Tuomarikommentit
Täältä löydät alkuperäiset, lyhentämättömät tuomarikommentit. Suomennetut versiot löydät Colliesanomien numerosta 4/2021. Simon Burton toimitti lehteä varten tiivistetyn version, täyspitkä versio alla.
Michaela Rukopf
At 28th August 2021 I was invited to judge rough Collie males at the Collie speciality show in Seinäjoki. Preparations had been going ahead for several months as it was originally planned for February and then postponed to August, which made it even nicer because the show could be held outside then. I knew that this show was a special show in Finland and even more special this year after a long abstinence of specialty shows. However, honestly I did not know how special this show would be. My colleagues Bev White, Simon Burton and I were overwhelmed when we got knowledge about the entries. I never had an entry like that before and I must thank everybody for entering under me.
Bev, Simon and me, including our partners, met at Helsinki airport and had a lovely train trip through Finland before arriving to our final destination. There we had our first of three wonderful dinners together with Marjo Hautaviita who organized everything up to the smallest detail.
The showground was just beautiful and so idyllic, between woods and water and with all those nice little bungalows on the place where some of the exhibitors stayed overnight. We judges had fun to help building up the tents on the place honorary and meet some of the very busy helpers there. My hubby and I are still talking about that wonderful VIP lounge that was built up between the rings for our partners, where they were spoiled all day. I have never seen something like that before.
My judging started with the lassie class, which was something totally new to me, we don’t have that in Germany.
It was a bit strange to have rough and smooth Collies together as well as males and females and all ages. I was surprised about the Quality, there were several dogs in that class that could have won in normal classes if they would not have had some small issues.
When I started with my regular classes, I might have been quite strict because the all over quality of the dogs at the day was quite high. So it might happen that dogs that are used to get an excellent ended up with a very good because there were so many excellent dogs that day to choose from.
I was very pleased with tails, only saw very few bad ones which is much worse in my country. Most of the dogs were real Collies with that elegance and beauty we want to see and, very important, a lovely calm and friendly temperament. I could see that most of the exhibitors had done some training with their dogs (and with themselves), in this part German exhibitors can learn from Scandinavians for sure.
I had a few cases of bad grooming, Collies which looked proper from a distance but ungroomed in parts you cannot see from outside. Especially as the owners were no beginners, they should be aware that a judge can touch the dog everywhere and it is a way to honour a judge to show clean and well-groomed dogs.
I was and still am very pleased with the winners of all classes I had to judge, and I was more than happy to find Silverlady's Limited Edition as my best male. He has everything I want to see in a Collie and I was even more proud to see him go best of breed under my colleague Bev White later.
After having judged around 90 Collies individually, it came to a huge number of progeny and breeders classes. I have never seen, let alone judged so many of them. This was really new to me, you only see very few of those classes in Germany and we do not write critiques for them. To see all of those classes in the ring was absolutely amazing and I found some very nice groups to be my winners.
After we had finished judging in our separate rings, we were honoured and entertained by the champion’s parade. The champions of this year were presented in a quite spectacular way with atmospheric music. Eventually you could have seen a tear in my eyes….
The great final was judging the best of the best, several best in show decisions which was divided up between the three of us. A really beautiful end of a long showday.
We left our rings after 7 p.m.also a new record for me, everybody tired to death but very happy and full of impressions and emotions.
I may not forget to mention my super ring stewards who knew everything I needed to know. Sometimes I would have been lost without you… Marijo, her committee and everybody involved did an unbelievable job to make this show a special day for every Collie lover. I cannot thank you enough for the chance to be a part of it.
Michaela Rukopf
At 28th August 2021 I was invited to judge rough Collie males at the Collie speciality show in Seinäjoki. Preparations had been going ahead for several months as it was originally planned for February and then postponed to August, which made it even nicer because the show could be held outside then. I knew that this show was a special show in Finland and even more special this year after a long abstinence of specialty shows. However, honestly I did not know how special this show would be. My colleagues Bev White, Simon Burton and I were overwhelmed when we got knowledge about the entries. I never had an entry like that before and I must thank everybody for entering under me.
