And yet many judges are placing dogs that clearly exhibit ACD features. This may be because they either are not fully aware of just what constitutes Stumpy type, or maybe because they do not have 'typey' specimens exhibited under them. Either way the judge must send a clear message to exhibitors. It is not good enough to say that, "You only have a small gene poole so I will give you all awards anyway." The exhibitor misinterprets this as a ringing endorsement and their view is ";Why improve when I am already winning". I am not saying that awards should be withheld, rather that judges must search for a specimen that exhibits true TYPE and take it further. And when the reverse in true only award breed placings.
So just what is STUMPY TYPE? I would like to now detail individual properties that should be present in the ideal Stumpy and specifically how these finer points differ in look to the ACD.
GENERAL APPEARANCE: What do we immediately look for when a Stumpy enters the ring. As he goes around we want to see a much more refined dog than the ACD, but he must not be week or fine boned. Rather he has a cleaner more sculptured outline. This impression is created by the greater leg length and shorter coat that a Stumpy posesses. He is somewhat more upright than the ACD but must still show good reach and drive.
Above all, we see a square dog, of medium size that is obviously whole coloured blue or red.
HEAD, EYES, EARS: He has now stopped and we approach the front of the dog to go over him. What must we be looking for. The appearance of the head is that of a wedge. He is much longer in foreface than the ACD and so noticable different in look. We would want to see a head where the skull and muzzle are equal in length and much longer than the ACD. The Stumpy's skull is not as wide as that of the ACD, but the whole head must still give the impression of great strength. Remember that both of these breed are used for the same purpose. The muzzle must never appear snipey and there should be great strength in the underjaw region.
The EYES are another unique feature of the breed and are very important. Incorrect eye shape not only gives an uncharacteristic look but also tells us that the head shape is not quite right. The true eye should be
almond shaped. When the almond shape is present we can be almost assured that the correct head length is also present. This shape is reminisent of his collie and dingo ancestry, both of which must have the almond eye. And certainly in overall look the Stumpy more closely resembles the dingo that any other breed including the ACD. Today we find that many Stumpies being exhibited have a round and even protruding eye. This is totally foreign to the breed and suggests either ACD ancestry or lack of attention to true type on the part of the breeder.
The EARS are another dictinct feature that clearly sets the Stumpy apart from the ACD. The standard clearly states that the ears must be 'high set' but too often we see dogs with ACD ear sets. The tips of the the Stumpy's ears should point to 11 o'clock and 1 o'clock, while the ears on an ACD are set inclining outwards towards 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock. This is because the ACD has a wider skull and is slightly rounded between the ears, while the Stumpy must have a flat skull.
Another characterictic difference is the fact that the Stumpy has pointed ear tips while the ACD ears are a more rounded at the tip. The stumpy has the impression of tall ears.
The eye and ear shape and placement are very accutate indicatiors of true 'Stumpy type'. If these are wrong then their is a great chance that the head shape will also be incorrect, and more often than not we have a specimen that is exhibiting strong ACD type. Please click on page 2 below to continue