TERMS & INTERPREATIONS by LORENE VICKERS-SMITH
F or the last couple years, I have been delighted to find newer breeder/exhibitors sticking with the breed and remain- ing anxious to learn. I hesitate to call them novice because many are already producing very high quality Griffons. Some of these ‘newer’ people are even interested in pedigree research. I have been concerned that this kind of dedication had slipped to a bygone era. Are we seeing a turning point? Does the decline noticed by AKC in entries and many other aspects of our sport, perhaps instead mean that the chaff is falling by the wayside, letting some very quality younger enthusiasts remain? I hope this is the case. It was recently called to my attention that some TERMS AND INTERPRETA- TIONS of the Standard that we older breeders take for granted, are not always clear with some of the newer people. TERM: LAY BACK OR LAY IN For instance, when we speak of lay back or lay in , we are speaking of the nose leather itself. The leather should be black, large and wide with open nostrils. The top of the nose pad will be tilted back in toward the forehead, forming the lay back or lay in . AKC Standard: “Nose very black, extremely short, its tip being set back deeply between the eyes so as to form a lay-back. The nostrils large.” I have found that there are many ways that the actual nostril opening can look and function. I am not a veteri- narian and I do not in any way consider myself an expert on internal tissues of the airways. I only have practical knowledge with my own observations and breeding practices. I have been peering into brachyce- phalic nostril openings for a good 65 years. Before that I was aware of the Bostons snoring loudly on my bed. By 1964, when I started in Pugs, I decided that free (and silent) airflow in my dogs
was important to my own sleep as well as their health. Stenotic nares didn’t seem to be a big issue in Pugs then, but elongated soft palates definitely were evident in many Pug lines. The tendency of collapsed trachea of older dogs in all our brachy- cephalic breeds is an ongoing concern. Collapsed Trachea is not just caused by heredity or years of lead pressure on the neck, but also can be caused by the stress of struggling to get air through narrow passages. Some good functioning nostrils can look too small or narrow. But because these dogs sometimes have open clear wind below the vertical slits and large internal airways, they can perform nor- mally and live long, healthy lives. Many dogs that are having difficulty breathing will seem uncomfortable especially when being picked up. Some- times they almost look like they are chewing gum, but instead they are prob- ably just trying to catch a good breath of air. When judging you will reward the black, large, wide-open nose pad with proper lay back called for in our Standard, when you can find it on a quality specimen. A few years ago I read an excellent article written by Dr. Magda Omansky regarding Upper Airway Syndrome. Additional reading can be found at
This ideal head should be fixed in our “mind’s eye”.
Stenotic nares.
Nares with adequate airflow at bottom.
“AKC STANDARD: ‘NOSE VERY BLACK, EXTREMELY SHORT, ITS TIP BEING SET BACK DEEPLY BETWEEN THE EYES SO AS TO FORM A LAY-BACK. THE NOSTRILS LARGE.’ ”
62 • T op N otch T oys , M arch 2017
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