26 DOGSinREVIEW . com
BETWEEN THE LINES , CONT ’ D FROM PAGE 22 but much more angulated both front and rear .
Let ’ s not fool ourselves that Cito won so much because there was less competition in those days : In 1926 there were 205 German Shepherds entered at Westminster , for instance . Cito was as admired in his day as Manhattan half a century later . One admirer wrote simply , “ With a dog like Cito , judging is made a whole lot easier … All a judge needs to do is single him out , place him in front and match the balance of the class up to him .”
The differences between Manhattan and Ch . Kismet ’ s A Sight For Sore Eyes are less obvious ; less than 20 years had passed between them . “ Dallas ,” who was No . 1 All Breeds in 2001 and 2002 , appears to be considerably lower and longer than Manhattan , with a lot more angulation , especially behind , but part of that impression is no doubt created by a different handling method . ( Both dogs , incidentally , were shown by Jimmy Moses .)
From the AKC standard : “ The first impression of a good German Shepherd Dog is that of a strong , agile , well muscled animal , alert and full of life . It is well balanced , with harmonious development of the forequarter and hindquarter . The dog is longer than tall , deep-bodied , and presents an outline of smooth curves rather than angles . It looks substantial and not spindly , giving the impression , both at rest and in motion , of muscular fitness and nimbleness without any look of clumsiness or soft living . The ideal dog is stamped with a look of quality and nobility …”
Less All-Breed Success
In Labrador Retrievers , the difference between today and the past is also dramatic . It was difficult to find a photo of an all-breed winning Lab from the past . However , unlike German Shepherds , Labradors have never enjoyed much success in all-breed competition , in spite of their great popularity . In my records of thousands of early top winners ( starting in 1924 when AKC first regularized BIS competition ), I could not find a single all-breed winning Labrador until the end of the 1930s , when the English import Ch . Earlsmoor Moor of Arden won four BIS . Only one Lab , the yellow Ch . Shamrock Acres Light Brigade , has ever placed among the Top 10 of all breeds in the US — and that was back in 1968 .
In the early 2000s , Ch . Aquarius Centercourt Delight won at least 24 BIS and placed among the top Sporting Dogs for a couple of years in a row — by far the biggest all-breed record I have found in the breed . ( Trying to explain just why Labrador Retrievers win as seldom in all-breed competition
Sometimes dogs from the past are barely recognizable by breed , even though they may have been big winners in their day .
Ch . Winterwinds Glenn Plaid , shown winning all-breeds BIS in 2004 , won more than 20 Sporting Groups between 2002 and 2005 . The shadow enhances the dog ’ s proportions .
as they do is a whole separate article , so let ’ s leave that for another day .)
The major difference between top Labradors in the past and in recent years is , according to most experts , that modern dogs are a lot heavier than the lighter-built dogs of yore . The old dogs had longer legs and less bulk . As mentioned earlier , I am not getting into the question of whether these changes are an improvement or not .
The breed standard states that the Labrador Retriever must be “ well balanced , enabling it to move in the show ring or work in the field with little or no effort . The typical Labrador possesses style and quality without over refinement , and substance without lumber or cloddiness . The Labrador is bred primarily as a working gun dog ; structure and soundness are of great importance . […] Approximate weight of dogs and bitches in working condition : dogs 65 to 80 pounds ; bitches 55 to 70 pounds . […] Light , ‘ weedy ’ individuals are definitely incorrect ; equally objectionable are cloddy lumbering specimens . Labrador Retrievers shall be shown in working condition well-muscled and without excess fat .”
This is how two specific breeds appear to have changed , and one could make the same experiment with most breeds . The natural question that arises as a result is : If our dogs look as different now from what they were a few decades ago , what will they look like in the future ? Will it even be possible to recognize what breeds they are ? DIR