Show Placings
Northern BTC Open Show
11th Apr 2009
Judge: Mr Ian Hopper (Esyntona)
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Joint BTBC Championship Show
2nd May 2009
Judge: Mr A Tomlinson (Lyndhay)
A few pointers that need addressing. Coat, the standard requires harsh and dense with a close undercoat, not a single one, as many exhibits carried today. Feet and nails, nails were unduly long, hair around the feet needed lots of attention. Also movement, it is not getting any better may be worse, rear movement was worse than front and appeared as if they were on stilts. On the positive side mouths seemed better, I found many with excellent strong teeth set correctly with a good bite
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Scottish Kennel Club
16th May 2009
Judge: Dr Ron Wheatley (Loiriston)
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
again nice type with good head, moved OK
Scottish Border Terrier Club Open Show
30th May 2009
Judge: Mr Brian Aubrey (Jenabeck)
Reserve Best Puppy
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Minor Puppy - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Southern Border Terrier Championship Show
13th Jun 2009
Judge: Mr William Gillot (Weegee)
It was a great honour to judge this show and I appreciated the large entry and the sporting way my decisions were received by the exhibitors. My overall impression is that the dogs have more quality in depth at the moment and that mouths no longer seem to be a problem in the show dogs. Size and movement are a constant worry, especially front movement where quite a lot were actually crossing in front, something not helped by exhibitors stringing up their dogs. Other judges have remarked that some of the dogs are getting too coarse in the head with too short a muzzle, but on the other hand a lot of the bitches seem too snipey and weak in the jaw, not what we want in a working terrier.
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Three Counties Championship Dog Show
16th Jun 2009
Judge: Mrs. Marie Sharp (Rhozzum)
Thanks are due to exhibitors for a good turn out of quality Borders, Mr & Mrs Hall for their expert and unobtrusive stewarding, and to the weatherman who forecasted a dry day and delivered. Most Border folk know that I favour a Border that is on the leg to enable it to cover the terrain found in Border Hunt country, yet narrow enough to follow the quarry to ground. Those in the cards today fulfilled most of the criteria set down in the Standard, so my individual critiques could become repetitive. True otter heads were not abundant, and those with a proper skull sometimes lacked muzzle strength. Coarse and/or upright shoulders featured too frequently, along with short and/or rounded ribcages. Not too many straight stifles were seen, but one or two were over-angulated in their hind quarters, an exaggeration which has crept into other breeds, let?s hope it will not do so in Borders. The Standard asks for a deep and narrow body, but many were deep in brisket only, with a cut-up underline. A worrying find which I have not encountered before to this extent was the number of kinky tails - not obvious to the eye but feeling lumpy to the hand. A warning to future judges of Borders - take plenty of wet-wipes. No Border appeared dirty, but the evidence appeared on my hands.
Minor Puppy - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
8 months grizzle and tan in good coat and condition. Handy in size. Somewhat plain in head at the moment but scored on overall balance.
Border Union Agricultural Society
20th Jun 2009
Judge: Mr Ernie Hill (Tynecourt)
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Blackpool & District CS
26th Jun 2009
Judge: Miss Sarah Dandy (Dandale)
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Windsor Championship Dog Show
4th Jul 2009
Judge: Miss Elspeth Jackson (Clipstone)
Many reports start with a thank you and I would like extend one to all the exhibitors who provided me with an entry which really reminded me why I love this breed. I thoroughly enjoyed my day and would have been very happy to have had a handful of top honours to hand out. In a number of classes, especially in bitches, the quality went right down the line and even beyond the cards.
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
City of Birmingham Canine Association
5th Sep 2009
Judge: Mrs Kathy Wilkinson (Otterkin)
An excellent entry awaited me at the City of Birmingham show, not only in numbers, but also in the depth of quality. In many classes, I found myself wishing for more than 5 places to award and sadly, dogs left the ring which I really liked and would have been happy to place on another day. In more than a couple of classes, it was very hard to decide on the 1st 5 in order and many went down the line because of coat texture and thickness, although on another day, in better coat, they would have fared better. As I have not been to many shows this year, it was good to view some dogs for the first time, including my Best of Breed, who I was pleased to ?find?, only to later discover she has already been found on a number of occasions, although not at this level!
