Southern Counties Canine Association 2011

Dachshund (Wire-Haired)

DACHSHUND - WIRE HAIRED

An interesting bunch to sort out for my 11th set of Wire C.Cs. since 1976 - the last time being at Windsor five years ago. As ever, most were delightful characters and a pleasure to meet - still a "fun" breed, thank goodness. Some problems in the variety just never go away. Good large, thick-padded feet of some depth with nails growing in the right direction are still as rare as hens' teeth and, talking of teeth, there are still too many very tight bites, some bordering on level. I also found a few of those odd bony lumps that feel like a gobstopper stuck on the end of the keel. Heads, coats, ribbing, toplines and underlines are generally good these days and most are constructed well enough to allow them to cover more ground than years ago and come towards quite well, but going away is too often not a pretty sight. The biggest drawback was dogs that were very impressive standing, good to go over on the table, but fell apart going around - with outlines breaking-up into two (and sometimes three) different dogs stuck together. Although the numbers are not there these days to allow much judging to type, I was particularly pleased to find some really good ones of a neat, handy size to reward with high placings and I still think Wires are the interesting variety these days for breeding development with a good choice of home-grown and imported lines to play with.

PD(4) 1 Gibson's Allfreys Rock Of Gibralter. Lovely 7 months puppy by Res. C.C. winner. Good head and mouth with super big teeth, pleasing for shoulder placement, coat and general type and a free, even-striding mover who was all of a piece. 2 Vine's Allfreys To Catch A Thief At Cishelvine. Less ready litter brother and again pleasing type who held it all together well on the move, but needs more time. 3 Downes' Aventine You Only Live Twice.

JD(2) 1 Pattons' Lesandnic Sea The Stars. Impressive 13 months lad with plenty of scope. Hard coated, hard topline, good length of ribbing and well laid-back shoulder. Covered the ground well and was strong going away. 2 Rollinsons' Bystock Double O' Seven At Nosinllor. A couple of weeks older and another hard-coated, well-bodied dog with a firm topline and balanced angulation. Would prefer larger feet.

PGD(2) 1 McCalmonts' Silvae Zealot. Lovely type and firm body covered with a good coat. Well angulated both ends and moved strongly but seemed a little unsettled. 2 Rollinsons' Bystock Double O' Seven At Nosinllor.

 LD(7,2) A real poser of a class as most changed their shape on the move. 1 Philips' Cishelvine Swellegant Guy At Tendrow JW. Comfortable winner. Neat size, hard coat, good shoulders and hindquarters to match, attractive head, good topline and length of ribbing. Moved freely and well holding his outline and kept up a consistent performance to win the C.C. 2 Bates & Maes-Jones' Derochaise Mutineer. Super larger darker brindle, lovely to go over on the table. Handsome head, hard coat, reachy neck, well-made and angulated and hard topline. A real enigma of a dog as he does not project these assets so well on the move. 3 Rees's Ermewood Joint Effort.

OD(5) 1 Moores & Coverleys' Ch/Ir Ch Ex Sentia I'm Bond James Bond. Another neat-sized, hard-coated dog with a lovely well-made body and balanced outline. Good shoulder placement kept on the move, good angulation, bone for size and moved acceptably both ways. Close-up to ultimate winner. Res. CC. 2 Vines' Cishelvine Sea Swell. Another of neat size and good length and type. Sound both ways but does not hold his shape quite as well on the move but earned his place on stronger hind movement. 3 McCalmonts' Silvae Patriot.

VD/B(3) First two scored in freedom of movement. 1 Coverley's Romanchi Choctaw. Spritely 9 year old thoroughly enjoying himself and wagging his tail throughout. Good head, type and body and a super hard coat. 2 Pattons' Ch/Ir Ch Lesandnic Like A Butterfly JW. 7? year old also in good nick and giving a good account of herself. Reachy neck, clean lines and pushed winner all the way. 3 Barrett's Abbeydac Sorrel At Lowjinks.

PB(4,1) Two lovely pups hard to split. 1 Dible's Lieblings End Of The Rainbow. Lovely neat 6 months little red. Nice size and all of a piece with nothing to alter. Good type, construction, firm topline for age with a well-padded rump at the end of it and moved well. Should mature into something special. Best Puppy. 2 Browns' November Storm For Ablebody. Another pleasing red a week younger and I thought at first would be my winner. Lovely eye, reachy neck into good shoulders and topline. Kept her shape on the move but preferred front stance of winner. 3 Coverley's Aventine Shaken Not Stirred.

JB (5,1) 1 Pattons' Lesandnic Sariska. Litter sister to Junior D. and another free, active mover who kept it all together going around. Pleasing head, eye, coat, hard topline, firm body, good bone and angulation. 2 McPherson's Ambiesque Advent For Brumberhill. Just over the year and more rangy, needing more time to get it all together. Lovely outline standing but needs to hold it a bit better on the move. Pleasing for head, neck, shoulder placement and balanced angulation. 3 Seath's Sunsong Wish Upon A Star.

PGB (4) 1 Phillips' Tendrow Replayed In Red. What a smashing little red, seems to have slipped under my radar as I don't remember seeing her before. Super eye and expression, well-bodied and balanced angulation of shoulders and hindquarters. A lovely neat size with everything in the right place and a most delightful temperament. Moved well all ways and nothing I would change. CC & BOB. 2 Pattersons' Ambiesque Adjure. Rangier brindle, litter sister to second in last class and very similarly needing time to finish. Reachy neck, well made and moves freely. Preferred her underline to third. 3 Vines' Cishelvine Dream Of The Sea.

LB(7,2) First three could have gone in any order, but first moved more positively in front. 1 McCalmonts' Silvae Zeal. Lovely type, good coat covering a good body. Pleasing head and neck and moved well both ways. All of a piece and litter sister to Post-Grad. D. 2 Pughe & Fraser's Bystock Black Truffle. Very stylish darker brindle. Again a good type and a very free mover but not as positive in front. 3 Seath's Boloria's Kaleena At Sunsong JW.

OB(7) A hard decision between two beautiful bitches and very much "on the day". 1 McCalmonts' Ch Silvae Zest. Usual lovely type from this kennel. Impressive outline, good shoulder placement and angulation both ends, well bodied and coated and just edged ahead of a formidable rival. RCC. 2 Bates & Maes-Jones' Ch Derochaise Black Orchid. Most beautiful typey black brindle by another Silvae dog. A great favourite of mine since she was a puppy and I had expected her to be my winner. I still love her but she didn't appear to be on her usual form, not covering the ground as she usually can. 3 Davies's Ch Atahira Centissima.

Jeff Crawford