THE ESTONIAN CAVALIER KING CHARLES SPANIEL CLUB
It was a pleasure to be invited to Estonia to judge at the
Cavalier show in Tallinn on 18th/19th May 2013. I had never been before but had heard it was very picturesque and charming and I
was not disappointed. The flight from Newcastle to Tallinn via Amsterdam was
quite long and it was midnight on Thursday before I arrived at the airport to
be met by welcoming smiles from committee member Terje Erdmann and fellow judge Simone
Frankenberg (Welfenhof Cavaliers) who had just flown in from Germany. Two of the other judges, Carole
Garhofer (Austria) and Zofia Konderla (Poland) were already at the hotel and
the remaining judge Claudia Hollweg (Rosebury Cavaliers)also from Germany was due to arrive the
next day. Our comfortable hotel was situated in the suburbs of Tallinn and
after registering we arranged to meet for breakfast the next day and then go
into Tallinn for a spot of sightseeing.
Friday morning was bright and sunny and after breakfast all
four judges were chauffeured into the city by mini bus driven by Terj and
walked around the old town. It was the perfect weather and my camera worked
hard taking in all the beautiful sights. We stopped for cake and coffee in a
celebrated coffee shop which was very rustic with stone walls and stone flooring
and it almost felt as if we were in a cave. The cake and coffee was every bit
as good as Terje described.
Then we walked through the town, stopping to shop
(had to buy some Baltic Amber earrings) and made our way uphill to a point
where we could see all of Tallinn before us. Fabulous view. The cobbled streets
and olde worlde charm made it very special. I even had a go at a medieval
version of Hoopla.
Then it was time to go to the airport to pick up Claudia and then back to the hotel for dinner and an early night as the next 2 days of judging promised to be hard work with lots of concentration needed.
On Saturday morning, the
sky looked full of rain clouds but we crossed our fingers that the weather
would be kind.
The show venue, held at a school where the playground was marked
out with large show rings, was only 5 minutes’ drive and we were there in
plenty time to start judging. The first day was the 10 year Anniversary show of
the Estonian Cavalier Club and the judges were
Norma Inglis….Males, Best Head, Best Mover and Best Junior, Best Veteran and Best in Show, Oldest Cavalier, Best Cavalier bred in Estonia.
Simone Frankenberg…. Females
Claudia Hollweg….Babies, Puppies, Brace, Breeders and Progeny
Twinned with the Anniversary Cavalier show was a Group 1X show where Carole, Zofia and Claudia judged the other breeds.
My stewards were very efficient and we got
along well. They tolerated my simple demands
with good humour and their English speaking and writing was excellent which made life easier for me.
Whilst Simone judged all the bitch classes and Claudia the baby, puppy, brace, breeders and progeny classes, I tackled the 54 Cavaliers males (only 2 Absentees). I then had the job of picking Best in Show, Best Veteran, Oldest Veteran, Best Junior, Best Mover, Best Head and Best Cavalier born in Estonia.
From the 54, 34 were awarded Excellent, 18 Very Good and 2 Good made up from
5 Rubies ….. 2 Excellent and 3 Very Good
5 Black/Tans….. 3 Excellent and 2 Very Good
13 Tricolours…….10 Excellent and 3 Very Good
31 Blenheims……19 Excellent, 10 Very Good and 2 Good
It was a compliment that as well as Estonian Cavaliers, many
had made a long journey from other countries such as Finland, Latvia, Lithuania,
Russia and Belarus. Most Cavalier Club shows attract enthusiastic show goers as
well as those who have family dogs. They
all want to be part of the occasion and are of equal importance and while the
pet dogs may not win high accolades, their owners feel (like us all) that they
take the best dog home at the end of the day! I had a Student judge Svetlana who followed me around like a shadow and
I hope she learnt something about our breed.
I was looking for a small, balanced ,well made dog with a typical Cavalier head and expression who showed he was fun loving and could move well. I tried to appreciate the whole dog and not allow myself to fall into the trap of fault judging. One flaw did not stop me considering the whole dog. It was bizarre that the very first dog I judged had all these qualities and like a benchmark he stayed in my mind throughout the day. At the end I found nothing that pleased me as much and he took BEST IN SHOW to the owner’s obvious delight. Bred in Estonia and at 9 months was at his first show. I hope his show career goes from strength to strength. He has lots to offer.
There were a number of points that concerned me in the dogs that I judged. These weaknesses appeared more often than I would have liked.
Size…A small well balanced dog is what is asked for in the Standard. I found too many large, heavy dogs that must have weighed 10 -12 kgs. I would not like to carry these around for too long and they could not be described as Toy Spaniels.
