Hitchin & District Canine Society

Irish Red and White Setters and Irish Setters

I would first like to thank the committee for inviting me to judge at their show. I felt it was particularly well organised, especially under the tremendously difficult weather conditions. Additionally, I would also like to thank all the exhibitors who brought out some lovely dogs for me to judge on my first appointment. Also, thanks to the steward on the day, who kept the ring free flowing and without issue. Across the two breeds I judged I found that the standard was very good, and the dogs particularly well turned out, especially in light of the terrible weather. I was once advised that good movement shows sound construction. I very much favour this as it shows the dog is fit for purpose. Providing that the dog fits the breed standard then I hope to keep to this philosophy in the future. I would like to point out that my decisions were based on the movement of the dog and try not to revert to type too greatly. I felt the majority of the dogs conformed to the breed standards well, so was happy to have difficult decisions to make.

Irish Red and White Setter

Class 14 (2,1):

Winderburn Roanjora Laurent Perrier- such a shame about not being able to go over this dog. Lovely looking puppy and very good on the move, but sadly had to withdraw.

Class 15 Limit (2,0):

1) Winderburn Roanjora Montepulciano-Good example. Lovely expression on this girl. Good domed skull with a nice, but not overly prominent stop, and still retaining her femininity. Ears well set back and level with eyes. Good length of neck, which lead to well-muscled forequarters and lovely deep chest. Well sprung ribs and nice length loin, giving rise to a nice level topline and well-placed tail stop. Very good and well-defined hindquarter, that showed power for good drive, that this bitch showed from the off. The richness to the coat helped define this nice girl. Movement in this class was very good, which won the class for her. Elegant on the triangle and very little to fault on the straight, both on the away and the return. Very close to BOB, and later found out daughter of BOB. RBOB.

2) Stevens Corranroo Clooney of Annagh- a nice dog. Very happy young man that seemed to love being in the ring. A broad and domed head that is characteristic of the breed, and nicely rounded eyes, and again low/well set back ears. A strong neck. Well-developed/muscled shoulders and strong fronted dog. Ribs were nicely sprung. In proportion to the front, I would have liked a little more muscle on the back end in the second thigh in particular. However, bend of stifle was good. A little more sloping topline to this dog in comparison to the bitch. Toes were neat. A close contender to 1st, but on the day, the movement was not as good as 1st. The away both on the triangle and the straight was a little off and this cost him 1st, however, did show a nice movement when returned to the stack.

Class 16 Open (2,0):

1) McDonald Roanjora Tsarine Tzarine CW17 BWNL 18- Although only one of 2 this girl was an eye catcher in the ring. Lovely profile and whenever stacked. Lovely and feminine throughout, from nose to tail. Proportional head that had a nicely rounded skull, with a good stop. Good reach of neck with a characteristic slight arch, that aided to the elegance of the bitch. Good muscle to the forequarters, that was well boned with ever so slightly sloping pasterns. Very strong in the body, that contained a lovely spring of rib. Tuck up also nicely pronounced on this bitch that accentuated powerful, a well- toned upper and second thigh. Well-handled around the ring both for this class and for BOB. Won the BOB only on movement as she effortlessly moved around the ring. Good drive from well-developed quarters. Very nice example. BOB.

2) Stevens Spiralwood Varity Girl- I feel this bitch knew the ring well, but with a junior handler, who should be very happy with how he performed. Lovely head to the girl, with good head shape and lovely eyes. Ears well set back and correct dentition. However, girl over weight and was difficult to assess the rest of the body. Good depth to the chest, with sloping pasterns. Good length of body. Tail set good and well feathered feet. On the move, drove out well and was lovely to see the interaction with the handler.

BOB – McDonald Roanjora Tsarine Tzarine CW17 BWNL 18

RBOB- Winderburn Roanjora Montepulciano

Irish Setters

Class 17 Puppy: (4,2)

This class was a lovely class from two dogs from well-known breeders that I have eagerly followed in the past and continue to do so. Two lovely puppies in this class, both I think will do well in the future.

