Impressions of the 2010 German Sieger Show
By
Sanjit Kumar
Mohanty
This year, the annual Sieger Show (the world
championship of German Shepherd Dogs) was held in Nurnberg, Germany. The
venue of the show was the new Credit Stadium. The venue was spacious with
all arrangements in place.
The new stadium was used as follows:
3rd
September, 2010 (Friday) � Bitework test for open class males and females
4th
September, 2010 (Saturday) � Progeny groups parade
5th
September, 2010 (Sunday) � Open class males and females confirmation ring
The adjacent old stadium was used for youth and young
classes. The weather was sunny and cool.
In this year's bitework phase, most of the top dogs and
bitches (with a few exceptions) passed the bitework.
The exceptions in males were:
Cliffo vom D�belner Land
Ix aus der Birkensch�ferei
Morret vom Holtk�mper Tor
Kenzo Crveni Mayestoso
Dex von der Hirtenwiese
The exceptions in females were:
Yule von der Zenteiche
Emily Team de Nura
Nene
vom Hasenborn
Urmel vom L�rchenhain
Katja Urko-Wima
Cicciolina Feetback
The judges for the show were as follows:
�
Youth class males � Mr.
Helmut Koenig
�
Young class males � Mr.
Bernd weber
�
Youth class females � Mr.
Heinz Sheerer*
*(Unfortunately, Mr. Sheerer fell seriously ill and was
hospitalized four days prior to the show. He was replaced by senior judge
and breed warden of the previous years, Mr. Leonhardt Schwikert.)
�
Young female class � Mr.
Nobert Scharsmit
�
Open class males � Mr.
Reinhardt Meyer
�
Open class females � Mr.
Erich Boesl
Although I have been a regular at the Sieger shows from
the early ninetees, this year was special for me. I was ring stewarding in
the Sieger show with SV permission (badge).
Let me start with a gist of the youth class males.
The judge for the class Mr. Koenig was looking for dogs
with correct height, evident masculinity and expression, with firm elbows
and strong hocks. The dogs with incorrect frontline, extreme angulation in
the rear, and more than sixty-six centimeters in height were placed
behind.
Dano v.d Ostfriesischen Thingst�tte
The winner in this class was Dano v.d Ostfriesischen
Thingst�tte, a male of over-medium size, dry and firm with very good
expression and harmony. He was the winner right from the beginning. In the
L.G and O.G shows before the Sieger Show, he was shown seven times under
seven different judges. He has always been number one. His father, Tyosn
Kottershbush was SG 3 in the 2007 young class males category. Tyson has
produced many deserving winners in different classes this year, including
the young class male sieger. Dano's mother Crocika Pendler is a litter
sister to Charika Pendler (this year's open class female siegerin). Dano
is a combination of VA Quen from the sire side and Vegas from the dam
side. We can hope that Dano with this bloodline will contribute to the
German Shepherd gene pool in the future.
Omen v.
Radhaus
The vice youth sieger (SG 2) Omen v. Radhaus, is one of
my favorites from the youth class. A son of this year's open class vice
sieger (VA 2) Remo vom Fichtenschlag, Omen has excellent anatomical
virtues. Before the Sieger show, he was in puppy class and was not shown
frequently. That did not deter him from becoming SG 2. A worthy winner,
this dog is an absolute stunner with correct size, typical balance and
very good movement. If I have to be critical, I would have liked his eye
color to be darker. He also has a litter brother Opus v. Radhaus placed SG
8 in this class. This guarantees that Omen comes from a phenotype litter
with very good siblings.
In this class, the most disappointing factor for all
(including the judge) was the disqualification of Etoo aus Wattenscheid, a
Paer vom Hasenborn (VA 13) son. Etoo was always placed first in L.G shows
and O.G shows. He was crowned Belgium youth sieger and Holland youth
sieger this year. During this Sieger show, he was called in the second
position (SG 2) after the standing examinations, but was disqualified as
he started biting the dogs in front and behind. He was warned twice by the
judge, but unfortunately, the handler could not control him. He was asked
to move out of the ring.
In the youth class males, the first twenty dogs were of
standard size, with rich pigmentation, very good balance and expression,
and a long underline. The highlight of this class is that the males came
from different bloodlines, like Tyson, Remo, Ustinov, VA Ober, Unzo and
Yukon.
