Page 270 - ShowSight - September 2019
P. 270

                Terrier Q & A
Stacy McWilliams continued
during movement. other common faults are short, chopping steps or hackney gait in front (lifting legs very high rather than forward). Who was my mentor? I started in Rat Terriers through Donna Sullivan. She expressed the importance of the Rat Terrier tempera- ment (sound mind) being a strong attribute to a program’s success and how important a balanced moderate dog with a great front is to
producing with a critical eye and that sometimes means making tough decisions to better your breeding pro- gram.
What terriers of the past have impressed us the most? One dog that
stands out in our memory is a Tatong’s Silver Moondancer. He was a well-balanced male that added many wonderful characteristics to the breed, which can still be seen today in many Australian Terriers.
Although Australian Terriers are a rare breed and not widely known, it is always fun to introduce them to the public at a show and let people get to know this delightful terrier breed.
One of the most humorous moments was when my husband was showing a young female on a dirt floor, and for unknown reasons she decided she was going to do the down and back on her hind legs with her front paws up in the air. People outside the ring were laughing and clapping, and when my husband stopped in front of the Judge to present the dog, the Judge was laughing so hard! My husband was so focused on making sure he completed the down and back, that he was totally unaware that her down and back looked like a circus performance! Only when the Judge asked him to do it again and try to get her to walk on all “fours” did he under- stand what had happened. To this day, we wish we had a video of that show!
SANDY MILES
& FOLEY HARPER
I live in Valdosta, Georgia, and my kennel partner Foley Harper lives in Ocilla, Georgia. I have been in dogs for over five decades.
At what age do we pick a show prospect? We start grading somewhat from birth and then do more specific grading at eight weeks. We can usually tell then which puppies are show prospects and which we want to sell as pets. We always take their personalities into account as well as their quality. We like to wait until the show prospect puppies are four months old to make sure their permanent teeth are coming in correctly to make a final decision. If the buyer wants to take the puppy before four months and take a chance, we let them go with the understanding that the puppy’s features could possibly change. I don’t remember not being able to finish a dog we have sold as a show prospect unless the owner decided not to show.
How do we choose a Stud Dog? We like to do line breedings unless we need new genes. We look for a stud dog that is not a car- rier of Copper Toxicosis and is a good representative of the breed standard, preferably a Champion. In some cases we have used gut instinct and were pleasantly pleased with the outcome.
How do we place our pups? When we get an inquiry for a puppy, we ask the party to go to our website (sandonoakhill.com) to fill out our Puppy Application which has many questions about the pro- spective buyer. We want to know why they want a Bedlington and if they are or are not already familiar with the breed. We want the party to know there is a good bit of work to care for a Bedlington’s coat, and we want them to understand the terrier temperament. We do turn down some people for various reasons when we feel their home situation is not a good fit for one of our puppies. And if we do not have a puppy that fits their situation at the time, we place them on our waiting list for future litters.
Is a win at a Specialty more important to us than a win at an all-breed show? A Specialty win is definitely more important than an all-breed win. Competing against fellow breeders makes the win
  starting a successful foundation.
once with some dog show friends we overhear someone comment- ing how someone was dressed. That person who they were com- menting on simply said, “It’s dog show fashion, Brenda—look it up” and strutted off, proud of their outfit. I think myself and those around me laughed so hard and we still laugh about it! We often refer to it when we ask if our suits or outfits will look okay!
CHERYL MECHALKE
We live in Mead, Colorado and have been showing Australian Terriers for 14 years.
We review puppies at eight weeks, 12 weeks, and 16 weeks. Gen- erally, we have an idea which puppies will be companion pets by 12 weeks of age, and we then begin to work placing them in their forever home. We have misjudged a puppy’s attributes as we allowed it to mature and be shown, only to decide that, as much as we liked some of the qualities the puppy possessed, they truly weren’t show quality and we then worked to place them in a loving forever home.
We choose a Stud Dog by genotype, phenotype, and overall structure based on the Australian Terrier Standard.
We provide prospective puppy buyers with a comprehensive questionnaire to learn about their background, wishes, and inten- tions. We also visit with the prospective owners to discuss the type of temperament and energy level they are seeking in a puppy. As a result, placing puppies isn’t always easy, but it is very rewarding when the right puppy becomes a beloved member of someone’s fam- ily. And, if things don’t work out for any reason, our contract states that we will take the puppy back and work to secure them another forever home.
Both Specialties and All-Breed Shows are important to our breeding program. It is nice to have one’s breeding recognized at a Specialty, as there are many other breeder’s dogs in attendance at one location and you can see what the current trends are in your breed. All-Breed Shows are backbone events for our breed, as we only have one National Specialty a year and two clubs who host Regional Specialties during the calendar year. Consequently, All- Breed shows are immensely important for our breed.
Are there any overall trends in our breed that should be addressed before they get out of hand? Non-conformance to the Standard. For example, lack of front and rear angulation, wavy toplines, lack of fore chest, and the trend of dogs and bitches becoming oversized.
We have been fortunate to have several mentors over the years: Jill Grenaae of Denmark, Carin Sandahl of Sweden, Irma Harden of Finland, and Kirsi Ola of Finland. All of these breeders have offered their knowledge and time to help us with our breeding pro- gram. The most important thing they have all stressed is to not become Kennel blind; one really needs to look at what you are
268 • ShowSight Magazine, SepteMber 2019
What terriers of the past have impressed me the most? Sky, the Wire Fox Terrier and Marti, the Rat Terrier.
I’d also like to thank you for allowing metobeapartofthis educational piece.
The most humor- ous thing I’ve ever wit- nessed at a dog show? I
 





































































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