[PyrNet-L] french dogs answer

[Joan Ziehl <joan@ziehl.com>]

Charlotte, Joan forwarded your post to the list regarding our French
pictures.  I know Joe is the expert...and has looked at French dogs for
years but I will tell you what I thought about the dogs you
mentioned...and the show in general.  There was difference in head
types..maybe not as much as we see here...but definitely some
differences. I personally preferred the two young boys over Gardayan.
Gardayan is a lovely dog but for me the two brothers just stood out from

the very first moment I saw them.  I loved their size and elegance.
Noustamic, who was my favorite, is at least 32 inches at the shoulder.
His brother Neou is smaller but still a big boy.  They both had lovely
heads, eyes and expression.  I think Neou could have had just a little
more length of muzzle.  Both had good fill.  They both had lovely side
gate...and wonderful presence.  Their fronts were not the best...as Joe
mentioned at some point ...Estom does pass his fronts along to his
offspring.  Both had really wonderful, self confident temperaments.
Lovely, correct coats.  I don't often meet a dog that just steals my
heart but Noustamic stole mine...I would have mortgaged the house if I
could have brought him home with me <g>...and it was a combination of
his beauty, size and temperament...he is very masculine and impressive.
And these boys just turned two year of age...they aren't "done" yet. It
was great watching them in the ring...but it was truly a treat to visit
the next day with Madam Laffitte at her home and to see "my boy"
Noustimic, running through the field with his girls...and he gives the
pyr paw..just like our dogs...when he wants attention (which is often)
<g>.  I hope Joe will comment on the French judges and their
perference..I know he's had the good forture to saw both Mansecal and
Pecoult judge many times.  My feeling was that both Gardayan and the
young boys had their following with the judges and I also definitely got

the impression that, as here in the states, politicals can factor into
those choices.

About the other dogs there...on the whole, I think the bitches, as a
group, were better and more consistent....breathtakingly beautiful heads

on many of them.  I mentioned earlier about head differences....the
differences you see in head type isn't so much more or less stop or
heavier or slighter heads....there were not a lot of heavy heads but
rather some dogs with more brow ridge...not stop..but not that smooth,
smooth head.  And you would see some with round eyes...or a looser
lip..or less fill...or just rather homely but not really heavy or stoppy

heads.  As you know the dogs aren't groomed much before the show but you

could still see that most all of them had correct coat...wonderful,
course, flat laying coats.  You didn't see soft, fluffy coats there.
I was really impressed by the temperaments.  I saw very few shy
dogs...and only one male that was dog aggressive.  And I may be wrong
about this but my guess is that most of these dogs have not been overly
socialized..in the sense of being taken out and exposed to alot. And
most seemed to be very sound of mind...friendly..and laid back.  There
was one female there who was off leash the whole show...she wondered
about at will...she wondered thru the rings during judging..visited with

dogs being shown...she wondered in and out of the restrooms...and would
lay down for a nap when and whereever she felt like it.

I've rambled on enough.  It was a trip I had dreamed about for years and

it was almost a "spirtual" experience for me...it was all I had hoped it

would be and more.  I had often thought..if I could just do this one
time...but having done it once I know it's something I will do again and

again.  It was not terribly expensive and it really was not a problem
that we didn't speak French...I was worried about that but I worried for

nothing...the people were great...all were helpful...it was easy to get
around...the mountains are beautiful and I recommend that everyone goes
at least once.  It was truly a wonderful learning experience.

Janet Ingram