Yorkshire Collie Club

Yorkshire Collie Club CH Show 2025 – Dogs

I would like to thank the club for their kind invitation, warm welcome and super hospitality on the day, and also my co-judge for sending forwards some beautiful bitches for us to decide on together for our main awards. My stewards kept everything ticking along efficiently and we were so lucky that we just managed to miss the rain, apart from just taking the photos at the end!

Just looking back at the pre-amble from the first time I gave CCs, I mentioned how my work as an osteopath and biomechanist impacts my judging – the same could be said today where we had the luxury of a good sized outdoor ring, which was then doubled in size for both challenges. I was asked after the judging what is most important to me in a collie and that is really a tricky question for me, because ultimately, I want everything! I was proud to watch both my CC and RCC winners power around the ring after the main awards were declared and both would be dogs I feel would represent the breed very well indeed against others in the Pastoral group.

The big disappointment of the day was not to see any dog under the age of 12 months, no baby puppies, minor puppies or puppies. One can only hope and pray that there are some hopeful stud dogs of the future out there waiting in the wings.

Veteran Dog (1,0)

1. Wilmaranna Out of the Blue for Cathbri

Well this blue gentleman was certainly enjoying his day out today! Lovely condition for his age, coat harsh and so beautifully cared for and presented. He has a lovely demeanour though somewhat over happy in his tail carriage on the move. He stands with dignity to present a masculine and balanced profile, but is a little short in body and upper arm which shows in his stride length.

Minor Puppy (1 – transferred to PB)

Puppy (0)

Junior (2,0)

1. Corydon The Baronet

This young male was presented in the smartest of black jackets, and while he is impeccably trained, his cheeky personality still shines through. Although not the biggest of boys, he is masculine, balanced and well proportioned with an appropriate length to height ratio, and is well angulated fore and aft. His head is clean, and he has the most perfect parallel planes and well placed stop when viewed in side profile, his skull is flat and his ear carriage spot on. His eye is a very pleasing obliquely set dark almond, and his expression is cheeky and ‘ready for action’. However, it is on the move that he stole my heart – effortlessly and freely driving himself around the huge ring in the challenge, his reach and drive are textbook and he has the most perfectly level and steady topline and tail carriage. I think he has to be handled to be truly appreciated and like a fine wine, will only get better with age. The more I looked at him, the more I found to like. RDCC in very good company.

2. Ladnar Call My Name

This quality young man was so very unlucky to meet 1 today. He is the clearest of glorious blues, and is both presented and trained to complete perfection. He is masculine and quite mature already in head for his age with a lovely fill to his muzzle. Ears could be tighter. He has lovely bone on him but at this stage in his development he is obviously growing ‘up’ and his ‘out’ just needs to catch up to bring him back in proportion again. He has a lovely nature, but on the move, he carried his (pleasingly correct and long) tail too high and with a curl which did spoil an otherwise sound picture for me.

Maiden (0)

Graduate (3,0)

1. Corydon The Baronet

1st in Junior

2. Starlenga All About Majic for Corisian JW

I genuinely thought this lad would be my winner of this class, he is a rich mahogany sable, in truly beautiful condition, immaculately presented and schooled. When standing, he looks lovingly up at his handler and this pulls his neck backwards and foreshortens his neck and makes his front appear more upright than it actually is when you have hands on. Bringing his head down brings the crest of his neck up and presents a more pleasing and balanced outline in profile. Very masculine boy, stronger all over than 1 but well proportioned with a pleasingly soft expression although I found him slightly strong in backskull. Moved out and back well but didn’t quite match the effortless power and drive of 1 on the move.

3. Beldones Mojito

Post Graduate (6, 1)

1. Ballahanna Betrayed

I did a double take when I first caught sight of this sable dog’s head as he walked into the ring and I have so many notes written on him. I absolutely LOVE his eye, earset and expression and he reminds me of so many elegant males I have loved over the years. Not long out of junior, he has just blown his coat – had he been in full bloom, he could certainly have been in contention for top honours. An exciting young male that I would love to see in a couple of years, with maturity on his side, hopefully a little more fill in foreface will come in time but the cleanness and refinement that he already has can only stand him in good stead as he develops more. He is so nicely angled and proportioned, and when he puts his mind to it, can move out with effortless soundness. Even though he was not in full bloom, because I loved the ‘nuts and bolts’ of the dog underneath, I did consider him for top honours – but he larked about in the big ring in the challenge and against the others in my mental selection for the awards, he just didn’t quite match their powerful drive and efficiency on the move.

