Page 310 - ShowSight - September 2019
P. 310

                The Cesky Terrier
BY BOB AND LINDA COMER continued
    AKC-recognized dog breeds, the Cesky Terrier was developed to do a specific task, and do it well. Clearly anyone knowing the length of time Mr. Horak took to develop the Cesky would never use this “dog in a minute” term. Frantisek Horak worked from the 1920’s and into 1948 before he achieved his dream of a Cesky Terrier.
The Cesky’s tail is another consider- ation. How it is carried is not a clear indi- cation of the dog’s state of mind save when it is tucked between its legs. A tucked tail is a sign of distress. Normally the Cesky Terrier carries its tail down and any- where between there and up and sabre- like. Compare anatomy in people. Some folks stand straight, some lean forward, and some outright slump. That variabil- ity defines the nature of the Cesky tail as well. The Standard addresses the unde- sirable “squirrel tail” or a “tail touching the back”. The Cesky tail carriage may not be what more traditional judges are used to seeing, but it is the Cesky tail and the Standard.
Other aspects of the animal require scrutiny. The ratio of the height of the dog at the withers to its length (sternum to buttocks) is 1:1.5. Specific ideal dimen- sions are in the Standard. Questions to
be asked are: Does the top line rise slightly from the withers (lowest point) to the loin and rump (highest point)?
When critiquing this determine whether the rise ends prematurely giving the dog an arched back with the highest point in the middle of the spine or is the top line flat. Sometimes positioning gives either effect
Tail carriage is not a clear indication of the dog’s state of mind. Down, straight or sabre-like are typical carriages.
and is the fault of the handler. Does the tail begin at the distal most aspect of the spine in the descent to the rump? If not, the dog presents a tail set either too high or too low. Is the body lean and proportioned? Judges should not see rolls to the skin or a tummy that isn’t tucked up. From above is the dog shaped like an artillery shell? The distal outline of the lungs and the hips forming the case of the shell. Does the dog move effortlessly? Given these attributes it is readily understandable why the Cesky is a creature of the burrow as well as the thicket.
When checking dimensions again the questions a judge should ask are: Is the head 7-8" from the notch at the back of the head to the tip of the nose and is there a 3-4" space between the ears? Consequently, when viewing the Cesky’s head from above
 308 • ShowSight Magazine, SepteMber 2019
The Cesky topline rises slightly from the withers (lowest point) to the loin and rump (highest point). The tail set begins at the distal most aspect of the spine in the descent to the rump.
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