Category: Dogs, Breeding & Judging
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Poodles in Colour
Recently I have been looking closer at Poodles and their standard again, something made me stop scrolling: Tri-coloured Poodles in FCI rings. Black and white. Brown and white. Phantom markings. For as long as I had known the breed, an FCI Poodle was a solid-coloured dog, full stop — a white patch on a black…
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The Poodle I Fell For at Fifteen
When I was fifteen I was obsessed with standard Poodles. I loved the way they looked and behaved. I asked a standard poodle owner if I could show her dog in junior handling. She was happy to do it even with the extra coat work. I helped her bathe and blow before shows but she…
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Why 18 July Belongs to the Icelandic Sheepdog
On 18 July, Iceland celebrates its only native breed — and the date is no accident. It is the birthday of Mark Watson, the Englishman who realised in the middle of the last century that the Icelandic Sheepdog was quietly dying out, and set about saving it. The breed’s day is, quite literally, named for…
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Walking shelter dogs
A few years ago when I was travelling to San Diego I bought an airb&b experience which was to take shelter dogs out for a walk. It was a lovely day and great to give back (both with the walk and all proceeds went to the shelter). I would highly recomend! #experience #shelterdogs
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The Schnauzer family article 4: Which Schnauzer Size Is Right for You — and Which One Is Absolutely Not
This is the article which I think many people think about when they have decided that Schnauzer is the dog for them: which Schnauzer is the right one for me? The polite answer is “it depends.” The useful answer is more honest than that, and the honest version is what follows. I think all breeders…
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The Schnauzer family article 3: Grooming Can Enhance Type — But It Must Not Create It
There is one breed family I think about more than any other when I talk about presentation in the show ring, and it is the Schnauzer family. Few breeds reward a skilled groomer with so much visible improvement, and few breeds punish a lazy hand-on examination so thoroughly. A correctly trimmed and stripped Schnauzer can…
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The Schnauzer Family article 2: Coat, Colour and the Genetics Behind Them: Reading the Schnauzer Through Its Jacket
People look at a Schnauzer and see a haircut. Judges and serious breeders look at a Schnauzer and see a working garment that happens to also be a haircut. The difference matters because the harsh outer coat, the dense undercoat, the banded hair pattern in pepper-and-salt and the deep pigmentation of a true black are…
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The Schnauzer Family article 1: One German Idea, Three Sizes
When most people meet a Schnauzer, they meet only one third of the breed. They meet the Miniature in a city park, or they meet a Giant in a working harness, and they assume the other sizes are scaled copies of the dog in front of them. They are not. The Schnauzer family is one…
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Reason 5 of 10: The Sausage Dog Who Brought Me Back
Part of my series: Everyone Told Me to Delete TikTok. I Refused. Here Are 10 Reasons Why. Here is a fun fact about me that nobody ever guesses — I am a dog judge. I use it in those “two truths and a lie” moments at work because people never see it coming. But dogs…
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Guardians of the Night — Romania’s Four Ancient Shepherd Breeds
Four Romanian shepherd breeds, one Carpathian arc, and one question every judge must ask: can this dog still do the job it was bred for?
Viktoría Jens 