Chesterton Photo Finish

It is always a pleasure to judge Border Terriers and this was no exception. Many thanks for a decent entry which, however, was marred by quite a number of absentees. There has always been diversity in the breed, but I felt this was even more obvious this time than on previous occasions when I have judged Borders in the UK. Many dogs were well up to size making them impossible to span. I also felt that heads varied more than I would have liked with plenty of large ears and long weak muzzles, often also falling away under the eyes. Temperaments, as one would expect, were excellent and so were coats and pelts on the whole. Grateful thanks for the sporting manner in which my placings were accepted, and also to my stewards.

In this day of mentoring I make no apologies for restating the main criteria I apply in my judging. The standard states that the border terrier is essentially a working terrier and it should be able to follow a horse. Therefore I require a dog deep in chest but well ribbed back providing ample heart and lung room which will enable it to travel and be present when and if required to flush the quarry, narrow throughout and spannable to enable it to go to ground, head like that of a otter with strong muzzle and big teeth to help protect from any attack of the quarry, harsh double coat and thick skin as protection from the elements whilst underground or on the moors, good temperament to mix with the hounds and able to be handled as necessary. I felt that most of my winners met this criteria and my report concentrates on the dogs distinguishing points that resulted in its placing. However no dog is perfect and that is where the judgement comes in and remember opinions from the ring side do not always hold up on closer inspection.

Thank you to the committee and exhibitors for such a lovely day. Overall the quality was good, a lot of nice breed types, good feet, mouths, and was able to span most on the day.