SOUTH WEST GREAT DANE CLUB LEAGUE FINALS

 

 

Overall winner of SuperLeague IRISH & INTL CHAMPION TANTALLON CELTIC BRAVE

With the Best SuperLeague bitch CH MYHALSTON MORGAN LE FAYE AT MINTREX

 

I thoroughly enjoyed my evening out with the Great Dane folk who are sporting & courteous & certainly know how to have a good time, evident with the hugely supported dinner & dance that followed my most enjoyable, but slightly frustrating task of sorting out the Crème de la Crème of the magnificent breed known as the Great Dane.

As a breeder of a Giant breed myself I recognise how hard it is to breed consistently animals which are typical, balanced, well made & sound both in body & mind. Ones other half as an exhibitor on top of all this also wants the ultimate show dog. To get all the above in one, is so hard to achieve and the ultimate challenge. I have always believed those dedicated to Giant Breeds like the Great Dane & have managed to develop strong, quality, bloodlines deserve the highest recognition.

 

Experience has taught me that those brimming in breed type often have constructional shortcomings, and the better made showy ones lack detail that the connoisseur desires. The Dane breed was no exception.

As an aspiring judge for your breed, my attempt was to use my knowledge & understanding however limited of finding the specimens who in my opinion had the type in head the breed requires and the outline and bearings, which gives the Great Dane the elegance of outline and grace of form. All my principle winners in my opinion had the required strength & elegance and pleased me greatly.

 

 

My frustration was immediate from the very first class as it was evident from first glance that front assemblies were a huge issue and this trend carried on throughout my entire experience of judging. YES! It is important to get the height at the withers, the bearings which gives this breed its majesticity, the high neck & head carriage, but I feel this may have been at the cost of correct fronts.

Briskets were variant, some shallow & short in sternum, others to the other extreme with over prominent pro-sternums. I found some with ‘shelly’ bodies & some with alarmingly short ribs & long loins affecting top lines, but my bugbear of the day was many were not in hard muscular condition.

This is a hunting dog, along with his size & substance he should be agile & athletic & some I felt would have been incapable of pursuing game. Saying this there were many who were excellently conditioned & schooled & were a joy to go over.

The indoor venue was not ideal for assessing movement, and taking all into consideration I was rather forgiving on the ‘up & down’ as long as the side gait was synchronised harmonious & correct displaying the required free & springy action. Lastly my thanks to Sally & Tim Lewis & the committee of the SWGDC for a most enjoyable evening with wonderful dogs & people my CONGRATULATIONS to Sylvia & Geoff Burton for 50 years of marriage & to Sue & David Cottrell on Bereve Gilpins’ amazing achievement as a veteran.

 

Premier League Dogs:

1st SELMALDA HAS TO BE OF MARRIDANE

Scored for his wonderful outline, instant eye catcher. Head planes good, and masculine in outlook. Long reachy neck, excellent ribbing & rock hard top line both standing and moving, willing showman but at times rather exuberant and sometimes rather proud of his tail. His front angles are good, but tends to stand a touch ’10 to 2’ in front which reflected in his movement. He is young and will firm up in time and his overall quality could not be denied. Beat the gorgeous premier league bitch for Best Premier League.

 

2nd STAGBATCH SOULMATE FOR LIFE

Harlequin dog who unquestionably is beautifully made on hands on inspection, correct front and rear, good body shape and head features are good. Totally sound coming & going and correct side gait. He was foot perfect, excellent reach and drive, with breakpoint right down the centre line, for me he was short through & through, shorter in neck, leg & body and even though correct in every way he lacked the bearings and majesticity I was looking for which put him in the very respectable 2nd place.

 

3rd EBONORY BLACK ADDER

Big framed and strong-bodied black, I appreciate that the colours can be heavier than the fawns, and at this young age he was so mature and ready. Excellently made with good shoulders, Very good head planes, moving out soundly & correctly, in superb hard condition. Well deserving his 3rd spot.

 

 

Best in the Premier League SELMALDA HAS TO BE OF MARRIDANE

With the Best Premier League bitch CALOMAR CHASING DREAMS FOR LIJENSA

 

 

PREMIER LEAGUE BITCHES

Hard class, some that appealed were immature, fronts were very much a struggle in this class.

 

1st CALOMAR CHASING DREAMS FOR LIJENSA

True type is how I see her, this young lady has the most divine expression and I felt had that most wonderful head piece so full of detail, strong muzzle with lean narrow skull free of wrinkle, her head looked correct which ever angle you looked at it. She has length of head like 2 rectangular bricks placed neatly, excellent browing over eyes without too much stop, not too lippy with clean lines, with the characteristic ridging on nose. Neck is long & clean good general proportion, front good to go over but front action could be tidier and she runs a bit long in back. She tends to loose her top line when free stood and on the move, her side gait is excellent, maturity will give her the finish of body she needs, but her correct type & expression won her the day.

