AKC - Self Preservation At All Costs

Occasionally at a local show you see borders that really honestly do look like borders, they never place. This summer I was waiting for the bcs to finish in the ring, and so was watching the end of everything. All the dogs looked the same except this one dog in the ring- lighter coat, heavily ticked, fully erect ears, and it moved totally different. Of course they came in last but I wondered why they even bothered... Maybe on the deluded hope that if the judges were around some variety they'd stop putting up the australian looking dogs?  I honestly don't know.

We even have some of these problems in decorative breeds like the papillon.  It's uncommon to find someone utilizing the versatility this breed is capable of.  I know one line being prominently bred right now because it is so much more refined and 'typey' has several health issues being brought in.  It took us forever to explain to judges that ticking on dogs is perfectly fine- even heavy ticking.  They are spaniels after all.  You finally are seeing people not covering their dog's ticking.  Actually, the AKC is much more lax about markings than other countries.  I know England had some serious debates about what the  'perfect' markings were.  So long as the ears and eyes are covered it should be fine.  They bred for so much white- the ideal was supposedly solid white with the only color on the head and a big, wide blaze, that they actually went the opposite direction and started breeding dogs with too much white.  You're starting to see bigger ears, more exaggerated fringing, and more extreme heads.  Beau is very English looking as he's got a lot of British imports in his pedigree and many judges really don't care for that type.  He's got smaller ears and a bigger, less refined head than the Japanese type that is winning so much right now.  Luckily he still did well.