My Musings on the Irish Wolfhound's Country of Origin Breed Standard Changes

The new Autumn 2017 Harp & Hound magazine published several North American fancier opinions concerning the changes made to the Standard of Excellence set forth by the Irish Wolfhound Club of Ireland and the removal of the List of Points in Order of Merit.

There were those in favor and others who were critical of the changes, especially the elimination of the List of Points in Order of Merit. A few advocated their positions by explaining that by giving the full particulars to various aspects of anatomy, these revisions would make it easier for novices and aspiring judges to interpret and understand the breed standard.

I disagree. Accepting the premise of this argument is akin to dumbing down science and mathematics in our educational systems to make it easier for students and our youth to comprehend and to apply such.

Why is it that in today's society we feel the need to deliberately oversimplify intellectual content within education, literature, and culture for it to relate to those unable to assimilate more sophisticated information?  

If such people are incapable of assimilating the information outlined in the original breed standard, then logically these people should be asking themselves if they should be adjudicating dogs in the first place because they lack the inherent knowledge, confidence, and qualifications to do so. Breeding dogs is an art form. It is the process of creativity. Judging the results is an art form. It involves the natural ability to be informed of, absorb and integrate words and expressions that which make up these living, breathing creatures.

Gartha of Ambleside

Moreover, why shouldn’t aspiring judges and fanciers learn the history of our breed, its unique characteristics, and study the blueprint for the architecture of the Irish Wolfhound as it was founded? Our breed ancestors expended blood, sweat, and tears, sacrificing much in desperate times to preserve this exalted hound and to ensure its continuity. Our breed founders did not strive to set forth a list of excellent qualities and merits for this breed with the expectations and anticipation that future fanciers would needlessly decide to revise it in favor of generalizations and expediency for the uninitiated.

Kingsland Song

Our brotherhood requires preserving this noble hound by adhering to our forebearers original Standard of Excellence, and in doing so, we advocate the architectural principle, “Form ever follows function.”  

It is my considered opinion that this broadscale "dumbing down" mentality is one of the reasons why we are facing the degeneration of the sport and passion of purebred dogs. It is not a secret that purebred dog registrations have plummeted in the past several decades nor is it a surprise that confirmation dog show entries have markedly decreased. Enthusiasm and passion for purebred dogs have waned, and one only has to look around a show ring, whether it be an all-breed dog show or a specialty event, to observe that the average age of exhibitors is 55 years of age and older, with the preponderance over 65 years. For many, expenses and contributory lifestyle changes have made it either prohibitive or no longer conducive to raising multiple dogs.

Nonetheless, I believe the decay is also due to many long-standing purebred fanciers being profoundly dispirited and dejected over the perceptible diminished intellectual level of most modern fanciers today. They are gravely concerned about the future of the breeds; consequently, many veterans are no longer breeding or have drastically reduced their participation as they no longer are optimistic about the breed's destiny. I have heard this from acclaimed breeders of various breeds of dogs, not just Irish Wolfhounds.

Thus, oversimplifying the Standard of Excellence will in time produce distorted impressions and misunderstandings of a once majestic breed that today already one or more doyenne or doyen hardly recognize. The result of FCI uniformity of breed standards will inevitably lead to dogs of universal traits. Already, generic dogs are seen with regularity today in the show ring, and they are predictable and unoriginal; they lack refinement, distinctions, and subtlety. To have lost an elemental part of the Country of Origin's Standard of Excellence, "The List of Points in Order of Merit" is a cop-out. This list is the one aspect of the breed standard that set the ancient Irish Wolfhound breed apart from many others! It was a valuable feature that furnished the Reader the ability to assess virtues and shortcomings of this greyhound-like sighthound. Now it is gone for the sake of banality.

Here follows the unblemished Standard of Excellence of the Irish Wolfhound Club of Ireland including the List of Points in Order of Merit

Musings on the Moods at All-Breed Conformation Dog Shows

Recently, having returned from an all-breed show, I was anticipating the arrival of my hound's show win 8x10 photograph taken by Fritz Clark Photography. Fritz has been a fixture on the dog show scene here in the Northeast for what seems decades and decades and is not an amateur.

