Page 176 - ShowSight - September 2020

Are there breed characteristics that are difficult for non-Terrier judges to understand? The Terrier Group is not a group of dogs where you can fall back on just your basic general dog knowledge and get away with it. There are many breeds within the Group with subtleties that distinguish one from another; the Lakeland from the Welsh, the Norfolk from the Norwich from the Australian, and so on. Coats have often mystified the uninitiated, but I remem- ber the sage words of the late Phyllis Salisbury, the “Salismore” Dandie breeder from England, and they were, “Coats come and go, but structure never does.” I remember some years ago judging a good-sized entry of Scotties at Hatboro DC on the important Montgomery County weekend and my eye was drawn to a bitch I thought I’d like. As I go over her on the table and put my hands on what I thought were her withers, I found the grooming was so good that the top of the shoulder blade was actually halfway up her neck! I felt compelled to tell the handler that I was in awe of his trimming ability.
How important is presentation, conditioning, and expression in the Terrier ring? I have often said it’s difficult to point to an unmade bed. The Terrier Group is perhaps the one Group that is most diffi- cult for the amateur to compete against the professional, as the level of grooming in the coated breeds reaches a level seldom seen outside of this country; difficult yes, but not impossible. I think this is one of the reasons smooth-coated Terrier breeds are more popular than the coated ones. Good muscle tone is essential and all dogs require adequate exercise to keep them mentally and physically sound.
What are my thoughts re: bites among the Terrier breeds? I am not, what we sometimes call a judge, a tooth fairy. There is so much more to a dog than its dentition, but a poor bite is an easy excuse for a workmanlike judge to excuse an otherwise worthy dog from competition. As a breeder, I’ve learned that if you put a dog and bitch together who have similar forefaces, the risk of “off” bites is greatly reduced. As in all breeds, the upper jaw and lower jaws are independently inherited and offspring from that union can get the upper jaw from the sire and the lower jaw from the dam and, if they’re quite different, then you often have an “off” bite. I am forever incredulous of the Bull Terrier breeder who can put together a great head with a perfect scissors bite. There are so many elements that go into creating that unique head.
How important is ear carriage in the Terrier breeds? The breed Standards dictate what is required, there is no simple answer to this. In my own breed, the Dandie, all ears are natural.
How do I evaluate undocked tails in traditionally docked breeds? This is not difficult to do, but the real challenge is for the breed- ers of breeds that were once docked who live in countries that no longer allow docked tails (as they have probably not paid attention to tail carriage). I judge Sporting dogs—and often have undocked Spaniels in my ring—and don’t really notice the tails as long as they are carried properly for the breed.
Can I offer advice to novice judges re: sparring in the ring? I was gathering a series of articles together for a book on Terriers when the publishing industry went in the toilet, so to speak. One of the memorable pieces was written by Rhonda Davis, an Airedale breed- er-judge in Ohio, and after every paragraph she ended it with, “Yes! We spar Airedales.” Sparring of some Terrier breeds is an integral part of judging the breed. While it shows character, it also allows the dog to self-stack and exhibit his true balance and carriage; when done properly it’s an eye-filling moment. My advice to the novice is: Before you judge a Terrier breed that is customarily sparred, you spend many hours ringside watching experienced Terrier judges and observe how it’s done. If the handlers in my ring are not in complete control of their dogs, I do not spar them.
Are there specific challenges presented when judging the low entry breeds? I think this is the time you must have a very clear pic- ture of the breed in your mind’s eye to know whether the couple of dogs in your ring are worthy specimens or not. Is the one in the ring that looks different the right one? Students of Terriers will benefit from attending the Terrier Group shows, particularly the October
Hatboro-Devon-Montgomery events, and plan to spend each day observing just two or three breeds; and do that year after year.
Have I attended Earthdog Tests or Barn Hunts? I am proud to say I owned the very first Dandie that earned a Certificate of Game- ness. (This was back in 1978.) It is a learning experience and points up why size matters!
Would I advocate dividing the Terrier Group? Absolutely not.
Can I name one or two of my all-time favorite Terriers? The incomparable Kerry Blue named Mick, widely admired, the epito- me of breed type and character, and the Dandie that put the breed on the world stage, Harry. Harry never met a dog show he didn’t want to go to and, when he made it to BIS, 53 percent of the time he went Best. The late publisher of Terrier Type magazine, Dan Kied- rowski, pointed that statistic out to me; not many dogs can claim that record. Bill McFadden was lucky to have both of these dogs on his lead.
What can be done to promote Terriers as family companions? We purebred dog fanciers must continually push the facts forward: Our dogs are screened for health and temperament, and are a much better bet than some variation of doodle. I wish the AKC would spend some of their money on public service announcements.
Is there a funny story I’d like to share about my experiences judg- ing Terriers? Before I judged the roving Australian Terrier Nation- al Specialty some years ago, I had a dream. At that time, there’d been great controversy about Australian Terriers being shown with undocked tails. So, my dream was a class of 16 American-bred Aus- sies, eight with tails and eight without, and what was I going to do with them? Thankfully, I woke up!
GALE YOUNG
I reside in Venice, Florida, and in Carver, Massachusetts. I have been breeding and showing dogs since 1973 and judging since 1997. Do I have any hobbies or interests apart from purebred dogs? Yes, I have a Master’s Degree in Music, have performed, and also
enjoy working with my private voice students.
Can I talk about my introduction to Terriers? My first Norfolk,
a male, was purchased in 1985 from Peter Green, and my second, a female, was purchased from Trish and Leon Lussier. She was bred to a Surrey dog and the rest is history. Smallest of the Terriers, but with a big attitude, Norfolks are great ratters and wonderful family dogs.
What makes a Terrier a Terrier? Other than being true to its breed standard, a Terrier must have a “Devil May Care” attitude.
Are there breed characteristics that are difficult for non-Terrier judges to understand? I do not believe that there are breed charac- teristics that are difficult to understand, but I do believe there is one misconception about fronts and a lack of concern about atti- tude. I often read articles or am listening to a seminar in which the “Terrier Front” is alluded to as a characteristic that a Sporting dog, for instance, would not want to have. This “Terrier Front” is an assembly where the shoulder is well laid back and long, and the upper arm is shorter than the shoulder blade. The majority of the dogs in the Terrier Group do not ask for this front assembly in their standard. Therefore, we should refrain from this blanket comment. Attitude is of great importance. Consider the work these dogs were bred to do. If they did not have a strong attitude, they would not survive, as the vermin they were bred to kill or disperse would do them in.
How important is presentation, conditioning, and expression in the Terrier ring? We are at a dog show, so grooming is important. Structure, conditioning and expression (attitude) are necessary, but are especially important as they allow a Terrier to do his job.
What are my thoughts re: bites among the Terrier breeds. I would follow the requirements of the breed standard. I do feel that Terriers work with their mouths, so they need to have big teeth, and enough jaw length (per the standard) and width to hold all their teeth.
174 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, SEPTEMBER 2020
TERRIER GROUP Q&A