Beware the Flatcatcher!
One of the greatest dangers facing dog judges when they begin the career is the flatcatcher, a term that I understand originated in the equestrian world and one that was used to describe a horse that appeared superficially to be far better than it was in reality.
In the world of conformation dog shows, there are several factors that can contribute to this artificial appeal, one the most common being the “showmanship” displayed by an extrovert dog who may have constructional failings. All too often judges get carried away by performance, a dog’s attitude and natural presence possibly blinding them to the inadequacies in the nuts and bolts.
In terms of structure, we see many dogs in breeds that are basically generic in conformation (and for the purpose of this offering these are the breeds I refer to — obviously many breeds are quite different in their physical construction), with long necks, upright shoulders and short upper arms creating a very straight forehand profile. Over-long necks and upright fronts, coupled with “attitude,” can give a dog a certain bearing and eye-catching quality, and this is where some judges can be fooled. Oftentimes the lack of angulation in the front assembly is accompanied by excessive angulation of the rear, giving the dog a rather dramatic outline, which seems to be accepted by many despite its incorrectness. This type of construction is often accompanied by a ski-slope topline that is totally incorrect for the breed.
A dog that is necky and unbalanced in its angulation can appear taller and more impressive to the uninitiated than the correctly angulated and perfectly balanced competitor that has the medium length of neck required by the breed standard. This is where it is essential that the formative eye is trained to recognize and focus on what is CORRECT. Often the dog that does not appear “flashy” at first glance may well be the best on the day and more faithful to breed type. Close inspection during the hands-on examination should enable judges to appreciate overall correctness and focus on it. It goes without saying that this part of a judge’s assessment is doubly important when dealing with coated breeds, as it is important to check that forechest, bone and rib are not merely the result of sophisticated grooming and “product.”
I have written several articles previously in which I have explored the beauty of moderation, and yet so many breeds seem to be suffering from the show-ring successes of dogs that are clearly exaggerated, be that in the form of head proportions or overall structure where over-long or over-short aspects throw the overall picture out of balance, yet judges are drawn to them.
Movement in the show ring is not just about how a dog carries itself, but how its skeleton and musculature enable it to cover the ground. The perfectly moderate dog, with complementary angulation of front and rear, will invariably display more reach and drive and cover the ground more effortlessly than the dog who appears “upstanding” by virtue of its constructional shortcomings. Furthermore, in many functional breeds where the natural working head carriage is somewhat low when gaiting, we see high head carriage brought about by lack of angulation being pointed to.
Every judge worthy of the name is looking for the dog that best represents typical, and so often recognition of such dogs is something that comes with experience, as in our formative years we have all been fleetingly impressed by the superficially attractive.
Over the years I am sure we have all used the expression “caught my eye as soon as he entered the ring”; let’s hope that it did so for the right reasons.