Apart from the above mentioned males, the following
males from the class impressed me:
�
Yoker vom Westervenn
�
Sem del Seprio
�
Lumpi von der
B�renschlucht
�
Eliot Ness du Normont
�
Sky vom Eichenplatz
�
Abu vom Holtk�mper See
The youth class females saw some changes as the judge
Mr. Leonhardt Schwikert had not judged this class before the Sieger show.
Mr. Schwikert chose females from medium to over-medium size for his top
twenty. All the females chosen by him were a bit stretched and with normal
wither height, very good expression and slightly more hind angulations.
(L to R) SG 1, SG 2, SG 3 Youth
Class Females
The winning female SG 1 Chira del Frutteto is bred in
Italy. She is a strong female with very good hind thrust.
The SG 2 Elsa du Val D'Anzin is bred in France. Her
breeder is the famous Eric Trentenaere who is a dear friend. Elsa is sired
by this year's VA 13 Paer vom Hasenborn. I have been following her from
L.G shows. She has turned out to be an outstanding female and is a
consistent winner at different shows. I had seen her in the French,
Belgium and German L.G shows (held prior to the Sieger show). I am happy
that she was best presented in the Sieger show and very well handled. For
me, she is the winner in this class.
The SG 3 Nika vom Pendler is a very darkly pigmented,
strong female, with lot of spirit. She was handled immacutely by Walter
Kotters, a dear friend.
I was a little surprised that Kaleya vom Amur was
placed as SG 25. I felt she should have been among the top fifteen.
Apart from the above mentioned bitches, the following
bitches from the class impressed me:
�
Queeni vom Thermodos
�
Shernaa Duxi
�
Emma du Val D'Anzin
�
Quitte von Tronje
�
Vanta Feetback
(L to R) SG 1, SG 2 and SG 3 Young Class Males
Lennox von Regina Pacis
The young class males category was judged by Mr. Bernd
Wever who had already visited India to judge the Kozhikode chapter
speciality show in December 2009. Among the young class males, many of the
dogs in the front were big and substantial. The winner in the class was
Lennox von Regina Pacis. He is a well pigmented, large, Tyosn Kottershbush
son having absolute excellent expression. He moved with ease and style.
The coat condition could have been better.
The SG 2 Ypsilon vom L�rchenhain was bred, owned and
handled by senior judge Helmut Bus. Ypsilon is a large, powerful dog, of
strong masculinity and substance. He is the son of VA Bojan Pendler and
grandson of double sieger Vegas. Ypsilon has been shown more than a dozen
times with first placements under different judges. This position was
predictable for him.
The SG 3 Toni von der Rieser Perle, a VA Furvo Degli
Achei son was also shown (like the SG 2) under many top judges in
different shows prior to the Sieger show. His motherline comes from top VA
female Odusha von der Winerau. He has very good siblings. His litter
brother Tell was placed SG 27. He also has very good sisters.
The SG 4 Fulz di Zenevredo is my favorite in this
class. I have been following him from his start at the L.G shows. Again a
Furvo Degli Achei son, his motherline comes from double sieger Yasko
Farbenspeil. Fulz is of excellent proportions and expression, impresses
because of his faultless anatomy, rich pigmentation and powerful movement.
He has very good brothers and sisters. One of his sisters Frau was placed
SG 2 among the young class females. In the coming year, if he passes the
bitework, I foresee him as a part of the VA group.
Apart from the above mentioned dogs, the following
males from the class impressed me:
�
Conbhairean Uno
�
Hagadahls Figo
�
Calif von Arlett
�
Aku vom H�hnegrab
In this class, Mr. Weber chose dogs with evident
masculinity, normal wither, firmness of limbs with normal hind angulation.
The young class females category was judged by Mr.
Nobert Scharsmit. He chose females of big size with good feminity and
exact height-to-length proportion.
Fenia de Los Madriles
The winner was Fenia de Los Madriles from Spain. This
female is well-balanced, superbly constructed with excellent feminity,
pigmentation and expression. She was the most deserving female for this
position. She was well presented, was in the best condition and moved with
great ease and expression in the ring.
The vice siegerin in this class was Frau di Zenevredo.
