Show Placings
Darlington Championship Show
17th Sep 2023
Judge: Mrs D Bullen (Fevstone)
I would like to thank the committee for inviting me to judge for the second time. I had a good entry of 125 with a few absentees as is usual, the dogs were of varying types and sizes which is to be expected. The ones that were unspannable aren’t fit for function as they fall at the first hurdle so to speak.
There are quite a lot creeping into the breed of late which lack power in the foreface. Falling away below the eye with a foreign expression. Also lacking in underjaw. Again a weakness in the breed which needs addressing or we will lose these qualities essential to work. A lot now have too short an upperarm which is vital in construction as it propels the dog forward as he should cover the ground effortlessly striding out. Not Pitter patter slowly. On a more positive note I found a lot of quality true to type borders that were a pleasure to judge. Effortless free movement which is essential. I’m sure the breed will go on to have a bright future if we all keep to the breed type.
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Placing Critique
Racier type than one, lovely headed puppy with a keen expression. Good topline and tailset. Everything you would expect a nice puppy to be. Moved very well and expertly handled by a very smart young lady. I wish you luck
Yorkshire, Lancashire & Cheshire Border Terrier Club Championship Show
30th Sep 2023
Judge: Mrs J Guvercin (Glebeheath)
Thank you to the committee for this appointment, everyone worked hard to make it an enjoyable day. This venue always has a super atmosphere, however, the ring is too small really to see outlines, being far too near the dogs and side profile movement is very difficult to see, let alone for the dogs to perform really well. Many moved poorly, not liking the smooth mats and although I had to judge them on this today, I think most would move much better outside in a big grass ring.
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Placing Critique
Another nice headed grizzle, longer and leggier than 1 at present, but this will be to his advantage later on. Narrow all through with good rib, coat and pelt. Very much a baby at present but a workmanlike shape
The Northern Border Terrier Club Open Show
7th Oct 2023
Judge: Mrs Norma Ellis (Normbar)
Thank you to the Committee for organising such a well run show. The quality of the the dogs was very good, making my decisions more difficult in a good way. Nice atmosphere plus friendly sportsmanship prevailed.
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Placing Critique
Showed well for his handler. Best of heads with strong muzzle, straight front tight feet, good harsh jacket thick pelt, correct topline and tail carried well on the move. Strode out well moving soundly.
The Border Terrier Club Open Show
14th Oct 2023
Judge: Mrs Sue Baxter (Mysulan)
Firstly I’d like to thank The Border Terrier Club Committee for their very kind invitation to judge this Open show, I felt honoured and privileged . I thoroughly enjoyed my day and the hospitality on offer , the lunch certainly hit the spot..thank you Nancy Hogg. My two stewards, Jane Morton-Shaw and Marina Fleming kept things running smoothly and I am grateful for their support .
To the exhibitors , my thanks go unbounded as I had a lovely selection of good quality dogs to go over and there were certainly some tough decisions in many of the classes. It is an education to finally go over some of the dogs I have admired from the ring side. I am grateful that my decisions were taken, mostly in a sporting manner.
My general findings were , all males were intact , I found no kinked tails ( 1 dog had a bump on the underside of its tail , not a kink in my opinion), jackets were, as usual , at various stages of growth. I was impressed by the fact that all animals before me could be spanned , some a little easier than others.
Once again I feel compelled to comment on the state of nails and feet. In my opinion , many dogs had nails that were too long and some needed drastic fur trimming to enhance the shape of the feet.In my opinion it is a shame to groom your dogs for the ring but forget that ,especially whilst on the table, the judge has a perfect view of any, long nails and/or woolly “ Yeti” feet .
Minor Puppy - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Placing Critique
nice grizzle pup . Well proportioned head for a raw baby of 7 months . Ears perhaps a little on the large size but as the skull develops, that should make them more in proportion. Dark Eyes of a good size and shape. Hopefully will develop a little more under jaw strength as he matures. Angles fore and aft good , moved well for one so young . Jacket and pelt good, Liked his length in rib and the complimentary loin . Straight front , standing on well padded feet .His young handler did a good job !
