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Looking for an interesting article on Beagle Hunting? Report on Hunt Weekend (June 2007)
Walks & Hunts for 2007
The walks and hunts are ONLY available to members of the Beagle Club and details are included in the relevant newsletter, this is due to Public Liability issues and details can not be posted on this forum. If you wish to join the club at a walk please contact a committee member and they will arrange to meet you at the next walk or hunt, bring your membership fees and the completed membership form with you. Please bring plastic bags to pick up after your dog to all the walks, this is a requirement at all our club events.
If the weather is inclement, the walks will be canceled.
Due to public liability Insurance issues you must be a club member to attend these walks and events and these events and hunts will only be advertised in our club newsletter. All members attending a walk or event will be asked to make a one off annual payment of $6.50 per person, or $13.00 for a family, to cover the Public Liability charged by the Victorian Canine Association.
Also you will be required to sign a book when you arrive at the events to say that they have read and will abide by the rules the club has set down. These rules are basically just common good dog manners and need to be obeyed by all members. No aggressive dogs will be allowed to participate in club events, this is for the enjoyment of all others involved.
This is a requirement under our Public Liability Insurance.
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This should be decided upon prior to purchasing you puppy. If you go to a breeder and ask for a "pet" puppy then that is what you will get. You cannot expect to win at shows with a pet. But I must stress here, while "show potential" is something that comes with careful breeding, show dogs are made better by a great deal of hard work, careful raising and diet.
A show dog must have, apart from his obvious virtues of physical conformation, he must have an outgoing, stable temperament, healthy mind and body and a great deal of confidence in himself and you his owner trainer. Dogs with "show potential" are the ones who come closest to the written
standard for the breed, and rarely are they inexpensive, and seldom are they sold at a very young age. Beagle Standard
Every registered breed of dog has a "Standard" that describes in detail the true Breed Characteristics. In the Show ring, the Judge uses this Standard to asses the entrants.
General Appearance: "A sturdy, compactly built hound, conveying the impression of quality without coarseness."
Characteristics:
"A merry hound whose essential function is to hunt, primarily hare, by following a scent. Bold with great activity, stamina and determination. Alert, intelligent and of even temperament."
Temperament:: "Amiable and alert, showing no aggression or timidity."
Head and Skull: "Fair length, powerful without being coarse, finer in the bitch, free from frown and wrinkle. Skull slightly domes, moderately wide, with slight peak. Stop well defined and dividing length, between occiput and tip of nose, as equally as possible. Muzzle not snipey, lips reasonably well flewed. Nose broad, preferably black, but less pigmentation permissible in lighter coloured hounds. Nostrils wide."
Eyes: "Dark brown or hazel, fairly large, not deep set or prominent, set well apart with mild appealing expression."
Ears: "Long, with rounded tip, reaching nearly to end of nose when drawn out. Set on low, fine in texture and hanging gracefully close to cheeks."
Mouth: The jaws should be strong, with a perfect, regular and complete scissor bite, i.e. the upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws."
Neck: "Sufficiently long to enable hound to come down easily to scent, slightly arched and showing little dewlap."
Forequarters: "Shoulders well laid back, not loaded. Forelegs straight and upright well under the hound, good substance, and round in bone, not tapering off to feet. Pasterns short. Elbows firm, turning neither in nor out. Height to elbows about half height at withers."
Body: "Topline straight and level. Chest let down to below elbow. Ribs well sprung and extending well back. Short in the couplings but well balanced. Loins powerful and supple, without excessive tuck up."
Hindquarters: "Muscular thighs. Stifles well bent. Hocks firm, well let down and parallel to each other."
Feet: "Tight and firm. Well knuckled up and strongly padded. Not hare footed. Nails short."
Tail: "Sturdy, moderately long. Set on high, carried gaily but not curled over back or inclined forward from root. Well covered with hair, especially on underside."
Gait/Movement: "Back level, firm with no indication of roll. Stride free, long reaching in front and straight without high action; hind legs showing drive. Should not move close behind nor paddle nor plait in front."
