Keeshond Club 2017

It was my good fortune to be given this honour, having been salvaged from an unsuccessful JDP assessment back in 2013 by a club that felt I might just make it with more intensive input. They have been unrelenting ever since! So, I have stewarded at the club ch show (yes, me, back stewarding!) where I was also given formal one-to-one mentoring by the judge of the day, Keith Nathan, who then reported back. Next came their seminar & judging assessment. Finally, today’s opportunity plus this critique required down to third place from the 44 ‘remainers’ of the original 70 starters. So, that’s 38 critiques as follows!

My fellow invitee was Lee Cox (yes, the Lee Cox) who judged special awards & the iced cake class where my own effort, of a set of keys/pair of spectacles, proved to be ahead of its time & was duly bombed to VHC!

This is a stand-out breed club at a time when some query their worth. Not only is there the training & encouragement for the likes of Lee & I but there were at least two first time ever exhibitors who were clearly warmly received & quickly integrated. Both told me they would be back. They are our future. There was a floral presentation to the pet-owning lady who attends each year donating volume home baking. Hot lunch was available to all. There was a word search quiz based on the Standard & an integrating puppy parade. The illustrated extended Standard, that the club publishes, is a triumph & endorsed by Feffie Somerfield & Liz Cartledge: “If all breeds had an illustrated Standard this good then we would all be much better judges.”

Thanks to my ring steward both for keeping on my case & for his wry humour.

BIS & BP was Peck & Matthews’ Byquy Workin Boots; & RBIS, Harris’ Ch Neradmik All About The Boy for Watchkees.

MPD (1) 1 Harris’ Neradmik Cary Grant for Watchkees, 7 months, super chap to start the day off with, chunky, bold & stylish, clean wedge, dark muzzle, good ear, rather round in eye, good markings, enough neck, square & sound with a brisk, springy stride on good feet, good tailset & carriage, as yet a little narrow & loose in front, surely a valuable addition with an assured future.

PD (1) 1 Peck & Matthews’ Byquy Workin Boots, rising 10 months, obviously ‘special’ on sight but it turned out to be ‘game over’, seemed to grow in stature as he progressed through the day, oozes breed specifics, fabulous head, eye, spectacles & ears, can still firm a little in front, great & true rear, good round bone, cream, cat feet, well ribbed & deep but with ground clearance, good tailset & carriage, ex colour & jacket, correctly angled pasterns aided his lightly brisk, balanced & springy movement, in the final challenge he had an assured poise that defied his youth, clearly destined not only to gain his title but also to take high honours beyond the breed so as to make you all proud. BD, BP, BIS.

JD (4,1a) 1 Pattison’s Zandvoort Getting Up And At Purrsonal for Eastkees, 14 months, very typical & promising, short & square, bit acute in stop, excellent eye, dark muzzle, harsh jacket with defined markings, ears a touch wide, good bone & feet, briskly precise mover with typical profile action; 2 Brunt’s Zandvoort Purrsonal Life, 14 months but half-brother born same day or litter brother? Bit narrower in muzzle, same degree of stop, well constructed overall, another excellent shape, clean front, cat feet, excellent jacket with required markings, not quite the tailset. Also has a promising future; 3 Berger’s Caraspitz All Shook Up, 14 months, less mature so showing plenty of daylight, good headed dog, correct in its detail, good neck & forehand so comes on beautifully true, looser coat, excellent tail carriage, longer cast, full of joy & character as he did his best to exit the hall with his dad!

YD (2,1) 1 Miles’ Neradmik Kiss Chase with Lekkerbek, 19 months, quality exhibit of breed specific type, eyes a touch close but excellent head proportions, good skull & ears, clean wedge, desired length & arch to neck to give excellent forehand, well bodied, square, distinct markings, good tailset, sound, sure to be challenging for top honours this season.

ND (1) 1 C All Shook Up, who settled to the task as he now aimed to please his mum who proved to be a stylish handler. Good luck with him!

PGD (4,2) Both from opposite ends of the Standard. 1 Waller’s Brykin Big Chief, 5 years, excellent head & eye, good ear, clean wedge, short but rather low & narrow, excellent jacket & markings, high set tail, excellent rear, scored with his precise, brisk & light footed action; 2 Brunt’s Kimokees Laugh N Run of Zandvoort, 2½ years, handsome & the more masculine, heavier headed & fuller in cheek, eye a shade light, well ribbed with correct width through body, excellent jacket & markings, rather long as yet, excellent tailset, less positive on the move & less firm at hock.