I apologise for the lateness of this critique. Besides flying out to an appointment to judge in Italy only a couple of days after the show, we have had some personal and medical issues to deal with regarding the welfare of my elderly mother in law. As I write this, we have still not finalised arrangements for her, but hope to do so soon, so I hope you will understand that sometimes, dog shows do not come first.
On the way to the showground, my car made some terrifying noises when I touched the brake pedal and so, that will explain to anyone wondering, why I had to stop judging for a second or two to find my car keys for the AA man, who kindly fixed it at the hotel car park for us and saved us a long trip home on the back of a low loader.
An eventful weekend, made wonderful by the number of top class Border Terriers present at the show.
Many thanks must go to the very experienced and helpful ring stewards, Mr and Mrs Wright, who had the dogs present and ready for inspection at the start of every class and so enabled me to finish in plenty time for the Terrier Group. Good ring management was important with an entry of 185 dogs, making 193 entries (plus one or two whose entries had not been received and less a couple of NFC). This was the highest number in the Terrier Group today and I would like to thank all the exhibitors for allowing me the pleasure of going over their dogs. The absentee rate of dogs entered was 23.5%.
Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
Preferred the head on the 1st placed dog, as this one falls away a little under the eye, but he has a good length of neck leading into a good topline. Tail well set on, he was moving well both coming and going. Possesses a good ribcage and he was very easily spanned. He has a nice narrow front and good tight feet, both attributes so important in this working breed and should do well in the future.
Richmond Championship Show
12th Sep 2009
Judge: Mrs Janet Lee (Tythrop)
Sincere apologies to my exhibitors, the committee failed to inform me the proposed order of group judging had changed & the Terrier group was brought forward, the tannoy call was the 1st thing I knew about it. My back spasm during junior dog meant I was reduced to shuffling, sorry.
Most dogs were new to me & temperaments in the ring were good, my winners could do the job they were intended for being free from coarseness & lumber, spannable & narrow, with corresponding good construction & movement.
Several heads were short in skull & blocky, more resembling the balance of an Asian Short Clawed Otter, than an English one, the latter have longer than broad flat skulls, clean cheeks & relatively short muzzles parallel in profile to their skull, Borders should have large teeth with good scissor bite to be effective. Today, square, deep skulls, often with round eyes & very short narrow muzzles with small teeth were in evidence. These too strong square heads tended to have heavy fronts & frames to match.
Many fronts were placed too far forward with pro-sternum behind point of shoulder, which lacked length & layback, the too short & steep upper arms having no support, badly affecting movement, the dogs moved away with their fronts crossing, when only two legs should be visible. As an alternative a few were close behind & swung in front, so again "four legs". Profile movement lacked ?travel?, being up & down short choppy strides rather than smooth & forward going with drive off the hocks.
Although bone wasn't generally too fine nor too heavy some didn't have enough through pasterns into feet, & they lacked the depth of pad to ensure soundness if worked regularly.
My major concern, however, was coats & especially pelts. When I came into the breed Borders were shown in deep double coat, always.Dogs then looked heavier than they were due to these double coats & lots of pelt which the standard says MUST be thick - not because they had big frames with drum tight skins.. Coat density & pelt are directly related, no coat, thus thin skin, but they should still be loose & pliant. Tight, paper thin skins without depth of under or topcoat is not what the standard calls for, nor any use to a working terrier. A great advantage to the dog is a continuous double coat that can be worked or shown all year round.
Junior - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Darlington Championship Show
18th Sep 2009
Judge: Mr Frank Kane (Hirontower)
A very good entry in both quantity & quality. I was very pleased with the challenge line ups in both sexes.
Junior - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
high quality, full of type, excellent coat, good skull. Preferred the foreface & ears of 1. Smart mover with good stride, very workmanlike
Driffield Championship Dog Show
3rd Oct 2009
Judge: Mr Graham Pickering (Picer)
Thank you to Driffield Agricultural Society for inviting me to judge Border Terriers at their Championship Show. I had a good entry of 169 from 162 dogs and had a large number of quality exhibits to go over. It was a shame that the weather, being extremely windy, meant that because of health and safety reasons I had to judge indoors. This meant that at first the ring was not as spacious as I would have liked and the noise from the wind in the marquee at times disturbed some of the younger exhibits. In addition, the length of the grass and the unevenness of the surface were problematic for some of the exhibitors.
