Judge's Comments

The Executive, Directors, and General Membership of Vizsla Canada.

I would like to thank you all for the opportunity of judging so many of
your fine breed(s) on Aug. 15th in Beamsville. My time within your ring
was enjoyable from beginning to end with an abundance of good will and
loads of congratulations of winners by those not so fortunate on the day,
under this judge. Nothing ever builds a club as efficiently as genuine good
sportsmanship and the welcoming of good, strong competition; here your club
excelled on the day and I hope this is typical of all of your shows and
trials and tests.

Perhaps there might be some benefit to club members to hear some of my
observations and/or concerns, as a breed outsider with no vested interests.
assuming this to be so:

Overall quality of the exhibits was well above average and some were quite
excellent, in my opinion. Proper conditioning and conformation to type as
defined by the CKC's standard was also above average for the Vizlas I've
judged previously, with a few areas that could use attention. Starting
from the head (but in no order as to prevalence or degree of problem).
Vizlas ears shouldn't resemble those of a Pointer (pointed), or those of a
hound (lengthy and sometimes heavy leather). Bites and eyes were good
throughout. Expression was correct on almost all exhibits as was
temperament. I saw *no* evidence of any shyness and this was heartening.
Feet and pasterns were a different matter though with many tending to a
hare foot, which I personally believe is better for an upland dog but which
is not a round, cat foot as called for by your standard. A few otherwise
lovely dogs were knocked for this fault, especially if it was combined with
a short upright pastern. There was no knuckling over in evidence,
thankfully. Because of judges' guidelines I didn't pick up feet to
specifically check webbing but since I've rarely seen a field dog whose
toes had none, I wasn't worried. The same is true for pads unless I
suspected a problem based on shape or flatness which was virtually
non-existent.

As in many of our sporting dogs, avoiding straight upright fronts and short
upper arms is, or should be a concern. Your breed is in better shape than
most as moderation is called for in length of shoulder and angulation
whereas most standards want lengthy, well layed-back scapulae. Though no
mention is made in your standard, I do not like to see a chest with no
suggestion of a prosternum and I may have faulted this unjustly. Over wide
chest hurts a lot as it detracts from correct movement, spoils head-on
appearance, and leaves a silouette just a shade out of balance. Remember
aristocratic. Loins were generally correct length but some few were slack
and not muscled and I faulted this to the degree it was present. No loin
muscle, no turns and no transmission of power plus a loss of topline on the
move. Not surprisingly the closest to single tracking was in young or
youngish bitches and very surprisingly in my vets. (The male vet was an
exceptional mover and of very correct type and balance taking him over many
Specials to the day's only Award or Certificate of Merit which I was
permitted. From my catalogue I later learned that many of those he beat out
were direct offspring).

Rear assemblies were not a problem with the great majority though do be
careful of tail set and carriage. I saw only one tucked tail and it was
not due to fright but uncertainty. Single tracking wasn't nearly as common
as tricycle tracking with the fronts noticeably closer to the median line
than the rear, another trait I accept easily in a galloping dog but which
isn't condoned by your standard. As for tails that flag constantly at the
proper level, god I wish they'd used a different word because flagging on
point on planted birds is a great fault which has come to be identified too
often with your breed. I know the difference but one newcomer to a trial I
was judging confided to me that Vizlas are supposed to flag constantly; it
said so right in the standard :-(

Please do not consider that because of the length of treatment of concerns
that I was judging based on fault finding. That's too easy and no
challenge at all, and does no justice to the breed. My winners had many
things in common, throughout my classes, but the outstanding one was
quality. Without quality there is no breed essence and the generic, sound
dog rises to the top to the detriment of type. This shouldn't happen when
there are classes with sufficient depth to permit choice and, at a
specialty a generic dog should never succeed over type (which includes
soundness in this breed).

For my limited comments on the Wire Haired Vizlas please see the message I
sent out to Pointer-L. I find it difficult to understand why, when we have
a climate like we do and the terrain and conditions under which we hunt,
this isn't a much more widely appreciated and used breed. Good ones are
truly lovely companions and great hunters.

Thanks for having me and feel free to call on me in the future for either
your shows, trials, or tests. If I have one suggestion to improve the
specialty, though I realize the logistical complications it would create,
it would be to have a trial or tests the day following or preceding the
show, if you can find one, for both events.

I have appended to this email a message I sent out to my fellow Pointer
breeders around the world this morning and my reason for doing so is to
have you understand the same important message I was trying to send them,
not too subtly.
**********************************************************

To Pointer-L:

I judged the 1st Canadian Vizsla National Specialty on Saturday, August
15th near Niagara Falls (1200km drive return) and had a great time. I was
treated to an exceptional entry in quantity and quality. It was their
40th anniversary show but 1st National. I had a ring not to be used after
completion of my assignment and with the show chairperson's blessing, at my
request, I was permitted to take as much time as I wanted with each exhibit.

I put up field-fit and correct type with many of the top winners, as it
turns out, from the USA, except for my Canadian Bred bitch, and my Best
Canadian bred in show which were also fit and correct and would have stood
well in any company. Open dog went over all specials to win the day and
complete his show title here in Canada, WD,BW,BOB, BISS. He was shown to
me in top trial condition and weight. The owner was elated that a pointing
breed specialist would recognize his quality despite all the muscle and the
lack of the fashionable (in show circles) layer of unnecessary soft
fleshiness, or fat. I was equally happy to have had him presented to me in
such fit condition. BOS and also BPIS was a spectacular American [Note: Correction -
this puppy was English bred, not American as Sandy wrote.] bitch who took her
win from the specials class, one truly full of quality,
and this was especially true of the bitches.

The Wire-Hair Vizsla breed was also present but represented by only one dog
and one bitch. Each was of correct type, substance, and character and so
it was nice to have them there to permit those exhibitors of smooths and
the spectators who hadn't previously had a chance to see them in the flesh,
to at least get a taste of what this breed looks like. Unhappily, the only
bitch had to be excused lame due to an incident only minutes before
entering the ring so the male won the specialty by default, as it were.

I'm looking forward to next time I do Pointers and hoping to see as many
quality animals, as fit and properly conditioned, as the majority of these
Vizlas were.

Cheers, Sandy

William D. Gunn, R.R. 1, Edwards, Ont, Canada K0A 1V0
Tel 613-821-5026 Fax: 613-821-5026 (11:30pm-07:00am)
Email: sandygunn@doglover.com
Web Pages: http://www.cnwl.igs.net/~wdgunn/