Page 198 - Showsight March 2013

and smooth, and because they are sup-
ported by a dog with a deep chest and
well sprung ribs—the clean movement I
observe when the dog comes back to me
is totally expected. Wow, this entry may
be somewhat loaded in the shoulders, but
there is absolutely no break in the transi-
tion from neck to back at all. The bend
of the stifles is there. It is not an illusion
created by a skilled groomer, as was the
length of neck and blending of neck to
back on another well-conditioned and
athletic entry that also seemed to have
good reach and drive on the move. The
hocks are parallel and the feet are round
and compact. This feminine bitch has
good substance and bone—not fat, but
if you were to lift her, she would seem
to weigh more than you would expect of
a bitch her size. You feel it in the bone
and muscle, she is hardy and could sur-
vive the harshness of the Irish life that
requires her to free whelp in barns and
haystacks, to go after a badger for her
owner and then rest peacefully by the fire
in the evening.
This one has the gorgeous shiny
and more open adult coat of the land
of origin that drops every bit of dirt or
mud by the end of day—without being
brushed—and that one has a soft, wavy,
abundant coat with a deep wheaten color.
I put my hands on heads that appeared
well proportioned on observation and I
begin to find the head planes: a “skull flat
and clean between the ears” equal with
the “foreface” with a “defined stop” and
“no suggestion of snippiness.” The entry
has a “powerful and strong” muzzle, is
“well filled below the eyes” with “cheek-
bones not prominent.” There is a scissor
bite (level on another is acceptable) with
clean, white, large teeth. Oh, and look
at those “dark reddish brown or brown”
eyes that are “almond-shaped” and which
were only “indicated” in the trim of the
head before I pulled the fall back to ful-
ly expose them. And lastly size... I can
now more accurately estimate the size (at
the withers) of the individual dogs. I keep
in mind that under General Appearance it
states that “the breed requires moderation
both in structure and presentation, and
any exaggerations are to be shunned.”
Although size need only be penalized
according to severity—if it is excessive it
can result in the loss of breed type.
I have one final tool: sparring. I do it.
But I keep in mind that sparring is all
or nothing, win or lose. If a dog fails
to proudly stand its ground with confi-
dence, remaining alert to the presence of
the other dog(s) while defending if nec-
essary or even expanding its territory,
it will loose in my ring. If it seems to
become an aggressor I will need to decide
on the basis of other information whether
I believe it is “overly aggressive,” a major
fault. Although a SCWT “exhibits less
aggressiveness” than other terriers, they
are nonetheless a terrier, and a display
of timidity is also a major fault. I have
decided the BOB because of the spar—
some gaining the ribbon and some losing.
Bitches can be sparred, but I don’t expect
them to do much more than ignore the
others, but that doesn’t mean that any
one of them should be intimidated or
shy either and I won’t be surprised if one
Alpha bitch decides to chase off another
who invades her “territory.”
Now the fun part. I have a ring full of
Specials or Class Winners that all have
many good breed characteristics and
that all have one or two minor problems
that could be improved. I get to decide
which of these will get the ribbons today.
Which ones have been presented to exude
the essence of the breed? Which ones
have consistently displayed a “take on the
world attitude” either by standing aloof
and self confident as they alertly observed
their fellow entries or perhaps have dis-
played exuberance for life as a whole as
they watched other rings and dogs with
interest? Which dogs/bitches not only
carry their balanced sporting terrier pro-
file as they gracefully move around the
ring, but also do so with a regal self-
confidence or an adventurous “let’s go”
attitude? Which ones with the requisite
good reach and drive do so effortlessly
and with a hint of untapped power as
their coats flowed while carrying their
tails fully “upright 90° from the back?”
Decision time.
BIO
Sonya and I have been actively breed-
ing and showing since 1984 as Marquee
Wheatens. We have finished over 50
champions, a good number of which have
been owner handled from the BBE class,
including a WD who finished with two
back-back 5 point majors from the BBE
class at Devon and the SCWTC Nation-
al Specialty at MKC (under Anne Rogers
Clark and Breeder/Judge Gary Vlachos)
and then followed up with a BOB at the
National Roving Specialty the following
year (2001).
I am a semi-retired attorney and
approved to judge SCWTs. I have
judged a number of specialties includ-
ing Great Western and NCTA weekends
and I will have the honor, by vote of the
membership, of judging the SCWTCA
National Specialty at MKC in 2014.
We are members of the Northern Cal-
ifornia Terrier Club as well as the
National and are presently residents of
Heflin, Alabama.
“But I keep in mind that
SpArrING IS All or NoTHING,
WIN or loSE.”
198 • ShowSight Magazine, March 2013