When the photo(s) arrived, I felt very let down for many good reasons. Allow me to explain. Our ring assignment was at 9:45 AM where we won two, three-point majors in both sexes of our breed with the male going up BOW. As a courtesy to judges, I usually will make a determined effort to get a show photograph. So, we sat and waited with our hounds several hours until the Judge's morning assignment schedule was completed. However, this available time slot was also the time set aside for the judge to eat lunch, finally, before going right back into the thick of things. Also, to make matters worse, there were a dozen or more exhibitors, many of them who had just gotten done with their competitions, who also wanted show photographs with this judge.

Let me say, this experience, to begin with, can be vexing and chaotic. The judge has only a few minutes to provide his services, he has a tight schedule to keep, and there is a throng of people waiting. Now, of course, it is widely known that some exhibitors can be quite nasty and rude. So, you get the idea, as if you were there. Well, it is our turn, and as I approach it is evident that my giant breed is not going to be photographed on a base, so I proceed to set up in the foreground closer to the judge. The photographer waves me off telling me I am fine where I am. Of course, as time is of the essence, I naively trust him as many others are waiting, and I set up right there or at least attempt to do so as he gave me less time to set up than we are allotted by an all-breed judge before examination! The photographer, without any helpful corrections, starts snapping away and exclaims, "all done."

We were so rushed and with all the other people remaining, I was unable to get my bitch's Major win show photograph taken. That was a disappointment as well. Fast forward to the arrival of the show photo and it is a poor example of his work. See below. Thoroughly vexed, I decided to write Mr. Clark and express my objections and disappointment. Why? Because I am sick and tired of both me and my money being underappreciated while attending all-breed dog shows. Further, I believe I speak on behalf of many owner-handlers, and those who do not complain but grin and bear it, especially those who are not part of the dog show cult exhibiting dogs every weekend from here to Timbuktu. I felt cheated. We fork over the $42.00 for two 8x10 photographs and do not say anything? Here is the excerpt of what I wrote.

"Having been involved in our sport for nearly 33 years and having numerous show win photographs taken over these many years, I must say that these two 8x10’s you just sent were poorly done. Look at the photograph, of which there were two identical shots, where clearly you could have taken a moment to ask me to reset the wolfhound’s front legs underneath himself. Instead, you just clicked away and said, “All done.” Additionally, as I approached the staging area and was in the process of moving the wolfhound forward, you interrupted me stating, “No, right there is fine.” Clearly, looking at the photo, it was not fine depicting an uncomfortable gap between ourselves and Mr. Edward Hall, and this had to be apparent to you at the time. Despite that I am not a Professional Handler nor do I regularly campaign my hounds to accrue points in the all-breed system, both my hound and I should not be trivialized. Our hard-earned money is as valuable as other exhibitors, and frankly, the photographs are disrespectful."

I sent this off, and surprisingly, I did not receive a reply. Why would he reply? Because he is in the business of client services; he is a Retailer selling his work. He should care if we buy or do not buy his product. Evidently I was being ignored so, thirteen days later, I contacted him again and asked if he received my initial complaint. Only then, did I receive a one-word response, "Yes."

To sum it up, he simply did not give a damn which I believe is indicative of a much larger issue, and not just this dog show photographer's attitude. It is suggestive of an overall mentality as civility and gratefulness rank well down on the list of positive aspects involving conformation dog show experiences. No 'thank you's' for coming, missing are any welcoming elements that make exhibitors feel convivial and appreciated. It is a 'get them in and get them out', 'let's get this over with' atmosphere, which can be very tiring and frustrating over the decades.

This particular all-breed show in question offered our New England Regional Club's supported entry. Although I did see our club show representative, who also happens to be the all-breed show chairperson, not at any time did this person say "thank you" for supporting the entry, of which I brought three entries. Despite the fact that my attendance involved expenses for an overnight stay at a hotel, food, home dog caretaker expenses, gasoline and entries of nearly $100.00. All that is left these days at many of these conformation dog shows, in my somewhat pessimistic but realistic opinion is, an "I don't give a damn" attitude.

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Take a look at it yourself. Truthfully, if you find this photo acceptable, then perhaps you may be desensitized to poor quality shots and most likely have been a victim as well, one too many times.