Northern Counties Sporting Terrier Association Group Open Show
15th Oct 2023
Judge: Mr Ian Halbert (Marrimay)
I would like to thank the committee for the kind invitation to judge Border Terriers and for the warm welcome I received. Also thanks go to my steward for doing such a good job. My apologies to the Secretary and exhibitors for the delay in submitting this critique due to circumstances beyond my control
Best Puppy - Dog
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Best Puppy
Name at show: TPG4, Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Puppy - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Placing Critique
A very balanced young dog. Good head with broad skull, straight front on good feet. Well laid shoulders. In very good coat. Presented in good condition. Moved well. BP and pleased he went on to take PG4
The Scottish Border Terrier Club Championship Show
11th Nov 2023
Judge: Mr Mark Lowry (Ravenside)
Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for a lovely entry and also to the Scottish BTC for this opportunity. Special thanks go to my two stewards for the day who kept everything running smoothly and for their good company. Although the lighting in the hall isn’t the best, it was adequate and the large square ring was perfect for watching movement, something I feel is very important in a border terrier. On that note I found my main winners to excel in this department. I was pleased to judge some strong puppy classes and also some strong adult classes
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Yorkshire, Lancashire & Cheshire Border Terrier Club Open Show
27th Jan 2024
Judge: Mr R Wright (Borderexpress)
Thank you to the committee of the YLC Border Terrier Club for this appointment, a very hard working team that pulled a lovely show together at a great venue and also my two very capable stewards Bridget Singh and Margaret Davies. To the exhibitors that also supported me on my wonderful entry for the day and generated a great atmosphere around the ring.
The lunch time interval also kept me busy with 6 lovely puppies taking part in the puppy walk, a great idea successfully carried out by the club and an opportunity to get the youngsters out and into a show environment – some promising youngsters to go over made the interval very pleasing.
I was really pleased with my final line ups on the day although I felt that the bitch classes were stronger than the dog classes, jackets with Crufts up and coming in a few weeks were varying so again thank you for putting exhibits forward that we all knew could do with some more jacket to just complete the picture.
Puppy - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
The Border Terrier Club Open Show
24th Feb 2024
Judge: Libby Tanton-Joy (Itsaso)
Thank you to the committee for inviting me to judge their open show held at Jedburgh, the home of the border terrier. It was a great privilege, and I had some amazing dogs present who are a credit to their owners, thank you for bringing them.
Thank you to my stewards for organising the rings so smoothly and keeping me on track so we finished at a reasonable time. The hospitality was second to none and I would like to thank the whole committee for this.
Puppy - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Northern Counties Sporting Terrier Golden Jubilee Open Show
17th Mar 2024
Judge: Mrs Margaret Davies (Glenorchy)
Many Thanks to the Society for inviting me to judge at their Golden Jubilee Open Show. Thank you to my two stewards who kept things running smoothly and also my grateful thanks to all the exhibitors who came under me and gave me a lovely entry.
Most of the exhibits were presented in a good clean condition, but a few could have done with a little finer tuning on their presentation. Just one level bite.
I find the true otter head is disappearing and movement left a lot to be desired, fronts were knitting and rears were moving close behind. Apart from that, I had an enjoyable day, thank you all.
Junior - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Placing Critique
Another nice dog who was presented well by his young handler, good jacket and pelt, nice expression, good teeth, moved okay, but I just preferred the jacket on winner.
The Border Terrier Club Championship Show
30th Mar 2024
Judge: Mrs Lynda Ward (Roundtown)
It was an honour to be invited to judge this, our parent club’s show. My thanks to the committee who ran such a lovely event with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. My judge’s gift is much appreciated and will be a treasured momento of the day.
My superstar stewards, Janice Johnson and Liz Barrett, worked hard and unobtrusively whilst keeping the classes moving smoothly over a long day – well done ladies.
Many thanks of course to the exhibitors who made the journey on a major bank holiday weekend giving a large and quality entry of 190 dogs making 229 entries plus 10 NFC.
I had some lovely sound and typical Borders to go over and, had I had them, I would have had no qualms in awarding 4 dog tickets and 5 bitch tickets.
Unfortunately there are always downsides in a big entry and today size was an issue with some overly large exhibits who were not spannable and very heavily built.
There were a number of youngsters which were obviously unused to having their mouths examined and more practice in a calm atmosphere would help to make them comfortable and avoid stress for them and their handlers.
Ears need watching as some were quite large and spoiled the head.
