At a recent show, a break in stewarding gave me the opportunity to observe the Löwchen judging. With no interest or connection to any of the entries, no preferences nor prejudices, let's just say I was totally open-minded. Yet, as I watched the first entry into the ring, it registered as an immediate disqualification. Why? It was so obviously trimmed, scissored and sculptured that there was no doubt it transcended the perimeters set down by the standard. Our standard says a Löwchen may be clipped to effect the lion cut that has been part of the breed for over 600 years, but it may not be trimmed nor scissored. That means clippers are used on the rear from the last rib down to the hock, on the front legs from elbow to pastern and on the feet. But scissoring any of the remaining coat is verboten. The reasoning is quite clear. Lions don't visit grooming salons or beauty parlors. The full fall of hair over the mane, forequarters, "stockings" on the front and rear legs and the tip of the tall should remain "au natural" and even a bit scraggly. That's how lions look.

The disqualification is there for a good reason. Löwchen breeders and those with the best interests of the breed at heart would like to see the breed remain just what it's supposed to be - a lion in miniature. Why in the world should it be shaped and sculptured into a Poodle Wannabe? That's not its heritage. It's supposed to be a little lion, not a little topiary bush.

But unfortunately, this disqualification presents a dilemma for many judges. First, how do you say for certain that a dog has been scissored? Artfully done, it may not be easily proven. However, in this case, it was positively blatant. And next comes the question, what if the scissored and sculpted dog is superior to its naturally presented competition? Trimming is, after all, a man-made fault. Hair grows. Steep shoulders, cow hocks, roach backs and the like do not improve with age. Is it better to reward a dog with a man-inflicted fault than one with a fault bestowed by nature? Tough question.

And yet, by conferring Winners status to a trimmed and sculpted dog, the judge inadvertently sends out the message that such a practice is okay and should be rewarded. Exhibitors, and especially those new to a breed, are quick to jump on the bandwagon and reason "if sculpted dogs win, then to win, I must sculpt my Löwchen." Wrong! (we can only hope). 

If the trimming is allowed to continue unpunished, it will only escalate. And when that happens, the day will come when people will be asking...

"How come there are three Poodles in the Non-Sporting group?" 



Written by Alice Bixler and published in the AKC GAZETTE June 2005
Email: alicejb@att.net

* A past president of the Löwchen Club of America Alice Bixler has been involved with purebred dogs since the late 1950's with an interest in the Löwchen since 1981, acquiring her first Löwchen in the early 1990's. Alice is AKC licensed to judge several breeds, including the Löwchen.