Really enjoyed this appointment and appreciated the depth of entry. The time of year meant that many were blowing their coats and although this is a natural and temporary occurrence, when compared to dogs who had the coat to cope with Arctic conditions, unfortunately, unless other points scored over those dogs, then a penalty was paid. Lack of coat also highlighted those who could have had a tad more bone. Those with a full coat sometimes looked as though they could have had more length of leg but ‘hands on’ this was not the case. I think there may be a present day tendency to a tighter tail than I would prefer but not a major issue. I apologise for my fixation with strength of muzzle which should be ‘large in proportion to size of skull’ but I would hate to see ‘short and pretty muzzles’ creeping in. One male had questionable entirety. And on that topic, huge apologies for putting my very cold hands on one male’s (very correct) entirety and made him jump away in shock! Presentation was spot on. Temperaments were friendly and full of playful spirit, which was a joy to see. Movement was good with so many powerful rears and true fronts.

VD (1)
1 Nevinson’s Ch Golden Touch ShCM 9yr old who is every inch the champion’s outline, being balanced, powerful and in appropriately thick and coarse coat. Well made head being broad in skull, good depth of powerful jaw, and excellent ear set. Looked capable of hauling heavy loads with his strong bone and correct leg length. Moved well for his age, especially in profile and coming to. Impressive hindquarters, true from behind but a tad narrow going away.

MPD (4)
1 Morris’s Chayo Top Gun. Despite his ‘roly poly’ impression at this tender age, so many things to like. Very attractive head with good strength and size of muzzle, broad in skull, and well set ears of ideal size. Useful angulation with good length of upper arm. Moved well in naturally ‘puppy style’ but soundness and ease of gait was evident. Occasionally looked a tad ‘tight’ in tail set/carriage.
2 Holt’s Breconfrost He’s Magical. Made a good outline with super length of leg, typy in head with well placed ears. Good muzzle to skull ratio and also depth of jaw. Good shape of foot that could deal with snowy terrain. Tail was held a little tight on occasions. Fairly moderate angle of stifle but moved well enough in this class.
3 Wolfe’s Souvenir of Sitka’s Unfinished Business avec Dreamwolves NAF TAF Smart puppy with lots of ringside appeal. Easy on the move. Just placed down as I would prefer a larger muzzle. Lots more to come here.

JD (3,1)
1 Smith’s Cash the Check Shamanrock at Snowshoes (imp Cze) Really liked this one. At 17 months he has power, depth without being too much, a steady powerful mover from the ‘rear engine’ and the large, well protected feet to cope with his natural terrain. Super headpiece with length, depth of jaw, broad skull and ideal shape and size of ear. If I were to change anything it would be for a slightly less tightly held tail but he held my attention right up until the last moment and earned the RCC.
2 Hooley’s Black Stripe at Dokkalfar. A little younger and smaller in head than 1st so tending to be a tad less imposing at first glance. Definitely a work-in-progress as is often the case with large young dogs. Just a slight impression of roaching topline although it evened out perfectly on the move . An easy mover who certainly got his act together when required.

YD (1)
1 Perfitt’s Samjoe Shadowhunter JW At 18 months this one still has a slightly immature look about him. Good head properties and impressive strength of slightly arched neck. Coat of excellent texture with good guard hairs evident. Effective angulation but doesn’t need any more angle. Moved with great power and was definitely ‘on a mission’! A tad more bone would give ideal balance I think.

PGD (2,1)
1 Druce’s Kaskae Hell of a View (ai). 3 yr who is nowhere near finished yet. Although he is well up for height, I felt he needed a bit more development in other areas to balance him. Head proportions were ok although slightly less stop would be my preference and that would give a slightly less ‘dish’ to muzzle and skull. Correct topline when standing with slight slope to croup. Moved well in profile but needs a bit more width coming and going.

LD (3,2)
1 Phoenix’s Snow Legend Zenith of Fame Nordicwinds (imp Rus). Super headpiece with good strength of muzzle, excellent eyes being correctly shaped and set on the oblique. Ears set to advantage and helped create that ideal ‘look’ of type. Great strength of neck going into well made shoulders, with the overall impression of powerful build carried right through the backline and down through depth of chest, but leaving enough leg under him. Would have preferred more bone on the rear (and broader hocks) to balance the rather impressive rest of him.

OD (6,1)
1 Jelfs’s Ch Lapema Malizioso. Very powerful, mature without being OTT. Excellent head with everything in proportion, super eye shape set and colour. Ticked the boxes for moderate angulation fore and aft. Think I would have liked larger feet for overall balance. In excellent quality coat that could serve him well in his original task. Looked and moved his way to CC today.
2 Smith’s Ch Snowshoes Who Dares Wins ShCEx. Slightly less depth of coat and giving slightly in topline today but a super moving, typy boy with the kind of head that will always catch my eye with its depth of jaw, well placed ears and slight stop between perfectl balance of of muzzle with skull. Powerfully built and bone to match. Tail was the perfect waving plume.
3 Brandenburg & Smith’s Chayo It’s Kurt for Taronakits. Had to mention the excellent build, bone and impression of power of this one. Great strength of head and muzzle in particular but just a bit too large in eye to figure higher in this class today.

