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Siberian Husky
Place this class of five very different Siberian Huskies
in order of merit based, on 12 physical requirements discernible in these
five profile drawings; then read the paragraph on function and the one
listing the 12 Siberian Husky requirements. Revise your five placements if
necessary, then compare your final order of merit to mine.
FUNCTION
To place these five male Siberian Huskies in order of
merit, you should be aware that the breed functions as a medium-sized
working sled dog, is quick and light on its feet, and free and graceful in
action. The Siberian's proportions should reflect a basic balance of
power, speed and endurance, never appearing so heavy or coarse as to
suggest a freighting animal, nor so light as to suggest a sprint racing
animal.
TWELVE REQUIREMENTS
To assess this particular class you should be
aware:
1. That the stop (the step-down from skull to muzzle) is
well defined.
2. That the distance from tip of nose to the stop is
equal to the distance from stop to occiput.
3. That the neck is medium length and arched.
4. That the body is slightly longer than the
height.
5. That the topline is level.
6. That tuck up is slight.
7. That the croup slopes but never so steeply as to
restrict the rearward thrust of the hind legs.
8. That the tail sets on just below the level of the
topline.
9. That the foreleg (the elbow level with brisket) is
longer than the body is deep (distance greater from elbow to ground than
from elbow to withers).
10. That the hindquarters be well bent at stifle and the
hock joint be well defined.
11. That the feet be oval in shape, medium in size, not
large and clumsy.
12. That all colors and markings are allowed from black
to pure white. Variety of markings include many striking head and body
patterns not found in other breeds.
... a tačan
odgovor je.... (ne viri, ne viri,...)
FIRST PLACE
Awareness and application of these 12 Siberian Husky
requirements and marking allowances all point to one dog for first place.
He is the piebald . . . not the pet buying public's choice of markings.
Color and markings are purely cosmetic considerations in this breed.
Markings include a wide variety from blazed or open faces through smudged
or dirty faces, all equally correct as are piebalds and splash-marked
bodies. Conscientious breeders refuse to sacrifice functional soundness
for popular markings.
Piebald Dog A conforms to all 12 of the listed
requirements. Compared to the rest of the class, he most closely
represents typical. Each of the other four Sibes depart in some way from
his balanced type and structure.
SECOND and THIRD
  Your choice is between Dog B and Dog C,
their differences provide an interesting comparison. One has too much arch
over loin and too much tuck-up underneath caused by a long loin which in
turn has lengthened his body. His croup drops off abruptly setting the
tail low. Fortunately, judging from the presence of angulation at stifle
and hock, it is his sacrum (fused vertebrae succeeded by tail) not his
pelvis that is steep.
The other has a level topline but an inferior head and
short legs (shorter by the height of his oval shaped paw). Lack of a
definite stop has altered his appearance and expression. I can forgive his
inferior head more readily than I can his short legs. I have placed
long-bodied Dog B second, and awarded short-legged Dog C third
place.
FOURTH and FIFTH
  The last two for fourth, Dog D and Dog E,
make an interesting comparison, one being unsound and the other heavy. No
one said judging was easy. It would be nice if you could trim some meat
and bone off sound Dog E and give him a tuck up, but you go with what is
entered. Which did you prefer?
Did you notice that Dog D's muzzle is short? His neck is
also short and lacks arch. The abrupt junction where neck meets withers
suggests steep shoulder blades. Notice that his upper arm is also steep
and the front assembly has been pushed forward on the body reducing
forechest. To compensate for this forward push and bring the front
assembly back into balance the front pasterns have steepened. His topline
slopes. He also lacks required angulation at stifle and hock.
Dog E is sound for a dog but not for an endurance sled
dog. Does he look like a Siberian Husky or some other breed? Direction
given in every Siberian Husky Standard strongly advises that this breed
never appear so heavy or coarse as to suggest a freighting animal. Dog E
suggests just such an animal. I went with Dog D for fourth in spite of his
half dozen physical departures.
TAILS
 Only one of these three well-furred,
fox-brush-shape tails is correct. The correct set-on of the tail is just
below the level of the topline, and is usually carried over the back in a
graceful sickle curve when the dog is at attention or gaited. When carried
up, the tail does curl too tightly, nor curl to either side of the body,
nor does it snap flat against the back.
EYES
Difficult to see eye shape at this scale and to see
color. The shape of the eyes is almond, moderately spaced and set a trifle
obliquely, the eyelids close fitting with pigment matching lips. The
Siberian Husky eye color is any shade of blue or brown, they can be one of
each color, or parti-color (part brown, part blue). Decisions influenced
by a preference for a certain eye color or match does the breed a
disservice.
STUDY GROUPS
Judges study groups sometimes play "what if" when the
fourth place drawing depicts an example with very dis-disturbing faults.
They might ask "What if there was only one male class and Dog D (or Dog E
if you preferred heavy for fourth) is the best dog in the class. Would you
award him first place then winner or would you withhold at some point?
What point? What reason would you give if you did withhold? |
