Page 268 - ShowSight - September 2019
P. 268

                Terrier Q & A
Terry Lohmuller continued
What terriers of the past have impressed me the most? Of course, I will choose a dog of my own breeding, GCH. Teritails Loyal Knight.
The dog show world has been one of the best things I have expe- rienced. The friends I have made through this sport are a big part of my life. Also, have a dog in the ring that I have bred and can be proud of.
A humorous thing I experienced at a dog show was at the Mont- gomery Welch specialty a few years ago. I was trying to show a puppy in sweeps and could not get him to settle on the table. He just wanted to jump up and give me kisses. It was a lot of entertain- ment for the spectators.
RON & MAURINE MCCONNELL
We live in Centreville, Michigan and have been in show dogs for 40 years.
At what age do we pick a show prospect? We never pick a show puppy until their teeth are in place and that is usually around 18 weeks. However, we do find a good prospect at five weeks and keep our fingers crossed that the bite will come in correctly. We have made many mistakes over the years but we strive to never make the same mistake twice.
How do we choose a Stud dog? We do use a bit of instinct along with structure and temperament of a stud dog that we have seen moving in the show ring. After 35 years in the breed Genetics plays a significant role. We have a good idea of which lines will have a positive impact on the breeding.
How do we place our pups? We have been very fortunate finding good homes for puppies. Most of the puppies that we place are in homes of previous buyers and usually these homes are waiting for the next available litter. Our Michigan Club has a Puppy referral program in place and when we have no puppies available, we direct them to him or her.
Is a win at a Specialty more important to us than a win at an all-breed show? A Specialty win is very important to us. We worked hard over the years to produce what we feel is the best representa- tion of the breed. A win from a Specialty keeps us moving forward
Are there any overall trends in our breed that should be addressed before they get out of line? Extremism in the breed. The breed stan- dard allows for interpretation. Getting that longer head and longer neck seems to be the trend. We are kind of old fashion and like a moderately balanced dog, nothing to overdone.
Who was our mentor? Buffy Stamm was our Mentor. We bought our first Scotty from Buffy and something she told us many years ago was, “Judges usually only see ears and tail, now if you can put a body on that you are in business.” We will never forget Buffy Stamm.
What Terriers in the past impressed us the most? The one Ter- rier that directed us to the Scottish Terrier Breed, Shannon “Brae- burns Close Encounters”. We stayed late to watch the Breed rings and there in the ring was a Scottish Terrier that was playful, beauti- ful and showing with such spirit. We decided right then and there let’s get that breed. It turns out Shannon was the number one dog in the country, how cool was that?
The most humorous thing we’ve seen or witnessed at a dog show? So many funny things happen over the years but this one comes to mind. Just recently Ron was showing in the new Owner/ Handled class. He was waiting for the Terrier Group and he failed to notice that the class was switched. He proceeded into the ring, sat his Scotty up, looked up at the Judge, Judge Smiles and said “I don’t think you are suppose to be in the Toy Group”. He was so embar- rassed but funny stuff to me.
STACY MCWILLIAMS
I reside in Harleysville, Pennsylvania. I have solely bred Rat Ter- riers for fifteen years under the program River Ridge Rat Terriers, www.RiverRidgeRatTerriers.com.
At what age do I pick a show prospect? When evaluating a litter, I am looking and watching for drive from week four through week eight and evaluate the litter structure at eight weeks. I feel strongly that is it not only structure but the hunting instinct, color, pattern and drive are equally important.
There have been times I had some disappointment in my show picks. One example was the color pattern (piebald) caused an opti- cal illusion that the dog was roached near the loin, which the pup- py’s actual structure was not incorrect, but as it grew older the spot became more visible and made the dog appear roached. I believe there should be room for error, but we must learn from it and not make those same mistakes.
How do I choose a Stud Dog? I am very selective when making a decision on a sire/stud prospect. I am looking for several things: Temperament, Structure, Health Testing Results, Color/Pattern, Biddability and Hunting Drive/Drive.
How do I place my pups? I have a very structured puppy place- ment program. First step is providing me with a puppy application found on my website. This application asks the questions I feel real- ly allows me to understand what the person is looking for in their Rat Terrier. I then set up a call with the person to take a deeper dive into their application, questions we may both have for each other and their terrier experience. This part of the process really helps me qualify the person as a potential great home. I do not accept impulse buyers. If looking for a Rat Terrier form my program it must be a well thought out process for the person/family and I am very clear that buying a puppy from me can be a longer process. Looking at the criteria the person is hoping a Rat Terrier can fill and based on what a puppy shows me that it is built and mentally able to do based on my puppy sharing program is how I pick the match. Overall it has been a very successful process for me.
Is a win at a Specialty more important to me than a win at an all- breed show? Absolutely! Although to win at Montgomery all terrier show or Westminster is pretty prestigious to me.
Are there any overall trends in my breed that should be addressed before they get out of hand? How the Rat Terrier is presented in the ring (speed of the gait) and Cathedral chests abound in Rat Terriers, from hobby breeders and bigger show programs. They go hand in hand with a super straight, forward front assembly that also plagues the breed. It appears that judges are seeing it so often in the wrong that the perspective is. This is how a Rat Terrier should look and move, when in fact: The Rat Terrier movement is powerful and smooth. To examine gait, judges should move the Rat Terrier around the ring at a brisk trot.
As the dog gaits, the front feet reach forward with as little lift as possible. They come down lightly, reaching out at least as far as the nose. This gait should suggest agility, speed and power.
Viewed from the front, the legs move in a straight line from shoulder to toes with no interference from the chest. Similarly, the well-angulated hindquarters move in a straight line from toes to pelvis. The dog may be moved at a slower gait as it goes to and from the judge.
The hind legs must reach well forward to propel the body, almost touching the point that the front feet just left, then they extend straight out behind to reveal the bottom of the pad. The hind feet should not overlap the front feet as they reach forward. with an increase in speed, there will be some appearance of single tracking with legs converging towards the center line.
A Rat Terrier should not sidewind (moving to and from the judge with the body in a diagonal position so the front feet will be out of the way of the hind feet), or weave; nor should its body roll
 266 • ShowSight Magazine, SepteMber 2019
   






































































   266   267   268   269   270