Marlborough & District Canine Society

Marlborough & District Canine Society, Open Show, 6th May 2024 Dalmatian Critique Thank you to the committee of M&DCS for the invitation to judge at your premier open show and to my two ring stewards, Malcolm and Shaun. Thank you also to the competitors for your entries over what was a busy show weekend. DALMATIAN Puppy (2) 1: Bridge, Meyer & Britton, Akoni Buttery D’or. Almost 12 month old B/S bitch. Well balanced head with pretty spotty face, dark sparkling eyes, and cheeky expression. Compact in type, she is well constructed with balanced angulation and nice height to length ratios. Good width to fore-chest, pleasing bone and substance, neat feet. Evenly distributed decoration with super pigment. In high spirits on the move today but showed excellent drive on the out and back and in profile, once she settled, an economic rhythmic stride that covered the ground well. BP. 2: Claesen, Dalstorm Just Giving. 8 month old B/S dog with much to like. More rangy in type than 1 and in comparison much more immature. Already towards the top of the standard this boy doesn’t need to grow on, just needs time to mature into his body and gain control of his legs. He is nicely balanced with a good height to length ratio, and lovely length of neck. Full of substance, with super feet. Attractive evenly distributed decoration makes him quite eye catching. Very much a baby on the move, and didn’t have the drive to match 1. At times in profile he was flailing his front legs, but also showed the potential of his scope with flashes of his enormous ground covering stride. Junior (1) 1: Hurst, Dvojica Firefly for Finnidal. 1 year old B/S bitch, just out of puppy who was on her toes today. Beautiful head, good reach of neck into well defined withers and compact body with super front. Nicely balanced in angles and proportions. Pleasing bone and substance, tight feet and eye catching bold decoration. She had steady rhythmic movement and good natural ground coverage. RBOB. Post Graduate (1) 1: Bolt, Fakenham Fontanella. 3 year old B/S bitch who is well proportioned and balanced throughout with super width to fore-chest and depth of brisket, excellent bone and substance, and stands on good feet. Eye catching bold decoration completes the picture. Clearly fit and well muscled, she displayed excellent drive on the out and back. She maintained a pleasing economic rhythm, with a good length of stride that easily covered the ground. BOB Limit (1) 1: Williamson, Shydally Ultimate Edition JW. 2 year old B/S dog. Masculine head with kind expression but would prefer a cleaner throat. Would prefer slightly more length of neck for better balance with his body. Well defined withers, good depth to brisket, super bone and substance, excellent feet. Bold decoration. This well muscled dog moved with ease. He had super natural ground coverage, a lovely rhythm and a nice elasticity to his steps, but unfortunately he carried his tail curled towards his back, which spoilt the picture. Open (3/1A) 1: Williamson & Howard, Decoda’s Toffee Apple. 2.5 year old L/S bitch who was like a statue on the stand. Balanced head, although slightly narrower in muzzle than I would prefer. Good reach of neck, well defined withers but would prefer more width to chest and more bone and substance all though. She is at the taller end of the standard but presents a balanced picture as everything is in proportion. Tight feet. Pretty, well distributed mid liver spotting enhances her femininity. On the move this honest bitch had a steady rhythmic pace but I would have preferred to see more reach and drive. 2: Claesen, Dalstorm Just Giving. Critique 2nd in puppy.