Crufts

CRUFTS 2019

Sloughis

It was a great honour to judge this ancient breed at this famous show. While most of the exhibits had a degree of elegance, the challenge always is to find those hounds which combine this quality with soundness & strength which of course are very important characteristics in a hunting dog. In this respect, I was very pleased with my main winners which were all elegant yet strong. Another challenge in a breed with an aloof temperament is finding the right balance between a dog which has that rather wonderful aristocratic look & yet which is able to cope with the demands of the show ring including at a venue like this with its rarefied atmosphere. My congratulations to the Sloughi enthusiasts who have quite clearly done a marvellous job on temperaments both in terms of selective breeding & effective socialisation.

JD (1) 1 Woodgate, Boggia & De-Souza’s Schuru-Esch-Schams Xandu Khan, very typical 13 months sand with black mask dog, lovely square outline & leggy appearance, attractive head & dark eye. Could have a shade more forequarter angulation at this stage but he has plenty of time to develop. Long neck with good crest, typical hipbones & correct slope to croup, moved around the ring with a nice easy action & looked to be unfazed by the bustling venue. Full of promise. OD (6, 1 absent) 1 Godfrey & Atkinson’s Sahsheer Ishara at Longhedge ShCM, strongly made sand stallion without any hint of coarseness, good head proportions, dark eyes, long neck, very well balanced angulation, super muscle tone, correct oblique croup, really came into his own on the move with his easy action totally free from exaggeration, excellent tail carriage. BD; 2 Smith & Hunter’s Dutch/Bel/Lux/Int Ch Sahsheer Sandara, sand with black mask, litter brother to 1 & of a slightly more refined type, beautiful head & expression, lovely melancholic look about him, dark eyes & mask, ears framing his face perfectly, very good bladed bone & typical tuck-up. Very close up in the challenge where I just felt the BD used himself slightly more on the move. A very handsome pair. RBD; 3 Karlsson’s Norw/Swed Ch Abd Al Jabbar Oekenvindh, sand with black mask, very typical dog, attractive head & expression, very good leg length & outline, correct bladed bone. Hind movement not as positive as 1 & 2. Lovely leggy appearance moving around the ring with typical head carriage; GCD (1) 1 S Ishara at L.

JB (1) 1 Clark’s Magida Sabiih Al Sahra at Thiefside, feminine 16 months sand with black mask bitch, so full of quality, attractive head & expression, lovely dark eyes & mask, good ear shape, clean bladed bone, very typical leggy appearance with a good amount of daylight under her, tail carried at just the right level, free mover with lovely easy action. Very close up in the challenge where I just felt the more angular croup of the BB had the edge. She is bound to improve in this respect with maturity. Two lovely bitches & I predict a very rosy future for this youngster. RBB. OB (5) 1 Chapman-Damms’ Int/Dutch/Bel Ch Sahsheer Shiana Khali, ultra feminine smoky sand bitch with black mask, classical type & balance, lovely leggy appearance, super dark eyes and wistful expression, long neck with good arch, correct bladed bone, typical topline with just the right of angle to her croup, strong loin, moved in a totally effortless and unexaggerated way, absolutely filled my eye with her freedom of exaggeration, delighted to see her represent the breed so well in the group, a picture of haughty beauty. BB & BOB; 2 Taymasova-Spoerr, Spoerr & Wel’s At Ch Qerima Schuru-Esch-Shams, very typical sand, full of quality, pleasing head & expression, dark eyes, typical leggy outline, very good topline with well defined hipbones, strong short loin. Not quite as true on the move as 1. Economical gait moving around the ring; 3 Ohlson’s Nord Ch Abd Al Jabbar Lekkerbhit, top quality sand with black mask, lovely head & expression, long neck with good crest, correct bladed bone, good body proportions, moderate angulation. An absolute picture of breed type standing but front movement let her down somewhat. Overall type very eyecatching.

GLENWAY DYMOCK