Show Placings
East of England Championship Show
8th Jul 2021
Judge: Mr Ian Hopper (Esyntona)
My thanks go to the East of England committee for inviting me to judge the show. Thank you to my two stewards who efficiently helped exhibitors to follow the corvid regulations in place for the show.
For quite a lot of the younger dogs it was there first show due to the lockdown they all handled it well.
All teeth were ok a few of the dogs were just spannable there was no problem with the bitches
I was pleased with my final line ups for dogs and bitches and the main winners I feel could still carry out the work they were bred for if required.
Open - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Ravenside Sabor A Mi
Placing Critique
Blue and tan bitch good head and teeth, good topline, in good coat moved ok brought her back in to contend for BRCC.
The East Anglia Border Terrier Club Championship Show
29th Aug 2021
Judge: Mrs Janet Lee (Tythrop)
My thanks to the Officers & Committee for inviting me to judge their show , & for the excellent ring stewards Mr Brewster & Mrs Armstrong who made the day run smoothly & kept me going with refreshments ! I enjoyed being with fellow BT fanciers & their dogs , as I always do .
I had a very good entry come forward & after such a long time away from the ring , a few were ring rusty & some youngsters were a little overawed , which I considered quite acceptable given so many had missed out on their early education & socialisation & tried to give them opportunity to shine , though a few very nice dogs could have been higher placed but the occasion was too much for them .
I found very good examples , but also had some whose construction fell a little short of the standard …….deep unspannable bodies or brisket below elbow standing or on the move on much shorter than their depth legs , forward placed & too little angulation in their fronts due to upright shoulders & short steep upper arms which shorten their strides or make them goosestep , & flat croups with extra high set tails carried like hound sterns ,or conversely short steep croups with low tailsets , often thin & long tails too & some poor downhill or lumpy/hinged toplines became apparent in profile movement , however the most common thing that struck me was how many have too little bone in pasterns & east-west feet when our standard calls for straight legs & good tight feet . As I lift every dog to see how their fronts ‘’drop’’ into place I found lack of bone through pasterns into feet was a common fault today & so some had feet not facing forward naturally . Most came in good condition , but a few were too thin & their pelvic bones were sticking up & they felt shelly with no depth of loin so their rears lacked muscle accordingly , conversely a handful had indulged during lockdown a little too much ! Coats were as ever , mixed , but the top winners all came in very good order with double coats .
Yearling - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Ravenside Sabor A Mi
Placing Critique
Typey blue & tan also of good size , balanced in outline . Good head & eyes & ears , clean neck & shoulders & good rib length , strong loin , very good well angulated rear with low set driving hocks , carrying a shade more weight than she needs today &short of coat . Moved soundly , but less enthusiastically than 1st.
The Scottish Kennel Club (May) Championship Show
1st Oct 2021
Judge: Mrs Trudi Baird (Dowgri)
I was delighted to accept the invitation to judge at the May show postponed to October.
Under Scottish government rules it meant those of us inside had to wear masks & I thank the majority of exhibitors for complying with this legislation.
Thank you to my lone steward who was able to keep the classes coming in and ready for me, it wasn't an easy task with our neighbouring ring hosting the breeds October show but thankfully we didn't get too many clashes.
I always feel immensely privileged to be able to judge your dogs and I hope exhibitors felt that I gave each of you ample time to set up your dogs on the table to show them at their best.
The entry was varied and I felt my top winners were outstanding. As always coats were presented at various stages and bites were generally very good. A number with long flat & untidy feet and a few dogs I just couldn't span even with my large hands!
Open - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Ravenside Sabor A Mi
Placing Critique
This was another beautiful exhibit,, gorgeous head and expression .
Good narrow front with correct bone , liked her narrow well carried back rib making her comfortable to span. Presented in close harsh blue and tan jacket. She wasn't as positive in front movement today.