Bev, Simon and me, including our partners, met at Helsinki airport and had a lovely train trip through Finland before arriving to our final destination. There we had our first of three wonderful dinners together with Marjo Hautaviita who organized everything up to the smallest detail.
The showground was just beautiful and so idyllic, between woods and water and with all those nice little bungalows on the place where some of the exhibitors stayed overnight. We judges had fun to help building up the tents on the place honorary and meet some of the very busy helpers there. My hubby and I are still talking about that wonderful VIP lounge that was built up between the rings for our partners, where they were spoiled all day. I have never seen something like that before.
My judging started with the lassie class, which was something totally new to me, we don’t have that in Germany.
It was a bit strange to have rough and smooth Collies together as well as males and females and all ages. I was surprised about the Quality, there were several dogs in that class that could have won in normal classes if they would not have had some small issues.
When I started with my regular classes, I might have been quite strict because the all over quality of the dogs at the day was quite high. So it might happen that dogs that are used to get an excellent ended up with a very good because there were so many excellent dogs that day to choose from.
I was very pleased with tails, only saw very few bad ones which is much worse in my country. Most of the dogs were real Collies with that elegance and beauty we want to see and, very important, a lovely calm and friendly temperament. I could see that most of the exhibitors had done some training with their dogs (and with themselves), in this part German exhibitors can learn from Scandinavians for sure.
I had a few cases of bad grooming, Collies which looked proper from a distance but ungroomed in parts you cannot see from outside. Especially as the owners were no beginners, they should be aware that a judge can touch the dog everywhere and it is a way to honour a judge to show clean and well-groomed dogs.
I was and still am very pleased with the winners of all classes I had to judge, and I was more than happy to find Silverlady's Limited Edition as my best male. He has everything I want to see in a Collie and I was even more proud to see him go best of breed under my colleague Bev White later.
After having judged around 90 Collies individually, it came to a huge number of progeny and breeders classes. I have never seen, let alone judged so many of them. This was really new to me, you only see very few of those classes in Germany and we do not write critiques for them. To see all of those classes in the ring was absolutely amazing and I found some very nice groups to be my winners.
After we had finished judging in our separate rings, we were honoured and entertained by the champion’s parade. The champions of this year were presented in a quite spectacular way with atmospheric music. Eventually you could have seen a tear in my eyes….
The great final was judging the best of the best, several best in show decisions which was divided up between the three of us. A really beautiful end of a long showday.
We left our rings after 7 p.m.also a new record for me, everybody tired to death but very happy and full of impressions and emotions.
I may not forget to mention my super ring stewards who knew everything I needed to know. Sometimes I would have been lost without you… Marijo, her committee and everybody involved did an unbelievable job to make this show a special day for every Collie lover. I cannot thank you enough for the chance to be a part of it.
Bev White
What a great honour to be invited to judge at this wonderful show! I was so very pleased with such a fabulous numerical entry of Rough Collie bitches and I was not disappointed by the quality. I will not comment on individual dogs because I know that your wonderful Finnish show system allows you to see the judge’s reports (so efficient!).
Reflecting on the entry overall, I was so impressed by the very sound construction of your collies – on the whole they all had the beautiful balance and elegant lines that collies should have – super necks, correct length of back and good front angulation. I was really happy to see that they had such strong rear quarters, correct bend of stifle and perpendicular hocks – something that I don’t see very often here in the UK. This combination of correct attributes meant that movement was so sound and most of the collies gave the impression that they could do a day’s work which surely must be the greatest complement you can receive?
Heads on the whole were good with the correct balance of foreface and skull. Stops were not too deep which is as it should be. I think you perhaps need to turn your attention to improving eye shape, placement and expression – not that this was bad but if you could get the sweet, dreamy expression that we all strive for but keep your sound construction, you will be nearing the perfect collie that we all seek. But – please do not sacrifice construction for expression as has happened elsewhere. You will never get it back if you do this! The clever breeders manage to combine both and judging by the dogs I judged, you do have some very clever breeders!