LD (3) 1 Bennett’s Byquy Rich Gent, 26 months, a stand out for breed type, dark muzzle, spectacles, well spaced, dark eyes, clean wedge, arch to neck with ruff, clean front, squarely built, rounded rib, cat feet, good jacket with distinct shoulder marking, can be more positive off his hocks but had a briskness & precision that gave a typical profile on the move, surely of CC quality; 2 Newman’s Leazehond Lightening Bolt, 4 years, scored heavily in jacket & markings, correct ear but rather wide set, rather a short muzzle, a little low set overall, clean front with correct width, well matured in body, good tailset, weak rear; 3 Houghton’s Liefkees Ambassador, 6½ years, good skull & muzzle, another scoring in jacket & distinct markings, clean front, good tailset & carriage, tailset & long cast, also weak in hind action.

OD (4,2) 1 Harris’ Ch Neradmik All About The Boy for Watchkees, rising 4 years & probably the only exhibit I had judged before, admired him before he was ever titled & still do, sound & typical, well proportioned both in head & body, masculine w/o any hint of coarseness, good to handle with his excellent conformation & coupling, correct in eye & ear, good neck & forehand, high set tail, handled to make the most of the ring with that brisk profile action, not the best colour definition but I suspect that is more transient, plenty more CCs to come. RBD, RBIS; 2 Atkinson & Peck’s Byquy Will You Be Rich, 26 months litter brother to LD, likewise is up to CC standard, so square in outline, good headpiece that is a clean, proportionate wedge, still a little narrow through, not quite the set on, scored in his correctly marked jacket & that brisk, springy step to give such a typical, eyecatching profile; 3 Andrews’ Ch Neradmik Daddy Bear with Maldine, rising 2 years, entirely different in type being stronger headed, heavier made & longer bodied but overtly masculine & well made, well rounded in rib, deep brisket, richly pigmented, excellent jacket & distinct markings, correct width through, sound enough on excellent feet but lacked spring to his stride.

VD (3) I thought ‘these two must be champions’ & I wasn’t wrong! 1 Wilkin’s Ch Pommary Quick Silver at Whizkees, rising 8 years, struck me as classically marked & coat of correct texture, good clean wedge of correct proportions, dark muzzle with defined chin, eye a little round, ears a little wide, squarely compact, correct rib, good round bone, excellent feet, tight tail carriage, moved brisk & true; 2 Brunt’s Ch Zandvoort Dream Machine, rising 9 years, also squarely built, narrower in muzzle but better earset, excellent jacket showing textbook markings, harshly coated, excellent rib & brisket, required width through front, cat feet, just less secure on the move.

BBE D (5,3) 1 L Lightening Bolt; 2 Hill’s Plymkees Cool Dude, 6 years, correct eye, good skull, clean wedge, ears a little wide, scored with excellent jacket & tailset, a little long & heavy in build, good enough in rear but weaving in front.

NBBE D (2,1) 1 N Kiss Chase with L.

MPB (1) 1 Sharp-Bale’s Neradmik Grace Kelly, 7 months litter sister to the MPD, fabulously square, sound & feminine, ears just a touch wide, dark muzzle with correct taper, dark eye, correct width through front, has all her markings, good jacket, correct bone & feet, excellent tailset, moves brisk & true. Will be interested to see how the finished product will have grown on as she currently has the look of a potential title holder.

PB (8,3) Headed by litter sisters. 1 Passmore’s Torrikees Lust For Life, 9 months, strong & chunky in build but w/o compromising her femininity one bit, correctly balanced wedge, eye a touch small, arched neck into a well angulated forehand, beautifully bodied with width & depth, correct in jacket & with distinct markings, cat feet, excellent tailset, brisk & precise on the move, surely capable of challenging the best in this form as, indeed, she did today. BPB, RBB, RBP; 2 Marshall’s Torrikees Maid In Heaven, 9 months, bold outlook, narrower in muzzle & not quite the set on but absolutely interchangeable & her sister’s equal so will be challenging the best too, excellent eye, correctly proportioned in both head & body, scores in neck, rib & couplings, excellent jacket & markings, gave nothing away in movement that was both sound & springy; 3 Henman’s Allforus Tangfastic Foxifayre, 9 months, half-sister to above pair, a little more ‘doggy’ overall & needs to firm in front pastern but that’s about it, really useful sort & full of breed type, outstanding head features, clean wedge, excellent eye & ears, excellent jacket, colour & markings, longer cast as yet, tight tail carriage, firm rear action.

