presented; 3 Fitzgerald’s Dolyharp Summer Song. PGB (15,2) A very difficult class to sort out with so many different types. 1 Johnson’s Charpurdy’s Just Ification, litter sister to 1 in Junior & the same comments apply, really splitting hairs for the RCC as they are like peas in a pod. 2 lovely bitches to be very proud of; 2 Chappell’s Gleneddee Miz Crystal Dream, 2 years cream bitch with a good head & neck. Excellent front construction & an excellent body with long ribbing & a very good top & underline. Could use slightly more hind angulation but what she had she used really well on the move keeping a lovely outline at all times; 3 Worswick’s Dolyharps Bitter Sweet. LB (13,2) Again not an easy class due to the large variance in type, this class was topped by 2 lovely bitches who both have the elegance I like, just wish they both had a bit more confidence to make more of themselves. 1 Edwards’ Barok Blonde Bombshell, cream in good coat & condition. Really lovely to go over, best of fronts, lovely head & length of neck. Well constructed rear. Moved soundly showing good reach & drive in profile. Slightly more confident than 2; 2 Brooks’ Hanishan Eezzy Magic Nite at Lyndarlea, lovely shaded/r girl of a super type. So good to go over. Excellent head & front construction, good top & underline. Well constructed rear which she uses well on the move. She has really improved in confidence since I last judged her & fingers crossed this will continue so that she starts winning what she deserves; 3 Rowell’s Tolberg Tia Drop at Emmajesk. OB (9,1) 1 Lockett-Walters’ Ch Ralines Diamond Cluster, fully mature b/cr bitch of obvious quality. Good length of neck leading into excellent shoulders & correct pro-sternum. Very well ribbed back which gives her a good top & underline which she holds at all times. Correctly angulated hindquarters which are evident in her super profile movement where she really drives round the ring. Not the most cooperative of bitches but undeniably the winner of this class & the CC. Just preferred the more compact body of the dog for BOB; 2 Blackshaw & Roberts’ Ravenways What About Us, you really need to get your hands on this bitch to appreciate her qualities as she has a very fluffy coat which detracts from her good construction. She has excellent shoulder construction, good ribbing & a well angulated rear which she uses so well on the move. Her head is well proportioned but she does have slightly rounder eyes than I like; 3 Johnson’s Dandydayo Silent Nite at Charpurdy. VB (3) 1 Edwards’ Barok New Beginning, 7 years shaded/r bitch of a lovely type who excels on the move. Good head but a little round in eye for my liking. Good length of neck leading into excellent shoulders & a good pro-sternum. Ribbing could be slightly longer. Well angulated rear which she uses so well to drive on the move. In excellent condition; 2 Brooks’ Lyndarlea Lacey, 9 years bitch is super coat & condition. Lovely type & so feminine. Excellent head & neck, good shoulders. A little down on her pasterns in front which made her look a little flat footed at times. Moved out soundly; 3 Green’s Eldmour Electra.

HELEN GEESON