Also this weekend we decided to spend in company of Czechoslovakian wolfdogs and their owners. And that was a main reason why we went to Svetla nad Sazavou in the Czech Republic. We arrived to the destination place on Friday. One of the main organizers, Mr. Jarda Hospodka welcomed us and took care of our accomodation in a hotel. After a short break we went to the local training place where new CzW fans started to arrive. We spent the evening on common talks. Of course the main topic were our dogs. On the next day took place the competition according to ZVV1 regulation (similar to IPO1) but we will dedicate a separate article to it. On Saturday evening there were again evening talks (till very late). But the Sunday special dog show of CzWs finished this idyllic atmosphere...

I have no intention to bore you with a description of every judged class and every single dog. This time I will describe a few snapshots from the event. Probably it's not so detailed, maybe someone had different impression... Maybe someone will add own comment...

SNAPSHOT NO. 1.
Male youth class. The competition is quite OK. I enter the ring with Balrog (at home we call him "Juzio"). We look around - it's OK. I would even say: it's very good. Except for Crying wolf Lupus Balrog is the only dog in the right dry type of body. I look to the side and... for the first time I see so lymphatic wolfdog (by the way: it's a disqualificating fault)!: heavy body building, too much skin, open lips from which leaks saliva. I look to the left - heavy, strong dogs. None of them is "wolfish". Fast teeth check and we start to run in the ring. Przemek smiles and he has a reason because the old rule of judges confirms again: weight and mass is reversly proportional to the correct body building - to summarize short: heavy dogs have always problem with correct movement. In the CzW breed this rule always works perfectly. It's time for judgement. First is the heavy "puppy". The judge starts to dictate his faults to microphone: long body format, long tail, uncorrect movement.. The list is long. Rest of the dogs got the same: every of them gets additionaly remark "slopping topline", there are problems with dark eyes, long ears, soft wrists (during movement). The judgement of our dog is very short: "dog on a bottom border of high limit, the coat during exchange (!?!)" and we hear only remarks about everything beeing "correct" or "excellent". In the judgement card wasn't placed even ONE fault. One more round and the judge asks us and Lucie to leave the ring - we got the note "very good". It appears that the description of other dogs which I held for very serious (according to breed standard sometimes even disqualificating) faults were for the judge real advantages! A lymphatic dog with very heavy head looks for her very "masculine". I took a look to the catalogue to check whether I didn't make a mistake and subcribed to "mollosoid club show" but no... it's written black on white: "special CzW show"... Then the note "very good" was given because the dog didn't have any faults? Interesting...

SNAPSHOT NO. 2.
We stay by the ring and wonder about deeper sense of the only negative (?) description of Balrog: "dog on a bottom border of high limit" because it looks like this was the reason of "very good" note. Balrog is now 9 months old. He was showed in youth class. He's 66cm high (the high measured on the youth presentation made one week ago). Average high for male CzW in Czech Republic is 68,5cm so it means 2,5cm more for an adult dog! It looks like the judge didn't have a good eye because the winner of middle class (almost 2 years old dog) was only 1,5cm higher than our "too small" puppy. Later the judge gave BOB to and was amazed of a other dog who was only 3cm higher (and 3 years older). It's very hard to find here a shadow of logic...

SNAPSHOT NO. 3.
Mr. Hartl is in the ring and talks about endurance of Czechoslovakian wolfdog. About the fact that they are able to run 100km. Unfortunately someone has to say it openly:
we have to come down to earth - none of the HEAVY dogs will EVER be able to run 100km. Most of these dogs will not be able to pass even the basic endurance test of 40km. I saw even CzWs that had serious problems with 20km run. This is a reality and the selection on weigth will not help here and instead of resulting in good-looking dogs will bring us only invalid-dogs. Already now it looks sillily when during protection competition a decoy watches the speed of running Czechoslovakian wolfdog and says: "this one will never get here with such slow speed". It looks also sillily when the CzW is not able to catch the decoy. Is this the current goal of breeding? Why some people modify and misinterpret so much that what Mr. Hartl wanted to achieve with this new dog breed?