The Scottish Kennel Club (October) Championship Show
1st Oct 2021
Judge: Miss Anita Harrison (Iacheslei)
My thanks to SKC for holding the show after two changes of date and merging the May and October shows. It can’t have been easy. My grateful thanks to Bob Potts, my sole ring steward for the day, who cheerfully and calmly kept the ring running smoothly with the greatest efficiency.
Whilst my main winners fitted the breed standard I was disappointed with some of the other exhibits. The front movement on some left an awful lot to be desired. (Try videoing your dogs moving) Many were light of bone, on the leg and short coupled giving a square outline. Several had short round ribs. Having said that the majority were spannable. Dentition was generally good. All dogs were entire. Coats were at various stages but those with no coat had to be penalised in several classes. Presentation of some exhibits could have been better. Temperaments on the whole appeared to be okay, with just the odd exhibit displaying a tendency to be over excited in the presence of others.
Open - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Ravenside Sabor A Mi
Placing Critique
Another blue and tan with pretty head, good expression, well laid shoulder, super rib and well turned stifle, good feet, well presented with good coat and pelt, Preferred the front movement of 1.
Border Union Championship Show
4th Oct 2021
Judge: Mr W Shorthose (Cundytyke)
Many thanks go to the exhibitors and my two stewards who kept going throughout a rather damp session during the judging of the bitch classes. One of the essentials of a working terrier is being able to withstand a little rain but there were a few exhibits with thin skins and short of coat. I found that some lacked muscle, particularly behind, which affected the driving movement necessary for the breed’s function. My other main concern was the lack of width in the jaws of some, detracting from the desired, ‘like that of an otter’, head shape. This is a most identifying feature of the breed and needs to be carefully adhered to.
Open - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Ravenside Sabor A Mi
Class Critique
I’d be happy to switch the top placings round another day
The Northern Border Terrier Club Championship Show
9th Oct 2021
Judge: Mr Jimmy Gilpin (Otterbobs)
I feel honoured to have been elected by the members to have judged their clubs 75 year show, and can I thank Alan and Graham for keeping things running so smoothly for me, and can I especially thank the committee for lunch that they provided and also Mr J Whalton for looking after me and my wife, I am not going to rant on about this and that but where have all the heads and tail sets gone ?
Yearling - Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Ravenside Sabor A Mi
The Scottish Border Terrier Club Championship Show
13th Nov 2021
Judge: Mr M Ord
Massive Thank You to The Officers & Committee for inviting me to judge your Championship Show today. This club I was a member of in the formative years and have fond memories of the very first Championship Show where I was an exhibitor. It is good to see a club go from strength to strength and the committee worked very hard to put on this event in what has been difficult times to plan ahead. Thank you everyone who entered today and I was honoured with an entry of 150 Dogs, 192 Entries & 0 NFCs. Like every show absentees were inevitable but I hope those present today took my decisions sportingly.
A few general observations on todays entry which are my thoughts and because I care so much for this lovely breed. Driving to the venue today was a perfect way to view the countryside where this breed was developed and all could see the rough terrain they would need to work in. It is essential you judge a breed with the work they were bred to do foremost in your mind and learn why they are built the way they were and why the breed standard exists. It is a dog show and we now want to see them clean, healthy and well presented but I was sad to see today several exhibits with very clear evidence of scissor work on the coats and not just on tidying feet etc. Please stop this trend NOW. Several were scissored from hip to hock, no need to do this & does nothing to enhance the dog. Good otter heads were not in abundance today and I witnessed a lot of fly away ears. We have always witnessed the odd one but today quite a number could be seen when the dog was in action & not always on youngsters either.
Coats as always were in various stages today but you must judge the dog on the day and find evidence of the correct texture and undercoat which is vital to stop the working dog getting wet through to the skin. Mouths were very good today as where tails which have thankfully improved greatly. Some exhibits in my opinion had lovely conformation however where far too big and long in leg. I though ribs were good with only a few that would be unable to be spanned with the average size hands. I did find today the bitches were more uniform for size so just need to work on the males not becoming big, leggy & heavy.
Open - Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Ravenside Sabor A Mi