JB (6,2) 1 Hickson’s Kichigai Magic Dancer, just 12 months, strong in head with some outstanding specifics such as dark muzzle & dark, oblique, eye, small, ivy ear, excellent neck & front, good jacket & markings, excellent tailset with double curl, moved true & gave a good profile, awkward age but has the ‘finish’ to see her through, another of CC standard; 2 Pattison’s Lyntova Midnight Angel with Eastkees, 10 months, absolute quality, so pretty in head & feminine, superb eye & ear, short, well ribbed, good jacket & tail carriage, precise & straight on the move, one with an assured future; 3 Hopkins’ Osiris Shining Bright von het Earlskamp, 13 months, stronger headed, narrow muzzle & rather acute in stop, prefer smaller ear, can firm at pastern, but the body was quite another matter, compact, scored in neck & shoulder, well ribbed, deep but with clearance, good bone & cat feet, high tailset, brisk mover with excellent profile, will surely breed on.

NB (1) 1 Redler & Wheatley’s Keitakees Asleep In The Back, 16 months, best name of the day? Certainly well above novice status, beautifully muscled, sound & typy, excellent head with good eye & ears, compact if not absolutely square, so good in rib & depth, distinctly marked, sound mover on excellent feet, onward & upward for this one.

PGB (6,4) 1 Skillett & Handley’s Leazehond Picotee Pink, 19 months, loved her, sheer breed type, lovely head & eye, dark muzzle, good ear shape, compact, well bodied for a teenager, well set tail, good jacket & markings, sound & brisk on the move, one to watch out for as she readily moves up the class rankings; 2 Hopkins’ No Fear van het Earlskamp, 2½ years, excellent eye, ivy leaf ear, defined stop, excellent double coat with defined markings, good bone & feet, longer cast & slightly lower tail set, went OK behind but came on rather weak.

LB (5,1) Competitive class. 1 Atkinson & Matthews’ Winklestar Anthe with Valindale, 18 months, screams breed type, half-sister to the RBB puppy winner, dark mask, clean wedge, good eye, short & chunky, good bone & feet, excellent tailset, ideal jacket & markings, but then she steps it up a gear when she moves which is so sound, brisk & light, her title should be a formality. BB; 2 White’s Neradmik Dear Darling of Whitchakees, rising 2 years, quality bitch, strongly made yet feminine, excellent head type, clean wedge, correct in eye & ear, outstanding body shape, excellent rib & brisket, correct, unexaggerated rear, excellent tailset, good profile as she circuited, not quite the clarity of markings, failed in front; 3 Pattison’s Eastkees Blue Diamond, 16 months, instantly appealed, lovely head, clean wedge, excellent eye & ears, compactly bodied, excellent jacket, cat feet but need to firm in front pasterns, have every confidence she will mature on & more than hold her own in adult competition.

OB (4,2) 1 Austin & Johnston’s Chotakees Don’t Stop Me Now, 2 years half-sister to PGB winner, quality exhibit chock full of breed type & so good to go over, dark muzzle, clean wedge, good eye, compact & well coupled in body, correct jacket & tailset, good bone & feet, absolutely sound if not totally ‘firing’ in this venue, CC quality; 2 Saunders’ Liefkees Annabell, 6½ years, clean wedge, eye a touch light & round, ears a little wide, longer cast, well marked, quality jacket, not moving to advantage.

VB (8,1) Great class. 1 Passmore’s Torrikees With Attitude, well named 10 year old, scores in head with defined spectacles, excellent eye & ears, correct wedge, square outline, well bodied & coated, her positive, brisk movement, on well padded feet, defied the years; 2 Hill’s Plymkees Limited Edition, 11 years young, so true to type & close up, excellent eye & ears, good shape & outline, good jacket & markings, briskly accurate on the move; 3 Harding’s Amikirs Amour, 8 years, very typy, excellent eye set in a cleanly tapered wedge, well marked jacket, good rib & depth, less good on the move, not helped by relatively flat feet.

BBE B (5,3) 1 L Annabell; 2 Newman’s Leazehond Moondust Cascade, 6½ years, really beautiful head with good balance, eye & spectacles, front feet flat & turned out, good compact body shape, just sagging a little, typical & distinct markings, moved weak fore & aft.

NBBE B (3) 1 L Picotee Pink; 2 T Made In Heaven; 3 Hill’s Whizzkees Ebony Silver for Plymkees, rising 3 years, good head balance, not the best eye or ear shape, compact & strong bodied with excellent jacket & double curl, disappointingly, weak movement.

Brace (1) 1 Saunders’ well matched mother & daughter, combined type & schooled, breed character with dramatic markings to end the day on a high note.

HOWARD OGDEN