Coat: "Short, dense and weatherproof."
Colour: "Any recognised hound colour other than liver. Tip of stern white."
Standard Colours
Size: "Desirable minimum height at withers 33 cm (13 inches) "Desirable maximum height at withers 40 cm (16 inches)
Faults: "Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportions to its degree."
Note: "Male animals should have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum."
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Pedigree Papers: Official registration form from the VCA (or other state authority) showing the breeding and pedigree of dog. Each breeder can only register one dog with a certain name, therefore there can not be several dogs exhibited with the same official name: e.g. Beagle Snoopy will never be issued to another dog from the kennel with Beagle Prefix unless they send in official paperwork to say Beagle Snoopy died.
Open Show:
Shows for trainee judges to learn more about the breeds Dogs qualified as Champions are usually not allowed to exhibit at these shows, unless its in a special Champion Class.
Championship Show : Judges are "qualified" to judge dogs and award points.
Ring: Area where the dogs are judged
Ring Steward: It is his job to make sure the exhibits are ready for the judge and in the correct order. He will call your exhibit number which you must answer or you will be marked absent.
Stack = Standing your dog still and picture perfect to the best of his ability
Move - the judge will ask you to move how he wants you usually around the ring, dog always on the left hand side of you, never get between your dog and the judge. A triangle starting from the judge out to a point across the top of the ring and back towards the judge, this is done at a pace so that your dog is trotting beside you.
Table your dog - Stack your dog on the table for the judge to go over
Go over - check the conformation of the dog, from tip of ears, teeth to tail
Breed Standard: This is the basis on which the judge evaluates your dog, the best dog is the closest in his (her) opinion to this standard.
Exhibit Number: Posted to you before the show this number must be worn in the ring, either on your left lapel or arm and needs to be visible to the judge and ring stewards at all times. There is one number per dog you
exhibit, when you enter a show you are required to send a self addressed envelope this is for the return of your number (s)
Entry Form: VCA (Victorian Canine Association) approved entry form all entries must be on this Judging starts with Baby Puppy dog (Class 1) then goes to Minor Dog, Junior Dog, Intermediate Dog, Australian Bred Dog (not at all shows) and Open Dog. These classes are age based.
At the conclusion of the judging of Open Dog Class all the class winners will come back into the ring (excluding the babies) and from this line up he will pick the best dog and reserve best dog. At a Champ Show this is Challenge Dog and you will be awarded points (5 points plus one for each dog you beat maximum of 25 points)
Then the same classes for Bitches (females) Challenge points are only awarded at Championship Shows.
Then the judge will run the Best Dog and the Best Bitch against each other for Best of Breed, if you win Reserve challenge in either sex you need to be standing by to come back in to the ring for Runner up Best of Breed.
You need 100 Challenge points to become and Australian Champion and 1000 points to become a Grand Champion.
Run Offs: The winner of the dog and bitch classes have run off in their age groups against each other to find out which dog has to stay for Group Specials.
Once the judge had completed this process for all the breeds in the group, (usually judged in alphabetical order A - Z) all the Best of Breeds re enter the ring and the judge will select is Best in Group winner. There are also the same selections for each age group in Group Baby, Minor, etc unless the winner of Best in Group came from your age class and they are
therefore automatically the best of that age group.
Age Classes
Baby Puppy 3 - 6 months
Minor Puppy 6 - 9 Months
Puppy 6 - 12 months
Junior 9 - 18 months
Intermediate - 18 plus to 3 years
Australian Bred - Bred 6 months plus
Open Dog - 6 months plus
Dogs in Australia now have to gain 25 points after the age of 12 months to earn their Australian Champion title regardless of how many points the accumulate before this age.
Critiques: A run down on the dogs exhibited usually only given at breed specialties
Breed Specialties - A show where only 1 breed is judged. Each breed club usually holds one of these a year.
National: Specialty show with International judge, (usually bigger than a breed specialty Champ show and rotate through the various states in Australia). here. |
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