PORTUGUESE QUARTER DOGS AND LONG-HAIRED PUGS

By Margaret Dennis ©

As I drove into Clifton just after 9am on show day, the typically sleepy country town had come to life, brimming with the activity created by a multitude of people, cars, trucks, and the excitement of the day ahead.

People came from far and wide for the attempt to break the Guinness Record for the longest truck pull (which, by the way, was successful), some had come for the agricultural displays and animals, others were there for the horse events, and still more were there to experience the stalls, rides and displays of a country show. But I was not there for any of those. I was there for the dog show.

I took my 10-month-old Maremma, Luka, along so we could both get a taste of what was to come, having entered her in a couple of shows in the near future, and never having been to a dog show before.

We navigated our way around the town and into the showgrounds, and wended our way on a dusty trail past the cattle and other livestock on our left and the edge of the rides on our right until we came to the dog rings. As I was alighting from the car, Luka spotted another dog and began to bark … ardently. My first thought was one of dread, knowing what a rambunctious pup she could be and thinking she would prove difficult to control in a situation with so many dogs and people. However, I braved it and got her out of the car, then proceeded to the dog rings.

Within minutes, Luka went from being a plucky, fearless protector to a subdued, docile and obedient pup. I tried to hide my shock and walked proudly among the crowds of people and dogs as though this was her normal behaviour.

Weaving our way through the crowded ring-side in search of some friends who had invited us along, we stopped to speak with a few of the dogs and their people. I was surprised at the number of people there, not to mention the number of dogs. The variety of breeds was also amazing and ranged from the smallest of breeds, the Chihuahua, to one of the largest breeds, the Bull Mastiff, with just about everything in between. There were Afghans and Airedales, Beagles and Bassets, Collies and Cavaliers, Poodles and Pomeranians, Malamutes and Maltese, Schnauzers, Shepherds and Shelties, but no Maremmas.

The dog showing was a bit of mystery to me at first, but Sandra patiently explained the basics of how things worked and the different classifications of dogs. I watched how the dogs were shown in the rings; how they were run and stacked, and what the different judges expected of the dogs. Sandra told me what sort of things the judges were looking for and the way this varied from breed to breed.

I continued my observations, talking to Luka and telling her it would soon be her turn in the ring. We chatted to one and all, and petted, with the owner’s permission, many of the different breeds. We watched the way owners of the various breeds prepared their beauties in the hope of winning. The grooming, clipping, preening and the application of doggy products to make the hair sit this way or that, continued throughout the day.

After a few hours, I decided to get a bite to eat and was pleased I didn’t have to walk too far with Luka in tow. I had just arrived back at Sandra’s tent, Sandra and her friend Sue having gone into the rings with their dogs, when Gloria and her family arrived. They suggested I eat my hamburger while they took a walk around.

Pointing them out, I told Gloria to be sure to stop by and have a look at the long-haired Pugs. I told her of my amazement as I had no idea there was such a thing. Their cages were just across the way from us and there were two short-haired Pugs in the lower tier of the cage and the long-haired Pugs above. Gloria gave me a strange look as she walked away nodding, too polite to say what she must have been thinking.

Sandra and Sue arrived back at the tent and I made a comment about these long-haired Pugs, pointing them out as I did so. Sandra smiled broadly and Sue, before splitting her sides laughing, told me I was way out … there is no such thing as a long-haired Pug. The dogs on the top tier of the cage were in fact Pekingese!

Gloria and her family arrived back from their walk and laughed along with me when I told them about the long-haired Pugs.

So that was lesson number one.

My second lesson came later in the day when I was observing the larger dogs being put through their paces. A dog came into the ring that looked very much like a Poodle, but it was too short for a Standard and too tall for a Toy; it was clipped in a similar fashion to a Poodle, yet stockier in build. I thought I heard it called a Portuguese Quarter Dog. “Hmm,” I thought, “that’s seems a strange name … Quarter Dog”. Still, perhaps it was called thus due to the way it was clipped, with its hindquarters shaved bare.

Back at the tent, I ventured to ask my mentor about this breed and was rather coy about it after my earlier mistake. Again the pair roared laughing as they corrected me. It was not a Portuguese Quarter Dog, but a Portuguese Water Dog!

With so much to learn about the different breeds, the decision to keep my mouth shut and my thoughts to myself was an easy one to make. Still, the show did stand us in good stead for our entry to competition the following week, where, despite our lack of knowledge and practice, Luka managed to win Best of Breed, and Best Puppy in Group in the Championship, and Reserve in the Open competition – just as well the judges know what they are looking for.