Coventry & District Kennel Association

Thank you to the committee for inviting me to judge beagles and handling at their 2016 show. I was delighted with my entry, so thank you for giving me the privilege of judging your hounds and to the handlers for such a high quality entry. I was really impressed with the high standard of handling and even more so when I learnt that some of my top three in the adults were complete novices.

Beagles

Puppy (4,2abs)

1 Petersons Troopersway Stewpid Cupid – a nice well balanced hound, good feet and bone. He is short in coupling and a compact hound. He moved with drive and determination, a very workman like boy. A little unsettled at times on the move but when he moved out well he tracked up and was sound throughout.

2 Mcbain & Stevens Blitzlilie Winter is Coming – nice young bitch, very raw. Pretty head with a kind eye. Good neck into good shoulders, level top line with correctly set stern held upright on the move. A little unsettled on the day but when she moved well.

Post Graduate (5, 1abs)

1 McBain & Stevens Redcap Bella Sorella JW ShCM – lovely bitch in hard condition, I have no doubt that she could do a day in the field. Lovely head with correct set leathers, strong and level top line and stern carried upright at all times. Good tight feet and lay of shoulder, well angulated behind. Moved with reach and drive, tracked up well. BOB

2 Websters Moonjoon Lily of the Valleys for Houndscoast – I judged this girl as a youngster and I am pleased to see how well she has matured. Very feminine and pretty head with kind expression, good topline and tail set, moved out well and true fore and aft with good footfall. In good condition and well-muscled throughout. She is always a very happy hound and enjoys her job of showing.

3 Petersons Troppersway Gladiator – A nice but raw puppy with lots of scope. His litter brother took the puppy class but I awarded best puppy to this hound based on his movement, a little loose and raw but with fantastic reach and drive, lots of scope. Good feet with plenty of bone, nice head with dark eye, good level top line and a very merry boy. One to watch. BPIB I was delighted to hear that he took PG4

Res Vickers’ Rosrodens Aphrodite

Open (5, 1abs)

1 Websters Moonjoon Sweet Nothings ShCM - Blanket tri bitch, nice head with a nice keen expression, good front angulation although a little short in upper arm. Good topline, well sprung ribs, good coupling and well balanced in structure. She moves out well with good drive, a very merry hound and presented in top condition.

2 McBain and Stevens Bondlea Layman – nice flashy boy with a very masculine head. Good dark eye and kind expression. Correctly set leathers, good length of neck. Moves out well and covers the ground. In excellent shape and hard condition, well-muscled throughout. Close between the two but preferred the overall balance of 1

3 Hollands Eardley Walk the Talk at Taghound

Res Vickers & Mean Stormpasture Juliette of Rosroden

Handling

The standard of handling was extremely high and I was very impressed throughout all the classes. All handlers need to work on showing teeth, try to be gentle and use the sides of your fingers rather than “claw” at the dog’s flews. Over shadowing was a consistent theme during the classes, beware of this and do not block the view of other handlers. Also, beware of stacking your dogs on the finish of the pattern work too close to the judge. A general rule of thumb is three paces away.

Junior Handling

6-11 years (4, 2abs)

1 Laila-Mai Ogborn

Smart well-presented and competent handler, sympathetic to her dog at all times and kept a sly eye on me while moving. Lead control was good and nice straight lines on the pattern work.

2 Melissa Wain

A pleasant young handler who was very nervous. Try not to worry about the competition and enjoy working with your dog. Sympathetic and encouraging to her dog, keep practicing!

12-16 years (4, 1 abs)

1 Gerogina Brown (BJH)

Competent and knowledgeable handler, good sharp corners and excellent pace with her dog. Well presented and showed her dog to its best. Her dog did not always make her life easy but she dealt with this quietly and calmly. Excellent pattern work and fluidity made her stand out. Listened to my feedback and demonstrated this in the challenge for best junior, was delighted to award her thus.

2 Leah Scales

A very relaxed handler who took today in her stride. A difficult and reluctant charge made her job very difficult today. She did not get flustered and kept going through everything that was asked of her, an example of keeping your cool under pressure.

3 Charlotte Woodridge

Adult handling

17-39 years (6, 3abs)

1 Emma Trip (BAH)

Smart, quiet and competent. She melted into the background when handling and everything looked so easy. Fluid and continuous pattern work, I could not fault her today. She is confident and determined in her actions but she was gentle and sympathetic at all times. Her skill is impeccable and she is very well practiced without looking robotic. A clear winner today and should go far.

2 Samantha Webster

Another competent handler who I have admired ringside. She has an amazing bond with all her hounds and this makes handling natural and easy for this handler. Free stacking means that it is a little more difficult but she handles to compensate for this and the relationship between charge and handler is a joy to watch. Her pattern work was exceptional and it was very close between the top two until the very end. A very different style of handling to 1 but everything is there, very pleased to see that she is now confident in the handling ring and rightly so.

3 Arina Zvedina

40 years and over (11, 5abs)

1 Bev Manners

A very determined and precise handler. Pattern work and knowledge were exceptional. Straight lines, tight corners. Constant communication with her charge and subtle in her attention to what I was doing as a judge. The challenge for best adult was the toughest I have ever had to judge and BAH was just overall a bit sharper. On any other day it could go either way, pushed hard until the very end.

2 A Draper

Delighted to learn that this lady has not been handling very long, it did not show. Very competent in her pattern work, her knowledge of the breed was faultless. She was well presented, calm and concise at all times. If she continues to handle like she did today she should go far in handling competition.

3 Mrs Vera Allen

Res Dawn Bailey

VHC Jackie Nash