Eyes And Ears

[Ridgesetter]

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Hi Listers

Our Whippet Club is presenting a lecture to trainee judges next week and we need your help.

Whilst we can include drawings, we feel pics of real dogs are much better and we'd like to include good clear pictures of correct representation for some important parts of the breed. We're short on images for eyes and ears particularly front on. (Most showies only take side on show shots.)

We don't need a picture of the whole dog, just the eyes, showing set, shape, expression. The same with ears. We only need the top of the head with the ears - front and and side examples would be excellent. :thumbsup:

We don't need to include the whole dog or it's name or who suppied the pic. If you can send a cropped image (or if you can't, send the head shot and we'll crop) to:

ridgesetter@optusnet.com.au

Thanks in advance.

Also, we'd love your comments on 5 descriptors of a whippet (elegant, well-muscled, active, symmetrical, etc.) and also, what are your top hallmarks (rose ears, topline/underline, daisy gait, flowing outline, etc.)?

It's been an interesting exercise to ask these questions and get a consensus.

Cheers

 

[Seraphina]

Elegance, balance, arched topline carried on move, easy flowing movement, tuck up

Few picks of various ears & eyes sent

 

[Ridgesetter]

Thanks for the pics that have been sent so far and please, keep them coming. They're great.

We're trying to do a collage of eye shots so we need clear pics of front on or near front on head shots (with no red eye or camera flash pleas).

As you all know, eye colour is very controversial and if we can get a collage of all different eye shades but all with similar shape and that gorgeous whippet expression, we think that will be fantastic. :thumbsup:

Cheers

 

[anniewhippet]

Hi Listers
Our Whippet Club is presenting a lecture to trainee judges next week and we need your help. 

Whilst we can include drawings, we feel pics of real dogs are much better    and we'd like to include good clear pictures of correct representation for some important parts of the breed.  We're short on images for eyes and ears particularly front on.  (Most showies only take side on show shots.) 

We don't need a picture of the whole dog, just the eyes, showing set, shape, expression.  The same with ears.  We only need the top of the head with the ears - front and and side examples would be excellent.  :thumbsup:

We don't need to include the whole dog or it's name or who suppied the pic.  If you can send a cropped image (or if you can't, send the head shot and we'll crop) to:

ridgesetter@optusnet.com.au

Thanks in advance.

Also, we'd love your comments on 5 descriptors of a whippet (elegant, well-muscled, active, symmetrical, etc.) and also, what are your top hallmarks (rose ears, topline/underline, daisy gait, flowing outline, etc.)? 

It's been an interesting exercise to ask these questions and get a consensus.

Cheers

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not sure if these are any good....... :blink:

 

[doris]

As you all know, eye colour is very controversial and if we can get a collage of all different eye shades but all with similar shape and that gorgeous whippet expression, we think that will be fantastic.  :thumbsup:
Cheers

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mmm, different shade of eye colour - yeah, I can help there :lol:

View attachment 46765

 

[doris]

or to put it another way 8)

 

[Julie D]

or to put it another way 8)

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that's a good one for ears too

 

[dolly]

LOLLIPOP :wub:

View attachment 46769

 

[dolly]

HARRY

 

[dolly]

HARRY

View attachment 46771

 

[jok]

A good one of Holly's ears. They are perfect - she can not prick them :thumbsup:

View attachment 46772

 

[saraquele]

my fave one of jan :wub:

 

[nicky12]

one of blue ...

and another

 

[beaker]

this is the only front on shot of Otty if it's any good

 

[Ridgesetter]

Some great shots. Thanks everyone. :thumbsup:

Here's an example of what we're doing with the pics and why we didn't need to know who was who:



We're trying to have a page of eyes only - range of colours, but all with that beautiful whippet expression.

What about the key hallmarks?

Cheers

 

[shenace]

It is really hard picking on eyes OR ears as both are important make-ups of a beautiful whippet head piece.

I would like to think that if there are discussions regarding eye's and ear's - that those who are being educated won't fixate on one or the other particularly - this I believe has to be stressed to the up & coming trainee judges - as it is overall balance of the whippet that must be considered.

Far to many judges are opting for the black eye'd beauties & often discounting the dilutes (who more often than not present a correct eye colour for their coat) I do believe this is a bit of modern intervention & sometimes wonder if glamour is overcoming the decision. Personally, I love a dark eye - however, I would never discount a gorgeous dilute & in my own kennels, my top winners & producers have been the dilutes - mainly because they are my majority - so I think it is important to stress to the up n comings, the eye shape, colour etc plays a part of the assessment, the overall construction of the animal is where your final decison making should lie - JMHO.

So... here are a number of piccy's of dogs I have bred - eyes n ears as often one will make a difference to the total head presentation - 2 piccys are of dilutes & 2 are of black pigmented dogs

 

[shenace]

Oh & yeah, a hallmark for me is funnily enough a pretty head, I have to enjoy looking at what I see - so I am a bit naughty & struggle with an Ugly Betty (w00t)

However, a whippet is shape - you start losing those beautiful "s" shapes from top to toe & you lose whippet shape, no shape = no whippet

For us in NZ there are MANY different types & it is to easy to justify why they exist, but we must remember what a whippet was bred for - all I can say is that many a miner would need back surgery to pop some of the modern whippets under their coats - having said that, our standards in height & substance are a far cry from todays even littlest whippets - but that is another topic completely :blink:

 

[AnnSa]

 

[Ridgesetter]

However, a whippet is shape - you start losing those beautiful "s" shapes from top to toe & you lose whippet shape, no shape = no whippet

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Great post, and please rest assured, we're not singling out eyes and ears but we've done the same with images of feet, fronts, rears, etc. Judging is a like jigsaw - little pieces fit together to give you the final picture.

But getting back to the S shape. Someone suggested we NOT mention "s" as it is confusing to trainees who look for a more extreme underline and topline.

Thoughts?

Cheers

 

[dessie]

But getting back to the S shape.  Someone suggested we NOT mention "s" as it is confusing to trainees who look for a more extreme underline and topline. 
Thoughts?

Cheers

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Personally I would associate an 'S' shape outline with Italian Greyhounds and not Whippets. IGs that haven't got that lovely curvy outline tend to look like Miniature

Whippets and vice versa.

I want to see a flowing but much flatter topline with just the gentle arch over the loin and definitely not falling away over the croup!!!