East Anglian Labrador Retriever Club

East Anglian Labrador Club

7th March 2020

It is always an honour to be asked to judge, however, breed club shows are special. My thanks to the committee for the invitation and warm welcome and to my two super stewards who made the day flow so well. The venue was ideal and the lighting was good.

To the exhibitors who entered and made the day so memorable, thank you so very much for spending your money, your time and especially as it was the day after Crufts for so many what was left of your energy. I appreciate that you did that for my opinion, and I felt very humbled to have so many lovely dogs to go over.

It is customary to make general comments on the overall entry and give one’s impression of the breed. I hope the following is taken in a constructive spirit. There are several areas I feel need watching. Eye colour – so many have almost black eyes which loses the typical expression. In the earlier classes there where many with round and proud/bulging eyes with loose lids.; making it impossible to get the correct soft melting expression. As well as the aesthetics, loose lids are a disadvantage to a working dog leading to damage and dirt and grass seeds becoming lodged.

Secondly feet are very important, the standard is very clear “Round, compact; well arched toes…”. In a working gundog a badly made foot can lead to injury and says away from the job and whilst many of these dogs will never have the opportunity to work, they still need to have a functional foot which allows them to enjoy walking on rough surfaces. Some good exhibits lost places on this point this may be seen as fault judging but the old adage no foot no horse is true in dogs. These “details” all add to the indefinable “quality” that sorts the top class exhibits from the rest of the field.

VETERAN (10 -1 absent 1 w/d)

1st Scutcher’s WINSLEYWOOD WILD HONEY l JW ShCM very well made throughout and in tip top nick. Her lovely topline is still tight and finishes into a well-set tail. Every inch a show girl and makes the very best of herself.

2nd Jones’ HAFNAU ANASTASIA lovely type nicely balanced with better feet than the winner

3RD Shirton’s WOOLMAN PROPER FANCY FREE I really liked this bitches eye colour which gives her such a lovely expression, correct tail a close decision.

FIELD TRIAL (1 )

1st Venturi-Rose’s LEOSPRING TAY a nicely boned bitch who has good breadth to her head good eye colour and very purposeful on the move particularly good in upper arm could be a fraction taller to advantage.

BROOD (0)

MINOR PUPPY (13 – 1 absent)

1st Neachell’s SUTTONPARK CONSUELA in agreement with the my co judge BMP. Such a pretty clean lined, young yellow of quality. Correct nicely balanced head but I would prefer a lighter eye colour. Clean neck into good topline well made, good angulation at both ends. Moved soundly and accurately for her age.

2nd Lesley’s STEELEIGH LOVE AFFAIR scopey young black, particularly good undercoat. Nicely made. Moved OK when settled. Would prefer a better upper arm.

3rd Allen’s SARANDE SANTEE SIOUX TIMOURON I liked the eye colour of this youngster nice breed type good forechest correct coat nicely boned.

PUPPY BITCH (13 – 3 absent)

1st Richmond’s BRIGGLEBANK BLISS black a lovely scopey youngster with good breed type, good ribs and body properties, excellent coat of good texture with dense undercoat. Eyes a little dark. Moved well.

2nd Lawrence’s MEADOVILLABS FINDING DORY VIA DUNABBEY Well grown chocolate nicely boned. Good length of leg finishing into good pasterns and feet. Correct amount of hind angulation. Well shaped tail.

3rd Walton’s GALLYBOB OPTIMIST I liked this youngsters front, she is compact but so well balanced.

JUNIOR BITCH (17 – 2 absent 1 w/d)

A very nice class.

1st Hopkinson’s ROCHEBY STRING OF PEARLS a classic Rocheby and out of their top drawer. I found her very exciting and felt when going over her that she was going to be in the reckoning later - which she was. I seriously considered her for top honours. Correct head with a kind expression and a lovely brown eye. Good body from well shaped ribs, good quarters fore and aft. Correct coat of good texture and with a tail to match. Has quality stamped all the way through her. As always put down to perfection.

2ND Dawson’s BESKERBY NUTCRACKER a different type and will take longer to reach her best but non the less a good one. Good head. I loved her scope which together with her length of leg gives her an impression of having a frame to fill.

3rd Jones’ HAFNAU ORABELA another so typical of this kennel who have a type that I admire, she has a decent length and depth of muzzle lovely coat of correct texture with scope to help her on the move.

YEARLING BITCH (13 – 2 absent),

1st Bailiss’ TISSALIAN HI SOCIETY well made young yellow nicely balanced head with eyes of correct shape and colour, correct front into good topline, broad and strong over the loin. Good double coat. Looked lovely on the move. Must do well in the future.

2nd Allen’s WARRINGAH’S WIRRABARA AT TIMOURON young black good, clean neck, correct forechest, ribs of good depth, hindquarters are typical of a black of this type.

3RD Lesley’s SLEDDARWOOD TIKKA TAKE AIM AT STEELEIGH a bigger scopier bitch who was short listed in Junior. Nicely balanced head with good expression.

