Page 11 - ShowSight Presents The West Highland White Terrier
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JUDGING THE WEST HIGHLAND C WHITE TERRIERBy Dr. Gerry G. Meisels
onformation judges The following discussion assumes that The evaluation begins at the moment hold the long-term you, the reader, have thorough knowledge when the class first enters the ring and the future of the breeds of the standard and of canine anatomy handlers set up their dogs. The outline or they judge in their and movement. Judging requires the abil- silhouette alone should immediately say, hands. Half a century ity to see and evaluate type, structure and ‘This is a Westie.’ You should see a level ago a few knowledge- movement, and especially a clear under- topline, and proper balance or proportions
able judges such as Alva Rosenberg standing of what is important in the breed. of the parts. The standard is clear about
and Billy Kendrick could influence the development of a breed because there were fewer shows and judges. Today there are thousands of shows; nearly three hundred judges are approved for Westies. These judges now share col- lectively the responsibility to help guide our breed’s development. To meet this responsibility they must evaluate not only characteristics that are common to many breeds, such as movement, they must also understand type and use it in their decision-making.
This understanding underlies the ability to judge the whole dog rather than a single feature, such as shoulder layback or front movement. Seeing and judging the whole dog is essential to good judging.
Examining the Westie follows a process that parallels the approach most judges use for all breeds. However, at each step the evaluation must pay special attention to those aspects of conformation that help define Westie type. Not all judges do this in exactly the same way, so the following description is that of a typical approach.
some aspects that can be translated into the adjacent drawing based on an 11" male. For a 12" dog, these measurements would of course be proportionally longer, for a 10" dog or bitch proportionally shorter.
See Figure 1. The proportions of Skull S, Muzzle M, Neck N and Tail T cannot be derived quantitatively in the same way. The standard calls for the head and neck to be in proportion to the body or to the remainder of the dog. Judgment of the proper proportion is informed by know- ing the working function of the Westie.
Fig. 1. Westie Proportions (Balance) in the Standard. Illustration by Sylvia Meisels.
