I judged a very nice show for the Panama City Kennel Club in Marianna, Florida. I judged a Working Group and put up a Standard Schnauzer shown by a very capable girl who has the dog in good coat, condition and trim. Standard Schnauzers have it tough in the Working Group because of the popularity of breeds like Dobermans, Great Danes, Boxers, etc. This Standard Schnau-zer, in my mind, is really a good one and ranks with some of the best I have seen. This breed is a wonderful breed and I showed some very good ones way back when they were in the Terrier Group. One of the best I have ever seen was a dog who was Best in Show at the Westminster show in 1997. This dog that I gave the group to could walk in the ring and give the dog who was Best In Show at the Garden a tussle. I was a big promoter of the dog who won the Garden as I will be for this dog I judged in Florida.

Every once in awhile I see a dog that I go crazy about. One is the new Pekingese being shown down here. I took one look at this dog and thought to myself that this dog has greatness in him. Another dog who I saw about a month ago is a fairly new German Shepherd dog shown by that maestro of Shepherds. This man brings out one great one after another. The bitch who this man has been showing this past year I am crazy about. This new dog is absolutely stunning. If you can call a German Shepherd beautiful, this dog is just that. This dog had great presence and one look you know that you’re looking at something special.

The Terrier Group at one show was judged by Ruth Penn and was won by an outstanding Smooth Fox Terrier bitch who I first saw about six or seven months ago and went crazy about her then and now she has a new owner and handler showing her. I am still crazy about her. I have seen beautiful pictures of a Smooth bitch being shown on the West Coast, the Smooth dog in the Midwest and this bitch from the East Coast and a couple more in the country make Smooth Fox Terriers a hot item in the Terrier Group. There is also a new Bichon Frise male being shown out of the Southeast who was my first in the Non-Sporting Group. This is another dog who is destined for big things. It was not an easy choice between the Bichon and outstanding White Standard Poodle who has won many Best In Shows.

An English Pointer bitch was the winner of the Sporting Group. She is another top flight specimen of this classic breed. A good English Pointer, to me, is like a good Smooth Fox Terrier. The two I am talking about are shown by the same handlers. These handlers can consider themselves very fortunate to have two of this quality.

The beautiful Cavalier who has been winning big was Best In Show under Don Rogers. The next day I did a Toy Group and put up a Long Coated Chihuahua who I think is a wonderful little guy. I see from the magazines that this dog has won a Best In Show. The girl who shows this dog always seems to have her dogs looking in top shape. She knows how to get the most out of them. I love good show dogs, the people who breed them, and the people who show them – amateur or pro.

The next shows I hit were the San Antonio Cluster which are always chock full of good dogs. I judged the Doberman Pinchers one day and put up a beautiful Doberman bitch. She was Best In Show at one of the shows. I beat this bitch in the breed at a show about two weeks before because she was not quite up to the job on that day, but on this day she could not be denied. Show dogs have good days and bad days but the ones with heart have many more good days than bad. I was a handler for many years in California before moving to Baton Rouge, Louisiana. I know about dogs having good and bad days. Like my old friend and tutor George Ward said, “you can’t get any more out of a dog than he will give you.” Truer words were never spoken. George Ward was one of the greatest dog men I have ever known and I listened to him. When he talked, I shut up and listened.

Another exciting thing I saw at San Antonio was Gene Blake showing a beautiful Saluki of his own that I think he bred. It was good to see him showing again. I showed a Wire Fox Terrier of my breeding at Westminster about a year ago and screwed it up badly. I did get an award of merit but my timing was off, my balance was off and I am sure that people who were watching thought, “look at that old fool trying to bring back the past,” and I vowed that would be the last dog I would ever try to show. I loved showing good dogs and it makes me sad that I can’t do it any longer. I had a good career showing dogs as a professional, I will leave it at that. I did a Toy Group at this show and put up a remarkable little Pug bitch who was Best In Show at one of the shows. This breed, the Pug, I am sure that it is difficult for a bitch to beat the dogs, but this bitch is doing it. This is a breed that, from what I have observed, is dominated by very good, strong headed dogs and for a bitch to step in like this seems unusual but it could be that I have not been watching close enough. Second in the Toy Group was an Affenpinscher dog who also had a Best In Show on this four day circuit. This is another outstanding show dog who has the heart of a show dog and gives it his all every time I have seen him. I have seen this dog in a little better coat. Coat to me is a very important thing. This is probably because I man a Terrier man. I had to beat a very good Chesapeake Bay Retriever because he was lacking in a harsh, water repelling outer coat on that day, in my opinion.

Talking about coats, I was judging ASCOB Cocker Spaniels and a very pretty girl brought in a dog that was a very good dog under his coat but in my opinion had way too much softish leg and body feathering. I asked the girl whether she had a stripping knife and she said yes. I then asked her if she knew how to use it and she said yes. I then told her that I thought she ought to strip some of this superfluous feathering so you could see the beautiful dog underneath and she looked at me like I was crazy. The standard says that feathering should not be so excessive as to hide the Cocker Spaniels true lines and movement. He should be a moderately coated Sporting dog. Excessively coated or curly or cottony textured coats should be severely penalized. For the life of me, I cannot figure out why these exhibitors and handlers of Cocker Spaniels are trying to make these wonderful little Sporting dogs into Non-Sporting dogs. I guess they do not agree with the standard or never read it. I believe, if this dog I have mentioned, was trimmed properly so that one could see how good a dog he was underneath, he might do much better. I am sure a lot of Cocker people think I am an old-fashioned fool, but I truly think I am right and they are wrong.

Till next time,
Ric Chashoudian