I really enjoyed my time with you all – the organisation of the show, attention to detail, hospitality and company were absolutely superb and I thank Marjo and the organising committee for all their hard work. I hope to see you all again in the future but in the meantime – my best wishes to you all and thanks for being such great guardians of our wonderful breed.
Bev White
What a great honour to be invited to judge at this wonderful show! I was so very pleased with such a fabulous numerical entry of Rough Collie bitches and I was not disappointed by the quality. I will not comment on individual dogs because I know that your wonderful Finnish show system allows you to see the judge’s reports (so efficient!).
Reflecting on the entry overall, I was so impressed by the very sound construction of your collies – on the whole they all had the beautiful balance and elegant lines that collies should have – super necks, correct length of back and good front angulation. I was really happy to see that they had such strong rear quarters, correct bend of stifle and perpendicular hocks – something that I don’t see very often here in the UK. This combination of correct attributes meant that movement was so sound and most of the collies gave the impression that they could do a day’s work which surely must be the greatest complement you can receive?
Heads on the whole were good with the correct balance of foreface and skull. Stops were not too deep which is as it should be. I think you perhaps need to turn your attention to improving eye shape, placement and expression – not that this was bad but if you could get the sweet, dreamy expression that we all strive for but keep your sound construction, you will be nearing the perfect collie that we all seek. But – please do not sacrifice construction for expression as has happened elsewhere. You will never get it back if you do this! The clever breeders manage to combine both and judging by the dogs I judged, you do have some very clever breeders!
I really enjoyed my time with you all – the organisation of the show, attention to detail, hospitality and company were absolutely superb and I thank Marjo and the organising committee for all their hard work. I hope to see you all again in the future but in the meantime – my best wishes to you all and thanks for being such great guardians of our wonderful breed.
Simon Burton
The quality of Smooth Collies in Finland is world famous and the Finnish hospitality to their judges is legendary. I never expected to experience both of these firsthand so to be invited to judge Smooth Collies at this special show was a dream come true. Despite Covid doing its best to spoil things with cancellations and complicating the travel situation, it finally happened! As judges, we were treated like royalty and nothing was too much trouble for hardworking secretary Marjo Hautaviita and the team and I can only say thank you for everything – you made our trip to Finland unforgettable and the memories will last a lifetime.
To all the exhibitors, who gave me a record entry of 117 Smooth Collies, I can only say, thank you again, the thought of being a part of such a gathering of Smooth Collies was a wonderful prospect and it totally lived up to my expectations! As the number of entries was over the number permitted for one judge for a single day, my puppies were given to Bev White to judge. It would have been lovely to judge them all but even without them I had a long and absorbing days judging.
Thank you also to my fellow judges, Bev White and Michaela Rukopf, who, with their spouses, Jon and Jurgen, provided excellent company for Lois and I throughout the visit.
The campsite venue was wonderful surrounded by fir trees with the river running below the site. The exhibitor’s tents and the holiday chalets surrounded the large rings and to top it all, the weather was perfect so we had a glorious day!
This was my first time judging using the FCI system of grading and critiquing every dog so I wondered how I would find it. I am known in the UK for quite detailed critiques and knew I would have to be a little more concise in Finland or we would be there all night! I tried to give my overall impression of each dog, highlighting where it excelled and also pointing out where I would like it improved, all in as few words as possible. I would like to thank my two stewards who did a grand job steering me through the new way of doing things and typing up my critiques. We had some funny moments with phrases which weren’t known in Finnish - having a sense of humour is always a good thing!
One thing that I like about the UK system of judging (where only the first and second placings in each class are critiqued) is that you can say why you preferred first over second and also give an overview of how you, as judge, found the whole entry. As you know, this isn’t possible under the FCI system where the dogs are critiqued and graded before placing. At the after-show dinner with the committee I said this to Marjo and she asked if I would write something like this for your club magazine, so here it is!
