Viktoría Jens

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Viktoría Jens

FCI International Dog Judge based in Iceland. Industrial engineer · Lean educator · International speaker.

25/08/2026

I had a standard poodle ages ago, recently i have been looking at them again and the standard from FCI. Something stopped me cold: tri-coloured and brindle -coloured dogs, shown and placed in FCI rings. For as long as I'd known the breed, only solid colors were allowed.

FCI Standard N°172 was revised in 2024. As of 1 August that year a new section came under colors, "other colors". Poodles can be shown in FCI rings with very different colors for the first time, provided the markings are harmoniously distributed. What I find more interesting than the rule itself is the argument behind it, driven by the French Poodle club: solid colour was never the original type — it's what the show ring standardised over the last two centuries. If that's right, this isn't a modernisation. It's a correction.

And it's FCI-only. The same dog is a legitimate entry in Reykjavík and a disqualification under AKC or Kennel Club rules. If you're breeding or showing across registries, the colour on the pedigree now means something different depending on which rulebook is open.

A breed standard is a living document with a history. For longer article and AI generated images of all the colors go to https://viktoriajens.is/?p=715

The pictures are of me showing standard Poodles as well as 2 from 30 years ago when I attended a dog show in the UK.

28/07/2026

Thirty years ago the Poodle did not have the best reputation in Iceland— thought silly, yappy, all haircut and no substance. I was fascinated with them and I started to show a standard poodle in junior handling. Soon after I met Athar, a standard Poodle I ended up caring for, and the coat turned out to be the least interesting thing about her. Strong, athletic, clever, funny, and completely at ease next to our Irish Setters and Tibetan spaniels.

The name gives it away: Caniche, from chien à cane — the duck dog. Everything people love about the breed today was bred in for the work, long before it was bred for the ring.

I've been looking closer into the standard of the poodle again - one breed, four sizes, and a coat that is genuinely a decision you need to make before the puppy arrives, not after.

Full story — https://viktoriajens.is/?p=702

24/07/2026

Fríða is developing well and as part of her training I took her to work to meet some of my team mates and for her to change scenery. She has now her second vaccine so we can take her around a bit more! It is always amazing when a puppy shows up how quickly they melt peoples hearts!

18/07/2026

Today, 18 July, Iceland celebrates its national dog — and the date is no accident. It is the birthday of Mark Watson, the Englishman who realised, in the middle of the last century, that the Icelandic Sheepdog was quietly dying out — and set about saving it.

This year the day carries grief as well. In May we said goodbye to Guðrún R. Guðjohnsen, one of the breed's great guardians — the woman who led the fight against the dog ban in Reykjavík and founded ISIC, the international cooperation for the breed's preservation.

I wrote a piece about our national dog: how everything on it has a purpose — the ears, the bark, the coat, even the dewclaws — how the breed was nearly lost, and about the people who made sure it wasn't.

https://viktoriajens.is/2026/07/18/icelandic-sheepdog/

07/07/2026

We are getting an addition to our family - a little Havanese princess we have named Fríða e. Beauty😍 🐶☀️🇨🇺🇮🇸 😍

29/06/2026

A few years ago when I was travelling to San Diego I bought an airb&b experience which was to take shelter dogs out for a walk. It was a lovely day and great to give back (both with the walk and all proceeds went to the shelter). I would highly recomend!

25/06/2026

A proud weekend watching from afar. 🐾
Our Irish Setter Lillý — ISSHCH NORDICCH CIE ISW-23 RW-26-22-21 VOLW-25 Caemgen’s Jump For Joy — was Best of Breed both days at the double show on Víðistaðatún in Hafnarfjörður. Third in Group 7 on Saturday, second in group on Sunday, and she added the Reykjavík Winner RW-26 title to her name. She is already an Icelandic, Nordic, and International Champion.
My mother imported Lillý from Sweden, and watching her become a worthy representative of her breed here in Iceland is its own quiet reward.
Nearly 950 dogs were entered each day across 12 rings — Saturday the Nordic Show and Reykjavík Winner, Sunday the International Show. Judges: Tomas Rohlin (Denmark) and Helin Tenson (Finland). Congratulations Vala Juliusdottir

14/06/2026

The Schnauzer family article 4: Which Schnauzer Size Is Right for You — and Which One Is Absolutely Not!

The Schnauzer family is clever, opinionated, watchful and made for work. The Danish Kennel Club’s breed page captures it well: lively and energetic, paired with measured calm and unconditional loyalty, watchful without being sharp or excessively barking. You could also add that they are alert, lively and highly aware of its surroundings, with enough self-confidence to think for itself.
That last part is not flattery. It is a warning. A Schnauzer who has not been given a job will invent one. The job they invent is rarely the one you would have chosen.
Across all three sizes, two things are non-negotiable for any responsible owner:
The dog needs mental work every day, not only physical exercise.
The dog needs company, not eight to ten hours alone in a kitchen.
If either of those is a no, the responsible answer is a different breed family — and that is not a failure, it is a good decision.
Take the simple test and see what size would suite you!

For the full article - see the first comment👇

31/05/2026

The Schnauzer family article 3: Grooming Can Enhance Type — But It Must Not Create It!

A correct Schnauzer underneath a beautiful trim is the goal — and there are exhibitors who deserve every ribbon they win, because they present a structurally correct dog at its best. An incorrect Schnauzer underneath a beautiful trim is a problem the standard is asking you to find. That is the entire job.
What grooming can legitimately do
Skilled grooming on a Schnauzer is real craftsmanship. Done well, it can:
- Tidy the outline so the eye reads the dog’s natural square build cleanly.
- Bring the coat to the right length to display correct texture and colour.
- Define the eyebrows and beard so the breed’s characteristic expression is visible.
- Show the line of the underchest, neck and topline as they actually exist.
- Remove dead coat through hand-stripping.

The FCI standard describes a coat texture — harsh, wiry, dense, with body — that is only naturally maintainable by stripping; clipping cuts each hair mid-shaft and, over generations, softens the very texture the standard is asking for. The standard does not name the method, but it describes the result that only the method produces.

None of those is dishonest. They are the exhibitor’s job. The line is crossed when the trim does the work the structure failed to do.

See full article in the comments👇

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