Irish Wolfhound Clubs
of NSW, SA & Qld

IWCNSW 2024 Specialty Judge’s Critique By Jamie Souza Bartlett 

Thank you very much for inviting me to judge your 2024 specialty. Thank you to my steward for taking excellent care of me and to the entire show committee for your hospitality. My entire trip was a pleasure! Very special thanks and extreme gratitude for the beautiful painting of my mom. I know she touched a lot of people’s lives, and I really appreciate having such a wonderful piece of art that captures her essence so perfectly. I will always treasure it. As I noted in my ringside words, I feel your top dogs could compete with the best anywhere in the world. That is one thing I love and appreciate about Irish Wolfhounds…we do not have regional variances in type. Excellent examples of the breed can win in any location. This is also helpful when incorporating foreign dogs into your breeding program, as we do not need to sacrifice type in order to bring in out blood. Our breed is very lucky in that respect. On the day, here’s how I saw it:

Puppy Dog

1) Wulfgar Strong Protector A houndy young man with a lot of leg underneath him. Beautiful head with excellent length of muzzle and balance to back skull. Excellent pigment. Strong bite. Very shapely in a “teen” package. Good depth of chest with a well-drawn up belly. Perfect topline both standing and when in motion. Nice rear angles without being overdone. I would prefer to see his front stationing set back a touch and would give him a bit more flex of pastern, but none of this stopped him on the move. He is an easy active mover, light on his feet with beautiful extension from the side. True coming and going. His effortless gait while holding a greyhound like outline is what earned him the Challenge on the day. Lovely puppy.

2) Wulfgar Tadhg A nice well bodied red wheaten boy. Lovely crisp coat. Pleasing head and expression with excellent pigment. Balanced in his angles. Good rear movement. A little rambunctious on the move causing him to throw his front and his tail was getting happy. He too could be better stationed in front and have a better pastern.

Junior Dog

1) Wulfgar Cuan at Clarionvale A very handsome brindle dog of excellent type. Another beautiful headpiece with dark eyes and pigment. Excellent ears. Good balance of leg length to body. Nice smooth lines with a good tuck-up and topline. Nicely made through the croup with a beautiful long tail. Excellent coat. I would prefer to see the front set back a little more and a bit more length of upper arm. While nice and smooth on his legs, his front was coming at me a little pinched. I suspect this will improve with age as his front bodies up.

2) Wulfgar Cagney A tall brindle boy. Excellent length of leg. Nice length of muzzle. Perfect ears. He is stationed too far forward, and in his case, this causes him to fall off in the rear.

Intermediate Dog

1) Callarapaws Crazy in Love Tall light brindle boy with excellent balance of leg length to body. Good coat texture. Standing a little straighter fore and aft at this age but balanced. He won the class due to his ability to reach and drive on the side.

2) CH Wulfgar Corbin Dallas While I preferred the overall type of this dog, he was unable to get his front out of gear. Handsome head topped with good ears. Balanced moderate curves with nothing overdone. Low hocks, Good coat. Stationed rather forward in front with a straighter pastern.

Australian Bred Dog

1) AUST CH Lovellen Lord Grayson Manor A very handsome dark boy with beautiful type points. Clean and shown in beautiful condition. Wonderful head with a deep soulful expression. Excellent balance of muzzle to back skull, great pigment and textbook ears. Lovely depth of chest and tuck up. Excellent front assembly. I would put a touch more leg underneath him, and I wish he was stronger over his loin. This subtle weakness of back carried through to the move, affecting his croup and tail carriage. His overall type carried him to the win.

2) SUP CH MacLaomainn Derrys Dream An honest wheaten dog. Very pleasing head and expression with dark eyes and excellent pigment. Perfect bite. Fantastic wheaten coat and presented in clean condition. Sound coming and going and moves easy on the side. Not a big dog but balanced in curves fore and aft. A little straighter in curves than the dog that placed before him and his tail was getting a little rambunctious on the move. 3) Ornumflow Easy Rider A tall brindle boy with plenty of leg underneath him. Long strong neck. Good rise over the loin. Standing straighter in front with less rear angulation than the boys that placed ahead of him. He was a little all over the place on his legs on the day.

Open Dog

1) CH Wulfgar Tallow at Clarionvale Big upstanding dog with excellent length of leg, bone and substance. Nice rear angulation with a good strong thigh and second thigh. Excellent coat. He is a bit wider in the back skull and I would prefer a better bite. He is stationed forward in his front and was almost starting to knuckle over on the day. This did not allow him to move as freely as I like to see.