I had judged none of the dogs in the entry before, all were new to me and although some names of well-known dogs were very familiar once I had my catalogue after judging was completed, I didn’t recognise any of them during judging. This was very nice for me and made it very exciting, wondering who the dogs were that I was placing! With such a large entry I was quite strict, awarding CQs and Excellents only to the best but I was also perhaps a little forgiving and there were probably some that I would give a Good grading rather than Very Good if I judged again.
With Covid meaning that there were lockdown youngsters present I was very conscious that for some it may be their first show and so I tried to take a bit of extra time judging the Junior classes and do my best to make it an enjoyable experience for these dogs. The majority seemed very happy with only a couple who were a little shy but they improved as the class went on. I felt very sorry for the young lady with the junior bitch who was the only one who wouldn’t be handled. I hope the bitch learns to enjoy the show ring with a little more training and she tries again.
With an entry of this size it is inevitable that there are going to be different types, shapes and sizes entered and I think it is very important when judging that judges are able to appreciate what is good and not so good about different types. We need the diversity of bloodlines for the breed to continue in good shape and so I certainly don’t discount any particular type when judging. Each dog gets judged on its own merits. A consistent line-up doesn’t always mean a good judge. It is nice when all the best dogs in a class are of one type but it doesn’t happen very often! A judge who can only appreciate one type is not a good judge for the breed in my opinion. Of course we each have our own ideal interpretation of the standard and when I had the best exhibits of each type back for the competition classes, then I could place them in accordance with my ideal.
Also, if while judging I find that one or two faults seem to be quite common, I will look for dogs that excel in those points and if the rest of the dog is good enough will reward those virtues. In my opinion, this helps inform breeders for the future planning of the next generation of puppies.
General impressions
So what were my overall impressions of my entry? As already mentioned there was a variety of types as expected but there were also several quite distinct kennel types producing top quality stock and this could be seen quite clearly in the breeders teams and progeny class and several came through strongly in my final results. Overall I found the entry to be very sound. Yes, there was some looseness and immaturity in movement and some more restricted movers due to having less angulation than is desirable but you expect that. There were some lovely heads and expressions but there were some lacking the moulding that adds quality and a few were almost Dobermann type heads, where the eye set is incorrect, the head is straight through with no fill of muzzle and the soft expression is lost. Some were a little deep through the skull and there were some incorrect stops. There were a few issues with ears but that is the same in the UK and I would rather an ear be a little light that have one that was fixed.
The standard doesn’t ask for a square dog and there were some dogs that weren’t the correct height to length proportions, particularly in the younger age classes. It was often the squarer dogs who had insufficient angulation, particularly straight upper arms. I was pleased that there weren’t too many over angulated rears where the rear feet extend way behind an imaginary line dropped from the point of buttock. So often this results in sloping toplines, especially when combined with upright front angulation. I think this was an issue more 10-15 years ago and breeders have done well to move away from that.
From my observations in this entry there were three main things that I think breeders should be aware of for the future.
The first was toplines. There was a tendency for flatter toplines without the slight rise over the loin and you then lose the soft curves of a true Collie outline.
The second was croups and tailsets. There was a huge variety of shapes over the back end, some steep, some squared off, some curved too much and so often this affected the tailset and carriage and in the worst examples, the rear movement as well. My perfect Collie outline as described in the standard has that soft gentle curve over the rear and the tailset should follow that curve with no ugly bumps when it looks as if the tail has been stuck on as an afterthought! If the croup is flat the dog can have spectacular reach behind but the junction with the tailset is often not a smooth line and the tail will be carried too high. If the angle of the croup is too steep and the rear is almost tucked under it is the reverse situation, the tail will be carried low but there will be no drive from the rear.
When decisions were close this was often a point that decided some of my placings. It was easily seen when sending the dogs round together on the move. My Best Dog and Best Bitch excelled in croup and tailset with flowing outlines from head to tail as did other high placings.