View fullsize

Looking Back

While researching material on my computer for a friend of mine I rediscovered this intriguing and somewhat humorous article I wrote in 2005, at the request of the Irish Wolfhound Club of England for their annual magazine. Wow, it brought me back in time. It is entertaining (in a dark way) in several parts as it describes trials & tribulations of dog show travel. It also provides insights into our breed. Revelations on the transformation our cherished breed has undergone during these past decades population bout. Physical alterations or transfigurations of the wolfhound that are, most definitely, not for the better. And they remain prominent today, 11 years later. I thought I'd share this article. You'll have to forgive the weak writing style, but I thought the sincerity of the original article was refreshing. Though I had to edit here and there for some clarity, it is almost in its original state. Again, the article was based in 2005, and I composed it just after New Years Day.

I first would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year. In my previous role as Editor of the Irish Wolfhound Club of America’s Harp & Hound magazine, I had solicited articles on the overall state of the Irish Wolfhound breed. In turn, I am now writing for you, and I hope this is not too lengthy, but I wanted to share my experiences.

We just wound down from a busy summer and fall regional specialty season on the East Coast of the United States. The specialty show season began with the Irish Wolfhound Association of New England (IWANE) held at the end of July followed by the Irish Wolfhound Association of the Delaware Valley (IWADV) show in autumn. We finished out the year with the newest regional specialty show, the Irish Wolfhound Association of the Garden State (IWAGS). This year, I attended all three shows as I drove from my home in the mountains of Lake Placid, New York. Each specialty's round-trip driving times were anywhere from 10 to 15 hours plus, with two of these specialties only two weeks apart. I can honestly say I was tired and after one show; I was lucky to be alive! That story will come further down.

The U.S. is so large many of us are only able to see one another at regional specialty shows. It is great fun to see old acquaintances as we swap stories and experiences shared over cocktails or dinner. Many of us not had not seen each other for years, however; we settle back in as if it were only yesterday that we spoke. Here, I share my perspective on the hound's overall depth of quality at these three regional specialties, but first, let me narrate on some entertaining misadventures.

The IWANE show was held in Rhode Island July 31-August 1, 2005, and was again a tremendous success for the oldest IW club in the U.S.. Founded in 1934; IWANE held its Seventy-First Specialty with temperate weather and an entry of 163 dogs. Presiding over the show was Mrs. Jean Malley and Sweepstakes with Mrs. Jackie Carswell. The ladies (and Dave Malley) appeared to enjoy themselves especially after the show had ended with some fun dinner parties. If I may make a suggestion to those of you who may be asked to judge future IWANE shows; it falls within some of the warmest days of the season, so a great summer hat is indispensable to keep the hot summer sun off your head and it protects your eyes from the glare. The judge’s comfort is essential when going over many hounds in a two-day period and Jean bravely endured the sun. There may be readers who will state that a hat might scare young dogs or even adult hounds. However, one cannot use such an excuse to justify a skittish or shy hound. These hounds must have character, steadfastness and confidence, and a hat just does not qualify as a dangerous or frightening experience.

A point of note, this show was the opening saga of my misfortunes over the three-month regional specialty tour. We begin with our brand new, pricey tent weighing in at 71 pounds that my husband and I erected ringside. This tent had removable side panels, an awning for sun protection and roller shade for the hounds. On the second day, a strong wind gust came along out of nowhere (it was the only gust of wind that struck over the duration of the show) and blew our tent up off the ground and over my two 8-month-old puppies sleeping beneath it landing partially in the show ring. It turns out that my husband forgot to stake the tent down! It took almost six people to catch and wrestle the tent preventing it from blowing further, thus preventing a complete disaster as there were numerous other tents positioned within reach that contained wolfhounds. Thankfully, at that moment, there were no dogs in the ring when this occurred. As a result, our expensive tent was damaged beyond repair. In conjunction with the lack of shade now, there was a communication error concerning my check-out departure date from the show's headquarters hotel. The front desk mistakenly had me leaving one-day early resulting in a very stressful afternoon spent by my husband and the show chairman running around trying to persuade the fully booked hotel to allow me to stay. Remarkably, just before I was supposed to have vacated my room did the word finally come that they had a cancellation, and I could remain in my room for another day.

Moving on to the next specialty. The Delaware Valley Specialty show celebrated their 25th anniversary and was held October 9-10, 2005. Presiding over the show were Mr. Per Lundstrom and Sweepstakes with Ms. Jose Cornelisse with 237 dogs entered. Geographically, the Delaware Show is a more centrally located show in the US and, therefore, more accessible for exhibitors. Hence, the entries are larger than other regional specialties. My journey began with torrential rain showers and slick driving conditions and continued long after arrival at the show's headquarters hotel. It also rained during the show!