She is a full sister to SG 4 male Fulz from the young class. This litter
has brought great success for the Italian breeder Claudio Salentina of
Kennel Zenevredo.
Apart from the above mentioned bitches, the following
females from the class impressed me:
�
Honda v. Panoniansee
�
Amy von der Zenteiche
�
Dana vom Casselswald
�
Jessy dell Alto Piano
�
Kassieger Renata
I felt that many of the females were short-coupled, and
lacked forereach with a clear, long underline.
The open class females category was judged by senior
experienced judge, Mr. Erich Boesl. He emphasized on diverse bloodlines
with good bone strength, movement and normal rear angulation.
Chakira vom Pendler
(L to R) VA 1 Chakira and VA 2 Egga
The winner from this class was VA 1 Chakira vom
Pendler. A daughter of double sieger Vegas, she was the youth class
siegerin in 2008 but unfortunately stayed out of competition in 2009 due
to failing in the bitework test. Chakira, with her excellent expressions
and proportions walked effortlessly to win this class; although in the
first gait, she could have done better with more enthusiasm.
The VA 2 Egga vom Osterberger-Land is again a Vegas
daughter. She is large and was not in the best condition when shown. But
she won the VA 2 place because of her attitude and excellent movement.
The VA 3 Viana vom Fichtenschlag was bred by the same
breeder as of the VA 2 male of the open class. This female displayed high
spirit. In my opinion, she was definitely deep in the brisket.
Apart from the above mentioned bitches, the following
females from the class impressed me:
�
Dara vom Murrtal
�
Chayenne vom Karth�user
L�wentor
�
Elly del Seprio
�
Zara von der Zenteiche
�
Lara vom Messebau
�
Jana von der Plassenburg
Chayenne vom Karth�user L�wentor
The VA 5 female Chayenne vom Karth�user L�wentor is my
personal favorite. I have seen her progress from her younger days. She has
matured over the years. She is a powerful female with excellent drive and
temperament. I am happy that we co-own her son Rivaldo who is now six
months old sired by this year's vice sieger in the open class, Remo vom
Fichtenschlag.
Here I would like to mention the V3 female Tamara v.
Haus Christa. A last year SG 17, she is owned by an Indian, Mr. Nagaraj
Shetty from Mumbai.
This year, the open class male category was surrounded
by speculation and discussions before the annual sieger show. These
speculations arose from articles written by the chief breed warden Mr.
Meyer in the July and August 2010 issues of the SV monthly magazine. In
these articles, he emphasizes on correct height measurement and states
that over-sized dogs with instability in hind and hocks must be phased
out. Such dogs are not good for this breed that is used for working trials
and herding. The health and working ability of the breed is definitely
related to its correct size and firmness.
Prior to the show, Mr. Meyer advised some past VA dog
owners to retire their dogs so that new dogs with fresh blood and desired
attributes could come in. Some of the owners complied with this request
but a few went ahead with showing their dogs. Mr. Meyer reiterated that
same point again, during the WUSV meeting held on the 6th of
September, 2010. As it was difficult for him to dislodge a VA dog from its
VA status, we had to continue seeing 13 VAs this year.
Sieger Ober von Bad - Boll
This year's open class male sieger Ober von Bad - Boll
is a richly pigmented, strong, masculine dog of very good height-to-length
proportion. He has gradually risen from V 14 position in 2007 to this
coveted title. Ober comes from Quantum Arminus through his sire Giovani
Kapplenberg and VA Scot Aus Agrigento through his motherline Xena aus
Agrigento. This year, we saw some very good males and females sired by
him. One of his daughters was included in the VA category in the open
class females. His daughter Honda v. Panoniansee clinched the SG 8 title
in the young class females category. His son, Enosch v. Amasis was SG 15
in young class males category. Many of his other above average offsprings
were pesented in different classes,
Ober also did exceedingly well in the bitework phase.
He was among the top 14 best bitework dogs. Clearly, Ober was at an
advantage. Mr. Meyer sent a clear message that he prefers a sound dog with
credible producing ability.
