Westminster Schedule for Cairns & Cousins

[hheldorfer]

Cairns will be judged in Ring 2 at 11:00 Tuesday.

Westies - Ring 2 at 10:00 Tuesday

Scotties - Ring 2 at noon Tuesday

Three solid hours of terrier heaven!

[Hillscreek]

Is it streaming somewhere?

[hheldorfer]

Yes:

http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/2016/show/tv.html

When I looked earlier today they showed all the rings on one side of the screen and you could choose which one you wanted to watch.  I don't think they are streaming tonight because it's on TV.

 

[Islander]

Thanks for the tip, just watched the Cairn judging. All so beautiful!!

[hheldorfer]

1 hour ago, Islander said:

Thanks for the tip, just watched the Cairn judging. All so beautiful!!

Yes, Buffy was drooling all over the keyboard.  

Don't know if you saw the Westie judging but one of the little guys was causing a ruckus, barking and carrying on.  I was rooting for him to win but he didn't.  He seemed to have more terrier attitude/spirit than the others.  

[bradl]

Last year's judging while we wait for this year's.  (sorry about the preroll ads).

[hheldorfer]

Question for Brad (or anyone else who knows the answer):  In several of the breed judgings (as in the above) there was one dog who went in the ring alone - before the others - went through his paces and received a ribbon.  What's the story behind that?  

[bradl]

Somewhat embarrassingly I posted last year's video (it was on the page with the 2016 results and I didn't peer closely enough at it). I'll embed this year's judging when it's posted by WKC.

What you see above is what is called a "class dog" which means it's a dog that is still competing for (has not yet received) its championship. A normal dog show runs through all the dog and bitch classes to identify the first in each class, and then from among them a "Winner's Dog" and "Winner's Bitch."  Those two dogs join in with the already-champion dogs for the final judging of Best of Breed.  

As a class dog (this particular dog was in the Bred-by-Exhibitor class) you saw the dog receive first place automatically as the only dog in its class.

Spoiler below.

Spoiler

Interestingly, that class dog from last year came back and won the breed this year!

Westminster is a very limited entry show so it's not representative of a normal dog show in terms of number of class dog entries, although the judging process runs by the same rules as usual.  

[Sam I Am]

Brad why do all the handlers (in all the dog breeds) have them so tight on the leash?  To me it looks like they can't move out naturally by holding back their movement. Or is that me the horse person talking.

[bradl]

Nerves? Poor leash training?

In Cairns the very breed standard calls for a loose lead — "Should move freely and easily on a loose lead." Easier said than done with puppies, or males when there are bitches in heat in or near the ring  

Sometimes handlers do it to cover up a gait anomaly, sometimes they are literally holding back a dog that would otherwise be out of control, sometimes they just don't trust the dog to move properly. Without really knowing (when has that ever stopped a guy  ) I'm going to guess it's either stress or habit most times. The very good handlers with ring-wise dogs are usually capable of moving freely and breeder-exhibitors are likely to place a premium on showing off good movement.

I once asked a prominent handler why he showed a dog strung up when the judge was literally chastising every single handler, "LOOSE LEAD! LOOSE LEAD!" He said something along the lines of "Yup, I hear her,  but in the end you have to do what you have to do to show your own dog to what you believe is your own best advantage."  So if he felt he needed to string up his dog, he was going to string it up. It didn't seem to hurt his results any.

To me a dog moving freely on a loose lead is a beautiful thing if it's moving well.

[Sam I Am]

I so agree Brad. 

[hheldorfer]

I'm hoping Charlie the Skye Terrier makes it to Best in Show.  Even if he's not a Cairn, gotta stick with the terriers!

[bradl]

Terriers Were Once The Greatest Dogs In The World

 

[Sam I Am]

Yahoooooo for Scotties. But now it's time for a Cairn to win.

[bradl]

This year's Cairn judging...

[_whits_]

I feel a bit guilty for saying this, because I can't imagine the hard work that goes into getting a dog ready for shows, but I'm always going to cheer for the Cairn most interested in breaking the show rules. And I'll always question the terrier qualifications of any Cairn that beats any non-terrier breed at obedience.

The one and only conformation event I went to made me so pleased to be a Cairn person, because the purposeful breeding of painful characteristics made me so sad for so many breeds, German Shepherds and English Bulldogs especially. It was a breath of fresh air seeing the Cairns, who could all breathe and move without a struggle.

 

 

 

Edited February 17, 2016 by _whits_

[Sam I Am]

Amen. My thoughts exactly! Although I did really like the German short haired pointer. The Skye terrier although cute , to me is another breeders disaster. That long back is a spinal problem just waiting to happen. I also really loved the Glen of Imaal terrier , natural, stocky, just like our beloved Cairns.

[hheldorfer]

I wish the Cairn would have been chosen as one of the top 4 in the terrier group but, alas, we were snubbed again. I was cheering for Charlie the Skye because he was one of the favorites and conventional wisdom said he had the best chance for advancing to Best in Show.  The mind boggles at the amount of time and effort it takes to prepare a dog like Charlie for a show - all that hair, just begging to be tangled and matted!

 

 

[Lynn in TN]

I agree with Whits! I tend to root for the Cairn that acts like a Cairn! hehe

I don't like to see them strung up. What good is winning if it is forced and not done by their own merit.

[Hillscreek]

Further to brad's comments it was amusing to watch them and to see that even though they are show dogs (poor things) nevertheless a cairn is always multitasking. Shaking off the annoying brush and comb while trotting along more or less by their handlers, and at the same time checking other dogs in other rings,and noticing if something might have been dropped and generally taking in the whole scene. 

I notice what a difference a good handler makes. Stringing up ruins the look. The one or two on a loose leash looked better. I seem to think UK handlers tend to use the loose leash more. Crufts is coming up in March I think so we could take a look then.

I lost interest in the show rings years ago. Could go into a rant here regarding beauty pageants ruining breeds, politicking, fashion, judging but better not!  Just thankful a cairn may never be best in show and saved from the fate of St Bernards , Dalmatians, Border Collies, and many other breeds.