“HEAD TYPE is whAT seTs our Breed APArT from oTher Breeds.”
The only issue in our standard subject to discussion, is tail length. Should you get a natural tail (or a kinked or tailless Griff) in your ring, please keep the tail in proper perspec- tive with the whole of the dog. While I agree that imported adults (or any pup- py with open eyes) should not be put through the pain of a dock just to qual- ify for a show, our AKC standard states “tail is docked”. A natural tail, however, is not listed as a disqualification or a fault. Therefore, our standard commit- tee and the ABGA board has agreed to leave the matter to the judge. Please do consider that overall quality of the exhibit and the structural set-on of the tail should be more important than how long it is, or if it even has one. In the same context as a complete tail, one must consider natural occur- rences of the occasional tailless, kinked or short tailed puppy that are found in most brachycephalic breeds. These anomalies are addressed in our ABGA Illustrated Standard: “Docking to about one-third is a guide to approximate tail length. Puppies can be born with tail kinks which may result in having to cut the tail on the short side. A kink at the base may prevent the tail from being carried high. Others may be born with short tails or tailless. There should be no penalty for this although the lack of enough tail does affect the overall balance of the dog.” It goes on” The feature of the so called “web foot”, like the kinked and short tails, can be traced to the cross with the English Toy Spaniel. Many of the most desired head characteristics are also features from this cross. Puppies born with web feet and kinked tails, which often seem to go together, tend to have excellent heads.” The judge is completely within his/ her right to award honors to a Griffon with a natural tail, kinked tail that can- not be carried up or a tailless Griffon, or to leave these exhibits unplaced. I believe the single most important characteristic to judging this breed (or any other breed), is the overall picture of balance and type, but I would like to stress head type especially. Head type
is what sets our breed apart from other breeds. Other characteristics are shared by many breeds, but our head type is unique to our breed (except for per- haps the English Toy Spaniel). Brussels Griffon head type borrows heavily from the ETS. To quote our ABGA Illustrated Standard: The position of the nose is important and a guidepost to judging the entire head. We also want a dog of substance, not elegance, heavy for its size in bone and rib. I don’t mean that the dog will look cloddy with extreme bone, but that it will be heavier than it looks for its small package and you will feel substance when you pick it up. Any AKC licensed judge should have a pretty good handle on move- ment. The new judge is still presumed to be an “old time dog person” with vast dog and structure knowledge. It is the ‘breed specifics’ that he/she would hope to gain by reading articles, attend- ing seminars and shows and studying with breed mentors. When the American Brussels Griffon Association puts on a Judges Education Seminar, depending on time, we often bypass these “givens”—and we spend our time on what sets us apart from oth- er breeds, our breed TYPE. Every pre- senter is instructed to begin with this statement: “The Brussels Griffon is a small, thick-set, compact , double track- ing Toy dog with “normal structure” and moderate angles that are balanced at both ends.” If you do not have a good handle on normal double tracking movement (this is not a ‘shuffle’ of a Bulldog, ‘roll’ of a Pug etc.—the Brussels Griffon has simple double tracking movement) then there are some excellent videos avail- able on the subject. I would suggest you start with “DOGSTEPS” A Study of Canine Structure and Movement by Rachel Page Elliott, or the AKC video series GAIT: Observing Dogs in Motion. Sit ringside and watch dogs move in groups. This is often where the ringside critic has the advantage over the judge who is only a few feet or yards away from the dogs that they are gaiting and their picture is narrowed.
That said, let’s go to what makes a Brussels Griffon “dripping in type”. Brussels Griffon correct head type is the hallmark of our breed. This head (Eng
& Am Ch Beauview Bonefide owned by Marjorie Simon) can not be improved upon. It’s perfec- tion should be set
in stone in every judge and breeder’s mind! He had the correct coat that could not grow profuse furnishings or beard. Look at the eye and nose pad SIZE and placement. See the breadth of nose pad, chin and muzzle—open nostrils. Notice the little bit of leather showing from the bottom lip, forming the pouty expres- sion. The small thin ears, tipped over and set on just right. 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. This 3-month-old baby (see below) also displays the same hard coat, great head type and “pout”. From profile you can see the nose recessed in and tilting right into the domed forehead.
When we talk about jaw upsweep, it involves the entire bone structure of the head. The bottom mandible’s jaw bone (from jaw hinge to canines ) is actually curved—“swept up”. It will feel much like a Bulldog (on a smaller scale) with
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