NATIONAL DOG SHOW

Judges Critiques

Miss Kirstie FORSTER

Judging: Dogue De Bordeaux, Working Group

Birmingham National Dog Show 10th May 2026 Dogue De Bordeaux

I was honoured to be invited to award my first set of CC’s in this super breed, I found the exhibits in the main to be clean and smelling fresh, I also found temperaments good, I had no difficulties judging any of the dogs that came under me today, there were none that showed any nervousness which is very encouraging.

Thank you to all those who entered and took my placings well.

Class JD (1 Entries) Abs: 0
1st: JONES, Mrs Kerry - Willsanburg Zero Fox Given- This 17 month old male is a good sized male who shows strength throughout, he scores well in head and retains just the right amount of wrinkle, he stands on well boned limbs, he could be a tad stronger in front pasterns but he is at an age where this is acceptable and should improve, he has such strength of neck, its well-muscled and flows well into his broad shoulders, he holds a strong top line both static and moving, he has good width to his chest but again due to age he still needs to drop into his depth a bit more, he is well angulated front and rear and he has strong well-muscled thighs and stands on decent feet, his movement was steady and positive but he could reach a tad more in front on side profile, although a bit of a fidget he stood well for examination.

Class PGD (2 Entries) Abs: 0
1st: MOTT, Mrs G-  Bourgeoisie Chase N'status – Almost 2 and a half year old male of lovely type, he scores well in head with a good width of skull which is complimented by his width of muzzle, his eyes are pleasing and he has a good underjaw giving that typical expression, when viewed from the front he displays a good strong front assembly with strong straight limbs and a good width of chest, he could have a tad more depth in chest but he is still maturing, he held a reasonable topline and has good strength in his rear, he could benefit from a tad more angulation at the rear but his thighs are well muscled and his hocks strong, he presented a nice shape in silhouette on the move but I did feel he stepped a tad high in front at times, presented in good body tone and a clean jacket.

2nd: SHEPPARD, Miss Debbie -  Parker Bernaux De Picardi At Khadeaux (Imp Pol) This male at just over 2 years of age did score over 1 for his rear angulation but I felt 1 had a more typical head, this male was for me a little too wrinkled on his head, he has a good width of chest and a good strong neck, he could stand a bit straighter on the front, he has a slight ten to two tendency currently but again he is just a young dog,  he does stand on good feet and has good strength in body and he did move really nicely giving a balanced foot fall with good reach in front and ample drive at the rear, presented on good order throughout.

Class LD (2 Entries) Abs: 0
1st: BARTON, Dr Amanda & MORAN, Mr Charles - Aibrean Liam JW- This 19 month old male impressed me a lot, I really liked him, he is a good strong male, has plenty of bone and substance throughout, on the move he is steady and he has such super foot fall, the only thing that would do him well is a tad more enthusiasm, whilst I am not looking for a DDB to be whizzing round the ring I did just want that tad more power from him which I think would be there if he was a tad more enthused, I could however not look past his breed quality’s and he really deserved the RCC today, he has a super head piece, his skull is broad and has the desired rounding to the sides, his ears are neat and sit well to his cheeks and add to the width of his head, his muzzle is broad and well balanced with his skull and he has reasonable eyes, he has a good neck and it flows into well placed shoulders, his chest is deep and with good width, static his top line could be stronger, but that changes when he moves and he holds a much stronger top line on the move, he was presented in a clean jacket, certainly one I will watch with interest. 

2nd: LEONARD, Mrs Kirsha & LEONARD, Mr Mark - Bearox Jackpot -  This male is also one I liked very much, both these young males scored over each other with some of their attributes and will easily change places another day, This male at 2 and a half has a pleasing head and I felt he did score over 1 for eye shape and how nice and clean his eyes are, he also held a firmer top line when static, I felt he did not quite match 1 for his width and depth in chest and I felt he could have a little more width in thigh, he does have a lovely strong neck and super width across his withers and rump and he stands on strong straight well boned limbs and good feet, he presented a lovely shape in profile on the move,  I found he was a tad close in the rear going away but his hocks are strong and do push him round with a good driving action, he was presented in super muscle tone and a squeaky clean and gleaming jacket which also smelled lovely.


