Thank you to the Border Union Committee for giving the opportunity to judge at one of my favourite shows and well done for running a successful show in such challenging conditions (both COVID & Weather!). I look forward so much to judging and was relieved that the show was able to be rescheduled rather than cancelled.
I am always humbled by the entries I receive when judging our special breed and today was no exception. I was very happy with the numbers entered, being not far off normal for this venue, especially with it being a Tuesday, and an awkward 5 days between this and the double SKC shows. Thank you to all exhibitors for braving the weather and the long drive to allow me to judge your dogs. A top-quality entry with a wide variety of types which made the task of sorting them out both interesting and enjoyable. I noticed the last time I judged, the issue of level bites creeping in. I have to say it seems to be getting worse. However I was pleased to see mostly fit dogs with very little excess weight. Temperaments were once again pretty much spot on. All the dogs coped reasonably well with the conditions although a larger ring would have served some better.
I was thrilled that all three of my principal winners placed in their respective Groups. It’s great to see the breed holding its own among the big winners in the Working Group. Congratulations to all of them!

PD (4,1)
1st Horsman & Horsman-Phoenix’ Nordicwinds Grtest Showman. Lots to like about this youngster, exactly what he should be for a 9 month old – has a lot of maturing to do but shows great promise. Broadening head with ears that I’m sure he’ll grow into. Dark eyes & pigmentation. Typical puppy coat, not quite fully dressed but could still feel the correct harsh texture. Nicely balanced angulation. Beautiful arch to the neck flowing into good top line & correct tail set & carriage. He was a little spooked by the wind shaking the tent around but soon settled into an easy gait. BPIB & delighted to watch him take Puppy Grp 3.
2nd Prescott’s Dreamwolves Time Of My Life. Striking B/W puppy with a good harsh coat. At 11 months, the extra couple of months of maturity over the winner was evident in his body & substance giving him a nice overall shape, however his giddiness did him no favours on the move today. He has large feet & good bone with an excellent tail set & carriage. A good masculine head with dark eyes & ears more in proportion. I understand that he & his handler are quite new to showing so hopefully their confidence will grow with more experience & this should help get the best out of him.

JD (1,1)

ND (2,0)
1st Horsman & Horsman-Phoenix’ Nordicwinds Grtest Showman. As PD
2nd Pitcher’s Red Flower Junior Del Biagio For Tatkresiwok (IMP ITA). 2 year old Red boy with compact outline. Broad head with good dentition. Good lay of shoulder, short loin with strong top line & good tail set & carriage. Would prefer a little more length of neck to make the overall outline more balanced. Well let down hocks providing rear drive. Short front pasterns but I would prefer to see the strength & slight slope called for in the standard. The upright pastern shortened the foot & gave it a cat like shape, not the typical snowshoe shape essential working in deep snow. A little erratic on the move but propelled ok when settled.

GD (1,0)
1st Walker’s Lueldar Ready To Rumble (AI). Very nice B/W boy celebrating his 2nd birthday today. Attractive head with scissor bite, good eye shape & colour & expressive ears. He has the harshest of coats. Makes a lovely compact shape with a good arch to the neck when stood. Lovely angles front & rear, with a well-developed forechest, short loin & decent tail set. Enough bone, short, strong front & rear pasterns. An excellent drive from the rear & a picture of power on the move. Standing alone in his class but was pushing for a top spot in the challenge.

PGD (2,0)
1st Fennell’s Dreamwolves Just A Lil Crush. Another nice B/W boy, 3 years old clearly enjoying his day with a happy waving plume showing correct tail set & carriage. Good head with strong muzzle, nice dark eye & thick neat ears. Nice length of neck, balanced angles front & rear, with a straight, slightly sloping top line, held strong when moving. Looked powerful & steady when moving.
2nd Saye’s Makalu Mountain Wilderness. Striking Agouti boy, 2 years old & in absolutely rock-hard condition. Excellent harsh stand off coat & super thick ears, placed correctly & used expressively. Eyes a little on the round side. Well angulated front & rear, good bone, strong top line & very good tail set & carriage. Just not quite the drive on the move today but I did like him a lot.