VA 2 Remo vom Fichtenschlag
The VA 2 Remo vom Fichtenschlag is my favorite in this
class. He is a dog with a faultless anatomy and absolute harmony. It is a
pleasure to see that within a record period of less than seven months of
stud use, Remo has produced a number of quality offsprings and top winners
in the youth classes. Some of his offsprings were exactly a year old or a
few weeks older than a year on the day of the Sieger show, namely, SG 2
Omen v. Radhaus, SG 8 Opus v. Radhaus, SG 24 Dario von der Piste Trophe,
SG 56 Irano vom Fichtenschlag, SG 78 Fanto vom Fichtenschlag and a few
among the youth class females. Remo displayed great movement in the first
as well as the leash free phase, with good stride and reach. He was
presented and handled well, but was not in the best coat condition.
The VA 3 was last year's vice sieger Yerom vom Haus
Salihin. A VA for the last couple of years, Yerom is a well structured,
large dog. I have never been impressed with his progeny as I do not see
any of his sons perpetuating his sire line. He looked fresh and better at
this show, unlike at the Belgium Sieger show where he looked tired. He
lost one position as he could not perform well in the first gait.
From the 13 VAs graded in this class, I am hopeful that
the following dogs will produce well in the near future:
�
VA 6 Arex von der
Wilhelmswarte
�
VA 7 Ustinov vom R�merland
�
VA 9 Quattro von der
Partnachklamm
�
VA 11 Nino von Tronje
�
VA 12 Guccy vom
Heinrichplatz
�
VA 13 Paer vom Hasenborn
I was not pleased with the progeny group presented by
VA 5 Shicco von der Freiheit Westerholt. Most of his sons lacked
masculinity (especially weak underjaw) and bone strength, and had raised
backs.
Other than the Sieger and Vice Sieger, the following
dogs from the VA category impressed me with their performance:
�
VA 7 Ustinov vom R�merland
�
VA 8 Gigolo von der
B�renschlucht
�
VA 9 Quattro von der
Partnachklamm
�
VA 11 Nino von Tronje
�
VA 12 Guccy vom
Heinrichplatz
I was impressed by the following V rated dogs for their
performance in the ring:
�
V 1 Peik vom Holtkamper
Hof
�
V 2 Mentos vom
Osterberger-Land
�
V 7 Koby von Fidelius
�
V 11 Zerxis vom
Osterberger-Land
�
V 13 Team Marlboro Tiger
�
V 16 Bix von Arlett
�
V 28 Chivas von Bad-Boll
�
V 29 Bobo v. Arlett (CA)
VA 9 Quattro von der Partnachklamm
It is a proud moment for Indians as VA 9 Quattro von
der Partnachklamm is co-owned by Mr. Kuljeet S. Gill of Punjab who resides
in Germany.
During the SV election in December 2010, if Mr. Meyer
is elected as the Chief Breed Warden, we will see more correct type, size,
and angulated dogs.
The progeny group is a critical aspect of the annual
Sieger show as it interests breeders from the world over to preview the
progeny of particular studs and sires. This year, the top producer is
Tyosn Kottershbush, who produced the youth class Sieger, the young class
Sieger and many top placed males and females in youth and young classes.
Some of Tyson's offsprings are a little oversized, with soft pasterns and
loose hocks.
Tyosn Kottershbush
I was impressed by the progeny of VA Furvo Degli Achei.
He was represented by many beautiful males and females in different
classes. SG 3 Toni von der Rieser Perle, SG 4 Fulz di Zenevredo, SG 7
Hagadahls Figo, SG 20 Urbo vom Leithawald, SG 27 Tell von der Rieser Perle
from young class males category, SG 21 Alf vom B�renstein, SG 29 Urk della
Valcuvia from youth class males category, SG 2 Frau di Zenevredo from
young class females category caught my eye. Furvo's offsprings were
phenotype with excellent movement and pigmentation.
As I had earlier mentioned, the impeccable VA 2 Remo
vom Fichtenschlag, with his stud use of seven months, presented top
quality offsprings. I hope that during the coming year, he will have the
best progeny group and ultimately win the deserving crown of Sieger.
The next progeny group that I would like to mention is
that of VA 13 Paer vom Hasenborn, a VA Quen son, with a very dark mask.
Paer is SG 2 from 2008 young class. He is a clean dog in front and behind.