I was extremely pleased with my final line ups and there were many classes where deserving dogs went unplaced due to the quality of the entry. Overall coats, were very good and temperament was excellent. However, I did find two examples of the odd tooth out of place and a number of dogs which could have been tidier particularly around feet and tail.
In my winners I was looking for a correct size Border with a harsh double coat, well muscled, correct bone and looking like it could do a good days work. I found those qualities in my winners.
Junior - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
A smart looking Border Terrier puppy, up to size. Good head and expression, correct scissor bite with big teeth and well placed ears. Straight front, correct shoulders and well laid back rib. Lost out to 1st place on head.
South Wales Kennel Association
9th Oct 2009
Judge: Mr Brian Baxter (Beenaben)
Junior - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
A nice all round dog, good head and eye, good big teeth, well placed shoulder, straight front, light feet, good pelt and coat, strong back end, moved with plenty of drive.
Northern Border Terrier Club Open Show
11th Oct 2009
Judge: Mrs M Wanless (Thorneyburn)
It was a great honour to judge my first breed club show here, at Otterburn, heart of the country where the Border terrier originated. My thanks to the Club, and to all entrants. I enjoyed my day, and was very pleased with my final line up.
Reserve Best Dog
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Junior - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
Smart grizzle dog, lovely head, dark eye, and neat ears, strong jaw and good teeth. Good front,neat feet. Harsh coat and thick pelt. Level topline, held on the move, good tail carriage. Moved well. Spannable. RBD.
Border Terrier Club Open Show
31st Oct 2009
Judge: Mrs. Karen Dean (Tyrian)
I would first like to thank the committee for the invitation to judge, and to them and my stewards, Frank Nicholls and Paul Cheeseman for looking after me so well on the day, and lastly to all those who exhibited and accepted my decisions so graciously. It was a long, exhausting but very enjoyable day for me. I absolutely loved my best dog, best bitch and best puppy, they were all lovely and narrow, well balanced with small tight feet, sound movement and not overdone in any way. I would take any of them home in a heartbeat.
Junior - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
12 months old, not a big dog, neat head with flat skull, strong muzzle and good bite. Straight front with good bone and neat tight feet. Nice harsh coat although starting to go over and good pelt. Lovely thick carroty tail well set on. Moved well and with drive.
The Scottish Border Terrier Club Championship Show
14th Nov 2009
Judge: Mrs I Jackson (Haughbrae)
I would like to thank all exhibitors, spectators and my stewards for a most enjoyable day. A big thank you to Pat for the excellent lunch. What a delight to see and feel so many correct double coats. Size was also very good apart from a few being overweight and some lost out on places due to lack of coat.
Junior - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Manchester Canine Society
21st Jan 2010
Judge: Mr W Shorthose (Cundytyke)
It was, again, a pleasure to judge the breed. I thought that there was a lack of depth in quality in some classes though those which were placed were more representative of the Breed Standard. A few entries lacked true breed type and one almost questioned what other breed was involved in their lineage. The most recurring fault was in front movement which was a testament to some loaded shoulders.
Junior /
Third Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Border Terrier Open Show
27th Feb 2010
Judge: Mrs Marylynne Winder (Appleside)
My thanks to the Border Terrier Club for giving me the opportunity to judge the Club Open Show at Jedburgh and the Officers and Committee for their hospitality on the day.
Sincere thanks to the exhibitors for an excellent entry of 194 from 158 exhibits. Unfortunately, due to adverse weather conditions which prevailed the previous day north of the border, the number of dogs present was greatly depleted. A special thank you to my tireless ring stewards, Glenise and Maurice Hyslop for the quiet and efficient way they organised my ring.
Reserve Best Dog
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Junior - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
Promising youngster. I really like this dog. Right for size, typical head and expression. Lovely eye. Neat ears. Correct bite. Good reach of neck, level topline, straight front. Narrow body, easy to span. Shown in good coat and condition. Best mover in the class. His day will come. (Reserve Best Dog).
Crufts
12th Mar 2010
Judge: Mrs L.A. Crawley
Special Junior - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
similar look to winner but not the front action, head OK and better eye shape and size, good neck and topline, correct coat.
Border Terrier Club Championship Show
27th Mar 2010
Judge: Mr. Jim Stewart
Judge elect, Jane Parker, was cruelly taken down with food poisoning just before the show and sadly was unable to undertake this prestigious appointment. I was honoured to be asked to stand in for Jane who had attracted a super entry of 271 from 237 exhibits.