SNAPSHOT NO. 4.
Male open class. In the ring we see 5 individuals - 4 self-confident Czech dogs and in the end one scared, timid dog from Italy with tail between legs. Nuk Seda eminence appears in this stake to be the most excellent (regarding presentation and appearance). During the run in the ring we see other 2 dogs which could get next placements. Then apparently we heard a description "beautiful movement". We look in the judge's direction and there by the table stays none of the Czech dogs. It's a Italian dog by which the movement is second (after the character) most serious fault. A CzW with correct movement has during run the topline on the same horizontal level and the whole energy is used to move foreward. However the topline of Italian dog was moving up and down, up and down like it is often visible by Borzois. That's also one of the reasons why this dog was supposed to get recently a P3 note from bonitation but the owner was so angry that he took back his papers and canceled the bonitation. After the last round in the ring the Italian dog receives "excellent 1." and CAC. What is the moral for other dog owners? Don't socialize your dogs, don't work with them. Then you'll distinguish from others (negatively? it doesn't matter) and you have a big chance to win.

SNAPSHOT NO. 5.
During the judgement when it was time to judge the Italian dog Mr. Hartl started to talk about huge contribution of the Italian breeder to promotion of this breed (so the judge didn't have no other choice than to give the 1. place to this dog as a thank you gift). But it's hard to believe in his good heart and voluntary service when you hear the true from the owners of his puppies. The answer should be following: if I would earn every year many dozen of thousands of Euro on CzW breeding I would also try to well promote my "product" (I mean here the breed). I would even put a gold memorial in my garden.

The true is different: the real contributors to this breed in Italy are not huge breeders which produce puppies for money. It's private breeders and normal CzW owners in Italy who should be held for "heros". They do not produce but breed! They train with their dogs and they even take part in Italian rescue groups. It's they who we should be graceful.

SNAPSHOT NO. 6.
This scene will not be described because I can't comment the judgement in other classess - the dogs were judges in the specific and not other way. The winners order could be different but this is a matter of taste and presentation and it's hard to criticize something here.

SNAPSHOT NO. 7.
Females youth class was the most numerous. We could see different females - some of them were average, some of then very nice. Some of them even beautiful. I would make a little bit different placement but this is only a matter of taste and preferences. So I will not write more about it. But when I came home I noticed that one of the females were judged with the note "very good". This is very strange because on the show the judge said to the microphone that it's because of the character and that this female is already much better than she was last time. On the Internet I saw that she got always "excellent" note. And after the improvement she came down to "very good"? I hope the female will not "improve" more... ))

SNAPSHOT NO. 8.
We sit and admire the females in youth class. This was really a nice view. The judge asks them to run in the ring. Every once in the while I see an "dachshund" with collapsed back passing us. To be honest it's very rare to meet a female like this with such incorrect body format index and movement. But who would pay attention to such silly thing - the female got "excellent"... because of nice coat.

SNAPSHOT NO. 9.
It's time for judgement in the female middle class. First presentation during movement. Then individual evaluations. First female: "excellent" without placement - has to go out of ring. Second female "excellent" without placement - has to go out of ring. Third and forth female "very good" without placement and have to go out of ring. Suddenly the judge takes a look at the females that stayed in the ring and she has only last two to judge. Nice but shy Celestynka and big, completely white and gray with strange movement of back legs - Upstream. What to do? It would be foolish to call back females that were send out. Or maybe it was a strategic manoeuvre? Who knows? However the result is as is and there were only two placements although there were 4 bitches with the note "excellent"..

SNAPSHOT NO. 10.
Suddently from nowhere the judgement was interrupted. Through microphone we hear that it's time for 10 minutes break - the people should go buy something to eat or drink. But only someone who doesn't know the real reason of this break goes politely to the snack-bar. Soon after the break start, without informing anyone the judgement starts again. Very clever manoeuvre because in the next class we can see a mix of canadian wolf which is not a real CzW! Apparently some group of people had interest to get rid of uncomfortable public. They are really sucessful with this because about 2/3 of all visitors will never know the true that one of the judged dogs (Ave Lupo Mutara) is not a Czechoslovakian wolfdog!

SNAPSHOT NO. 11.
The mix Ave Lupo looked like a crossing of Akita (with fuzzy mask and long and uncorrect placed ears). Thin body on spindly legs. Some minutes ago one of light dogs was judged as "emaciated" but how we could say something like this about the mix? After all it HAS to be excellent. Of course the end decision of the judge is following: the mix is not thin, it's in working condition. Very clever.