MAIDEN (9 – 3 absent)

1st Allen’s SARANDEN SANTEE SIOUX TIMOURON

2ND Edward’s KIMBAJACK JACKPOT kindly and sweet temperament, nicely boned, good ribs and body strong through the loin.

3RD McDonald’s OAKHOUSE ON FIRE FOR MARRONOIR nice type good length of muzzle and nice type would prefer better feet and pasterns

NOVICE ( 10 – 2 absent)

1st Dawson’s BESKERBY NUTCRACKER

2nd Hopkinson’s GOOD EVENNG ROCHEBY good length of muzzle decent, head clean neck and good balance between body depth leg length.

3RD Wojcik’s COURTROSE SWEET ELENOR nice youngster but for me her dark slightly round eye spoilt her expression her head itself was of good shape, lovely topline.

UNDERGRADUATE (6)

1st Richmond’s BRIGGLEBANK BIRDSNEST lovely bitch who makes a very nice picture when standing correctly this comes from her correct ratios of leg length to body and loin length. Enough bone. Good ribs.

2ND Litherland’s OAKHOUSE OUR BY OUR very nice young yellow really liked her substance and quality particularly good ribs. Pasterns could be tighter.

3RD Scutcher’s WINSLEYWOOD WILD DAISY lovely young yellow kind expression, nicely made and balanced who on the day was out of coat which is only temporary but was a factor in the decision making as it made her look lighter in bone and substance.

GRADUATE (11 – 2 absent)

1ST Jones’ HAFNAU GEORGETTE my notes say - quality, understated and unexaggerated – isn’t that what a Labrador should be? Nicely balanced head. Good bone and feet. Ideal size. Correct coat texture all the essentials to give breed type

2ND Lewis’ CRAMMONDKIRKS YO YO, clean outline longer cast but gives her the scope I prefer, good topline and tail, clean neck into good front. Moving a little close behind today.

3RD Lesley’s SLEDDDARWOOD TIKKA TAKE AIM AT STEELEIGH

POST GRADUATE (19 – 2 absent)

1ST Bysouth’s LUCKSWARREN SECRET PHOENIX black of quality enough of everything everywhere! Very kind head and expression lovely type. Correct hindquarter angulation. Good in the little details eye shape, feet, ear set.

2ND Edwards’s KIMBAJACK PROPER MADAM lovely yellow very close decision very good mover classy outline which comes from her balance of leg length and body ratio.

3RD Bordacs & Glaister’s RUDIDALE HIDDEN SECRET understated chocolate good looking nice amount of hind angulation

MID LIMIT(11 – 3 absent)

1ST Bell’s WESTERULSTON NOLA classic black, with nicely balanced head kind expression, clean neck into good front super bone of good shape and neither too much nor too little. In good coat and condition. Sensible amount of hindquarter angulation - so many have too much. One that stands up to close inspection. In my final cut of four at the end.

2ND Anton’s CARPENNY VIRGINIA lovely yellow particularly good topline good body properties kind head

3RD Bartosova’s FOLLOW ME TO ALDAMITY OUR PLEASURE preferred the fronts on the two above kind head good hind quarters otter tail

LIMIT ( 17 – 5 absen

t) A lovely class

1ST Mitchell’s AFINMORE ARDMORE striking chocolate, who is for me well up to size with genuine substance which comes from her conditioning and good musculature. She doesn’t need the extra weight that so many have as a substitute for substance. Shown in tip top condition. Strong’ish but kind heard retaining femininity, correct eye shape and colour. Good neck into good shoulders level topline, good ribs and strong loin and good hindquarters. Ideal leg length . Excellent coat and tail. She would be a very worthy title holder. Res. C.C.

2ND Key’s KEYDELLA KAFE NOIR lovely bitch, kind head and expression, good length of leg good body properties another with the scope that appeals, great coat and tail.

3RD Bartosova’s FOLLOW ME TO ALDAMITY OUR PLEASURE

OPEN (18 – 4 absent)

1ST Woodley’s SH CH A SENSE OF PLEASURE’S YLVI AT ALKAMHURST (IMP DEU) Stunning - not a word I use often! How lucky was I to judge this top class bitch who was at the top of her form in full coat put down to perfection and looking the complete picture? Like the very best Labradors she isn’t flashy she is “just” a Labrador. To break her down into bits would be pointless let me just say she fully fits my interpretation of the standard. Delighted to award her the CC and with the agreement of my co judge BIS.

2ND Pastusiak’s KISS ME QUICK SYKSTUS OF LABGOLD lovely type very good front angulation good forechest a quality typical black good eye colour

3RD Hodge’s SH CH NAIKEN DANCE RYTHAM JW IR JUN CH

SPECIAL WORKING

Only two in this class but two really nice ones

1ST Hodge’s NAIKEN CARINSIA one I have judged before and I really like her nice head with correct eye colour, her scope won her the class. She has the old fashioned slight fall away over the croup which somehow adds to breed type for me.

2ND Coode’s WARRINGAH’S GURLEY feminine head with kind expression well made throughout

 fully mature nice type.

Lynda Heron