"The entry was limited numerically, but in a time of austerity , this was understandable owing to the distance to Edinburgh for most exhibitors, expense of accommodation, fuel and the clash with the World Show. Thank you to all exhibitors who made the journey for a most enjoyable day and for your sporting acceptance of my decisions. Thank you also to my two excellent stewards and to the unfailingly helpful Show Committee who had their hands full dealing with bad weather for the first two days .

I always look for excellence, and try to be positive in my assessments, looking at the whole dog. Some faults I forgave in otherwise balanced quality dogs. I do not believe in allowing minor faults to cloud and prejudice judgement. Other faults were more serious and could not be overlooked - incorrect heads, weak construction, poor movement, lack of bone.

One of the issues that troubles me most, is the change which is taking place in the head balance of the breed. I was struggling in many classes to find dogs with the correct curvature of skull and eyebrow ridges which give a kind, gentle, sweet expression with correctly set small, dark, almond shaped eyes. There were dogs and bitches with light large loose eyes and a hard expression. There were dogs with really long narrow muzzles which swept back into narrow skulls with minimal stop. There were dogs with overdone massive heads, abrupt deep stops and jowly cheeks, which completely alters the kind Newfoundland expression. Unfortunately the overdone head, seen widely in certain lines in the USA and in some European kennels based on American lines, is becoming common here in certain kennels, and even worse, is being rewarded by high placings in the show ring. These heads are not correct – a Newfoundland should not have a St. Bernard or Mastiff shaped head. If you look at a Newfoundland's head, you should NOT be looking at jowls, cheek wrinkles, squashed foreface or loose red eyes surrounded by superfluous skin. Please read the Breed Standard, which states: 'Head broad and RELATIVELY large, ... NO DECIDED STOP, muzzle short, clean cut and rather square. ...'. Head type which tends towards brachycephaly (think Mastiff) is totally incorrect in the Newfoundland and is a health risk, leading to respiratory problems, snoring, panting, drooling and excessive wrinkling of the skin. Eyes are still a problem – especially entropion and ectropian, caused by excessive skin wrinkling on the head. Deep set loose eyes can lead to ingrowing eyelashes and conjunctivitis and this is a debilitating painful problem which we need to be aware of. The Kennel Club has drawn Breed Clubs' attention to eye problems in the breed and has expressed growing concern, so we need to be very careful that Newfoundlands do not end up being added to the list of High Profile Breeds which are required to undergo Best of Breed veterinary checks at Championship Shows. There are some Newfoundlands currently winning which do not have the head shape described in the Breed Standard. Breeders should be looking critically at whether the heads they are producing are correctly balanced. Once we lose the kind gentle expression, with such a small gene pool, breeders will struggle to regain it.

In general I looked for dark, well set, almond shaped eyes with close fitting eyelids and minimal haw. There were a few light eyes which spoil expression, but in an overall good dog I made allowances as long as the eye and brow ridges were correctly shaped and the balance between muzzle, stop and crown of head was correct.

Besides incorrect heads, I believe that there are other matters of concern that need to be addressed. There is no question that there are still some incorrectly sized dogs and bitches – flashy small males and tall unbalanced dogs, long in leg but with insufficient depth of brisket. There were a few huge masculine bitches which were too doggified for me and looked like males. I like big bitches, so it is not the size I disliked. But I look for femininity especially in the head and expression of a bitch. Bitches should be so pretty and have that quality of real sweetness in the eyes. I agree with a well respected senior judge of the breed who said a Newfie bitch should have 'the face of an angel and the body of a fishwife'. Such a good description! And both dogs and bitches should look like they can work.

It is more important to look for type, quality, balance, correct confirmation and sound movement than penalise a dog for a slightly imperfect bite or a cosmetic colour fault. I was particularly looking for typy Newfoundlands, strong in the features laid down in the Breed Standard as being characteristic of the breed. A Newfoundland should not be an elegant flashy showman – it is instead a dog of great substance and power with massive bone. Size and strength are absolutely essential in both dogs and bitches, and I was looking for dogs, which looked as if they could perform the functions for which they were bred – draught and life saving work in water. I was delighted that a number of dogs and bitches met these demanding criteria and well deserved high placings.

Dignified, majestic, noble and powerful, the Newfoundland should be well muscled and be able to move with great strength and stamina. The Standard states 'Impresses with strength and great activity'.

I penalised major faults such as lack of size, weak bone, incorrect open coats, lack of balance and symmetry. It is important to remember that the massive size, heavy coat, huge bone and strength were essential to withstand the extreme climate of Newfoundland while pulling heavy loads on land or in water. This is a giant working breed; a Newfoundland is not a flat-coated retriever. The emphasis should be on WORKING. Dogs that have weak hindquarters do not cover ground efficiently, and lack the driving power for pulling loads and swimming. A powerful rear structure is of prime importance in a Newfoundland, so I set great store on correct forward driving movement from strong muscular hindquarters.

Some dogs were narrow in bone in their front legs and appeared unbalanced. Others were weak behind and threw their hocks, failing to converge on a single line during movement. It was impossible to see clean pads from behind in certain dogs which struggled to complete two ring circuits, holding up other exhibits. Straight stifles were also a problem in some dogs, making their gait stilted. Short upper arms are still common and there were a number of dogs whose forelegs were not parallel and straight with elbows fitting closely to the sides. A few dogs had east-west fore feet which could not be disguised during front movement and when coming to a stop. Short tails and narrow chests were also common. Also noticeable is an increase in slab sided dogs with inadequate spring of rib. And long necks might be fine in Loch Ness, but not in a Newfoundland!

Mouths were generally good, and I was delighted with the wonderful temperaments displayed by all dogs entered. Sweetness of temperament must surely be the most important single characteristic of the breed, to be guarded at all costs.

Finally I wish to comment on coat presentation. The majority of dogs were clean and the top winners were immaculate. However, some were dirty and had obviously not been groomed fully. I do not appreciate feeling knots and tangles under the tail or armpits. Why show a dog (which is expensive) yet not prepare the dog properly? Some dogs were out of coat, which is not a fault , as long as the dog's coat is clean. Tidying of excess hair is acceptable, body shaping is not. This is a working breed, a water breed, which requires a deep dense oily water- resistant coat to function correctly. This habit of poodlefying Newfoundlands has detracted from the essential and most basic nature of the breed and what it stands for and should be resisted."