Fran27 said:
Aren't chessies supposed to have longer hair? Or was that guy shaved? I can't tell from the pic... his hair just seemed really short for one.
They are supposed to have a bit more curl. If you look closely at his picture where he's standing, you can see a bit of curl on his back. He's a bit thin too. Perhaps with a better diet, his coat might become a bit more woolly. Chessies also blow coat once or twice a year, which causes many to have rather skimpy coats at times too. He also looks pretty young, so as he matures his coat may fill in more.
Often the field bred Chessies have less curl. Also some hunters also prefer the deadgrass as it blends in more with terrain-
My Jasmine came from show lines, and she has a nearly perfect coat-
Indy is an (poorly bred) AKC registered rescue from field lines, and he has not much curl in his coat-
As far as the masking, it is acceptable but not preferred in the show ring. From ACC- "The selfcolor pattern is preferred by the standard (One color with or without lighter and darker shadings of the same color). You will see dogs with varying degrees of other markings such as: masking on topskull, striping effect of light & dark through the body and on legs, distinct & indistinct saddle markings, agouti coloring and tan points. All are acceptable, they are just not preferred. They should not be disqualified. A good quality dog with minor pattern variations is preferable to a mediocre selfcolored specimen."