The third point was coats. There some dogs with coats too short, too close, lacking undercoat and more like a Smooth Fox Terrier’s coat than a Smooth Collie. The true double coat should be smooth and tight fitting but it is dense and the hair is not ultra short as the outer hair has to cover the undercoat. I view this as quite a serious fault in a breed which should be able to function outside in all weathers and if dogs had a coat too short and/or without undercoat it affected their grading.
However, there was a lot to encourage me. The breed is in good hands with some breeders excelling in producing top quality, good moving, proper Collies and I had many tough decisions.
UK Style Critique
As each dog has already had an individual critique I won’t repeat the detail but will just explain briefly why I placed the dogs in the order I did in each class.
Dogs
Junior – 1. Cinnaberry’s Maestoso. This well grown young male had good length of body. His head is the correct wedge with good length and he won over 2. Diamondfox Magical Diamond Heart who is another well grown youngster but squarer in proportions and not the length of stride of 1. 3. Diamondfox Command To Be Proud, younger blue dog who is well constructed and moves well but not as mature as 1 & 2 and needs to grow on. His coat was more open than 1 & 2.
Intermediate – 1. Timonan Loki Loves Loyalty. Well balanced male with masculine head. Would like a little more length of neck. 2. Diamondfox Charismatic Tale. Close decision for first place. Different type, also well balanced. More length of neck but 1 had the better head profile and tailset.
Open – This wasn’t an easy class to judge with lots of different types 1. Koiruuksien Jalokivi Jari. Outstanding tricolour who stood out here. Has it all and should get even better with more maturity. 2. Diamondfox Amazing Blue Northstar. Good quality young blue, well angulated and moved well. Not disgraced to stand 2nd, just needs to mature all over as a little narrow at the moment. 3. Jucaides Cahyo Caherwyn. Another well made young dog, just preferred the croup and tailset of 2.
Champion – 1. Clingstone’s Conspiracy Theory. Very smart tricolour, Very well made, flowing outline and a great mover. No hesitation in awarding him 1st. 2. Lubinn’s Runner-Up. Another good Champion, made well and moved well. Preferred the length to height proportions of 1 and although he has a better eye shape than 1, he is a little deeper though the skull. 3. Texforrier Clingstone Wag The Dog. Good headed dog and another with good angulation and movement. Flatter in topline compared to 1 & 2.
Veteran – 1. Timonan Clouds Can Catch. Top quality sable with the best of heads. Lovely correct outline, balance and movement. 2. Jaalinnan Myrskyn Metsastaja. Different type to 1, longer bodied and a little deeper through the skull. Well angulated and good length of stride but carrying too much weight and not moving as well as 1.
Dog Challenge
It was a lovely sight to see the CQ dogs lined up together. My top four dogs stood out and I also loved my best Junior but he needed more maturity. I had a tough choice for 1st and 2nd particularly and then again deciding between 3rd and 4th.
1. Koiruuksien Jalokivi Jari. This super dog had everything I wanted and outmoved his rivals with his flawless outline, particularly over the croup and tailset. CAC and I hope he very soon achieves his 3rd CAC as he deserves to be a Champion!
2. Clingstone’s Conspiracy Theory. Worthy Champion and so close up. Such a showman, Just preferred the eye of 1 who also had a marginally smoother flow over the croup and tailset on the move but I was splitting hairs as we say in the UK.
3. Lubinn’s Runner-Up. I preferred the length to height proportions of 1 & 2 but he is such a smooth mover and has a really good head.
4. Lubinn’s Runner-Up. I preferred the length to height proportions of 1 & 2 but he is such a smooth mover and has a really good head.
RCAC awarded to Cinnaberry’s Maestoso. Lovely quality youngster who I’m sure will become an easy Champion.
Bitches
Junior – This was the largest class of junior bitches I expect to see in my whole life! It was a close decision between 1 & 2. 1. Taygem This Is Bertha. She is a very neat, well put together young Smooth. Her outline flows from head to tail. Her head is a lovely clean wedge. She just needs her a better colour coat but hopefully that will come. 2. Final Fantasy’s Just Add Magic. Another very soundly made youngster who is a better colour but could just do with a bit more length of neck. Marginally preferred the head of 1. Both are very good movers but 1 had a little more length of stride.
