Page 254 - ShowSight - September 2019

Terrier Q & A
Theresa Goiffon continued
with a local trainer that trains search and rescue dogs as well as obedience. We were brand new to showing and entered a show in St. Cloud, Minnesota under the distinguished Judge Peter Green. At the time of course I didn’t who Peter Green was, let alone what we were really doing.
I thought it would be cute if I made t-shirts for my girls to wear in the ring, with each daughter’s dog on them and the dogs name. We arrived to the ring on time, dogs and kids ready to head into the ring, we were the only two exhibiting in the breed. Then we were told by the steward, “Wait a minute, you can’t wear those t-shirts in the ring” and then explained why. Ring side, my girls turned their t-shirts inside out and proceeded into the ring. Judge Peter Green was very patient and kind with us in-spite of our faux pas and even gave them a few tips. We learned a lot and never made that mistake again.
PETER HOLSON
I currently live in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I grew up with dogs (my mother wasn’t a dog person, however my father insisted on always having beautiful, purebred dogs even though we weren’t involved in showing). In 1991, I purchased a “companion” Stan- dard Schnauzer from Ron and Pat Lombardi of Bardwood Kennels. They said if I was interested, Max was nice enough to show. I went to a Specialty with Max having no idea what I was doing—that weekend, we were Best in Sweeps, and Winners Dog / Best of Win- ners and I was hooked.
I have been involved with Border Terriers for 16 years and breed- ing under the “McHill’s” name with my sister Hillary Zimmerman for 14 years.
At what age do we pick a show prospect? We watch them from the very beginning but we evaluate at eight to nine weeks. We think we have a pretty good idea for Show prospects at that age but for a Special we need to wait much longer to see how all the pieces come together (body, head, personality). I wish I could say we’ve never made a mistake. There have been some that we moved on as a companion and two years later you see them and you go, “WOW, who is that?” Then there have been a few that we put high hopes in and it just doesn’t happen the way we thought it would, but when it does, it’s a lot of fun!
How do we choose a Stud Dog? I would say we use a combina- tion of Phenotype, Genotype and gut instinct. Show Record doesn’t mean much to us. In Border Terriers, there are too many dogs that don’t really get shown much beyond their Championship or Grand Championship, so our National becomes a really important oppor- tunity to see dogs you haven’t seen in years or have never seen.
How do we place our pups? We receive plenty of inquiries from random people but the best homes come from great referrals by other people involved with dogs or owners of our dogs. Finding homes isn’t terribly difficult but finding appropriate, great homes is the most difficult and important things we do.
Is a win at a Specialty more important to us than a win at an all-breed show? That’s a tough one, if you had asked me a couple of years ago, I would have probably said that our All Breed BIS
wins were most important. But honestly a National win of any kind, under a Breeder Judge who you respect is an incredible honor! Having said that, there are definitely shows that are special to me. One of my favorite ringside pics was of a Group 2 win at Woofs- tock several years ago. Bergit had won the group with her Schnau- zer, my dog Gizmo and I were G-2, Gabriel was behind me with a Scottie in G-3 and Eddie Boyes’ Smooth, was G-4. When I look at that picture, I feel pretty proud and lucky to be in such good company! Most recently, I was at the Santa Barbara Kennel Club show where I had entered the “Breeders Showcase” with my ten year old Veteran, Gizmo and my current Special, Duncan (shown by Amy Rutherford). The Terrier group had a huge entry and we won the Group under Bergit Kabel one of the greats in the Dog Show game. As a Breeder, recognition like that under a judge who I have respected and admired for years was an incredible honor for our breeding program.
Are there any overall trends in our breed that should be addressed before they get out of hand? To us, any kind of extremes should be avoided—our breed is supposed to be moderate in all ways. I also don’t like when I see “hackneyed like” movement in the front also a gay, sickle, tail can ruin a silhouette for me. Lastly, sharp tempera- ments are worrisome—there is a difference between a sharp dog and good working temperament. Stop making excuses!
I am lucky to have had several great mentors. My first would have been Pat Lombardi, I would sit for hours watching her groom my dog then go home and try to mimic what she did (usually with bad results). In Borders, Danielle Green was incredibly influential, we travelled to dog shows for several years showing Gizmo togeth- er, I watched and learned how to groom and show a Border from Danielle. She is incredibly generous with her time and knowledge for newcomers. If she sees someone struggling with something at a show, she will drop what she’s doing and offer help, tips, etc. She taught me that it was my job to pass it on! Linda George of Horizon Dobermans, an incredibly gifted Breeder and Handler, she can get into any dogs mind and figure out how to bring out the best in that dog—that’s a gift! She taught me that a good dog starts from the ground up. Amy Rutherford, whenever I spend time at her setup, I am in awe of her commitment and talent. I watch her all the time trying to suck up any knowledge I can. Lastly I’ve probably learned the most from my sister Hillary Zimmerman, she has been breeding Dobermans for 35+ years and has bred some great dogs. “Glory” a two time National Specialty BOB winner, among them. We breed the Borders together. She has a fabulous “eye” and has taught me how to see a dog. Some things I’ve learned from all of them, is that every dog presents a different challenge and you have to always be willing to learn—once you’re an authority, it’s over. Be cautious not to be blinded by the big, fat, beautiful puppy in the litter—keep an eye out for the “sleepers”! You must always be realistic and brutally honest about your dogs!
What terriers of the past have impressed me the most? Well I wasn’t really active when they were being shown but “Dover”, the Smooth Fox Terrier. I was a spectator at Golden Gate Kennel Club and saw Dover and Amy. I certainly didn’t know the breed at all but
“Be cautious not to be blinded by the big, fat, beautiful puppy in the litter—keep an eye out for the “sleepers”! You must always be realistic and brutally honest about your dogs!”
252 • ShowSight Magazine, SepteMber 2019