Sadly, as in the past I must complain about long tails. Tails are an integral aspect of the overall picture of a typical Border outline and long is simply wrong. Our breed standard is spartan compared to many others but for tails the description is clear and begins with, “Moderately short; fairly thick at base, then tapering.” Hopefully the issue will be addressed before the untypical becomes the norm.
On a positive note …
Feet were overall small and thickly padded although some would benefit from trimming and shorter nails.
There was a good number of lovely otter-like heads of correct proportions with well placed dark eyes and a keen expression.
As is usual these days coat presentation was generally good and today there were plenty of dense coats of correct texture and thick skins.
Do I think the quality shown in this entry bodes well for the breed? Yes.
Junior - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
The Northern Border Terrier Club Open Show
13th Apr 2024
Judge: Mrs P Cox (Cushatlaw)
I would like to say a big thank you to the officers an committee for kindly inviting me to judge this lovely open show and to all the exhibitors for exhibiting their dogs under me. A special thank you to the stewards who kept the ring running smoothly.
Junior - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Placing Critique
13 month old grizzle dog, maturing well. Good head with keen expression short strong muzzle. Good lay of shoulder and return of upper arm giving good reach of neck. Good length to body with ribs carried well back. Harsh coat and thick undercoat and good pelt. Moved well.
East Anglia Border Terrier Club Championship Show
20th Apr 2024
Judge: Mrs Elizabeth Barrett (Howthwaite)
Thank you to the committee of the East Anglia Border Terrier Club for the honour of inviting me to judge your Championship show and for your great hospitality on the day. It was hit-and-miss as to whether or not I would be judging inside or out, and I’m pleased that the committee took the decision to hold it outdoors. It is far nicer for the dogs to be outside, even with the biting wind, and we are not to forget that they are designed to be outside in that type of weather, which reiterates the importance of a good coat. I hope everyone at ringside managed to keep the chill away, myself having Cumbrian bloodlines, found it rather pleasant. Thank you to my stewards Tracey, Dave and Mike who worked tirelessly to keep the ring moving. My biggest thanks are to the exhibitors who gave me an excellent entry and took all my decisions in a sporting manner. I know it is always said there are too many good dogs for the number of cards and that was especially true of the limit and open classes. I was spoiled for choice in a number of classes and had to split hairs on a number of occasions. Dog’s are never static and can have good days and bad days just the same as us, and condition and coats can change dramatically. Some dogs were out of top coat or had no harshness to their coat on the day which cost them on this occasion. Repeating myself from my last judging appointment, I made mention that true movement isn’t necessarily conducive to good movement if no ground is covered at the same time, ideally of course we want both but I would rather see a dog with a good outline in profile than one very accurate that’s going nowhere. Good construction should be a given, I know not much mention is made to that in our breed standard, but to constitute soundness to follow a horse, the construction must be balanced and correct with no exaggeration. Thankfully, there were not many exaggerations on the day. One or two were big ribbed and not quite spannable, and surprisingly they were not necessarily the ones that looked up to size. Overall, I was very pleased with the quality of the dogs presented.
Junior - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
The Midland Border Terrier Club Championship Show
12th May 2024
Judge: Mrs Laura Illingworth (Thorneyhurst)
Firstly thanks to the Midland Border Terrier Club for inviting me to judge their show, and to all the exhibitors for the massive entry which would of been hard to get through without the help of my two stewards Sharon Pickering and Margaret Bailey who did there best to make sure no exhibitors missed there classes
The quality of the exhibits was exceptional, Most dogs were in fit hard condition and presented well, the old saying many good dogs went without a card was only too true, We were blessed with good weather and a nice sized ring.
Junior - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Scottish Kennel Club (May)
16th May 2024
Judge: Miss Rebecca Barber (Alcumlow)
Thank you to SKC for inviting me to judge at their show, I thoroughly enjoyed my day. I was very pleased with my entry, thank you to all the exhibitors who value my opinion enough to enter their dogs under me. There were some very strong classes and some very pleasing youngsters. I was very pleased with my principle winners and I was delighted to see my BOB get shortlisted in a strong group and my BPIB get TPG3 in the puppy group. It was also an honour to make up two new well deserving champions, making it three new champions in one day over the two shows, which I believe is a new breed record.