Oh boy, my specialty mishaps grew. This time, I was traveling alone without the help of my husband and due to the driving rain storms my trip took approximately nine hours, and I nearly turned back. After arriving, I had to exercise the hounds in the driving rain and despite my rain gear, I was soaked to the bone. In addition to my discomfort and travel ordeals, there were not enough ground floor rooms in the hotel for the exhibitors. So, my room was on the 2nd floor accessible only by an elevator with one glass wall. I had the difficulty of hauling up (in elevators) exercise pens, blankets and suitcases by myself and astonishingly, the hotel had only one luggage cart, and it was not available. With me were four, well-behaved wolfhounds ages eight years, a 6-month old and two 11-months of age. So that I could exit the hotel to exercise the hounds, I had to walk down a long corridor that led to the bank of elevators which seemed to take forever to arrive. While waiting for the elevators, I hopelessly tried to convince the three puppies not to relieve themselves on the carpet after a long night's sleep as they wound their leashes around my legs. Did I mention that none of my hounds had ever seen an elevator, let alone one with a glass wall? Once we made it down, we still had to rush down a long hallway to reach the exterior hotel doors and make a break for it through the cascading rain. It certainly is not pleasant staying in a hotel room with four, wet wolfhounds. Notwithstanding my personal calamities, the specialty judges seemed to enjoy themselves, and both were very courteous and friendly.

Finally, onto the last regional show of the year, IWAGS. This new club was holding its second Specialty Show on October 30-31st, 2005. Presiding over the judging was Mrs. Jenny Dove and Sweepstakes with the indomitable Lois Thomasson and an entry of 176 dogs. It was a fine show in a lovely location, and it appears that this specialty will enjoy a prosperous future. This particular specialty show stands out by offering Veteran dog classes by age classification as well as a Veteran Sweepstakes. The classes are defined as Bronze Class six years and under eight years; Silver Class is eight years up to nine years and finally, Gold Class nine years and over. Additionally, this specialty provides a non-regular Field Trial class (same status as the Veterans class) with the winner competing for Best of Breed as do the Veteran Class winners. For the experienced breeder, observing the veterans is necessary. The veterans are integral in how we plan our future breedings; they directly affect our success. They show the way as well as show us where we’ve been. To illustrate, I have observed veteran hounds that move with considerable difficulty moving at many specialty shows. How are we to improve the longevity and overall quality of the hounds without proper concentration on the breed’s current veterans who are the dams and sires of many hounds exhibited today? This show at the very least is making a determined effort to celebrate our veteran hounds.

As for my ongoing mishaps saga, it began with the first leg of my trip and continued downhill from there. Driving down, I noted that my 15-passenger, one-ton van's brakes seemed to be grinding. I arrived one day in advance of the show and brought the van in for a brake inspection. The verdict was that not only the front brake pads but also the brake rotors required repair. I replaced the brakes and was off to the show honestly believing that I averted any automotive tragedies. We enjoyed the show, despite an incident where my veteran bitch appeared to have a vehement disagreement with my yearling bitch, who was beginning estrus, nearly giving 20 of us heart attacks thinking that the young bitch was mortally wounded. Of course, nothing of the kind happened nor were there any wounds as apparently the Veteran female felt it necessary to put the young lassie in her place and it was all fury and no bite.

Ahh, the return trip home. Here begins the next leg of my adventure. Sincerely, this event was one of my most frightening, ever, and one I will never forget. On approach to a set of toll booths on a busy Interstate highway, I discovered that I had lost all my brakes. These were the same brakes that I replaced several days earlier. Fortunately, I was in the right-hand lane, and moreover, there was no car in front of me, so I was able to cruise through the toll booth without crashing as the van slowed to a stop after some distance. After waiting about two hours for a tow truck, I was brought to a nearby car dealership. This time, the verdict was that the brake lines were entirely corroded, and had to be replaced. Here I was, by myself, with four Wolfhounds, broken down many hours away from home with one female who was in the beginning of her season, and I had a young, immature male with me. Looking back, it seems comical now but in real time, it was anything but funny.