1)Thendara Crystal Ice- this 9-month bitch showed presence above her years. A very well-balanced girl. Not overly prominent stop, showing a lovely soft, feminine expression and nicely chiselled. Nice shape to the cranium with a proportionate occiput. Everything was in proportion, with a lovely deep chest and prominent sternum. Excellent sloping top-line down to nicely prominent pin bones, strong upper/ second thigh and good bend of stifle. Movement was excellent for such a young girl. All finished off with a rich coloured coat. Not enough superlatives for this young girl. Did not get BOB or RBOB as the others were finished articles. However definitely one to watch. BP.

2)Kerryfair Special Diamond- Again a lovely bitch that could win many a class in her own right, but came up against a very good competitor. More traditional appearance, but not less appealing. A very lovely expression, with good chiselling and dark unshelled almond eyes. Nice front quarters. Personally, would like to see a little more of a slope on the top line and bend at stifle, but still fine. I am sure these will develop with age. A touch close behind on out run, but the rest of the movement faultless, yet again showing good construction. Nice girl that I am sure will fulfil her potential as she is only 9 months.

Class 18 Junior: (3,2)

1)Paduan Sunny Disposition- 14-month-old bitch with a name to match her personality in the ring. Correct head, typical rich dark eyes, giving rise to a sweet, soft expression. Nice reach of neck with nice front quarters, good rib depth, correct tail-stop and good bend of stifle. Movement around the ring was ok. Return better than the out run.

Class 19 Post Graduate: (4,1)

1)Glenlaine Squirrel Nutkinn at Valasarch- this 23-Month-old dog was a strongly made dog which I love to see. This dog was a dog without exception. Nicely balanced head to rest of body with eyes that were deep and expressive. Good strength to the stop without being over pronounced. Nice long, lean neck which flowed in to a well-muscled front, with plenty of chest. Good spring of rib with a good length to the loin, but not too long. Very sound bone and muscling. Strong and powerful hind quarters that gave him the drive to win the class with his movement. Over all movement was very good. A few little wobbles, but still best in the class. Very commanding on the stack, with a truly rich coat colour, which was good to see. Well presented. RBOB.

2)Braidmount Lady of the Lake at Bransett- a close 2nd. This 3-year-old bitch was very pleasant. Nice feminine head with lovely eyes. Ears set well and low. Sleek lines, but still nicely muscled. Front was fine, but could do with a little more sternum. Stacked well. Coat lighter in colour. Moved ok, but I do not think she agreed with the floor. Lost top-line a little on the triangle. However, went well on the straight up and back.

3)Swiftlark first desire at Paduan

Class 20 Open: (4,2)

1) Sutteresett Tom Collins at Bransett- This was a striking young man as soon as he entered the ring. This 2-year-old had nice soft eyes of perfect shape and shade that made you melt a little. Well-proportioned head that lent itself to the rest of the body well, a little reminiscent of his father. A little lacking in the sternum, however, the rest made up for that. Lovely angulation at front and well-muscled, as throughout. Very imposing in the stack, in part due to the overall balance of the dog. Tail stop was well positioned, with a great back end. In my notes I emphasised that of the dogs on the day, this one had a GREAT BACK END. This definitely was not a dog of two contrasting halves. A slightly better bend of stifle would have produced a better top-line, but still nothing to complain about. Movement was very pleasing to see. Took little time in choosing this dog as BOB once he started moving. Only one minor blip, that was soon rectified. Moved well in every direction even when put through his paces. Well-handled and nice to see his spirit. A little mischievous, which he used to his advantage. BOB.

2) Bardonhill Ginger Nut at Valararch- this two-year-old boy had a lot of pleasing points. Ear set low, eye shape and colour was lovely. A nice masculine head, with a strong stop. A nice length of neck that joined on to well-muscled shoulders, well pronounced fore chest, sternum and front quarters made for very attractive front assembly. Well ribbed with correct length and shape. Nice width and length to the loin without being too long. Excellent top-line, with well positioned tail stop. Would have preferred a larger upper and second thigh with a greater bend at stifle. A well turned out dog, but would like to see a little more feathering around the coupling. Movement on the whole was good. A little shaky on the straight up and back, and on the away on the triangle, which was where 1st was better. A little more reach would help also. Well handled

BOB- Sutteresett Tom Collins at Bransett

RBOB- Glenlaine Squirrel Nutkinn at Valasarch

BP- Thendara Crystal Ice

Hefin Jones