Junior - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Scottish Kennel Club (Ocober)
16th May 2024
Judge: Mr. Stewart Golding (Beaconpike)
Sorry for delay in critiques, work commitments had to take priority. Thank you to the committee for inviting me to judge the October show which was brought forward in conjunction with the May show. Thank you to my two stewards for keeping the ring running smoothly, which wasn’t easy with two shows running side by side. Thank you to the Exhibitors for a lovely entry and accepting my decisions in a sportsmanlike manner. I had some difficult decisions especially in the bitch classes where I just didn’t have enough cards to hand out. Coats from last time I judged had improved and it was a pleasure to see so many in correct double coat of depth. On the whole movement was good. I did find a couple of incorrect bites and one kinked tail
Junior - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
The Southern Border Terrier Club Championship Show
9th Jun 2024
Judge: Mrs. Margaret Bailey (Grindelvald)
I would like to thank the officers and committee for asking me to judge their show, it was an honour. Also for making David and myself so welcomed and the enjoyable lunch. The quality of the Borders were pleasing to go over. Big thank you to my stewards Julie and Robert, keep the classes running smoothly all day. Finally thank you to all the exhibitors who braved the cold weather, it did stay dry and allowing me to go over their dogs. All the males were entire, as usual the coats were at various stages which cost some dogs higher placing. Some wide fronts let them down, large ears were a problem in some exhibits. I was delighted with all my winners such quality.
Junior - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Border Union Agricultural Society
16th Jun 2024
Judge: Mr. David Matthews (Tojamatt)
My thanks to the Society for the invitation to Judge one of my favourite shows, it didn’t all go to plan with the weather playing its part. I would like to thank all the exhibitors for going along with my decision to stay outside despite the weather, and my special thanks to stewards Judy Carr and Audrey Coltart for braving the weather also. Also my thanks to Euan for posting my judging book and critique notes and to whomever handed it in.
Sorry for delay, holidays and work have played their part. I had some lovely dogs to go over and thank you all for bringing them.
Junior - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Placing Critique
Grizzle dog presented in hard condition with nice outline all in proportion a keen expression with masculine head and big teeth and correct bite, dark eye ,nice ear set, being narrow throughout, easily spanned, moved well both ways
Blackpool & District Canine Society
23rd Jun 2024
Judge: Mrs Beverley Barber (Alcumlow)
Thank you to all of you who entered your dogs for me to judge. I really enjoyed my day and having the privilege of judging your dogs. The weather was kind and our ring was good. I had excellent stewards and I thank them for their hard work.
Junior - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Placing Critique
Pleasing young dog. Well presented by his young handler. Lovely head of good proportion of skull to muzzle . Well laid front and rear. Good length to body .Overall good balance. Good coat and pelt. Moved out well .
Boston & District Canine Society
5th Jul 2024
Judge: Julie Green (Breckgreen & Stowthorney)
I would like to thanks the officers and committee of Boston and District Canine society for inviting me to give my first set of tickets in Border Terriers. It was such a well-run show and in such a lovely setting. I would also like to thank the exhibitors who entered under me. Thanks also to my two stewards who kept the ring moving for me on the day.
All in all, I was happy with my entry. I found all males to be entire and no kinked tails on the day. A couple of mouths that were not quite correct.
Junior - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
The East Anglia Border Terrier Club Championship Show
5th Jul 2024
Judge: Miss Anita Harrison (Iacheslei)
Many thanks to the committee for the invitation to judge. Everyone worked hard throughout the day to ensure it ran smoothly. There were a few clashes with the main Boston Championship show but these were well managed. Thanks also to the competitors for accepting my decisions in a sporting manner and creating a wonderful atmosphere around the ring.
There was a super entry of 172 dogs making 217 entries which I found both exciting and daunting, having had a total knee replacement operation just weeks before!
Overall, I found the standard of exhibits was good. Coats were a mixture ranging from pure undercoat to absolute perfection. The majority of exhibits were spannable. All dogs were entire. I found just one undershot mouth. I forgave loose movement in some of the younger dogs which will hopefully tighten as they mature, but adults moving wide or close had to be penalised. Several lacked bone and substance, being on the leg as well as short coupled making the outline somewhat squarer than I was looking for. Handling was generally good, with one very professional young handler who really impressed me with her skills. My main winners were presented in stunning condition, and I had some difficult decisions to make in the higher classes, wishing I could award more than just one Challenge Certificate.