Intermediate – Some different types in this class and the first 4 were all very close decisions. 1. Sandcastle’s Pinkie Pie. Stylish bitch with flowing outline who is quite mature in body. She can look heavy in front when stacked and looked her best on the move. 2. Bootylicious. Different type to 1 and very balanced outline. Just preferred the front angulation on 1 who also had a better underjaw. 3 & 4 Nahkatopponen Tinkimaton Tilda and Nahkatoppnen Teraksinen Terku were very similar litter sisters who had lovely outlines standing but preferred 1 & 2 over the croup on the move.
Open – This was another large class to sort through but I found some lovely bitches. 1. Timonan Joleen Joys Journey. Top quality bitch with a lovely feminine head and expression, flowing outline and superb movement. 2 Koiruuksien Marmori Mari. Another lovely quality feminine bitch with a super outline. Just needs a little more time to mature and body up. 3 Cinnaberry’s Midnight Velvet. Another nicely balanced bitch but I preferred the head and expression of 1 & 2.
Champion – An interesting class with Champion bitches of all different types. 1. Timonan Faith For Fate. I had no idea that this was the dam of the previous class winner. The same classic type as you would expect, feminine, so well constructed and another great mover. 2. Koiruuksien Meri Tahti This is a larger type bitch who had super balance, a lovely clean head and a long striding mover. She just looked a little matronly when compared with 1 who is so light on her feet, both are very worthy Champions. 3. Natalain Satellite Of Love. Elegant, well balanced bitch who was flatter in topline and croup than 1 & 2.
Veteran – A strong class full of quality. Our breed lasts so well! 1. Clingstone’s Make My Day. Very stylish, top quality tricolour with a classic head shape, great front and rear angulation totally in balance with great length of stride on the move. Stood out in a strong class. It was very close between 2. Cinnaberry’s My Lucky Day and 3. Timonan Blonde But Brilliant, both having flowing outlines, good heads and super movers.
Bitch Challenge
What a line up of top quality bitches I had here! My top four bitches were all superb movers and had to work hard for their placings and the decisions were close.
1. Timonan Joleen Joys Journey. This beautiful bitch is indeed a joy. I fell in love with her quality, beautiful head and expression, flowing outline and she outmoved her competition which took some doing.
2. Clingstone’s Make My Day. Another superb quality bitch for type, construction and movement. Lovely head pattern but 1 for me just had the edge in flatness of skull and flow over the croup on the move but that is nitpicking as we say in the UK!
3. Timonan Faith For Fate. I loved the flowing lines of this bitch, she is a little smaller than 1 & 2 but is so feminine and well put together. Another free flowing mover.
4. Koiruuksien Marmori Mari. This young tricolour earned her place for her type, outline and feminine head and expression. Another smart, stylish mover, just not as mature and 1, 2 & 3. She was awarded the CAC.
RCAC awarded to Sandcastle’s Pinkie Pie, a quality bitch who is maturing well and a very good mover.
Best of Breed: This was between the tricolour dog, Koiruuksien Jalokivi Jari and the sable bitch, Timonan Joleen Joys Journey. Both top quality Smooth Collies on top form and I knew it would be a tough decision. Watching them both moving with drive and ease round the ring holding perfect outlines was a goosebumps moment. Both have beautiful heads, correct proportions, flowing lines, were in top condition and fitness and either could have won. The final decision went to the dog who had that air of total dignity that the breed standard describes so well and when he looked at me and said I am the best today, I agreed!
Best Veteran: The two contenders were the sable dog, Timonan Clouds Can Catch and the tricolour bitch, Ch Clingstone’s Make My Day. Although I didn’t know at the time that both were top winning Smooths, their type, construction and movement showed that they were top quality despite being veterans. The bitch just seemed to get better and better the more she moved and I just preferred her croup and tail carriage on the move but the dog has the most beautiful head and expression. It was a tough one but for me the bitch had the edge and was my Best Veteran.
