Going for the Blue Read Online Free Page A

Saluki, and the Samoyed are possible
     examples—but nothing very much earlier than that can be spoken of with confidence.
    WRIT IN BLACK AND WHITE
    Many standards leave room for interpretation. For example, in the AKC standard for the Pointer we find: “The skull is of medium
     width approximately as wide as the length of the muzzle.” Again,
approximately
leaves room for opinion rather than precision. There is no way of excising opinion and taste from dog-show judging any more
     than from an art competition or a chili cook-off. Nor would it necessarily be a good thing to do so, to stymie evolution by
     muffling the opinions of knowledgeable dog people.
    Over the years, purebred dogs have changed, some breeds far more than others. In no small way those changes, constituting
     a form of evolution, have been the result of opinions and aesthetics. No dog standard is carved in stone. It is just a matter
     of taste, and although it can hang around for a long time, it is subject to evolution born of human judgment—or, or course,
     misjudgment. An outstanding show dog is a living, breathing wonder, and which dog is best and should be used to carry forward
     its breed’s genes has to be decided, ultimately, by very doggy people: judges, breeders, and handlers. The dogs are usually
     willing and able. In real life, one dog doesn’t look good to another in terms of a printed standard. But they sure can smell
     nice.
    Many standards encourage judges to use their own judgment, the decision thereby gaining the value of their individual experience.
     In the AKC standard for the English Springer Spaniel we find this mandate: “The head is impressive without being heavy. Its
     beauty lies in the combination of strength and refinement. It is important that the size and proportion be in balance with
     the rest of the dog. Viewed in profile, the head should appear approximately the same length as the neck and should blend
     with the body and substance.” This leaves a lot of room for opinion!
    And even more room in the standard for the Great Dane. It is described by the AKC as “of great size, powerful, well-balanced,
     elegant, dignified, courageous, friendly.” That is not just a standard, it is an ode. That big guy sounds like someone I would
     like to know and sculpt.
    How Tall Can They Be?
    The Standards Speak
    The standards hold height measured at the withers (shoulders) to be very important. Dogs that are too short or significantly
     outsized can be heavily faulted or, in many cases, disqualified and dismissed. Here are some size examples, from the largest
     to the smallest. All figures are in inches, dogs in the second column and bitches in the third. In some breeds there is significant
     sexual dimorphism (differences in form between sexes), and in other breeds there are no differences and the numbers specified
     in the standards overlap. In the tiny breeds, weight is more often given than height. (These are American Kennel Club requirements
     and may be inapplicable in the United Kingdom, for instance.)
BREED
   
DOGS
   
BITCHES
----
Great Dane
   
32+
   
28-30+
Irish Wolfhound
   
32
   
30
Scottish Deerhound
   
30-32+
   
28+
Mastiff
   
30+
   
27½+
Borzoi (Russian Wolfhound)
   
28
   
26
Newfoundland
   
28
   
26
Great Pyrenees
   
27-32
   
25-29
Saint Bernard
   
27½+
   
25½+
Irish Setter
   
27
   
25
Akita
   
26-28
   
24-26
Bloodhound
   
25-27
   
23-25
Weimaraner
   
25-27
   
23-25
German Shepherd
   
24-26
   
22-24
Rottweiler
   
23¾-27
   
21¾-25 ¾
Bernese Mountain Dog
   
23-27½
   
21-26
Golden Retriever
   
23-24
   
21½-22½
Boxer
   
22½-25
   
21-23½
Labrador Retriever
   
22½-24½
   
21½-23½
Whippet
   
19-22
   
18-21
Pug (largest of all the Toy breeds)
   
14-18
   
14-18
Italian