National Working & Pastoral Breeds Society

I purposely haven’t judged Swedish Vallhunds since Crufts 2014 as I wanted to come to the breed with fresh eyes and apart from the Veterans, and couple of others, all were new to me. Concerns are long hocks, the standard calls for well bent stifles and low hocks. This all goes to help with powerful thrusting hind action which is so important for a herding breed. Temperaments were good. Some were losing their coats and I did not penalise this too much. Mouths were good, though some teeth could do with a clean. One or two had flattish feet, standard calls for well knuckled up with strong pads, all important when on their feet all day.

Class 652 PD (1 Entries) Abs: 0

1st: ALLEN’s Kintalis Tangled In Tinsel Of Kitsam – 7th month old well grown confident puppy. Lovely mask markings, which were clearly defined. Dark well placed eyes. Head needs to develop as one would expect at this age but has a well defined stop and flat skull. Well placed mobile ears. Long neck into good shoulders and well boned front and good feet). Level topline which he held on the move. Firm hindquarters and moved well around the ring for his age. Best Puppy in Breed.

Class 653 JD (4 Entries) Abs: 0

1st: STOCKBRIDGE’s Valladar Call Of Duty – wow what a lovely looking Vallhund. Still young but he was exactly what I was looking for. A powerful, sturdily built young man who clearly could do a day’s work. Lovely masculine head of a blunt wedge with well defined stop. Dark eyes and good mask markings. Well set ears and nd strong lower jaw. Good length of neck into well placed shoulders. Level topline and slightly sloping croup. Nicely angulated behind with short neat hocks and powerful well muscled hindquarters, which he used well on the move. Was pleased to award him his first CC and BOB and even more delighted to see him win his 2nd CC at the Swedish Vallhund Society Show, which followed the breed judging.

2nd: PERRY & ETCHES’ Starvon Cryptic Spyda – another lovely young male. Attractive colouring and good mask markings. Similar type to 1 and was splitting hairs in this class for placement. Lovely head of a good wedge shaped and dark eyes. Strong neck, well laid shoulders, fair front though today was tending to stand with one foot turning out. Level firm topline, well muscled hindquarters, good angulation, moved well around the ring.

3rd: LUDWIG’s Danga's D'loui X-son

Class 654 PGD (2 Entries) Abs: 0

1st: BAILLIE’s Pepperthyme Winter Storm - 3 year old male of good size and overall very pleasing. Has a lovely masculine head with correct mask markings, dark eye and well carried ears. Strong neck into good, well bone front. Well placed shoulders and firm level topline. Strong well muscled hindquarters of good width. Moved well around the ring.

2nd: DRINKWATER’s Galerita Goji Berrie – slightly smaller male than first but all in proportion. Pleasing head and expression, strong neck. Good depth of chest and level topline, balanced angulation and good bend of stifle, very well muscled. Good bone for size and good feet. For me could be better in front as has a tendency to stand wide but moved freely enough and looked good in profile. Still developing as only young and has plenty of time on his side.

Class 655 LD (4 Entries) Abs: 0

1st: WILTON’s Meddobe Spice's Endeavour – another young male of 19 months. Very showy and an attractive dog. Has a pleasing head with good markings, dark eye and well carried, mobile ears. Long neck, which he uses to advantage, good front with well laid shoulders. Level topline held well on the move. Slightly long in body so not as balanced as he could be. Well carried tail, a free and easy mover in all directions and covers the ground well.

2nd: SIBLEY’s Thorjakker Hundi Homnelvik – older more mature male with a masculine head, well set ears and dark eye. Strong neck but could have a little more length to it. Good strong bone and neat feet. Level top line going into a broad slightly sloping croup and has strong hindquarter of good width. He is slightly upright in upper arm and this shows on the move as he is slightly stilted in front and therefore did not cover the ground as well as first on the move.

3rd: ALLSOP’s Eldhastens Fabel Firestorm (Imp)

Class 656 OD (3 Entries) Abs: 2

1st: SHARMAN & WIKMARK’s Tridents Frodo – 3 year old male. Liked this boy for his pleasing outline. Good head with well defined stop, good markings. Well set ears which he used well. Long neck into good shoulders and front. Firm, level topline, well sprung ribs and slight tuck up. Firmly muscled hindquarters which he used to good effect when moving with powerful hind movement. Alert and active, was pleased to award him the RCC.