Class OD (5 Entries) Abs: 1
1st: BAMFORTH, Mrs Lindsey - Ch Bellamiabam Ragnar – This male is still a young dog at only a few months over 2 years of age and although not the biggest of males height wise, he is such a powerful male and displays such strength throughout, looking at him front on he has a super head piece with such a well-balanced skull to muzzle ratio and he has the most appealing expression and the strength in his under jaw is so evident, his width and depth of chest is spot on and he stands on such strong bone, when you move to the side his neck is strong and meets his body with a unified thickness, his shoulders are well laid back and he has a good return to his upper arm, he is well ribbed and they reach well back giving plenty of heart and lung room, his loin is strong and has great depth, his front pasterns have just the right amount of flex that on the move he has power as he pushes off, but also a light foot fall giving him a smoothness to his movement, when I viewed him from the rear and you look down from his rump to his back to his neck he is spot on and also has that slight waist that shows he is at the optimum weight, if I wanted to be picky I would have liked just a tad more turn in his stifle but the width and muscle are there, he holds his top line both static and moving, his movement has that added umph in performance that the limit male was lacking in, I had no hesitation in awarding him the CC, he was just pipped to BOB by the beautiful open bitch winner and I later found out she is his mother, huge well done to breeders and owners.

 
2nd: MOTT, Ms Lisa - Bourgeoisie Above N'beyond – This 4 and a half year old male was such a super moving dog, he has super reach and drive and covers the ground with ease, he scores well in head, he has good width in skull and is well balanced in muzzle, his ears sit well and I noted he has a super nose with good open nares, he has good strength in his neck and well placed shoulders, his top line is typical for the breed and his croup and tail set are good, he has super rear angulation and although this is also the case with his front angles I did find him to be a tad weak in the front pasterns but this did not show when he is on the move, but I did take this into consideration when awarding the RCC,  he was presented in excellent order for muscle tone and also for coat condition.

3rd: BILLIS, Miss M & MAY, Miss A - Ch Vegas V D Madroelhoeve (imp Nld)

Class JB (1 Entries) Abs: 0
1st: JONES, Mrs Kerry - Willsanburg It Is What It Is – 17 month old who is Litter sister to the junior male winner, she has the most appealing head which has good strength yet retains feminine features, her chest has good width and also plenty of depth and she has a strong neck and well placed shoulders, her top line could be a tad stronger but she is still a junior, her rear angles compliment her front angles well and she has good width of thigh and a good broad rump, she stands on well boned limbs but I just felt she would benefit from a bit more length of leg to give an overall more balanced outline, she moved nicely and had good strength in her hocks moving away.

Class PGB (5 Entries) Abs: 0
1st: BIGGS, Miss Kirsty & HARRISON, Mr Brian & HARRISON - Cerisier Got To Have Faith – This young bitch had one of the strongest top lines of the day, which contributed to a super outline when stacked, she scores well in head which has good balance of skull to muzzle ratio’s, she displays a good stop and a really clean eye, her skull is nicely rounded and her checks well muscled and her ears sit nice and close to them, she has the desired amount but no excess wrinkle, she has good strength in neck and her shoulders are well placed and her return of upper arm is matched well, her loin is like her top line, good and strong and her tail is set on well, she has super muscle tone on the rear and she produced a super gait in side profile but I felt she was a little close in front coming and in rear going away, she was presented in a squeaky clean jacket and super conditioning throughout.

2nd: POWELL, Mrs Amanda & POWELL, Mr Steve - Bourgeoisie Here Comes Edna- This 4 and a half year old bitch is full of type, she has a beautiful classic head piece, her expression shouts DDB and really made me smile, her view from front on is also classic, you can see she is so solid in bone and she stands with such a solid frame, when you view her from behind the width is just where it should be at every point, her broad skull, her width of shoulder, her rump and she has just the right amount of waist, I found her angulation on the rear well balanced and this showed in her movement, she has good foot fall and drives well from the rear, she was presented in a jacket which shone with condition, a very nice bitch in deed.