Junior - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
The Northern Border Terrier Club Championship Show
13th Jul 2024
Judge: Mr. Mark Ord (Marnadee)
Having attended & a long association with this breed club I was very honoured when I received the invitation to judge this show. It is pleasing that the club has such a wealth of supporters who do such sterling work and put on shows that make you want to return to. Walking into this venue today brought back many memories of the past and I am sure the pioneers of the club would be thrilled to see how it has prospered from humble beginnings. The Border Terrier continues to hold its own compared to many of today’s terrier breeds both as a companion and show dog. Breed standards were compiled by looking at the dogs of the time and their working capabilities fitting this purpose, this should still be adhered to now despite hunting no longer being allowed. This being said dogs should be presented for the show ring to the best of an owner’s capabilities, in hard muscular condition and coat presented clean and fit for the purpose of working in rough terrain.
I today found mouths to be good in the majority and I like to see large dentition along with a correct scissor bite. Several had eyes that needed attention in the way of cleaning before coming into the show ring. We still are seeing the incorrect flipping front action due to short upper arms and if not addressed this will become the norm. After my last appointment, I was pleased to only see a small minority where scissoring had been used on the coats which should not be the case. I did find today several coats that I would class as broken rather than the desirable tight harsh top weatherproof coat with undercoat for warmth. On a positive note, the bitches were easy to span and only a minority of males could not be. Pelts were pretty good being both thick & loose.
Junior - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
The Yorkshire, Lancashire & Cheshire Border Terrier Club Championship Show
28th Sep 2024
Judge: Mrs Anne Heathcote (Saxheath)
I would like to thank the YLCBTC for giving me the honour of judging their Championship Show . My thanks also to my very efficient stewards Tracy and Marvin who kept both the ring and myself in order . It also goes without saying that I very much appreciated the exhibitors who trusted me to go over their dogs , Thank you .
Yearling - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Placing Critique
Stood alone this gr was confidently handled by his young owner . he had a straight narrow front , good otter head , level topline and was well ribbed back . He had a tight topcoat and moved well
The Northern Border Terrier Club Open Show
12th Oct 2024
Judge: Mrs. V. Mann (Valger)
I would like to thank The Committee for their invitation to judge their Open Show. I thoroughly enjoyed my day. Thank you to my very efficient Stewards Mark & Julie for keeping everything on track & The Club for their hospitality & splendid gift.
Post Graduate - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Placing Critique
19mth grizzle with a good masculine head with width of skull & well set ears. Keen expression with a strong muzzle. Good reach of neck leads to well laid close bladed shoulders & length of upper arm placing his forelegs under his body. Narrow all through, stands on well boned straight limbs with small, neat feet & thick pads. Good coat texture. Easily spanned with a thick loose pelt. Not too deep, his ribs reach well back to a short strong loin. Level topline held on the move. He strode out well with good reach & drive in profile.
The Border Terrier Club Open Show
19th Oct 2024
Judge: Mrs Margaret Armstrong (Carrickfarm)
Thank you to The Border Terrier Club for inviting me to judge The Open Show at Low Hesket, one of my favourite shows and venues. As always hospitality was superb and a lovely enjoyable lunch.
Thank you to Judy and Andrea my two excellent stewards who kept proceedings running smoothly and on time and thank you to all exhibitors.
I had a lovely entry and some lovely dogs to judge. A very enjoyable day.
Post Graduate - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Northern Counties Sporting Terrier Association Group Open Show
20th Oct 2024
Judge: Mrs Sue Spafford (Dassett)
Post Graduate - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
The Scottish Border Terrier Club Championship Show
9th Nov 2024
Judge: Mr A Horner (Stineval)
I would like to thank SCBTC and committee for the privilege of judging this years Championship show and thank my very capable steward Euan Castell for keeping the ring flowing and the exhibitors for their lovely entry. There were some really nice dogs for me to go over. But I must say that looking at them in general heads are starting to stray away from that of the border terrier, the other thing that I think needs addressing is the general cleanliness of their exhibits. I found three suspect mouths and two kinked tails . thank you one and all for an enjoyable day,
Yearling - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
Ladies Kennel Association
12th Dec 2024
Judge: Miss Sally Leslie (Risdene)
Yearling - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Thornheswin Hellfire In Borderfox