Best Junior: I had two lovely youngsters, the sable male Cinnaberry’s Maestoso and the tricolour bitch Taygem Bertha. Different in type, both with good outlines, typy heads and lovely movement. I just preferred the little extra length of body and coat colour on the dog and so he was my Best Junior.
Breeders Class: This was a lovely class and fun to judge with five Kennels in the ring. The two that stood out for me were Kennel Koiruuksien and Kennel Timonan. My BOB and BB4 were in one kennel group and my RBOB and BB3 were in the other! Both had a distinct kennel type, flowing outlines, lovely heads and expressions and both having well made, great moving dogs. It was a very close decision but the Koiruuksien Kennel were just a little more even in size so they were my Best Kennel.
Progeny Class: I think everyone enjoyed this class! From the three Progeny Groups I felt the Diamondfox So Lovely Lily group was so very even, they were like peas in a pod and deserved to win.
Best In Show Final Competitions
It was a great honour to judge some of the Best in Show finals. The atmosphere with the music made it very special and a super end to the day.
Best In Show Working Collie: Anyone who knows me well knows that there is a special place in my heart for the Smooth Collie as a herding dog. I worked on a dairy farm for several years and attended Agricultural College and my first Smooth Collie, an Astrellita bitch loved to herd cattle. She’d never been taught, it was just instinct and I love that the Smooth Collie can still do what it was bred to do. So being asked to judge this final was very special. As a nation, you Finnish owners and breeders set an excellent example with all the working activities you do with your Smooths (and Roughs) and you can be very proud. I got another goosebumps moment when a Smooth bitch who looked very like my RBOB swept into the ring followed by the Rough, Twilight Moon Magnificent Man. The Rough was a lovely type with an excellent outline, quality head and a sound mover. Both had correct weatherproof coats and but the Rough couldn’t match the ease and lightness of movement of the younger Smooth who looked like she could go on forever. So I awarded Best in Show Working to the Smooth, Timonan Joleen Joys Journey and yes, it was her – a very proud moment for me that my top winning bitch should also be Best in Show Working.
Best In Show Veteran: Two lovely veterans entered the ring, the Smooth, Clingstone’s Make My Day and the Rough, Carnoustie’s La Dolce Fiore. Both well made, in top condition and not looking like veterans at all. Both had very typical heads with lovely expressions, both well angulated with flowing outlines but on the move, the Smooth was outstanding, covering the ground with effortless ease and I had no hesitation in awarding her Best Veteran.
Best In Show Breeders Class: As soon as the two teams entered the ring I knew this would be a tough choice to make. I had Kennel Koiruuksien representing Smooths and Kennel Lassie Lines representing the Roughs. I loved the classic type of both kennel’s dogs, both had lovely flowing outlines and easy, flowing typical movement. The Smooths I felt were slightly more even in heads and had a little more scope on the move and the better movement going away but I was picking hairs as we say in the UK and both breeders have excellent Collies they can be proud of. On the day, Best in Show Breeders was Kennel Koiruuksien with the Smooths and Kennel Lassie Lines with the Roughs as Runners Up.
Bev White had the honour of judging the final Best In Show which was between the Smooth, Koiruuksien Jalokivi Jari and the Rough, Silverlady’s Limited Edition and she awarded Best In Show to the magnificent Rough and RBIS to the super Smooth. Congratulations to owners and breeders of both dogs.
The day still wasn’t finished as we judges then had a lovely dinner with the committee where the judges were presented with the most beautiful gifts of clocks showing special dogs that we have owned and loved. It was such a thoughtful gift and will be treasured. I kept mine with me as hand luggage on the plane home and we got it back safely I’m pleased to say!
We had a wonderful time with you all in your beautiful country and can only thank you all for a very special time and memories that will last for ever. Thank you to Annina Eskola for the wonderful photos she took of all the Smooths. They too are a special reminder of one of the most amazing judging appointments a Smooth Collie judge could hope to experience.
And a final thank you to the Smooth Collie for all the love and pleasure they give us - what a wonderful breed we have!