SNAPSHOT NO. 12.
We watch carefully the mix and wonder what do they plan to improve with it. Ears? No, because we already have a lot dogs with too long ears and the Mutara mix can additionaly corrupt the right settlement of ears. The Mask? Also not because we have enough dogs with fuzzy mask and additionaly the mix has a wrong mask pattern. The Head? No, because it's impression by the mix is far from what we can see by typical CzW or typical European Wolf. Maybe the tail? The mix has a long one - which is almost on the border length. Or maybe the character? I really doubt that the owner will be able to pass IPO with such kind of animal... Or maybe thanks to the mix we will be able to come back to the right, light and dry type of body? But what for? The club judges will make very fast a selection and will prefer open lips and heavy heads and within 5 generation we will came back to the exit point. It's not worth the effort. But hey... maybe they really want to improve the condition of hips and decrease the problem of HD (hip-dysplasia)? But only a person with English humour would believe in such motive - the parents of Mutara mixes were not checked for HD appearance, and not all Mutaras are HD-free. Besides it we can't risk the whole breed just to improve one breed characteristic...

SNAPSHOT NO. 13.
The judgement starts. Competition is not very numerous. Only the mix and one female CzW. And look... what a surprise... the mix wins! But this time the judge decided to have some fun and gives her CAC. Hmmm.... If on a special dog show of Czechoslovakian wolfdog a mix "from a fully different planet" (daughter of white canadian wolf and half-GSD) is being awarded with CAC tile then it can only mean that the breed selection was conducted incorrectly and we can only a expect the whole breeding committee to retire because they are responsible for such tragical stand of the breed. OK, just kidding. The committee should really dismiss but the breed is in a good condition - we have a lot of nice dogs and the comedy with mixes is just another political manoeuvre. It's clearly visible that some of these people had to much free time and try to experiment on our breed.

SNAPSHOT NO. 14.
Female working class. We landed on the 3. place which is understandable. But the 1. place should belong to Dorin which fits much more to the working class (the only female here with a "real" working certificate) as also in regards to exterieur. It's a pity. This female really deserves it...

SNAPSHOT NO. 15.
It's time for breeding competition - breeding couples. First couple is really odd: Nuk Seda eminence and the mix Ave Lupo Mutara. Normal male, very nice, dry and typical. But the female is really huge. It appears to us that the gender of both individuals should be reversed. Second couple thwarts the plans of the judge because this "small" male from youth class is higher by head than adult female CzW. What to do? Honourable solution which could allow the judge to save her face and not to admit to own mistake and the winner is: scared Italian couple.

SNAPSHOT NO. 16.
Now it's time for the best male and female. Best male becomes very shapely Arimminum Last Navarre. But if the judge would stay by her type of judgement then most probably this male would be called us "too feminine" and "on a bottom border of high limit". Luckily she didn't. Because Last Navarre fully deserves the title.
Next the best female competition: three wolfgray and one white-gray. The judge announces her result and again we see that otherness is more prefered. That's why the verdict should be surprising but why aren't we surpried? Really interesting.
Now it's time for Best of Breed competition - in the ring are 4 dogs but what can we say about them: the real competitors are only the female from veteran class, Amalka od Bulizniku (amazing female - she would have big chances also in other classes and in competition with much younger females) and with the best male, Arimminum Last Navarre. Finally the judges puts the younger one male on top and awards him with BOB title and with beautiful cup.

SNAPSHOT NO. 17.
Probably noone likes when someone makes a comedy from the breed. Nobody wants to be cheated and to be made fool. But exactly this is the case with canadian wolf mixes (from Mutara kennel). Specific people hide information, mislead other people and give false information to the public. And there is more... So what could I do? I decided to lodge an official protest that the individual Ave Lupo Mutara which is not a Czechoslovakian wolfdog was judged on a CzW show in a show class. Many of us have at home a mutt. Should we all take them to the next CzW dog show? It would be a lot of fun.

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The dog show finished. But we will remember the perfect otganization of this year special dog show. I would like to thank the members of local ZKO (training field). Everything was prepared perfectly. The show ring was covered so even the rain didn't cross our plans. There was a photograph who were selling a CD with photos from the show. I had here an occasion to see many interesting animals - I felt sorry for many of these dogs because they should get a better note. I hope the owners will not feel disaffected and next time we will again meet in the ring in Czech Republic. But this time on a show for all breeds. It was nice to meet old familiars and to get know new ones. But it wasn't nice to convince ourselves that the project of the canadian wolf mixes is still continued. It was a big bungle from the begining but now some people try to build a ideology to it. It's a pity that the breeding commitee members treat the club members as dumb children which you don't have to explain anything because they wouldn't understand it (at least the breeding committee has such opinion). But maybe they should start to count with the club members' opinion because they are the ones who next time will be voting and will choose new members of club board and breeding committee in Czech Republic.

Margo