 

2nd SEMALDA SHE LOOKS TO ME THROUGH SAMDICE

Another very well made bitch, with a very good headpiece. Not quite the detail as of 1, excellent make and shape and a steady mover. She could be bigger, and tighter at the elbows, but her quality could not be denied.

 

3rd SELMALDA C’MON GIRL

Exceptionally well made on hands on inspection, on top of that here is a bitch that is well bodied and muscled, moving with great precision and drive with superb forward reach, good neck and shoulders, excellent top line, she too could be bigger but her overall quality is excellent.

 

 

SUPERLEAGUE DOGS

 

Excellent class with great depth of quality. I found it difficult to separate some of these top quality exhibits.

 

1st IRISH & INTL CHAMPION TANTALLON CELTIC BRAVE

I thought he was truly magnificent, his static balance is ideal he has the length to leg & the height at the withers, that makes him stand proud, loved everything about him, all male of that there is no question, masculine without coarseness, beautiful flowing lines, excellent head shape with great detail, correct deep set eyes of medium size, has strength of jaw & good length to head, Nostrils large & open giving the required blunt look with desired ridging, long lean & clean neck, superb body & proportions. Deep body and the correct brisket, excellent ribbing reaching well to the rear, good top line, croup & tail set. Ideal angles front & rear, free of exaggeration. Your hands just flow over him, nothing was extreme about him, totally moderate through & through, yet has the bearings that give this Dane the majesticity. He filled my eye totally. Fundamentally sound, moving very well in profile. Being critical he lacked the muscle tone of some of the others in this strong class & was a fraction light in body, but point for point, his quality was undeniable. Pleased to take him all the way to be the Super league Winner.

 

2nd CH MYHALSTON MISTER MALACHI

Spot on for condition & so at one with his handler. Here is an abject lesson in conditioning & presentation of a good show dog for all to see. Spot on for Body & muscle tone, medium sized dog with an adequate neck. Excellent shoulder, but found him rather overdeveloped in his sternum. Very well angulated dog behind with good ribbing. Head is good, masculine and strong, very good ‘coming & going’ with a purposeful and powerful side gait. Just tended to loose his top line a little an exceptional representative of the breed and so unlucky to meet 1 today.

 

3rd CH AMARAUD LOVE HURTS

Tall upstanding male who has the regal bearing so desired by the breed, completing a trio of excellent dogs. Very good head planes with a long reachy neck, Excellent angles front & rear, moving out well. Just felt he was longer in back & loin than 1 & 2 & a touch soft in his top line, which tipped the scales in favour of the others before him.

 

Other in the considerations today were also:

 

 Garsak Sir Alfie – magnificent strong bodied & framed male who gave a lot away in age. Head is good but needs to finish & refine, and also needs to drop at the rear for a better finish. Very sound purposeful mover.

 

Jaydania Just a showman – Now here is one that is beautifully made and textbook to go over. I feel he had the best front assembly that is so lacking in the breed, totally true coming & going and on the round for me he just lacked the finer breed points of the 3 winners.

 

Auldmoors Ask Me Another at Talyot – Masculine outlook, stands proud & is a great showman. Moved out well, just a touch too short in rib for me, neither the pasterns of the winners.

 

SUPERLEAGE BITCHES

Another quality class.

 

1st CH MYHALSTON MORGAN LE FAYE AT MINTREX

Feminine bitch who draws the most stunning outline on the stack. Interestingly her angles are a touch sharp & squared off, but surprisingly it all fits & she looks just glorious stood. Exquisite head, so full of detail, good length to head, flat skull with excellent work in boning above & around the eyes contributing so well to that desired expression, excellent cut to lip & good strong under jaw. Clean cut outline & moving out so well in profile. A touch overdeveloped in Sternum and her front could be tidier coming, but has so much type & quality that she stole my heart.

 

2nd ROSEARK COLORADO

Another of a similar make, shape & type as 1st, but not quite the head or glamour. Here is a very well balanced & shapely bitch that uses herself so well on the move. Lithe & springy she gave an excellent account of herself moving on sound legs. There is very little to fault her on, she is a good honest bitch that would appeal to one & all. Won in excellent company today.

 

3rd CH GARSAK NAME OF THE GAME

Has the size & outline that so adds to that look of Dash & Dare, and so very well made too. Moving out with total precision & drive. What she gained in her height & bearings, she lost a little in substance & depth of body, making her appear finer & rangier than the winners. An excellent specimen with a true stamp of a champion.

 

Others for consideration were:

 

Machamore alloa – Excellent Black who scored heavily in head type & outline, but chose to put her brakes on today so movement was difficult to assess.

 

Allours Miss Chief of Dainmajik – Very soundly made Harlie who has all the required breed essentials. Excellent to go over, good head & very sound on the move.

 

Garsak Flamenco – Bitch of good size with an excellent outline, pleased for type. Unsure of herself today, not giving her best.

 

Tan Nagrecha