Top Notch Toys March 2017

if correct. This means small and semi-erect, set high with the fold over the front of the ear. Unfortunately, a lot of the natural ears do not fit this description. Some are set low or come off the top of head, without being semi erect. Some are too big and fly off to the side. If this were the case, a cropped ear would give a better finish to the head and expression. 5. Has the breed lost its breed type? JB: The best are still as good as anywhere on the planet that I have seen and I have seen thousands of Griffons. Bad fronts are quite common. So many dogs are very long in body. Heads tend to be about the same year after year within differing family groups, some very good and some plain. I feel that more attention should go to body type. The breed is losing upsweep to the under jaw that is nec- essary for the human-like expression, many are vertically flat like a Peke, Pug or Japanese Chin; this is incorrect regardless of cute factor. AC: Not for the most part, but over the years we have gone through phases where a certain feature that is a part of breed type is being sacrificed for whatever reason. A few years ago it was eye size. Breeders have done a good job of bringing back the large, dark eye. Now it is lack of pout. The pout is paramount to breed type. That lower lip should be the most prominent part of the face when seen in profile and for many in the ring right now, that is not the case. I have every faith breeders will bring that back, too. PD: No. NH: This is a slow-to-mature breed, the entire finish of the face lower jaw and head, which is the total look for the breed takes up to two years. So, one judges the dog in front of you not what you think it might be later. In parts of the country, some lack type and some lack sound- ness—just like any other breed. It has to do with the ages and the condition the folks have their dog in as they enter the dog shows. I understand they have to get pups out early, ready or not. If they don’t, they will be mature to win, but they will not want to be at the dog show. So, it’s always important in making those first shows fun for pups and their new owners. A soft hand on the table to examine always! DV: I feel that head type has been compromised by the lack of upsweep to the lower jaw, to form the pout we are looking for to give us that human-like expression. We don’t have the domed forehead we used to have. It does give a different look. I see more and more Griffons that are not as large in bone or as thickset as they should be. 6. How is the balance different between the Griffon and the Affenpinscher? JB: The Affenpinscher and Griffon should be moderate in angulation. The verbiage of the standards are nearly the

same with many of the same words to describe the body and angles. AC: The Affen is more moderate and the Griff is more extreme. This applies to most aspects including groom- ing, coat, angulation, facial structure and reach and drive. NH: Each is a low entry, square breed—and I love them both. Affs have their monkey-like Terrier expressions and Griffs have almost human-like expressions— how different that can be? Griffs are well-boned, thickset, compact, square, short bodied, shown in a full trot with reach and drive. While Affs have a job to do—rid the kitchen and stables of rodents, square, sturdy compact dog of medium bone, wired-haired Terrier with an alert and inquisitive towards its master and friends. It moves in a trot and has the monkey-like expression. DV: Even though the breeds look a lot alike, they are differ- ent. Everything with the Affenpinscher is more moder- ate. Medium bone, medium angles, medium size eyes, etc. We are thickset, larger bone, higher set tail and more angle, large eyes. The rear of the Affenpinscher is set more under them because of their perceptible curve of their croup. Which also gives a little lower set of their tail than the Griffon. The Griffon coat is harder in texture all over the body and the Affenpinschers has softer coat in their cape and on their heads. The Affenpinscher has a level nose set with no turn up and very slightly longer than the Griffon. They have a monkey like expression because of their protruding lip, we have a human like expression because of the larger eye and upturned jaw and pout formed by the bottom lip coming up over the upper lip. The Affen- pinscher is also allowed a full natural tail. Ours should be cropped. 7. Which is more difficult to judge: smooth or rough? JB: If you really want to do the breed justice, then don’t look at them as two varieties, just judge the breed. You should look at the roughs more closely as some critical points are covered with furnishings, i.e.: the head, jaw width and amount of bone. AC: To me, they are equal. PD: It seems that there are not as many good smooths com- pared to the number of quality roughs. NH: They have a different look, but both the same. The rough can make you think from ringside that it is what you are looking for; however, once you get your hands on it, hair can fill in where it might not be! (Ringside judg- ing is easy, we have all done it, right?) DV: Judges coming from a different group always have trouble judging the smooth Griffon. However, the rough Griffon is really the harder one to judge because of being able to hide everything with good grooming. The smooth coat shows everything. The smooth always looks like it has a longer nose, lesser bone and less width to

68 • T op N otch T oys , M arch 2017

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