VB (6)
1 Dobson & Wolfe’s Sutarka La Dolle. Topped this class of lovelies. A strong but feminine head with correct balance of skull to muzzle. Strong neck with gentle arch. Lovely tail with waving plume and set to advantage (although held a little tight when she spotted her treat! Possibly carrying a tad more weight than ideal but didn’t affect her easy movement. BVIB.
2 Copley-Holland’s Ch/Am/Hr Ch Katabatics Hollaback Girl. Close up and plenty to commend her. Giving a tad on topline today but otherwise such a good outline ticking so many boxes for Standard points. Super pasterns of just the right angle to support good movement. Angulation was effective although possibly at the more acute acceptable angle. Super muscle tone with strength of loin. Best feet in this class. Eye was a smidge larger than I prefer but no big deal.

MPB (3)
1 Holt’s Breconfrost She’s Mystical (ai). Still in ‘puppy fluff’ with expected immaturity but scored in head properties with good strength of muzzle. Impressive in rib and a firm topline to project the best outline. Moved easily on well boned legs and showed a latent power. Tail a little tighter than my preference.
2 Dobson & Wolfe’s Souvenir of Sitkas Une Star Est Nee via Dreamwolves (imp Lux). No undercoat put this one at a disadvantage and what was left behind needed more length and coarseness – obviously this is temporary but decisions have to be made about the dog on the day. An attractive head though ears give an illusion of size at the moment. Super muscular condition with ideal strength of loin. An easy mover with beautifully held tail.

PB (3,1)
1 Copley-Holland’s Katabatics Troubleshooter. Quite a mature girl with an excellent outline matched by an equally impressive conformation head on and from rear. Well balanced with effective angulation without being over or underdone. Head properties just as I would wish at this age. Didn’t disappoint on the move and had great power from the rear, which was taken up easily in front. Would expect a good future here. BPIB.
2 Dobson &Wolfe’s Souvenir of Sitkas U S N via Dreamwolves (imp Lux) – repeat.

JB (6,3) Lovely class of typy girls who should all end up in the top flight in my opinion.
1 Smith’s Snowshoes Fancy Ferrari. Great combination of power with ease of movement. Loved her head with its good balance of skull to muzzle and had depth of jaw. Ideal size and set of ear which made such an attractive picture when folded back when moving. Super bone without being clunky and this virtue just put the icing on the cake as she moved from such a powerful, well muscled rear and an equally good take up on the front. Figured strongly in the challenge although a bit more excitable by then and not doing herself justice.
2 Forsey’s Muzoku Charmed One. Another top class girl who excelled in head and jaw, well placed ears and just the right strength of neck. Also a super mover with good use of hindquarters and projecting a beautiful outline on the move. Coat of good texture but temporary lack of undercoat detracted slightly today. To pick holes (which was very necessary in this lovely class) she occasionally relaxed her topline very slightly. And could possibly have a tad better shaped foot. These feel like very unfair comments on such a quality girl. 

YB (1)
1 Robb’s Icewolf Fendi L’aquarossa. Almost 2yrs and what you see is what you get here. A no-nonsense outline with serviceable angulation, correct length of leg, eye-catching balance and an easy mover with well carried tail. Attractive, well-made head with well shaped, obliquely set eyes, and appropriately small ears set to advantage at rear of skull. Strong jaw with width and depth. Ideally would prefer larger feet and broader hock to emphasise the power of the hindquarters but this is being ultra picky. Surely destined for higher honours. Gave an even better performance in the challenge. RCC.

PGB (1)
1 Perfitt’s Samjoe The Good Witch. 4Yr beautifully presented girl. Skull of good width and ears set to advantage. Could have a bit more strength of muzzle to balance. Tightly fitting toes although feet a tad longer than my preference. Good strength/depth of body and back with loin not too short. Just felt she could do with a bit more robust bone to match the rest of her. One of few in good double coat today.

LB (4,1) Both these 2 appealing for different reasons.
1 Perfitt’s Samjoe From Russia With Love JW. Loved the type with strong outline and correct slight slope of back, good depth of jaw, muscular, slightly arched neck. Moved well with the typical gently waving plume of her tail. Angulation when stood correctly was fine but her fixation on the handler’s treats made her go into a ‘crouching’ position at times which created some optical illusions.
2 Robb’s Icewolf Jupiter Rising. Well made and powerful but still undoubtedly female. Loved her head with great strength of muzzle, broad in skull and ideally set eyes. If I was looking for the required ‘broad hocks’ this is where I found them and how effective they were in her good movement. Placed down only due to a slight hint of being a tad low on the leg. 

OB (7,3)
1 Forsey’s Ch Muzoku You’re My Obsession. My notes say ‘Gold Star’ and indeed she really hit the spot today. Difficult to fault her with her attractive balanced headpiece, (depth and width of muzzle was spot on for me) correct ear and eye set. Depth of chest and strength of backline (with its subtle slope) were another reason to appreciate the sum of her parts. In thick double coat with correct length hairs which could fool you into thinking she was low on the leg but this was certainly not the case. Super bone and broad hock. Moved easily in foot perfect fashion keeping a gorgeous outline. Would like to be able to say ‘would prefer a …’ but honestly couldn’t find a reason to say so. CC and BOB.
2 Phoenix’s Snow Legend Bee MyLucky Nordicwinds (Imp Rus). Being out of coat only served to show the good construction on this one. Head was very well balanced with the most excellent strength of muzzle being as deep and broad as possible along its length. Well shaped eyes set at the appropriate angle. Body had good depth, well muscled and strong in loin. A super mover, especially in profile. Perhaps a tad longer in foot than ideal and this created illusions in the front pastern. Though I could really picture this one doing her original job.
3 Morris’s Chayo Starstruck With Snowstruck. I must mention the super feet on this one, though at this age is a little taller than balance would dictate.

Del Richards