“DR. KEATING REMARKED THAT THE JUDGE SHOULD ALWAYS HAVE A HAND ON THE EXHIBIT ON EVERY BREED , HE EMPHASIZED, AS IT HELPS THE ANIMAL KNOW THAT THE JUDGE IS STILL THERE; IN ORDER NOT TO UNINTENTIONALLY STARTLE THE DOG.”
The whole examination took a little less than two minutes. Dr. Keating then went over Stevie’s three littermates and gave his assess - ment of each puppy. Not everyone knows a local expert who will agree to assess your litter, but it is hoped that the description of Dr. Keating’s examination will be helpful to anyone who needs to know the hands-on method of assessing these wonderful dogs.
to ensure the setting of the front feet, which should be slightly easty-westy in appearance. Dr. Keating gently raised the hair on Stevie’s bib and looked at the legs to double-check his assessment. He gently slid his fist straight in between Stevie’s legs until his fist met the dog’s little chest. He noted that there was enough space for his fist to slide in without striking either leg. From there, he shifted to his right to examine the left side of the dog. Keep - ing his left hand continually placed on Stevie’s shoulder, he moved his right palm down the dog’s back from the neck to the tail set, carefully checking the topline to ensure that it was level. Dr. Keating remarked that the judge should always have a hand on the ex - hibit ON EVERY BREED, he empha - sized, as it helps the animal know that the judge is still there; in order not to unintentionally startle the dog. Little four-month-old Stevie still had just a small puff of a puppy tail; however, many older, more mature dogs have heavily coated tails, and the judge may have to pick up the tail with one hand and run the other hand slowly down the back to double-check the topline, which needs to be level and not roached or swayed, he said. Next, he gently placed both hands across the back on both shoulders of the body to make sure the shoulders were next to the body cavity with no space in between. Dr. Keating said that if there had been too much space, the dog would have been out-at-the- shoulders, a term used to signify too much spacing. This check confirms good and appropriate conformity. He then continued his examination by
sliding both hands down and around Stevie’s sides, checking his rib cage, which should be large, and checking for a narrow waist. From the waist area, Dr. Keating moved his hands backward to the hip joints and down to the rear legs, check - ing for muscle tone. He gently raised the hind skirts and looked at how Ste - vie’s legs were placed, explaining that the rear legs and feet should be paral - lel and facing straight ahead. He checked Stevie’s testicles to en - sure that there were two normal- sized testicles within the sack, a stan - dard check for examining every breed of dog. Dr. Keating stepped back to view the overall picture Stevie presented, allowing me to touch up the then mussed-up coat with the brush and rearrange Stevie’s fluffy little tail. He laughed and said that a Pekingese coat is supposed to be disarranged if the examination is properly conducted! He stepped forward to do the stan - dard Pekingese lift, which is meant to determine weight balance and to see if the dog is heavier than it appears. He explained that the lift is not done to assess size or weight, but rather the distribution of body weight, as the Pe - kingese is supposed to have a heavy front, with its weight tapering off in the rear. He remarked that if the judge thinks the dog is over 14 pounds, the scale must be used. Dr. Keating slipped his left hand un - der Stevie’s chest from the front and placed his right hand around Stevie’s right shoulder and upper rib cage area. He gently lifted the fluffy little four-month-old a couple of inches off the table.
Colleen Doolin Skinner, an AKC Breeder of Merit and Pekingese Club of America Board Member, has been breeding, training, and showing under her Passion Pekingese kennel name since 2014. She has shown and champi- oned eight Pekingese that she has bred, which resulted in one of her bitches being named a Dam of Merit. She has shown to their championship a total of 13 Pekingese, with three Silver-level Grand Championships to her kennel’s credit. She is an avid brace exhibitor, recently winning Best Brace (with a pair of six-month-old puppies!) at the October 2021 Pekingese Club of Amer- ica National Specialty. Colleen is an attorney, now retired.
T op N otch T oys , J uly 2022 • 55
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