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Dive into Australian dog shows through a judge’s eyes—breeds, formats, and the unique Down Under canine experience.
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Before the COVID outbreak, I was invited by the Weimaraner Club of Victoria and the Hungarian Vizsla Club of Greater Victoria to judge their upcoming 2020 Specialties in Melbourne, Australia. Needless to say, the COVID situation changed those plans. Melbourne, Australia, was one of the last places in the world to open back up and allow visitors to come back in.
With the country back open, I was again invited to officiate at their September 2023 events. Along with those invitations, Carol and I both received an invitation from Adrian Adams to judge the Queensland Gundog Association show the week before, in Brisbane.
International judging assignments are always exciting as they allow us to see not only the dogs but also how the shows are run in other countries. The added benefit to this trip was our ability to also stay and travel to several areas and enjoy the beauty of Australia.
Australian shows generally follow the FCI model with a few exceptions. First, there are no “Specials” or “Champion Only” classes. In each breed, the dogs and bitches are judged separately just as we do in the States. However, all compete for one “Challenge Winner,” so it is possible to have a Champion entered in every class. Once the classes are judged, the winners of each class come back in for the awarding of the “Challenge Certificate.”
International judging assignments are always exciting as they allow us to see not only the dogs but also how the shows are run in other countries
Following that award, the second-place dog from the class of the winner returns for the awarding of “Reserve,” just as in our country. The same process is done for the bitches. After the completion of bitches, the dog and bitch then compete for Best of Breed, and once selected, the Reserve to the Best of Breed winner returns for the Reserve Best of Breed. So, it is possible for both the Best of Breed and Reserve to be of the same sex; there is no Best of Opposite Sex.
Following breed judging, all the Breed winners compete for Best in Group (or in the case of the Queensland Gundog Association show, Best in Show). After the Best in Group is selected, the Reserve Best of Breed winner of that breed comes back in to also compete for Reserve Best in Group. The only placements at the show were Best in Group and Reserve Best in Group, with no other placements offered.
I was also told that each state may have slight variations on the Group and Best in Show placements.
In Australia, “Cocker Spaniels” are the equivalent of our English Cockers, and our Cocker Spaniels compete all together as “American Cocker Spaniels.” At the Gundog show, my Best of Breed winner was a young, solid-black Cocker Spaniel, Madanwitt Five and Dime, owned by Mrs. M. Hewitt, who was later selected by Carol as her Group/Best in Show winner. Runner-Up in Show was the Hungarian Vizsla, Aust. Ch. Elettears Insugent, owned by M. & A. Richards, D. Winch and P. Johnson, from the Intermediate Dog Class.
The Queensland dog people also own and share a magnificent facility that is an extremely well-maintained and well-lighted show grounds. Since the weather there is very similar to that of Florida, all of the shows were held outdoors, with some under the lights in the evening when the temperature is cooler. The show was held on a Friday evening and started at 4:00 p.m. and was over before 9:00 p.m. They also have a great clubhouse with a full commercial kitchen and plenty of room for meetings and other club functions.
Following our judging, we were able to enjoy the City of Brisbane for a couple of days. Brisbane is a very beautiful and clean city with a great waterfront area near the river. It is a city full of people walking everywhere, and the restaurants and clubs were bustling every day. We had a chance to visit the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary where a fantastic collection of native Australian wildlife is cared for. It was a great experience as we were up close and personal with koalas, kangaroos, wallabies, reptiles, and native birds and other species. We were also able to visit the Opal Museum and learn about the mining of these gems from a very desolate area of the country.
Adrian and his wonderful wife and family were great hosts and they took us to the Gold Coast where we were able to spend a few days. While there, not only were we able to enjoy the beach, we had an opportunity to go whale watching where we were lucky enough to come upon several different pods, with the largest being five of these magnificent creatures. Not far from the Gold Coast, about an hour and a half into the mountains, was the subtropical rainforest which was another treat to see the unusual flora of the area. In some ways it reminded us of the Great Smoky Mountains, but it had so many unique trees, flowers, and waterfalls.
From the Gold Coast, Adrian again took us to the airport to catch our flight to Melbourne.
Melbourne is also a very busy city full of people walking everywhere. One of the most interesting things about all three cities we visited is the use of public transportation, which is extremely inexpensive, or in the case of the Melbourne city loop, free for travelers. It sure makes getting around safe, efficient, and very low-to-no cost.
Another unique feature is that in Australia, there is generally “no tipping” suggested or expected.
In Melbourne, we had a chance to visit both the zoo and the aquarium, and both were great. The zoo had several great exhibits. They had an amazing number of giant tortoises, a great elephant breeding program, and sea lions, little blue penguins, meerkats, monkeys, apes, and reptiles as well as so many other great exhibits to see. The layout was circular and easy to navigate for viewing the various exhibits.
In Australia, the children go to school year-round, with several 2-4 week breaks during the year. During the two weeks of our visit it was “spring break,” as September is the spring down under and our winter is their summer.
