SOUTH-WESTERN  GREAT DANE CLUB

 

2009 CHAMPIONSHIP SHOW “LEAGUE FINALS” COMPETITION

 

I was delighted to be able to accept the invitation of the South-Western Great Dane Club to judge their League finals and very much looked forward to the weekend but I could never have anticipated the very grand event which awaited me, from the luxurious holiday homes for accommodation to the final evening Dinner and Dance.  This is  a super weekend, away from it all, with time to meet friends old and new in the company of  their  beloved Danes and all credit must go to Secretary, Sally Lewis who has the arduous task of keeping records of all points gained throughout the year, and her team of willing helpers who organise this annual event.

This was the 29th such event and the Club has been most fortunate in finding the perfect venue in Brean Leisure Park, near Weston-Super-Mare.

 

Of course the highlight and true purpose of the weekend came on the Saturday afternoon when after a welcome drink the League Finals were judged, the judge’s name having been kept a secret until the very last second.

 

This was judged in two sections, first the Premier League from points winners in the lower Championship Show Classes and then the Super League from points winners in the upper Championship Show Classes, each being divided into sections of twelve dogs and twelve bitches, although  inevitably there were one or two absentees. I was asked to choose three from each section with an overall winner. The quality throughout was most pleasing and in many cases I was splitting hairs to separate the placings.

 

In judging any breed it is most important to have breed type with good construction and profile and to be able to see it shown off to advantage with a steady movement. This I found today in abundance. The head of any animal shows the character and temperament and is always very high on my list of priorities. Most today were of correct proportions to the size of body and stature but I felt that some, particularly in the dogs, were rather overdone in skull and lost the proportionately narrow look as called for in the breed standard. There were a few rather narrow and weak in front and pasterns but most had correctly angulated, strong, muscular hind quarters so hind movement on the whole was satisfactory.

 

First to be judged was the PREMIER LEAGUE – Dogs.

 

This was a good class where fawns stood out for overall type and quality, headed by two young dogs who appealed greatly.

 

  1. Chappell’s Selmalda I Am Rock – A super young dog, oozing quality, just twelve months old, all in proportion for age, presenting a most pleasing, elegant outline both standing and moving. Well shaped head with room for maturity, strong in loin and hind quarters, he moved out with a very positive free stride.

 

  1. Lewis’ Axeford FlyingSolo – A fawn of similar age and excellent breed type, slightly taller than first and very well balanced throughout. Pleasing head of good proportions with a good expression. Well matured for age. Presents a good outline both standing and moving making this a close decision.

 

  1. Cooke’s Tantallon Leica – Still a puppy of excellent breed type and again bigger made. Well proportioned in head, presents a good outline standing, with good legs and feet, well up on pasterns. Moved out steadily but not quite so positive as two above.

 

 

Next came the PREMIER LEAGUE – Bitches.

 

I found these to be more varied in quality and type but again dominated by the fawns.

 

  1. Chappell’s Selmalda Rock Ola Baby – A beautiful, elegant twelve months old just right for her age and very eye-catching. So full of breed type with the most characteristic head and alert expression. Long clean arched neckline, good depth of body, short coupled and strong through a slightly arched loin with strong, well-muscled hind quarters. Made right she presented a perfect picture on the move, shown on a slack lead, with her head carried high maintaining a good outline and drive.

 

  1. Day and Fry’s Merribox Love Affair with Janriche JW – An upstanding fawn of excellent breed type and being older is quite mature. A very stylish girl she has a super head and expression with dark marking, well filled out in front with a good depth of body. Moves out with a good profile in keeping with her good construction.

 

  1. Hempstead’s Majosun Jenny Wren – A well-marked brindle of excellent breed type, slightly younger and not as forward but just right for her age. Pleasing, well shaped feminine head with good eye and expression, good bone and feet. Presents a good outline standing and moved out with a free positive stride.

 

BEST OF PREMIER LEAGUE

 

I was surprised and delighted to find that the winners of these two classes were in fact brother and sister from a litter of only two. For Best Overall I chose the bitch, Selmalda Rock Ola Baby who at this moment in time is slightly more forward than her brother, particularly in head and she showed more maturity in outlook.  But never-the-less a lovely pair to be proud of and I shall watch their progress with interest.

 

This was followed by the SUPER LEAGUE – Dogs.

 

A very good class headed by three excellent dogs.

 

  1. Roberts’ CH. Arondyke Absent Minded JW – A super fawn of excellent breed type with a classic head and well balanced throughout, he presents himself to advantage. At just two years old he is a dignified, strong, powerful dog, so well constructed with a good depth of chest and well filled out, excellent angulation both front and rear with strong well-muscled hind quarters which allowed him to move out so easily with a good ground-covering stride. He is a super example of the breed and I was more than pleased to make him overall winner of the Super League.

 

  1. Toohey’s CH. Jaydania Sun Tan – A much bigger, more mature substantially made dog of excellent breed type with plenty of substance and all in proportion. He has a good head and expression, is well developed in body and fore chest with strong legs and good pasterns. Short coupled through the loin with strong, with well angulated hind quarters giving very sound, ground covering movement.

 

  1. King and Dolby’s Foaldown Secret Love with Eppwood – Another fawn, not a big one but presents a super, elegant, mature outline. Good, well proportioned head, pleasing neck and shoulders with strong legs and pasterns. Moved out very freely maintaining his good outline.

 

 

 

 

SUPER LEAGUE – Bitches

 

Three super bitches who could easily have changed places.

 

  1. Day and Fry’s Merribox Heaven Sent to Janriche – A young fawn very elegant, very feminine and at eighteen months she has time on her side. She has a beautiful head of good type, long neck set into well laid shoulders and straight front with excellent legs and feet. Good depth to body  and strong well muscled hind quarters.  Moved out with a very good profile keeping her stylish outline and covering the ground well.

 

  1. Seddon’s Tenaya Apache Brave Star – A fawn of lovely type and has all the qualities I was looking for. Head of good length and shape with pleasing expression, Good neck set into well laid shoulders, Good top line and depth to body, with strong hind quarters. Presents a super outline both standing and moving.

 

  1. Lord and Lewis’ Axeford Mystify for Hecklehaze – An older fawn but still needs time for maturity. She has excellent breed type, not a big one and very feminine. Correct head, dark eye, good clean neckline set into well laid shoulders. She has plenty of substance with strong hind quarters. So well balanced standing but could have settled more to give better movement.

 

BEST OF SUPER LEAGUE

 

Together the winners of the Super League classes made a very good pair, the dog so masculine and the bitch a feminine counterpart. I would have been happy to choose either one as the best overall but the dog, CH. Arondyke Absent Minded JW dominated on the day with his super outline and movement.

 

 

 

After a short comfort break for both humans and dogs the evening concluded with a grand celebration Dinner and Dance, the tables decorated with balloons in the Club colours and a frontal display of, I believe, some 145 trophies, many perpetual and others to be won outright, which were presented to the winners during the evening.

 

 

Freda Marshall (Judge)