LEEDS CH SHOW 2015

Judge  BARRY DENYER

A rather disappointing entry in terms of quantity, fortunately this was more than made up for with the quality, particularly in the Open classes.

PGD (2) 1 Holmes’ Lisjovia Slick As A Whistle, 18 months well up for size. Kindly expression enhanced by a dark amber-brown eye. Correct proportions of skull with flat sides. Hints of blaireau to small, triangular ears. Adequate depth of chest. Well-muscled & angulated rear. Would prefer a little more angulation in the forequarters & this was reflected in slightly wayward movement. Presented in excellent condition; 2 Draper’s Desalazara Jerez, 2 year old sired by RDCC winner. Good depth & breadth of skull with no obvious stop. Amber brown eyes &, as with 1, slight blaireau to ears. Good pigmentation all round. Strong neck set on shoulders, laid close to the body. Strongly boned but gave the impression of being a late developer, needing more muscletone to body. Medium angulation to both stifle & hocks. Well set on tail, thick at the root & well plumed. Somewhat unsettled on the move.
LD
(3) 1 Keith’s Shanlimore Let It Be for Beverlenn, 4 years & probably in his prime. Correct in head shape. Eyes nicely set & level with root of ear. Adequate depth of chest & ribcage well extended. Level topline when standing but tended to lose it on the move. Would prefer better pigment to nose. Slightly more angulation to stifle might go some way to improve movement when moving away; 2 Shepherd & Codron’s Gillandant The Illusionist at Avantgarde, bred in the purple & with a dam that I have given top honours to in the past. Presented in excellent coat. Correct length of muzzle in relation to skull but lower lip could be tighter. Good width to forequarters with elbows not too close. Ribcage well extended with slightly pronounced waist. Movement was somewhat erratic & managed to get himself too close to his handler. Sadly no marks for the handler’s forward roll; 3 Agar’s Pyrbern Blond Kiowa.
OD
(4,1a) Three delightful, but contrasting, Ch. Given the differences in type this was, arguably, the most difficult class however, when assessing these dogs I opted to place them in the order in which, to me, they most closely met the Standard for Pyreneans. 1 Bowker & Gibson’s Ch Febus Mauvezin, sired by one of my all-time favourite dogs. Inherited many of his attributes & at least one of his faults. A superbly balanced dog, clearly relishing his time in the ring, where he dominated. The best of heads with the slight but perceptible curve to the top of the skull both front on & in profile. Almond, brown & obliquely set eyes, level with the root of the ears. Short, strong neck set on well laid back shoulders. Firm & level topline both standing & on the move. Superb rear angulation giving him the necessary drive. A delight to see him moving, both coming & going. Presented in excellent coat with all of the trimmings. Could not be denied the CC & only just missed out on BOB when he came up against a bitch on top form. CC; 2 Savage’s Fr/SW Ch Vi’skalys Harry Honda at Kington, a top winning dog on the continent & it was easy to see why. Very distinctive blaireau markings that have become something of a rarity in the breed in this country. Correct head shape, from front on but muzzle a little deeper than I would like. Excellent expression, enhanced by correct colour & placement of eyes with no obvious stop between. Well-muscled neck with no dewlap. Medium angulation, both front & rear. Maintained his topline both standing & on the move. Thick rooted tail correctly set on with a slight but perceptible hook on the end. Appeared to have left much of his coat at home. Gait was free flowing &, most definitely, unhurried but not ponderous or slovenly. Gave the impression that he could accelerate into a powerful run if he felt the need. RCC; 3 Kenyon & Ward’s Charibere Simply Special at Chezanna.

PB (1) 1 Savage’s Vi’skaly’s Lilla My at Kington, delightful but slow maturing 8 month old, still bearing a crown of puppy coat. Lovely dark amber brown eye of correct size & set. Generally well-constructed with plenty of muscle, especially to the thighs. Needs to gain some body. Superbly presented & well groomed. Would love to see her in 2 years time. BP.
LB
(2) 1 Wright’s Dasalazra Mamma Mia, 3 years bitch, very lightly shown. Blunt v-shaped head, from above, tapering slightly at the nose. Solid black pigmentation all round. Would prefer a slightly lighter eye to make it amber-brown. Reasonable front angulation & good depth of chest – one of the few where it reaches slightly below the elbow. Would like to see a bit more body to her; 2 Holmes’ Lisjovia Kiyonari, 2½ years very similar in build & construction to 1. In contrast her eyes could be a little darker. Moved well on catlike paws with arched toes. Good head shape. Level topline when standing but not so much on the move. Rather wayward front movement probably being the cause.
OB
(2) Litter sisters of outstanding quality. Very close in so many respects. 1 Edwards’ Ch Gillandant Leyla via Shanlimore, have watched this girl since she first came out & she was unlucky to only take RBOB last time she came under me, 18 months ago, she has continued to improve. Delightful head shape giving an appearance of elegance & aloofness. Perfect, smooth curve from stop to occiput. Short & well-muscled neck set on correctly angulated shoulders. Level topline to the croup & a smooth transition into the tailset. Rear angulation was absolutely ‘spot on’. Moved with a smooth flowing gait. Unhurried but delightful. Wasn’t going to be denied top honours this time! CC & BOB; 2 Pollard’s Ch Gillandant Sizzling Spice, like her litter-sister this young lady was presented in tip-top condition. Super head shape from above. Would prefer a slightly tighter lower lip line. Well boned all round with a well-sprung ribcage. Well covered hindquarters & feathers. Tail length & carriage very pleasing. RCC.
VB
(2) 1Pollard’s Ch Gillandant Sugar And Spice, 7 years & still winning tickets (4 this year) & it is not difficult to see why. Nice head shape with pleasing eye colour & set. Skull showing the desired curve. Good pigmentation, all round, save for a tiny ‘playground’ mark. Would prefer a little more angulation in front but rear was nicely turned. Steady on the move. As with all dogs from this kennel, she was present in excellent condition; 2 Wright’s Shanlimore Lady Jane, another 7 year old but this one very lightly shown. All white in coat, something not as common as it once was in the breed. Head shape not quite as good as 1 but pleasing foreface & muzzle. Good, level topline when standing but front movement was a little loose meaning that the topline went astray, on the move. Better rear angulation with plenty of drive. Correct tailset with the tail itself reaching down to the hock.