LD (1,0)
1st Bogle & Horsfield’s Whitewalker Kings Landing At Valknut. This boy has matured nicely since I last judged him. Now a lovely 3 year old with many virtues to be proud of, not least his happy attitude. Good head with correct eye shape, alert expression & good scissor bite. In profile he makes a nice balanced shape with deep chest, strong top line & good tail set & carriage. Good on the move with powerful drive & good reach to cover ground well.

OD (4,0)
What a class of outstanding dogs. The hardest one I’ve ever had the privilege to judge and I really was splitting hairs to sort them out. Every one of them worthy of a top award. On another day the placings could have been different.
1st Walker’s Ir Ch Lueldar Too Legit To Quit Jun Ch. What a striking boy! B/W 6 year old with a definite ring presence. Broad mature head with thick, well furred ears, deep muzzle, just the right amount of stop & correctly shaped dark eyes. He has a super harsh coat, ample bone & substance, & stands well over excellent feet. A typical waving plume finishes the picture beautifully. He excels on the move with an easy yet powerful ground covering gait with little unnecessary exertion. This is ultimately what won him the class. Handled to great advantage, I just could not deny him the CC & BOB. I was chuffed to bits to see him go on to take Grp 4.
2nd Page’s Snow Legend Believe In You Cedarcreek JW (IMP RUS). Another stunning dog who I last judged as a puppy in 2019 & awarded BP. Now 3 years old, not yet in his prime but mature enough to compete at the highest level. Lovely head piece with dark eyes & well-placed thick ears. Longer in body than the winner with enough bone & balanced angulation front & rear. Just lost out to the winner today on movement as he wasn’t quite as settled & together. I do feel the best is yet to come for this lad but still delighted to award him the RCC.

VD (2,0)
1st Butler’s Kaytoo Antarctic Kuma. This boy has matured really well, 9 years old & making a lovely shape with beautifully balanced angles front & rear, enough bone & good feet. His head is broad with the correct amount of stop & the darkest eyes. A lovely length of neck flows nicely into a strong straight, slightly sloping top line, finished off with an excellent tail set & carriage. Moving, his top line was rock solid & he propelled forwards with a steady, tireless & powerful gait. Another who I considered for a top award in the line-up.
2nd Pullin & Mountstephens’ Ch Inupiats Qulit Henrik At Whitewalker (IMP NOR). A showier dog, 8 years old & now in his prime. He has much to like, not least his excellent bone & feet that I have long admired having judged him twice before. Well-muscled throughout, he exudes power on the move & looks like he could do a job of work with little trouble, although he doesn’t quite match the balance of the winner in his angulation & top line. I think the ring size didn’t do him any favours today but he still made an impressive sight nonetheless.

PB (2,1)
1st Horsman & Horsman-Phoenix’ Nordicwinds Miss Marvel. Very pretty baby, still quite raw but just as I’d expect from a 9 month old. G/W puppy coat but still feels harsh, attractive head with dark eyes. She is quite compact in outline with good angulation & good top line & tail. She moved well for a youngster although I think was also a little unimpressed with the flappy tent guy ropes & ring tape.

JB (1,0)
1st Bogle & Horsfield’s Cahppes Tailwind Takala At Valknut NAF TAF. Pretty B/W young lady with a nice harsh coat. Alert expression with dark eyes. She makes a nice, neat shape with a good length of neck, good front & good tail. A little bum high at present which is typical for her age. She moved with purpose & worked well with her handler. Everything’s in its rightful place & in proportion at present & she will only get better with age & maturity.

NB (1,0).
1st Prescott’s Lueldar Beautiful Holly (IMP IRE). I liked this young B/W girl a lot. Celebrating her 2nd birthday today, she is balanced & has a great outline with lovely flowing neck & top line which she held strong on the move. Pretty head with dark eyes & good ear placement. Decent bone, short front pasterns & good feet. A tendency to be a bit of a fidget bum but she settled into a lovely easy gait. I will be interested to see how she matures.