He was represented by many quality offsprings namely Etoo aus
Wattenscheid, Kaleya von Amur, Raul von Godalis, Xen von Heerbusch, Elsa
du Val D'Anzin, Erica du Val D'Anzin
The last group that I would like to mention is that of
VA Bojan vom Pendler. A son of double Sieger Vegas, he produced many
outstanding dogs with high positions, inspite of limited stud use, namely,
SG 2 Ypsilon vom L�rchenhain from young class, SG 7 Lumpi von der
B�renschlucht, SG 15 Sky vom Eichenplatz, SG 17 Zorro vom Ritterberg, SG
18 Panjo vom Stahlsh�ttenhof, SG 28 Tyson vom Moorbeck, SG 44 Solo von der
Waterkant from youth class.
It is a regret that Bojan was injured during stud
service and was under medical treatment. Hence, he has been unable to
perform stud service. Hopefully, he will have a few litters this year
which is good for the breeders.
Apart from the above mentioned dogs, many other stud
dogs like Tino Godalis, Ober Bad-Boll, Yerom vom Haus Salihin, Kwantum vom
Klostermoor, Shicco von der Freiheit Westerholt, Ustinov vom R�merland,
Ober della Valcuvia, Hatto vom Huhnegrab, Zerxis vom Osterberger-Land, and
past VA dogs like double Sieger Vegas, VA Quen, Sieger Zamp were
represented by their progeny.
The kennel group was represented by the following
kennels:
�
Zwinger von der Zenteiche
�
Zwinger vom Fichtenschlag
�
Zwinger vom Holtkamper See
�
Zwinger vom Klostermoor
�
Zwinger von Arlett
�
Zwinger von Bad-Boll
�
Zwinger von der Grafenburg
(Ost)
�
Zwinger von der Kahler
Heide
�
Zwinger Leri
�
Zwinger von der Urbecke
�
Zwinger zur Mavic Poland
�
Zwinger vom Leithawald
Zwinger vom Fichtenschlag won the kennel group title.
Zwinger vom Fichtenschlag
This year was important and very interesting for me. I
will cherish the experience of ring-stewarding for a lifetime. To give a
few details, ring-stewarding in the Sieger Show is very different from
that in other shows. A ring-steward is involved in all aspects of the
judging procedure, right from arranging the standing of dogs to writing
the measurement of each dog, and providing accurate information (available
at the judging table) on being asked by the judge.
Each dog's data that is available on the table includes
the dog's past show records (prior to the Sieger show) including height,
description of the dog, the number of times he has been shown, under which
judges, the show-wise listing of the number of dogs present in his class,
his hips and elbow status and DNA.
After the individual standing examination is conducted
on Friday, the judge places the dogs in different groups and sends the
list to the SV office present at the show. By Friday evening or latest by
Saturday early morning, the list is published and available to the
exhibitors.
On Saturday morning, the ring steward writes the
exhibit numbers on the whiteboard placed in front of the ring. The
exhibitors, who are not happy with the given standing positions, can go to
the veterinary doctor present at the ground to get an 'unfit certificate'
and give the same to the ring steward before the ring starts. This ensures
that the dog gets an excuse (EZ) not to be present in the ring. But if the
exhibitor does not furnish this certificate, the dog gets a 'U' rating
(unsatisfactory) from the judge. It means that the dog cannot participate
in any shows, working trials, and is barred from going for examinations
and from breeding for six months.
When the ring starts, there are around sixty to seventy
dogs shown at a time. Then, the judge divides the dogs into two groups.
Further, these two groups are divided into smaller groups of five dogs
each for gun-shot trials and gaiting test. Any change in standing position
after the gaiting test must be noted by the ring-steward. After the group
judging is complete, the ring steward must note down the standing position
in the right order and submit the papers to the judge.
The best group is reserved to be shown on Sunday.
The judging procedure in Germany is very organized.
Even the common public present at the show is aware of the dogs, their
past records and overall performance. This makes the judges' task easier
in grading the dogs. The disadvantage of this system is that a good dog
from another country, who has never been shown in German L.G or O.G shows
(local shows) prior to the Sieger show, or under the judge who is judging
the class, cannot aspire to be a winner in the class.
Sieger shows are a platform to interact with experts,
breeders and enthusiasts from all over the world. I look forward to the
next year for new champions, new developments and better, healthy German
Shepherds.