Class 657 VD (3 Entries) Abs: 0

Lovely class of oldies and some favourites here.

1st: LEWIS’ Ch Starvon Vanquish Sh.CM – barely a veteran at just over 7 years old, this red male looked very well. Lovely head of good proportions lovely dark eye, well set and used ears, strong bone, good width throughout, holds lovely strong level topline, moved well today for his handler with good drive from well angulated rear

2nd: ALLSOP’s Ch Eldahastens Bobbo Viking (Imp) Sh.CM – what a great veteran and ambassador for the breed, this boy is. Always tries his best. Not quite on his ‘A’ game today in this class. Has a very strong masculine head of good proportions and fill, lovely dark eyes, well set ear, excellent bone and throughout, strong well arched feet, well angled rear, holds strong level topline. Moved well around the ring

3rd: PARRY’s Ch Mystarz Azzuro Punch With Gwynsias – must also mention this lovely Vallhund. At just over 12 years old, he hadn’t forgotten what showing was all about. Delighted to see him again, having awarded him his 3rd CC some years ago. Still has it all, just a little bit wobbly behind. Thank you for bringing him.

Class 660 JB (3 Entries) Abs: 0

1st: STEWART’s Starvon Cudya Shudya Wudya - really liked this 15 month old red. Impressed for her size and substance. Feminine head, lovely expression with eyes of good colour and set. Ears good shape and set. All in proportion with a firm topline, straight front and good feet. Neat short hocks and well muscled hindquarters. Once she and her owner gain more confidence and improve their ringcraft skills, think she will have a bright future.

2nd: ZBILUT & YACOMEN’s Starvon Deja Vu – pleasing type, with a pretty head and dark eye, though could be a little less round. Well placed ears. Level topline and slight tuck up. Decent width of hindquarters but would prefer slightly shorter hocks as she wasn’t so strong behind with her movement.

3rd: HOWE’s Danga's Diva X Dotter Of Valaller (Imp)

Class 661 PGB (1 Entries) Abs: 0

1st: POULTON’s Meddobe Spice Girl – litter sister to Limit dog winner. Pretty bitch with good head and correct markings. Long neck and well placed shoulders with a good front and feet. Firm topline and good spring of rib. Moved well around the ring. Still has some maturing to do but she is only 21 months and has plenty of time.

Class 662 LB (4 Entries) Abs: 1

1st: DIAMOND’s Eriksfjord Aurora Charm Sh.CM – attractive bitch, not the biggest but in standard, lovely clean head, with good stop, and dark eyes. Well set mobile ears. Has long neck into good should and super front and rear assembly to match. Level topline, well sprung ribs and well muscled quarters, excellent profile movement, sound up and back, shown in hard condition. Thought she might be my CC winner but just lost concentration at the vital moment, possibly due to the heat. RCC.

2nd: DAY’s Starvon Ziva – such a pretty girl, the complete show package. She catches your eye immediately for her pleasing outline. Paler in colour than first but still correctly marked. Alert, intelligent expression. Lovely wedge shaped head, good length of neck into good front. Well conditioned body and hindquarters. Moved easily round the ring. Losing her coat fast which was the deciding factor here today.

3rd: DODD’s Hurstfield Renen Vixen At Tanellis

Class 663 OB (5 Entries) Abs: 0

1st: DRINKWATER’s Ch Galerita Hollie Berrie – a sound honest Vallhund, no flash and dash with this one. She is a well balanced bitch with a correctly proportioned head, with well defined stop, dark eye and well set ears. Excellent bone and substance, with a good front and feet. Well sprung rib and good depth of chest. Level topline and broad flat croup. Well muscled hindquarters. Moves very well around the ring. Pleased to award her the BCC and thought she complimented the DCC well. Also pleased to see her win the BCC at the Vallhund Society’s show afterwards. Well done.

2nd: RAND’s Hurstfield Renen Dancer At Kintalis – another bitch I liked very much. Smart, and alert has a pleasing outline. Lovely head and expression, with well set mobile ears. Good length of neck into well laid shoulders and good front. Enough bone for size. Level topline which she held on the move, strong hindquarters. Moved well in profile, little untidy going away. Well handled.

3rd: PHILLIPS’ Ch Starvon Willamina

Judge – Melanie Harris