JUDGING THE CHIHUAHUA
by LINDA GEORGE
I bought my first Chihuahua in 1969. I’ve been blessed in breed- ing, owning and showing many all breed BIS winners, specialty BOB winners, Westminster group winner and the top producer in the breed history. Chihuahuas are my pas- sion. Through being a member of the CCA judges education committee and chair/co-chair the last several years, I try to pass my love for this wonder- ful breed to future judges. Chihuahuas may not be the most prestigious breed of the toy group but never tell that to a Chihuahua. Like every breed, Chihuahuas have evolved over the years with strengths and weaknesses changing. Overall I think we are in pretty good shape when I look back at what Chis looked like when I started. Yes, you can always point to bad examples of the breed, but the really good ones are more plentiful and of truly exceptional quality. Still there is always room for improvement. One of the things I would like to see improved and which I believe is partly due to misunderstanding of the stan- dard by breeders, exhibitors and judges is balance. Lately I’ve been seeing an increasing number of Chis in the ring that remind me of miniature Corgis. Some of the first few sentences of the standard use the words compact, off square, slightly longer than tall and shorter backs preferred in males. Mea- surement is done from point of shoul- der to point of buttock. From the three shapes below which are you seeing more in the Chihuahua ring?
Unfortunately I’ve been seeing more of the third shape, an obvious rect- angle, than the middle shape, which almost has to be measured to be sure it isn’t a square, as seen in the first shape. I think it is important to remem- ber that what is most commonly seen in the ring may not be what is correct. Sometimes the dog that looks different from the rest may be because it is so outstandingly good. One other distracting thing that I’ve been seeing a lot lately is an over-curled tail. The standard allows for tails that are carried out (which isn’t seen very often and shouldn’t be due to a temper- ament issue), up and over the back like a sickle and up and over the back with the tip just touching the back. If the tip of the tail extends below the level of the back or starts to curl like a pug, it is incorrect and distracts the eye from the proper Chihuahua outline. One pre- caution is that the tail coat on Longcoats may drop down beyond the level of the back even though the tail itself may just be touching the back. As with everything balance and tail are just two parts of the total dog and must be weighed with other impor- tant characteristics like head, topline, legs temperament, etc. I’m hoping this discussion will just remind judges and breeders, who ultimately have the abil- ity and duty to improve on problems, what is correct. I’m very proud of our breed and hope to see continued progress with many more dogs being rewarded at the group and BIS levels.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Linda has been breeding and show- ing Chihuahuas for 43 years using the Ouachitah prefix. She has bred and exhibited many specialty show, toy group, and best in show winners. Two of her most notable dogs are Ch. Ouachitah For Your Eyes Only, toy group winner at Westminster Kennel Club and Ch. Ouachitah Beau Chiene, the top producer of the breed to date. Linda has held several offices in the Chihuahua Club of America (CCA) and the Chihuahua Club of Greater Milwaukee. She has been on the last two standard revision committees for the CCA and is currently chairperson for the judges education committee. Linda has given judge’s seminars in New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Mis- souri and California. This summer she was granted provisional judging status for Chihuahuas.
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