[Mrs Snoodles]

The winner didn't really register with me to be honest, but that labrador  - more so, his owner and their obvious joyious bond, really did.  What a delight to watch. 
I'm usually fairly sceptical about Crufts as we have proper working dogs here.  All pedigrees but their builds and temperaments so incredibly different from what you see in the show ring.  Even so, I was won over by that lovely yellowfellow.  Ours are slimline and bred for speed.  He was huge but still I reckon seeing him thundering across a field a top whack - he would be a force to be reckoned with.   Wonder if he has any drive though?

The gamekeepers classes were very disappointing.  Now that the docking rule exists, the number of true working spaniels is dwindling fast. There won't be much of a show in a couple of years time.   My friend had to bring in her 15 yr old cocker to make up her team!

[Old Shep]

Lovely boy, but sorry but I thought he needed to lose about 10kgs!

[happygolucky]

I just loved that Romeo too!!! I was reading my FB when people kept saying how fat he was but then a good friend in the doggie world said he was just big built and when I watched last night I could see he was pure muscle and such a happy lovely dog and owner!!!
I did like the winning dog but could not help wonder how those dogs with the long ringlet dreadlocks walk , I would have to look up thier name as are internet went down when I wanted to check, especially in wet weather, its like not shearing sheep I suppose, the poor things would never go out up here, its always damp.
I loved the bits of crufts I watched and did have a few tears in my eyes, we / I would love a Burmese, lovely big strong gentle giants!!!

[happygolucky]

Shep, my labs are slim and working Labs but many breeders have the bigger stronger labs, on my FB there are loads like him and I do prefer my slimmer versions but he was soooooo wonderful 

[in the hills]

Give me a working line lab any day.    ........ just can't take to the show lines ..... so heavy.




BUT ...... the Flat Coat    ...... a true dual purpose gundog.

[Alistair]

I went on Friday, the breeds are getting better in my opinion re inherent problems and I do appreciate what your saying about the lab that got second, it just worries me that to an untrained eye it looked fat, and that it will give less knowledgable owners an excuse.
In my opinion the King Charles should've won, I saw it on Friday it was a lovely example and as a standard was moving in the right direction away from the inherent problems of that breed, it winning would've done a lot of good to the breed as a hole.

Still a lot of diamond eye in the big breeds and that German shepherd was still too low in the hips for my liking

Anyway, I wanted the puli to win, I love puli dogs, I'm saving up for one at the moment, hopefully September / October time and I intend to show it and do agility as well

Happy (puli or pomadour are the dreadlocked dogs)

[Mrs Snoodles]

I too hope that people now don't start going down the heavy lab route - luckily the gene pool is so huge you will always have a good variety (round my way, small sniped face labs are popular).  That dog looked fit and well proportioned.  He was just a big beautiful strong boy. 

[happygolucky]

I loved that big strong boy look, and such a happy sole that I just wanted to cuddle, my chocie Lab was watching but then gave up and feel asleep
I would love to have gone, not got a clue how they can judge one breed against another, me and my husband kept saying "we want one of those" most of the time although he is keen on a Saffie, not my type of dog, I just love Labs, espeicaly gun dog types!!!

[doganjo]

Best in show was a Petit Basset Griggon Vendeen - it has a rough, harsh outer jacket with a thick undercoat..  The yellow Lab is a working Gundog in Italy.  Their Labradors, like many other continental breeds are dual purpose.  In the UK Labs and other gundog breeds have split between show and work and rarely resemble each other, more's the pity.
The Breed Clubs of the Continental breeds (GWP, GSP, Vizsla, HW Vizsla, Bracco, Spinone, Munsterlander, Weimaraner, Brittany etc) are trying their best to remain dual purpose in the UK - I only had one of mine at Crufts this year, due to Allez's recent operation - Belle was 1st in Veteran Bitch and 2nd in Open Bitch - she beat 4 Champions, including our Breed Leader who has 32 Challenge Certificates and has never been in the same class as her prior to this.
This morning Belle was hunting as usual and pointed two pheasants, a rabbit and a couple of pigeons, all flushed to command, and she sat to flush each time.  Truly dual purpose.

[lachlanandmarcus]

Im afraid I thought the lab was hideous. It did look overweight,  and if it wasnt, and the fat look was not fat but  just extreme large bones and flaps of flesh/skin, then as a breeding trend then it is a trend that has gone too far IMO, it looked like it was wearing a sumo fat suit......  I certainly wouldnt want any dog of mine to look like that.
 
 
 

[Bionic]

Well done Annie 

[doganjo]

If you look closely at the video - and know what you are looking for - you will see that what was rippling under the skin were muscles not fat.  Videos and photos can be deceptive.  I was there and saw him.

[Alistair]

Annie, can't agree more re the lab, truly a healthy and obviously very very happy dog, I just see people bringing me working breed, doesn't matter what, springers, labs etc, dogs that are overweight, I always comment and its always over feeding and lack of exercise, what worries me is that these owners, who undoubtably love their dogs, see a lab like Romeo and think its ok for their dogs to be overweight

I feel an awful lot of dogs each week, at least 50% of the working breeds are obese, I'd say the proportion is higher with the toy breeds.

I do like the way the KC are now targeting the inherent problems in each breed, the trouble is that unless a breed actually wins its group then the general public don't see the dog properly and what it should be bred to as a standard. There are still a lot of breeders who are breeding their stock to sell and not show, the general public will just go on it having the right papers etc..

I bet there's a proper surge in polish lowland sheepdogs though, where Chanel 4 on commission from adaptil over and above the ad fee?

Mind I'm not sure that just making a dog, such as the King Charles, win because it'd help the breed in the publics eyes is the right way to run te greatest dog show in the world, and his forum isn't the right place for me to rant either, I think we are all talking to the converted

[Alistair]

Im afraid I thought the lab was hideous. It did look overweight,  and if it wasnt, and the fat look was not fat but  just extreme large bones and flaps of flesh/skin, then as a breeding trend then it is a trend that has gone too far IMO, it looked like it was wearing a sumo fat suit......  I certainly wouldnt want any dog of mine to look like that.

It's a funny thing but I always think top show dogs look fat, I know they're not, but they always look fatter than I like them, I think it's because their frames are different to the average, and that's most breeds, KC border collies always look too small to me, I've got a farm dog who's big and an isds dog who's tall and very athletic, not at all like the fluffy one who won the breed

And Annie  well done you & belle

[lachlanandmarcus]

If you look closely at the video - and know what you are looking for - you will see that what was rippling under the skin were muscles not fat.  Videos and photos can be deceptive.  I was there and saw him.

Im sure you're right, however, I dont think it is an attractive sight at all, its supposed to be a lab not a Dogue de Bordeaux, and also think that a lot of lab owners will see that and will think it is ok for their lab to look like that when in their case it will be fat.
Just an opinion :-)