2) Wulfgar Austen of Shalico A red wheaten boy with leg underneath him. Good pigment and ears. Nice deep chest. Okay moving away but tracking wide coming at me. His rise starts at the center of his back rather than over the loin.

Challenge Dog: Wulfgar Strong Protector

Reserve Challenge Dog: Wulfgar Cuan at Clarionvale

Puppy Bitch

1) Wulfgar Liadan A leggy puppy girl who looks like she just dropped her puppy coat. Nice length of muzzle. Good pigment and dark eyes. Well drawn up belly and good feet. She is stationed a bit too far forward and at this stage her rear is overdriving her front reach. This straighter front is also causing her to fall away to her rear so she is sloping on the move.

Junior Bitch

1) CH MacLaomainn Evie A shapely young girl with a pleasing head and expression. Excellent pigment. Good ears. I would refine her back skull a bit. Nice deep belly and gentle rise over the loin. Balanced and moderate in her angles which should come in beautifully as she ages. She moved the best in the class, easy and active on the go while holding her shape. She had a bit of wrist action coming at me but was sound.

2) Sandrack Naughty Noir A nice dark bitch. Good length of muzzle, dark pigment and eyes. Nice coat. Deep belly with good underline. I would put a touch more leg underneath her. She was not wanting to put out on the go and ended up grabbing with her front rather than extending.

3) Shannonsrun Flaming Star A tall upstanding brindle bitch. Good pigment, dark eyes. Ears flat on the day. Good legs coming and going. This bitch is overly long in loin and a little straighter in front, so was A-framing on the stand. This extra length also made her look a little disjointed when moving from the side.

Intermediate Bitch Beautiful class.

1) CH Nuala Caer Dallben A gorgeous type bitch of high quality. Excellent balance of length of leg to body as well as bone and substance. Fantastic coat. Beautiful head and expression. Lovely head planes. Dark eyes, perfect ears and ear set and good bite. Her curves were balanced with nothing overdone. Excellent front assembly with length and return of upper arm. Shoulders well laid back. This gave her the long powerful neck that I love to see. Her curves were seamless and she had a beautiful under and top line. Good legs coming and going and an easy and active mover on the side, opening up her gait and holding her greyhound shape. Lovely bitch and ultimately chosen Best In Show.

2) CH Tirowen Cynder Another very high quality bitch of lovely type. Beautiful head and eye with a deep soulful expression. Dark pigment. Excellent coat. Good coming and going and free mover from the side. Houndy in make and very feminine. I would love to shorten her loin a tiny bit, and she is stationed slightly more forward in front which gave the first place bitch the edge on the day.

3) AUS CH Wulfsidhe Alva Another pretty girl with plenty of leg. Lovely head capped with nice tight rose ears. Nice coat. Excellent depth and breadth of chest. Curvy. She just was not giving out on the side as well as the girls that placed ahead of her.

Australian Bred Bitch

1) Wulfgar Sovrastare A brindle bitch who won this class based on her balance of length of leg to body. Good bone and substance. Coat good. Her head is a little blockier but it does suit her overall balance. I would like to see a tough more rise over the loin and she is a little straighter in her angles.

2) CH Mionlach Flidais Wheaten bitch with dark pigment and eyes. Good underline with adequate bone and substance. She is a touch too long and flat in loin, and I would prefer to see her with a few less pounds. Open Bitch

1) CH Wulfgar Velma A lovely dark bitch with nice easy active movement when viewed form the side. Good coat. Pretty head with balanced length of muzzle to back skull. Good ears. Balanced angles front and rear. I would like to see a little more leg underneath her.

1) CH Wulfgar Kaisu Another very pretty bitch with plenty of leg underneath her. Good bone and substance. Beautiful headpiece with excellent ears. Dark pigment. Excellent coat. Rises a little forward of the loin and carries a lot of rise. This was more evident on the move and kept her from placing higher in the class.

2) Shannonsrun My Clementine Pleasing head and expression. Dark eyes and pigment. Shapely but needs more air underneath her. She was carrying too much weight so while exhibiting power when she moved, she tended to “roll” and her legs coming and going were not as good as the bitches that placed ahead of her. Challenge Bitch: CH Nuala Caer Dallben

Reserve Challenge Bitch: CH Tirowen Cynder

Best In Show: CH Nuala Caer Dallben

Runner-up to Best In Show: CH Tirowen Cynder

Best Puppy in Show: Wulfgar Strong Protector

Best Junior in Show: CH MacLaomainn Evie

Best Intermediate In Show: CH Nuala Caer Dallben

Best Australian Bred In Show: AUST CH Lovellen Lord Grayson Manor

Best Open In Show: CH Wulfgar Velma

Pines Trophy: Wulfgar Strong Protector