Page 284 - ShowSight - September 2019

Terrier Q & A
“The most important thing that I learned is that the Jack Russell Terrier should have the structure, temperament and ability to do the job it was bred to do—go to ground after quarry.”
Kathryn Lissa Thomas continued
Nationals and Westminster. I was fortunate enough to travel to the world show in Amsterdam in 2018 and Crufts in 2019. (This not only allowed me to see many dogs in person, but meet breeders around the world. Beyond all my expectations, my bitch actually was a world winner in Amsterdam and was BOB and Group 2 at Crufts. This showed me that my dog was liked by judges in not just the USA but judges from many countries.
Ads in dog magazines are also important because it allows peo- ple who cannot personally see your dog to see it and spend more than just a few minutes looking at how your dog is built and moves in photos.
So in conclusion—picking a show prospect has many different factors and is not simply a manner of picking a cute puppy that strikes your fancy.
Yes, I have made many mistakes—dogs mature at different rates and develop undesirable traits as they get older, it is always a gamble. My most successful terrier was third pick out of nine in the litter. I looked at her structure, movement and had studied her pedigree extensively—it was just luck (and other show factors) that she turned out to be the most successful show dog.
How do I choose a Stud Dog? Again , it is always a gamble, but I use both phenotype and genotype (show record is irrelevant to me.) I look at the pedigree, what that stud dog has produced with various bitches—but most importantly choose a stud dog that not only adheres to the standard but complements my bitch—close to her Phenotype but with attributes she needs—ie if she has big ears, choose a dog that has smaller ears. Structure is very important to me and movement is very important to me; I ideally would like a dog with good structure but also like the dog to have performance titles after their name or have the structure and instinct to do what it was bred to do. I also look at the pedigree, it is amazing how much influ- ence that the grandparents have on the dog—and obviously you are much more likely to get consistency from a line bred dog than an outcross. I ask around and from research about the dog, getting as many opinions from people I respect as possible. However, I think that the bitch is probably more important than the stud dog—you need to have a good foundation bitch, then try to find a dog that is close to her in type that fits the standard and complements her.
How do I place my pups? I go by word of mouth, referrals from others, people I know or have people I don’t know fill out a ques- tionnaire and get references and then, if possible, visit the homes of the prospective buyers. When I first started out it was hard to find good homes, but after I had an established reputation of good pup- pies (both for show and especially pets) then it was easy.
Is a win at a Specialty more important to me than a win at an all-breed show? To me it is more important that I have a breed judge or at least a terrier judge that knows my breed and realizes that my breed needs to be spanned to go down a fox hole and can move out—movement is so important to me. A Speciality is more likely
to have this type of judge, but not always, I have shown at All Breed shows that have had some excellent judges who are familiar with my breed and realize that form should follow function.
Are there any overall trends in my breed that should be addressed before they get out of hand? I think that there have been extremes— too heavy and cobby or too tall and square, a Russell should not look like a Parson Russell Terrier. I think that crooked legs and cow hocks have become common. Also dogs who are too straight in the shoulder causing them to move like a hackney pony, which is flashy but does not cover the ground like they should. Russells are more angulated than Parsons but Parsons should have enough angulation to move out as well.
Who was my mentor? Back in the 1990s (before AKC recogni- tion) I would go to JRTCA trials and the conformation judges were required to be working terrier people. Often times they would have seminars at night after the shows. I learned so much at these smears as judges came from everywhere in the world but mostly from the UK at the time. I was fortunate enough to learn from such greats as Eddie Chapman and David Jones. They would go over all the parts of the Jack Russell and tell us why each part should be the way it was so that they dog could hunt underground. It was emphasized that this was a “baying terrier” not a “killing terrier”—originally devel- oped to bolt the fox, not kill it. David Jones once said at a seminar, “If am going to stick my hand down a fox hole and the fox is prob- ably going to bite me, I certainly don’t want the terrier to bite me.”
Many other Jack Russell Terrier people have taught me a lot such as Paul Ross, Nancy Dougherty, Kim James, Sheila Atter, Sally Yancy and many more. Reading all the books I could find about Jack Russells, studying pedigrees and recently research online. I have found that you don’t have to like someone to learn from them, you can learn something from everyone.
When the Russell Terrier came into AKC I learned a lot from the Russell Terrier people (many former or still currently, Jack Rus- sell and Parson Russell owners/breeders) such as Kao Miichi, Mon- ica Fonzo, Joelle Hisleur, Irina Moskaleva, Alberto Velasco, Stefano Serafini, Olga Klimova, many others from Europe and Russia and UK but recently, mostly to Dr. Candace Lundin the breeder/co- owner of most of my Russell Terriers.
The most important thing that I learned is that the Jack Russell Terrier should have the structure, temperament and ability to do the job it was bred to do—go to ground after quarry.
What terriers of the past have impressed me the most? I have been impressed with so many terriers from the past but will stick to Russell Terriers (current Jack Russells) for now. Goldsands Colum- bus, All Jacks Be Special, Lemosa Mr. Enegizer, Kanix Speedwagon, DBF Stanley Cup, Goldsands Columbus, Lemosa Mr. Energizer, Kanix Speedwagon.
The most humorous thing I have witnessed at a dog show? My Jack Russell Terrier wagon.
282 • ShowSight Magazine, SepteMber 2019