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Saluki Gazelle Hound Database and Breed Information ExchangeSALUKI (GAZELLE HOUND) BREED NOTES
SALUKI NOTES WEEK ENDING 14 MAY 1999
WELKS April 25th 1999 Salukis
I was pleased with the higher placings in each class but found that quality was not present in depth in most classes, with the exception of postgraduate bitch. Movement continues to be a problem. I do wonder how many exhibitors assess their dogs. My guess is that many do so when their hounds are looking glamorous on the sofa, and too few stand in front of and behind them when they're moving. If they were to do so they could not fail to see the faults; notably the elbowing out and pasterns crossing in front and the brushing hocks behind. I also wonder how much exercise most Salukis enjoy regularly. From the lack of muscle tone on the majority I would guess that it is very little. Indeed some of the erratic movement would improve with proper exercise.
The Saluki isn't meant to be a glamorous couch potato but a functional hunting hound. It can, of course, be functional and glamorous, and all my winners were both. However, real beauty comes from the overall harmony and balance of the whole dog, not only when standing but also when moving. Too many Salukis look super when standing, then fall apart on the move.
Although different in type, my principal winners all have in common correct front construction, which we are in danger of losing in the breed. The majority of hounds have insufficient upper arm angulation, hence so much poor front movement. My principal winners also have correctly constructed rear quarters, which combined with their good fronts, produces the flowing, economical ground-covering movement that should be characteristic of the breed.
In the more superficial sense, beauty also involves presentation. In the majority of cases this was excellent but 5 of the 71 hounds entered were both dirty and smelly. Many had very dirty teeth. Arguably, the latter can be excused on the grounds of feasibility: it isn't always possible to convince the dog that dental hygiene is desirable, and wrestling with an indignant Saluki isn't easy. Dirty presentation is never excusable. Not only does it detract from the hound but it is, to my mind at least, offensive in every sense of the word.
Puppy D (3) I & RCC Copperthwaite's Al Caliphs Sudaavi. Beautiful black grizzle, wonderfully balanced. Good head, with well-shaped black eye. Neck well set into excellent shoulders. Long deep rib-cage, good angulation front and rear. Moved effortlessly with style and precision. Undoubtedly a future star. 2. Lewis' Dakhilak Shalm. Very much smaller deer grizzle of good type, not as masculine as 1. An attractive head with good dark eye and expression but I would have preferred more underjaw. Has the best of shoulders and good return of upper arm. Moved very well with the correct distance between hocks and pasterns. More precise and settled in movement than his larger and more masculine brother 3. Preece's Dakhilak Shirin Kar.
Junior D (5, 2 abs)
1. Stanmore's Altaya Tabari Zahfiq. Masculine cream dog of good type, excellent pigment, dark well-shaped eye,well-constructed in front, with good body length and angulation at both ends, long tail. Moved well.
2. Quadling's Cranstal Incantation to Malenkhai. Tallish red and white particolour with good head, eye and pigment. Deep and long chest. Preferred the shoulder and upper arm placement of 1. Good tail. Movement was marred by narrowness in front and a tendency to elbow out. This could improve with maturity.
3. Bullock's Starflight Eros.
Postgraduate D (10, 3 abs)
1. Williams' & Redfern's El Hamrah Mehrab Khalifa (Imp) Very classy grizzle, good head, eye and pigment, excellent angulation front and rear, good depth and length of ribcage. Stylish precise mover. Still immature. Needs to fill out to complete the picture.
2. 2. Mahon's Timaru Valkyrie of Jazirat (Imp) Lovely black fringed fawn of super type. Scopey mover. Correct outline. Lost out to 1 only on a slightly straighter forearm. One to watch.
3. Doney's Sedeki Ijbar
Limit D. (5)
1. English's Glenoak Hafiz of Davick. Beautifully balanced deer grizzle with a classic head, eye and expression. Although otherwise excellent in construction, his upper arm isn't quite well enough angulated and this makes him rock slightly in his front movement. This could improve with vigorous road walking and would be well worth the effort, because given his quality, he could take top honours.
2. Watling's Minsha Mr. Mystery at Easternway. Lovely type of dog with a good head, lovely eye and expression. Like 1 he isn't as well-angulated in upper arm as he might be and is a little narrower in chest so achieves balance when moving by turning his feet out a tad too much, which tends to detract from an otherwise pleasing picture.
3. Taylor's Knightellington Yaqan.
Open D. (8)
1st and CC Wieden and Farrar's Sedeki Darr Darr. I gave his sire a CC and apart from slight differences in markings on the brisket and legs I found him very similar indeed. Some of the dogs in the class were both rather tall and very powerfully developed, and by comparison this black and silver dog was not strongly masculine, being smaller and more refined. I liked his size, overall balance and movement, which is technically precise, but felt that in the challenge for BOB the bitch had better pace and tempo and her movement looked more effortless when viewed from the side.
2. Kendall's Ch. Gulzar Al-Mutakabbir. This dog has an absolutely gorgeous head and expression with wonderful pigment, eye shape and colour. He has a good body, excellent angulation, and the correct distance between his hocks and pasterns when moving, but today he wasn't in harmony with his handler and didn't show himself to best advantage on the move.
3. Shimmin's Cranstal Enigma
Puppy (No entries)
Junior B. (9)
1st Metcalfe and Green's Altaya Tasmayah at Tasia. Gorgeous little black fringed fawn with beautiful far-seeing expression, super eye and pigment. Lovely balance overall. A shade upright in upper arm but moves reasonably well with the best distance between hocks and pasterns in a class of very close movers.
2. Stanmore's Altaya Taamunah Bitch of lovely type but a bit jittery and the anxious look in her good dark eyes spoils her expression. Same comment applies re: her angulation as to her litter sister above but she moves closer in front and rear.
4. Shimmin's Cranstal Incandescence
Postgraduate B. (13, 2 abs)
This was the best class of the day with some very nice bitches who could change places on other occasions.
1.& RCC Stansfields Ishieya Khayaally Gorgeous feminine black fringed fawn, moving effortlessly and enthusiastically with good width between hocks and pasterns, so unlucky to meet today's Open class winner.
2. Copperthwaite's Al Caliphs Madhura lovely type of bitch. Here the decision was very close between her and 3. Everton's Ihisya Kalis of Kasra, different in type and equally sound in conformation in movement, I actually preferred her more parallel movement but placed Madhura over her on side action which covered more ground.
Limit B (11, 4 abs)
1. Derfield's Gulzar Al-Laatu of Zardek A lovely bitch, beautifully balanced with good head and expression and super free movement. In the challenge I thought her tail carriage rather spoilt the overall picture.
2. Shaw's Linda's Lady Standing this red had a good shape and nice head but only really impressed when she began to move, which she did economically with correct distance between hocks and pasterns.
3. Wieden and Farrar's Sedeki Irada
Open B (8)
1. CC &BOB Copperthwaite's Al Caliphs Surayya Gorgeous free-moving bitch, with a lovely head and the darkest of eyes. Classical outline, excellent angulation. A quintessential Saluki.
2. Lewis' Ch. Knightellington Zafa Black and silver bitch Of different type, and more cobby, but very sound and well-balanced. Nice head, but would prefer a darker eye, excellent front - one of the few with forechest, and, although moving closer behind than I prefer, good movement, absolutely true in front.
3. Hadfield's Ch. Bamjoeh Beguine of Lokhandar.
Helen Graham (Judge)
26.4.1999
Michael Williams (101547.503@compuserve.com)
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