GB (No Entries)

PGB (2,0)
1st Butler’s Paha Sapa Mals Blahnik Via Kaytoo (IMP ITA). One I have judged before as a baby & I was pleased to see she is maturing beautifully. Now 2 ½ years old & has the same sweet expression & dark eye that I remember. She is feminine throughout, not the most profuse coat at the moment but showing everything off that she has. A good length of neck, lovely layback of shoulder, moderate angles at both ends & excellent top line. She held her shape well on the move with a waving plume bringing up the rear. I’d like to see her open up a little more on the move which would have been easier in a larger ring.
2nd Saye’s Packice Finnmark Mini Me. More mature Bitch at 6 years old, with an abundant attractive coat of Seal with a hint of Sable. She has an attractive head with a strong muzzle & lovely thick ears. More angulated than the winner although these were reasonably balanced front & rear. She is longer in the body, quite typical for a bitch. She has good bone, well let down hocks, short front pasterns & large feet. She just lost out to the winner on the move, in particular the strength of top line & efficiency of movement.

LB (1,0)
1st Brown’s Cupuns Masterpiece. This eye-catching Seal bitch, although alone in her class, stood out in the line up for her overall balance & substance. She is not yet 2 years old & is already turning heads. She is full of breed type & is as sound & balanced as any bitch I’ve seen. An excellent top line, a good length of leg with strong pasterns & good-sized feet. Attractive head with dark eyes, deep muzzle & attentive ears. She was full of beans but expertly handled to bring the best out of her. She has a tendency to hold her tail a little tight however this didn’t detract too much from the overall picture. Much more to come from this young lady I feel sure. Absolutely deserved her RCC.

OB (7,3)
Another class full of quality.
1st Pullin & Mountstephens’ You Are The One Of Kiyara’s Wolf Pak (IMP DEU). Beautifully feminine almost 6 year old girl who I have judged before & awarded her the RCC on the last occasion Everything that impressed me then, still applies now. She has the most elegant shape to her neck & top line with the prettiest head with dark, almond shaped eyes & a scissor bite. She has moderate angles, front & rear with ample bone, good depth of chest & good tail set & carriage. What I love most about her is her balance & soundness when she is in full flow, gliding effortlessly around the ring with her head lowered. Although longer in the body, as expected for a bitch, she holds a strong top line on the move. I noted last time in my critique how nothing on her was overdone. As honest as the day is long, everything is as it should be, moderate, balanced & in proportion. I was delighted to award her the CC & thrilled that this gave her her well-deserved crown.
2nd Page’s Cedarcreek Frozen In Time. Another very pretty girl although quite a different style to the winner. 6 years old with slightly softer G/W coat. Dark eyes & small well furred & well used ears. Shorter in the body & more compact throughout but making a very pleasing shape with good angles, good bone & tight feet. She excels on the move with a powerful drive from the rear, holding her top line strong & with little wasted effort which meant she just pipped her sister who took 3rd place.

VB (5,0)
1st Druce & Druce’s Koromandel On Strange Tides (AI). I have judged this girl before but not actually seen her looking as good as she did today. 10 years young & in tip top condition. It never ceases to impress me how well this breed ages & she is as fit for function as any other exhibit presented to me today. I loved her substance & shape which is compact & well balanced. She has a lovely length of neck, good front, strong straight legs, short strong pasterns, well let down hocks & moderate well balanced angulation. She moves so well with great rear drive. She was a contender for a green card but in the end settled for Best Veteran in Breed & a very well-deserved Veteran Grp 4.
2nd Horsman & Horsman-Phoenix’ Nordicwinds American Dream JW ShCM. Attractive G/W girl, at 7 ½ the baby of the class. Larger throughout than winner but still strong in body & top line. She has a lovely arch to her neck, a pretty head which oozes femininity with dark eyes & soft expression. She has a powerful ground-covering gait using her moderate angles to propel her forwards efficiently. Another I have judged before & once again gave me plenty to think about. Unlucky to come up against the winner in such fine fettle.

Louise Forster