British Briard Club

The British Briard Club - Open Show - 25th February 2017

I would like to thank the BBC committee for inviting me to judge their Open Show, and again for all their hard work in putting on such a well organised event. Kim Kass deserves a special mention for taking such good care of me with her excellent refreshments, and Darren Clarke and James Duffy formed a great stewarding team to run the ring with slick precision.

I would mention that many exhibits seemed to find the floor surface difficult, despite the protection of anti-slip mats, and I suspect that I was not able to see the best movement today that some exhibits might present on other occasions.

JD(2) 1st Hillier, Gardner & Peters One By One Zlota Elita at Charson. 14 month fawn presenting typical silhouette. Good masculine head of correct proportions. Dark eye and excellent dentition. Broad and deep chest with good spring of rib. Strong hind quarters and hocks. Coat of good harsh texture with ample furnishings and good colour for age. Moved smoothly with good drive. Looking forward to seeing him develop the typical Briard break in his coat to present the full rugged package. 2nd Jones Stormfield Blue Jeans. This 15 month black boy really took my eye on the stand with his excellent silhouette and correct proportions. Harsh dry texture to coat, with good break giving rugged appearance. Good angulation front and rear promised excellent movement, but he did not want to stride out for his handler today.

PGD(4) 1st Hillier, Gardner & Peters One By One Zlota Elita at Charson. 2nd Smith Jandade Balou L’Bear. 22 month black with good silhouette showing level topline and required J in tail. Excellent head proportions and good scissor bite. Good pigmentation for eyes, lips and coat. Good depth of chest, with not quite the breadth of 1. Moved smoothly and with good drive, but would like to see a little more extension. 3rd Deboo Nouvion Hadar With Helyroso. A masculine fawn boy of almost 2 years. Strong head, good dentition. Good depth of chest. Coat going through the changing stage, but has excellent dry texture with good break giving rugged appearance. A little more training needed to channel his exuberance on the move.

LD(2) 1st Coleman Hartswelin So Macho. 3 year old black with grey scattered through the coat. Balanced and eye catching on the stand. Arched neck flowing into level topline. Largely well proportioned head, with nice dark pigmentation and required scissor bite, although would prefer a slightly stronger muzzle/nose. Excellent angles throughout and good length of tail showing the J. Coat good and harsh, not too profuse, and showing the desired Briard wave. Rugged and workmanlike. Lovely to look at and go over, but won the class on his movement, which was fluid, supple and with good drive and extension. Definitely a boy who could work all day. Delighted to award BD, BIS. 2nd Chester Lysdenoire Le Roc. A masculine 2 year old fawn. Strong, well proportioned head. Excellent topline. Greater substance overall than 1, and closer coupled. Generous coat, waiting for colour to return, but excellent harsh texture. Needed just a little more steadiness on the move.

OD(1) 1st Wilson Jandade L’Butler. A masculine 4 year old black of broader proportions. Good pigmentation with a dark eye and kind expression. Well set ears, used to advantage. A fully mature, well muscled dog with strong hind quarters. Profuse coat with good break and good texture. Good parallelism coming and going. Covered the ground well with excellent carriage of head and tail. RBD

JB(4) 1st Funnell Shezmo Lady Impa. A beautifully balanced 17 month black. On the smaller side but very feminine and with nothing exaggerated. Good parallel planes to the head. A dark eye and kind expression. A solid topline on the stand and on the move. Good arch of neck flowing into well laid back shoulder with good length of upper arm. Rear angles balancing those at the front. Balanced on the move as well as on the stand, striding out freely to show excellent drive and extension. Effortless movement – a well deserved RBB. 2nd Barber & Gaskin Shezmo Lady Midna. Litter mate to 1. Another pretty black bitch. Enough bone. Excellent silhouette and good length of tail, but a little narrower in proportions than 1. Also covered the ground well. 3rd Flatt Stormfield Marni May at Belstock. A well grown black of 14 months showing excellent breed type. Strong head and good depth of muzzle. Good dentition. Nice dark eye with kind expression. Coat shows good dry quality and appropriate break. Sadly, outline on the move spoiled by high carriage of the head and tail.

PGB(1) 1st Partidge Jandade Black Pepper Among Poldhu. Another very feminine black of 22 months. Balanced overall, with sufficient bone. Well proportioned head with good dark eye and close fitting scissor bite. Good reach of neck flowing into well placed shoulders. Good angulation resulted in free flowing movement around the ring with everything tidy coming and going.

LB(1) 1st Wilson Jandade Blooming Lovely. A compact feminine 4 year old black of good breed type, making a beautiful silhouette. Strong and well proportioned head with a good scissor bite. Sufficient substance with good bone and enough width and depth of chest. Appropriate amount of harsh dry coat, well presented with excellent break. Covered the ground well as she moved freely around the ring. 2nd Canty & Hall Hartswelin Counting Stars for Bargemon. A 3 year old black with a balanced outline and everything in proportion. Good parallelism in the planes of the head and a kind dark eye. Good length of neck flowing into well placed shoulders and a solid level topline. Harsh dry coat with a good break giving the workmanlike appearance typical of the breed. Moved smoothly but with not quite the drive of 1.

OB(5,1) 1st Wilson Jandade Precious Charm. 22 month black. Very feminine but with sufficient substance. Well proportioned head with excellent ear set. Good pigmentation and gentle expression. Beautifully arched neck flowing into well placed shoulder and level topline, held firm in motion. Excellent angulation front and rear. Free, smooth and supple on the move showing good and balanced drive and extension. Could see her doing a good day’s work. BB, RBIS, BOS. 2nd Hillier & Gardner Charson Hot Gossip. A beautifully balanced black girl of 3 years. Strong head with good dark eye and excellent dentition. Well arched neck. Good depth and breadth of chest, ribs well sprung. Powerful hind quarters. Good quality coat with good break. Good head and tail carriage on the move. Covered the ground well with good drive. 3rd Alderman Stormfield Ballerina at Hedgewytch. An impressive 4 year old fawn with everything to please the eye. At the upper end of the standard, and of very good breed type, with everything in balance. Powerfully built throughout with a strong head, good muzzle and dentition. Arched neck flowing into firm level topline and rounded croup with well set tail and powerful hind quarters, giving an excellent outline. Superbly presented coat, although a little heavy. Back to full colour now, and beautifully dry and harsh with some break. However, lacked drive and extension on the move – would love to see her motivated to really cover the ground.

VB(4) Pleased to see such super quality being sustained in our breed into the veteran class. 1st Wilson Jandade Bear’Lishus. 9 year old feminine fawn with super silhouette. Well proportioned head with kind expression and good dentition. Good angles front and rear. Topline straight and level on the stand. Hind quarters powerful and strong. Shown in excellent coat and condition. Glad to see her striding out with enthusiasm in the ring today. 2nd Wilson Jandade Precious Peaches. 8 year old medium sized black with good dark eye and kind expression. A very balanced outline showing a super arch of neck and smooth flow across topline and into croup and well set tail. Good depth and width of chest, with strong hindquarters. Excellent coat texture. Movement not as smooth as 1, possibly due to carrying a little weight. 3rd Goodall Stablecourt Dream On. Almost 10 year old black presented in super condition. Top end of the breed standard for size, but not less feminine for that. Truly superb powerful head with good ear set and strong white dentition. Good pigmentation. Firm level topline and good angulation front and rear. Appropriate amount of good quality coat showing a good break. Showed the J in her tail well as she moved, but seemed sluggish in the ring today. I would love to see this girl stride out and show how she could cover the ground.

Jo Ryan

(Judge)