Basics of Evaluating the Dwarf Hotot

In this post, I am going to go over the basics of evaluating the Dwarf Hotot. I decided I didn't want to do a detailed series that breaks down each section of the rabbit, but I may consider doing those occasionally. It would just take a lot of posts to explain how to evaluate a whole breed and I would rather focus the majority of my posts on Little Rascal's Rabbitry.

So without further ado, lets evaluate a Hotot!

So I'd like the start with the weight. For senior bucks and does, the maximum weight is 3 lbs. Anything above 3 lbs is an automatic disqualification. The ideal weight for seniors is 2.5 lbs. For junior bucks and does, the maximum weight is 2.5 lbs and the minimum weight is 1 1/4 lbs. If your junior is above 2.5 lbs but below 3 lbs, it can be shown as a senior. But if your junior does not make weight at 1 1/4 lbs, the rabbit does not weigh enough to be shown.

Seniors are not allowed to be shown in Junior classes.

 

Next, I'd like to talk about the head. "The head should be bold, with good width between the eyes. Muzzle should be well filled and round in all directions. The head should be attached to the body with no visible neck."-ARBA Dwarf Hotot Standard of Perfection

 

A very very nice example of a Dwarf Hotot head.

 

Next I would like to talk about shoulders. Shoulders are the biggest fault among the DH breed. It takes a lot of work to fix shoulders. Personally, I learn from seeing so I will post a picture of bad shoulders and good shoulders for comparison.

 

Narrow/Pinched Shoulders. Notice that they are not as wide
 as the hind quarter.

 

Perfect Shoulder Width. Notice that they are evenly wide
with the hind quarter. (4King's Rabbitry)

Next, let's talk Hind Quarter. The hind quarter should be very round. The hips should not be pinched/chopped off. An easy way to tell if a rabbit will have pinched hips is to flip them over onto their back and look at their hocks. If they are shaped like a V, the rabbit will have pinched hips. If the hocks are straight, like this |  |, the rabbit will not be pinched, rather it will have a full, round hind quarter. Examples:

 

This rabbit has very nice shoulders, but his hind quarters are
chopped off/not as round as the buck below.

 

This is the same picture I used for shoulders, but this rabbit's HQ

is very round and thick. Over-all this buck is just solid as a brick.

(4King's Rabbitry)

As you can tell, I judge the majority of the body from the top view which is why I stress always taking top view pictures when evaluating.

Now I would like to talk about body length.

 

Notice that this rabbit has extra length between her front and

back legs when posed. This is a big give-away on a rabbit

that is long in body.

 

Notice that this rabbit is short and compact with no extra space on
 his body.

This is just basic judging of the Dwarf Hotot. I couldn't get too specific or this post could go on forever. I y'all enjoyed this post! Thanks for reading!