I have visited several aquariums in my life, but the penguin exhibit at the Sea Life Melbourne Aquarium is truly one to see; a great exhibit filled with the King and Gentoo species. They were fun to watch and so entertaining, and since it was breeding season, watching them setting up their nests was a different experience.
Along with the penguins, there were numerous exhibits of sealife throughout. They have a unique breeding program of Leafy and Weedy Sea Dragons as well as seahorses and other delicate and majestic related species. You will find jellyfish and sharks, crocodiles, starfish, tropical reef fish species and other ocean species, rays, and sawfish, as well as numerous rainforest creatures.
You will also find the Queens Market in Melbourne where a variety of goods, souvenirs, and authentic Australian goods can be found along with fresh meat, vegetables, and other produce and foodstuffs.
On Saturday, we traveled to the KCC Park State Dog Centre, the showgrounds for the canine community in Melbourne. This facility sits on over 70 acres and is owned by the dog community, just like the one in Brisbane. The facility is fantastic. Like Brisbane, it has well-lit, permanent outdoor ring set-ups. The difference here is, since the weather is different,
it also has a huge indoor arena as well as a kitchen, clubhouse, a huge library, and a very large and interesting dog museum. I was told the grounds are in use from 40 to 50 weekends per year. It is a site all of us would love to own.
One interesting item I was told about is that the Australian government in the area has jurisdiction over the shows when it comes to weather and the cancellation of shows. I was told that when the temperature reaches a certain high, THE SHOW MUST BE CANCELLED. Just like cancellations in the US, there are no refunds of fees and, in such cases, the kennel clubs have absolutely no say in the decision.
On Saturday, the Hungarian Vizsla Club of Victoria held its specialty. I had a great entry of high-quality Vizslas and found my Best of Breed in the Veterans Class where Supreme Ch. Dual Ch. (T) Graebrook Kausin Kaos ET, owned by Julie & Craig Wills of Graebrook Kennels, put on a spectacular show and took the top honor. The Challenge Bitch came from the Puppy Class, Goldchief Nymeria, owned by L. Schultze. The runner-up Best in Show also came from the Puppy Dog Class, Graebrook Mr. Fahrenheit, owned by Jill & Craig Wills, while the runner-up Challenge Bitch was the Australian-bred Graebrook Sins Of A Rouge (AI), also owned by the Wills.
At the specialties, I was asked to critique the top three in each class. Although critiquing is not something we do here and it does take a little time, I think it helped to give insight into what I was looking for in coming to my decisions. I can’t thank Cinnamon Clark, Julie Wills, and my Ring Steward, Pauline Grutzner, enough for all their
kind hospitality.
Sunday was the Weimaraner Club of Victoria Specialty and it was different for me because Long-Haired Weimaraners are also an accepted breed in Australia. I found the Longhairs to be quite appealing and of very good quality. It was a nice entry and I was told the Melbourne Royal was also taking place, but the entries at the specialty were larger in both coats than the entry at the Royal. I found a great depth of quality throughout the entry. I was very impressed with the overall soundness in the breed as well as the conditioning.
My Challenge Winner in Longhairs came from the Australian Bred Class. He was a striking male, Aust. Grand Ch. Waldwiese Same But Different, owned by Anne Haverkamp. He is a very well-balanced dog with a great tail carriage, good movement, and proper breed type. This dog was also Runner-Up Best in Show.
My Weimaraner (Shorthair) Challenge Winner, and ultimate Best in Show winner, came from the Open Bitch Class, Supreme Ch. CIB Ch. Weissenberg Flirtyn With Fire AI (IMP NZ), owned by C. Wright & K. White. This is a lovely bitch; she exudes breed-type, she has a beautiful headpiece, great balance, and a gorgeous tail set, and she is so clean coming and going while also displaying reach and drive that is close to perfect. She has a wonderful forechest, a good topline, and is every bit a Weimaraner bitch. Suzanne Thomson and Sharon Sabbatini were fantastic hosts. Sharon was so great in helping us prepare all of our documents and being sure we had no problems in planning our trip.
Another interesting note about Australian dog shows is that they do not allow “professional” handlers, so most exhibits are handled by the owners or friends or co-owners.
Following the show on Monday, Suzanne took us on a trip around Melbourne Beach and other areas. We visited “Luna Park,” which is a small area amusement park much like New York’s Coney Island in its younger days. The park is home to the “Great Scenic Railway,” a roller coaster built in 1912 to mirror the original which was built in 1903 at Coney Island. The coaster is now the only roller coaster remaining from that time period and is the only existing example of brakeman-operated carriages in the world.
Another interesting note about Australian dog shows is that they do not allow “professional” handlers, so most exhibits are handled by the owners or friends or co-owners.
This was our first time visiting and judging “Down Under” and it was truly a memorable trip, filled with great experiences and wonderful dogs. A huge thank you to all the clubs and people who made it great.
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