3rd: MOTT, Mrs G - Bourgeoisie Vue Parfait

Class LB (5 Entries) Abs: 1
1st: LEONARD, Mrs Kirsha & LEONARD, Mr Mark - Bearox Ryatt JW –  At just 2 years of age this super bitch is still very young, however she is a real power house,  she moved out so well in the class producing good reach in front and a well-balanced driving rear action, she held her top line well on the move, as she did when static, sadly in the challenge she had gone off the boil a tad which cost her the top spot but I could not look past her for the RCC which she very much deserved today, her head is feminine yet has strength in skull, muzzle and under jaw, she has a lovely clean eye and her ears sit well, she has good width of chest and the depth is just below the elbow line, she is well ribbed and has a powerful rear assembly, I was very impressed with her rear angulation which was then finished off with super muscle tone on her thighs, at this tender age I’m sure this super bitch has lots more winning to come her way.

2nd: POWELL, Mrs Amanda & POWELL, Mr Steve - Bourgeoisie Bon Vivant – This almost 2-and-a-half-year-old bitch is another who excels in breed type, she has the most appealing head, her clean eyes add to give such a lovely expressive look, her skull is broad with the desired amount of wrinkle, the same applies to her muzzle and she has good strength in her under jaw, she has ample width in her chest, she does not currently match 1 for chest depth, her shoulders are laid well and her angle and return in upper arm compliment giving a well-balanced and angulated front assembly, she has super strength in her neck and is broad over her shoulders, her top line impressed me and she has good underlines to match, she stands on super well boned limbs and she is well angulated at the rear, on the move she produced a steady and strong gait on side profile and she is clean and strong coming and going, presented in good muscle tone throughout and a squeaky clean jacket.

3rd: BAMFORTH, Mrs Lindsey - Bellamiabam's River

Class OB (4 Entries) Abs: 1
1st: BAMFORTH, Mrs Lindsey - Ch Bellamiabam's Ivy – I have admired this beautiful bitch from afar and was delighted to see her walk into my ring today, she did not disappoint in any area when I got my hands on her, she is a super example of the breed and put on 110 percent in performance, she is a joy to watch on the move, her near perfect foot fall coupled with her reach in front and powerful drive enables her to flow round the ring with ease displaying her strength at all times, she stands on well boned strong straight limbs and good feet, her head is to die for, she has width in skull and the correct shape, her cheeks are well boned and she has good fill under her eyes, her stop meets her muzzle at just the right place and her muzzle is broad and perfectly balanced to her skull, her ears sit close to her cheeks, they are set on correctly and she uses them to extend the width of her skull to complete the picture, her neck is well muscled and has a nobility of strength and flows into clean withers, her shoulders are well laid back and have super width across them, her ribbing is sprung just right and reaches back well, she has a strong loin which is deep and her underlines compliment her perfectly, maybe she could be a tad harder in top line static but on the move she holds it well, she scored over the DCC on her turn of stifle and her slightly more powerful drive but they are both such super dogs I was spoiled for choice for BOB, I watched her put in a super performance in a strong group and was proud to have put her forward.

2nd: GAUGHAN, Mrs Jules - Bobiso Miss Bianca Of Dhoomadogues – This 2 and a half year old bitch is a lighter framed bitch than 1 but is nicely balanced, she has a pleasing head which is balanced in skull and muzzle ratio’s, she has a good stop and a lovely clean eye, viewed from the front she has enough width of chest, I would like a bit more depth but she is still relatively young, her neck is strong and flows into a firm top line, she has enough angulation at the rear and moved with a good side profile and is clean coming and going.

3rd: DE SILVA, Ms Hasangani - Rawlegends Diamond Queen

BEST OF BREED : 6874 BAMFORTH, Mrs Lindsey - Ch Bellamiabam's Ivy
Dog CC : 6876 BAMFORTH, Mrs Lindsey - Ch Bellamiabam Ragnar
Res Dog CC : 6877 BARTON, Dr Amanda & MORAN, Mr Charles - Aibrean Liam JW
Bitch CC : 6874 BAMFORTH, Mrs Lindsey-  Ch Bellamiabam's Ivy
Res Bitch CC : 6893 LEONARD, Mrs Kirsha & LEONARD, Mr Mark - Bearox Ryatt JW

Kirstie Forster (Megalmar) (Judge)