As usual I have a lot of thoughts!

HEAD AND BITE
The dandie shall have a scissor bite. To long nose, gives a weaker bite and to short nose gives a narrow bite. The scull shall be almost quadratic. Thin sculls and long noses, make the dandie lose his so special expression. He shall have a well placed strong neck.

CHEST
The chest shall be big and slightly rounded. A dog who looks like he has a football between his legs, has a to big and round chest. If it looks like he has his chest on the ground, it is to big and narrow. Both will be a problem for the dog to move easily. He will be too heavy in his front.

THE BACK shall be long and softly bowed over his hinds. We often see carp like backs. Carp like is when the bow starts on the shoulder and stops on his hind. In these cases the back loses its elasticity and will be a handicap. Carp like dogs that have it down their thighs, get their legs to far under themselves and can not push off enough. The back shall be long, but not like a dachshund. Weasel like has nothing to do with the length of the dog, but how the dog is constructed. Think about a bridge: To short and straight = Too stum. Too long = Too weak and swingy. Both will be a weakness instead of strength and can lead to different illnesses in the back.

THE TAIL shall not be too high. It is an extension of the back. To high tale, prevents the dog to get his hind legs enough under himself to push off correctly. Besides that it destroys the aesthetic soft backline of the dandie.

MOVEMENTS
It is sad to hear people talk about how much the dog kicks with his hind legs. You often hear: movements good from the side or, moves well from the back!?! A well constructed dandie shall give the impression of floating forward, with a good push off from his hind legs, he will move his weight backwards and just float. All heavy, short and tumbling front movements are wrong. A laid back shoulder with length gives the freedom of movements. A short straight shoulder, gives short and "locked up" movements. With other words, a correct shoulder and a well muscled thigh, in combination with a good backline gives the dandie his movements. A hunting dog has to be quick, the prey do not care how much the dandie kicks with his hinds.

FUR
In our "need" to get bigger and fuller topknots and more hair on the legs because it looks better in the show ring, we now have a problem with woolly furs, which is wrong. Think about: These dogs would probably freeze to their bones in the moist climate of the Scottish highlands. Someone once said, 1/3 wool and 2/3 hard fur. Imagine a wind and waterproof jacket filled with down. An excellent combination.

TOPKNOT AND EAR FRINGES
Some people think that the dandie looks like a clown. "In his decorations" as a judge once said..... Well, see before your eyes a situation with your dog fighting a badger. If you are lucky, the badger only bites in the fringes and topknot instead of in your friend. Smart, is it not?

TRIMMING has been on the wall for some time. Because it is not many professional trimmers in Sweden, we mostly trim our dogs ourselves. The dog shall of course look nice and trimmed in the show ring. But still, the judges have to know the breed standard well enough to understand the dandies’ construction, movements and quality of fur.

TEMPERAMENT
The dandies’ temperament has really fascinated me. He has the ability to, in one moment be open for anything and in the next, look like nothing can disturb him. I have never met a breed so sensitive and so tough at the same time (almost like a horse). He is intelligent and easy to train, he likes it in a big bunch, and allows his master to decide if he should hunt down the prey or not, without losing his pride or dignity. The dandie is not on his toes, or lazy!

I have still not met a dandie with a real bad temper!

The next time you see a dandie, take a good look. His thought through and aesthetic construction.

His scull, jaws and teeth. The strong neck, back, hind and thighs. The big paws with powerful claws. Listen to his dark bark.
THIS IS A PROMISE OF STRENGTH AND COURAGE!

Feel his soft topknot, look into his dark brown eyes, see the big black nose and feel his laid back and welcoming way.
THIS IS A PROMISE OF AFFECTION AND WARMTH!

There is nothing comical over a dandie. He is a perfect combination of beauty, intelligence and strength.

LET US TAKE GOOD CARE OF THAT!
Veronica