2. Paulara Blaze of Glory

There is much to like about this upstanding and masculine golden sable lad – conversely to 1 he was in full coat and condition. He is one of several in the ring currently that is carrying a lot of hair on the skull – it it were me I would be stripping this out to accentuate the flat skull that he has but is hidden, making his stop look more pronounced than it actually is, he is much more moderate all over hands on that he may appear from the ringside. Lovely eye colour, set, shape, perfectly tipped ears which are set well and he has the softest of expressions. He is well put together but on the move his has a tendency to curl his tail.

Limit (8, 0)

Now this was a class of some quality dogs, all in my top five had plenty of appeal, and the top three could surely change positions on another day but number 1 was the most ‘complete package’ in front of me.

1. Corisian Parisian Magic

This g/sable lad was just immaculate, so perfectly schooled and presented in A1 condition. He has lovely size and substance and a glorious and shapely elegant outline for a male with a lovely reach of neck and topline. He is masculine but still quite refined and elegant in head and I love his earset – definitely something that we are losing in the breed, especially in males. I found him a touch round in eye. On the move he holds his topline and tail beautifully and moved out steadily in his class with good reach and drive. In the challenge he was not as settled on the final run around unfortunately this cost him the smaller piece of green and white ‘magic’.

2. Cammana Cellmate

This rich sable dog had my ‘eye of the day’ - it is perfection in size, shape and set for me. I loved his size, his substance, his head, eye, expression and the commanding magnificence with which he presented himself when standing. For me he is carrying too much coat for a rough, and on the move he was goofing around like a fool despite being given ample opportunity to show himself at his best, and added to this a more than an upward swirl of his tail which is why on the day he had to stand second to the winner.

3. Kourika The Gigolo

Open (6,1)

A lovely, but ‘head scratcher’ of a class, three top quality males as my top three and I’m sure others would juggle them around but on the day, judgement is on the presentation and performance you see before you.

1. CH Beldones Ivory Star

A striking sable male at first glance, who stands commandingly with an impressive neck and outline and an alert yet aloof expression – he has everything correctly put together in perfect moderation, there is nothing out of proportion and nothing to dislike. Still so young, his head handles beautifully well as it is now and one hopes that it doesn’t continue to develop as he ages and matures further. He flawlessly excels on the move with the soundest of effortless gaits, and the most fabulous and powerful drive and full extension of the hip, stifle and hock in unison through his hind limbs -it’s just lovely to watch, and he owned the big ring in the challenge. When judged as a whole, and against the standard, I felt he was the most complete package on the day. DCC

2. CH Roughrigg Rag ‘N’Bone Man

Now, this rich shaded gentleman made my heart skip a beat when he entered the ring because I have loved him ever since I saw him as a baby at his very first show – which I think coincidentally was YCC Ch Show – but I have never had the chance to ever judge him myself. He has the softest round muzzle, perfectly tipped neat ears and the kindest enquiring expression that truly makes my heart smile inside. When I saw him enter the ring I felt sure he would be going away with a piece of green and white card but I have to judge as I see on the day, and honestly, I feel that I have seen him in better condition previously. He looked to me as though he needs to blow his coat and get a fresh ‘new fitted jacket’ as he was carrying today a coat which hid his outline (I think also aggravated by the damp drizzly air as we headed towards the rain) especially at the shoulders and neck. He is ever so efficient and light on his toes as he moves, and he is so beautifully foot perfect particularly as he goes away - but as much as I love him, I had to wrestle with my heart as he couldn’t quite match the full reach in front or extension at the rear of the younger CC and RCC winners.

3. CH Corydon Christopher

Hannah Walder (Judge)