I was quite surprised to find a large number of exhibits over the weight, one by 0.8 of a kilo! I forgave a few ounces as this never bothers me & if the exhibit is then well covered that’s fine. If the exhibit is very thin & well over the weight it will be penalised.

Mouths were a shock today too. One or two overshot, but the worst fault for me is the lower canines running up into the soft upper palate. I found several like this which is a great worry as it is detrimental to the wellbeing of the animal & should be avoided at all costs.

Temperaments were good on the whole & the odd one or two frightened ones stood out because of it.

Coats have improved, which is great, although soft leg hair & profuse beards were in evidence on a few.

PD (2) 1 Howells’ Fallowmill Storm In A Tcup, well coated dog with good head. Moved away well. Happy enthusiastic little chap; 2 Clare’s Lordscairnie Love God, well constructed boy with pleasing head. Would benefit from more bone, but he lets himself down by not putting anything in on the move. Once he overcomes that & starts to enjoy the shows he could do well. JD (0). PGD (3,2a) 1 Hayward & Howells’ Fallowmill Canberra, good head & mouth. Well coated & kept his top line. Skipped a couple of times behind but moved well enough for this place. Lovely temperament. LD (4) 1 Presnail’s Taree Useless Loop, would have been my third best dog had there been this award. Good head & mouth. Well presented coat. Moved well. Could have a little more character for preference, but not nervous at all. One of the lighter dogs exhibited today; 2 Kirkwood-Emery’s Helydon Goharley at Cicada, great showman & free stands to advantage. A big boy & that is what cost him here; 3 Russell’s Russteck Wyre In The Blood. OD (3,1) 1 Rose’s Ch Ridanflight Ricardo, I know much has already been written about this dog who won his 33rd CC today. He has a great coat, good head, correct front, tight feet, good neck & shoulder, level topline & he moves with drive. In addition he has a fabulous showmanship & moves with his head held high & proud. He is demonstrating his prowess as a stud dog, having sired several winners here today, passing on his many qualities. Our breed is lucky to have this animal in the gene pool at present as there are so many faults in need of correcting. My only worry is where will all the offspring go in the future? CC & BOB; 2 Jones’ Ch Bimini Starstruck, beaten by his father today, this dog demonstrates many of the above qualities. I preferred the head carriage & showmanship of the sire today, but this does not detract from this being a very good d too. RCC.

PB (8,3) 1 Jones’ Bimini Blue Moon, lovely bitch with excellent coat. Super head & eye. Moved well & kept her outline. Confident temperament. Very different in type to 2 having more bone & substance to her. BP & PG2; 2 Pain’s Russteck Nicely Nicely for Ravensbeech, very close coated extrovert bitch with pretty head & good eye. A shade finer through & not as mature as 1. Kept her outline on the move; 3 Marston-Teal’s Lordscairnie Life’s New Love. JB (4) 1 Kirkwood-Emery’s Helydon Jingle Bells, real Dachshund head & great coat. Love the type. Good tight feet & well off for bone. Tad fond of her stern on the move, but nothing too bad. Happy & showy, good shoulder & ribbing; 2 Black-Burn Bennett’s Stargang Catch The Rainbow, red coat not as harsh as 1, but pigmentation good for colour. Topline held on the move, but not quite the showmanship of first. Good type; 3 Shone’s Hanishan Lady In The Lake. PGB (5,1) 1 Daykin’s Barratina Chatters, lovely make & shape. Good coat & bone. Pretty head & moved well back & forth. Correct height to length ratio. Great character which I love; 2 Meredith’s Deepdax Perrie, little shorter through than 1, which slightly unbalanced her. Having said that she is well made with lovely head, shoulder & rearend. Good coat well presented. Useful bitch well handled; 3 Morris’ Pennywave Uptown Girl. LB (5,1) 1 Meredith’s Deepdax Lets Dance, sound workmanlike little bitch of good size & balance. In hard condition with tight feet, well boned legs & developed second thigh (not found in many!). Lost to CC winner on femininity & refinement, but it was close. RCC; 2 Howell’s Fallowmill Top Of The Class, well made bitch but a tad low for me as I would prefer more ground clearance. Well presented coat & good temperament. Rather full in forechest which slightly unbalanced her; 3 Fulton’s Bothlyn Dancing Queen. OB (7,1) 1 Russell’s Ch Russteck So Fair A Dream, although carrying a tad too much weight around her girth today, her overall quality & balance of height to length took her to top spot. Wonderful coat, pretty head & oval eye. Well laid shoulders & good neck. Well ribbed back & short strong loin. Moved with purpose & determination, keeping her outline at all times. CC; 2 Daykin’s Ch Barratina Hot Gossip, another lovely b who has many qualities. Moved well back & forth. Just preferred the coat & eye on first, but both bitches are top drawer; 3 Price’s Samlane Belleza.

M