Tails….A big % had tails that were curled over the back like a Spitz. If I liked the rest of the dog, I overlooked this but it is lovely to see a dog with a rudder like tail that comes straight off the back and swishes when the dog is in motion. Not enough good croups, decent tail sets or correct tail carriage.
Heads….Quite an assortment. Heavy heads with deeps stops, narrow heads with no filling below eyes, Short noses. Long noses. Gentleness and softness is the key but without being overdone or underdone.
On the plus side
Mouths…. A young dog with a less than perfect scissor bite providing it doesn’t not alter the expression or looks undershot from the outside, doesn't overly concern me. A level bite or slightly undershot mouth can come right with maturity. But if the bite is way out then it should be best placed as a pet. Fortunately I had no problem with the majority of mouths on show.
Coats…..there were plenty of lovely, straight silky coats that gleamed with wellbeing. Good coats are inherited but to keep them looking at their best you have to care for and condition them. I liked what I saw.
Eyes….it was difficult to assess eyes in the strong sunlight but my impression was that the entry held many good eyes of the right size, shape and colour.
Temperament…..lovely, friendly outgoing dogs were the rule and I met only a few who looked as if they wished they were elsewhere. This has a knock on effect that shows in their dull expression, unhappy movement and sad personalities. Shows should be fun for your dog, otherwise they look flat and dejected, rather like Champagne with no bubbles. Most had typical, happy characters.
I was very happy with my final line up who looked so right standing together.Interesting that they were all bred by Helandros Cavaliers. A wonderful testament to this breeder’s contribution to the betterment of the Cavalier in Estonia.
BEST IN SHOW….HELANDROS JUST DO IT (Ruby male)
BEST IN SHOW 2…..Ch HELANDROS VIVIEN LEE (Blenheim female) bred and lives in Estonia
BEST IN SHOW 3…..Ch HELANDROS WIZARD OF LOVE (Tri male) bred and lives in Estonia
BEST IN SHOW 4…..Ch
HELANDROS QUEEN OF THE NIGHT (B/Tan female) bred and lives in Estonia
BEST VETERAN…9 year old Ch GILLESPIE DREAM DESIGN (Blenheim female) bred and lives in Finland
BEST MOVER…….Ch ROYAL FANTASY FIREFLY (Tri female) bred in Estonia and lives in Finland
BEST HEAD….MAGNUMIN
MADONNA (B/Tan female) bred and lives in Finland....Clopsville and Harana bred
OLDEST....ROYAL FANTASY THE KING OF RIVER DANCE born 25.08.03 bred and lives in Estonia
After judging there was a celebration cake
and some
sparkling wine for all the exhibitors, spectators and judges which was most
welcome and a lovely way to finish the show.
I think most enjoyed the day and many were talking about returning next
year. The heavens opened after we had left the showground and heavy rain and
hailstones fell on our car as we headed back to the hotel. So we were fortunate
that it had stayed off until after judging. After a short break to let us
change and get freshened up we set off into Tallinn where we ate out at Olde
Hansa, a medieval restaurant with loads of atmosphere. Several Committee
members joined us and a pleasant evening was spent sampling unique Middle Ages
type food and drink. Great fun.
Sunday saw a Group 1X show at the same venue.
Simone and I
swapped over and this time I did Bitches as well as Babies and Puppies and she
judged the Males, Brace and Progeny classes and Best of Breed. Carole, Claudia and
Zofia split the other breeds and Zofia was given the honour of judging BEST IN
SHOW from all the Group 1X (COMPANION DOGS)
There were fewer Cavaliers than the day before with 27 adult males, 34 adult bitches and 6 babies and 2 puppies (5 absentees) and I awarded 6 Very Promising, 2 Promising, 23 Excellent, 10 Very Good, 1 Good
From what I saw on the day and the day before, I felt the
majority of bitches were stronger and of a higher quality than the dogs. Size
was better, heads were more acceptable and more correct tails. My Champion
bitch class was super and a joy to see. From the unbeaten bitches I chose fro BEST BITCH
CH HELANDROS VIVIEN LEE
whilst Simone chose for Best Dog and BEST of BREED…. BRAITLAIT OF MOSKOU SUPREME who came all the way from Russia....over 1,000 kilometres by car
That night we
had dinner in the hotel
with some exhibitors and committee and it was nice to
relax after two enjoyable, but tiring, days. Lots of different languages around the
table. English, German, Estonian and
Russian. We all managed to make ourselves understood. Cavaliers are a universal
bond.
It was a wonderful weekend and the Club committee did a great job and worked hard to make the show the success it was. The Estonian Cavalier owners I met were friendly and welcoming and very keen for feedback on their dogs. Some other sights from the show weekend..