While the van was up on an elevator lift, I was in the parking lot with four wolfhounds. I heroically and desperately tried to hold the 12-month inexperienced male away from the young bitch in anestrus. Meanwhile, my other two wolfhounds circled my legs and attempted to pull my arms out of their sockets by going in different directions. Amazingly, during this time people walked up to me somehow oblivious to both my dilemma and my exasperation asking me the usual. “How much do they eat?” “What kind of dogs are they?” “You must have a big house!” “Put a saddle on it!” “Can I ride it?”

Yet, the most bizarre comment was still to come when a man shouted across the parking lot, “I’ll give you two-thousand dollars for the big one!” Needless to say, this was the last straw for me. I implored of several car salesmen, who magically appeared, to hold the three bitches while I marched into the service building and had the van lowered off the service lift. I put the young, 12-month old male back into the van and swoop, up he and the van went while I and the three bitches waited for nearly five hours as the vehicle was repaired. During this time, I received frequent updates from the servicemen as they were quite amused because my young male was frequently howling while he was in the van, up on a lift about eight feet in the air.  

To conclude this part of my saga, my van is now supposedly repaired, and I am told, finally, that the vehicle was ready. I loaded up my dogs and away we went, shaken but thankful we were not injured or possibly killed. Now it is dark out, and I had another 4 to 5-hour drive, including the Adirondack mountain roads, ahead of me. About one hour from home, at 11:00 p.m. in 20 degrees Fahrenheit weather, in the mountains with no cellular service and no nearby towns, I approached the highway exit ramp and quickly learned my brakes were, again, entirely gone! Now, I am in an especially bad area for this to happen. Many Wolfhound exhibitors may remember, as they attended the 1997 and 1998 Irish Wolfhound Club of America’s National Specialty in Lake Placid, that the roadway that lay ahead was carved through the mountain passes and could be unnerving, especially at night, as the first 10 miles has steep drops next to ravines. I persevered and white-knuckled the journey home, though very slowly in third gear at about 20 miles an hour. Without any doubt, this specialty show season was one for the record books, and that is how I finished up my 2005 summer and fall regional specialties.

I now will remark on our breed and its condition, but I first want to make a point. The United States or for that matter North America is an enormous continent. In it resides many, many wolfhounds and so with this vast size should come great possibilities. We, breeders, should be seeking the most exceptional quality in the least amount of breedings, as less equals more. Ordinarily, quality over quantity reigns but, in wolfhound breeding, unhappily, this is no longer the case, and now more is better. To offset this trend, careful planning and research in health, genetics and fundamental physical breed characteristics along with valuable mentor and peer knowledge can have positive results. The upshot being fewer litters with more quality hounds.

Henceforth, I shall comment and speak in generalities regarding the overall depth of quality of the Irish Wolfhound breed. My intent is simply to give the reader some perspective as to what I have observed, and I am not singling out any specific kennel or dog, nor am I saying there are a lack of positive qualities. To begin, much-needed attention should be paid to insufficient rear drive. Even though poor handling can affect a dog’s movement; an experienced observer can still assess locomotion. In conjunction with poor rear drive, there is a lack of reach in far too many of the hounds. I also observed both improper, flat toplines both in profile and the hounds losing their shape on the move. Type and silhouette without exaggeration are paramount to our breed. We see far too few hounds today having the correct type and shape of a rough-coated, Greyhound-like breed and also what’s called for in our standard "with great height at the shoulder” indicating proper leg length.

That is not to say we should disregard a smaller bitch that meets the breed standard of 30 inches or a powerful 32-inch dog that stands well over his ground if they have the increased ratio of leg length of a galloping sighthound with the requisite Greyhound-like shape. Would we as breeders and exhibitors condone or accept short-legged greyhounds? I have noted that along with the shorter leg length is exaggeration and overangulation. Hounds that are overdone. Several years back, while editor of the IWCA Harp & Hound magazine, I had set forth this very topic of discussion to my overseas correspondents. These included Jean Malley, Tim Finney and Francis McEvoy. It was an engaging dialogue that I found to be most interesting and constructive. Some breeders will disagree with me on this point, however; it is my belief that such overangulation can be obstructive, rather fashionable and coupled with short legs, it is incorrect. Moreover, I have observed overangulated hounds that “breakdown” as they age and who have difficulty gaiting, or in more severe cases, they developed significant instability or even paralysis. On a much more positive note: I will say that I was pleasantly surprised that I saw a very few shy hounds at the shows.