Having been "out the scene" for some years, I was pleased with the overall quality of the entry. Mouths and temperaments were commendable, as one would expect with a working terrier. I noted more alien expressions than I would expect, even with the size of the entry and many exhibitors must pay more attention to presentation. Erratic front movement, like the poor, is always with us. Nevertheless, there was sufficient depth of quality to provide worthy winners in dogs and bitches throughout the card.
Junior - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
National Terrier
3rd Apr 2010
Judge: Mrs Valerie Furness (Quatford)
A big thank you to the National Terrier Club for inviting me to judge this prestigious show and thank you to my stewards especially Fred who as always put everybody and everything in order and kept the judging on the move and flowing.
I was looking for a true Border and was pleased with all my placings to-day, all of good quality. What I did notice was a lot of quantity but not a lot of quality. Front and hind movement looks to be getting worse, some exhibits were so lacking in bone that the front legs would make good knitting needles and some were actually doing knit one, pearl one when moving back towards me. I could see front pads on some as they were moving away. Hind movement was either too close or too wide, over-angulation needs to be watched. Top lines on the whole were good but there were some strange under-lines. A lot of exhibits were so short in muzzle that this made for very tight dentition, small feet were few and far between and tails in some were far too long, where have all the “carrots” gone. I only found three incorrect mouths and two abnormal tails. Some exhibits would benefit from more handling/ring-craft experience as their poor performance affected placings.
I think the Breed Standard would make good reading for some exhibitors.
On a positive note, temperaments overall where very good.
DCC
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Yearling - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
Good-headed, quality dog, outstanding body lines, keen expression with dark eye, strong teeth, thick coat and pelt, well ribbed back, and easily spanable. Moved out positive and true with drive, glad to award him his first CC. DCC
Northern Border Terrier Club Open Show
10th Apr 2010
Judge: Miss Claire Tutin (Riseburn)
The NBTC held an open show at Belmont on 10/04/10 which I was very honoured to judge and would like to thank the club for the invitation.I would also like to thank my stewards and the exhibitors for their entries and accepting my decisions.I was very pleased with all my winners and had a very enjoyable day.
Reserve Best In Show
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Best Opposite Sex
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Best Dog
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Limit - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
good size, plenty of harsh coat on a thick pelt, very good topline and tailset, small tight feet, good bone, broad skull with strong underjaw, narrow all through with a good rib, nice shoulder allowing him to move well with plenty of reach, well presented. BD,BOS, RBIS.
WELKS
25th Apr 2010
Judge: Miss S A Leslie (Risdene)
I started the day with veteran dog followed by some excellent juvenile dog classes which were very enticing. Throughout the day size was sometimes a little difficult to come to terms with when exhibits at the top of the scale were the more shapely and sound but as long as they were spannable they still featured if they had the attributes breed and conformation-wise to do the job they were bred for. Generally I determined that there was no need for a diatribe from yours truly as I found my lovely entry on the whole brought forward much of what I was looking for and I thank exhibitors for that. Just remember while I love a proper double coat I still like a tidy coat! Heads were definitely improved with very few of the stoppy, round eyed exhibits I do not find typical. There were a few strangely grubby ones and some would have benefited from some tlc round their eyes to guard against stray hairs causing irritation. Be that as it may there were some smashing classes with dogs not making the cut that on another day would figure in the reckoning.
Yearling - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
Lost out slightly in legs and feet to 1 today but typical exhibit, very appealing in head with lovely expression, built on nice lines with good angulation fore and aft, and sound, free mover
Scottish Kennel Club
23rd May 2010
Judge: Mrs M A Bailey
A privilege to judge the SKC. With lovely weather. Good stewards which made the show run very smooth. I was sorry to see a few exhibits with straight shoulders which affects the front movement and a few with incorrect mouths. However, on the positive side there was a lot of quality and correct size in the breed, which where fit for function. Unfortunately the grass in the ring was very long, which made it difficult to access the movement.
Yearling - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
Lovely narrow dog, correct size . Just lacked strength in muzzle as 1. Good level topline & rear angulation. Moved well from rear. OK in front. Not the laid shoulders as 1. Coat just coming through. Showed & presented well.
Bath Campionship Show
28th May 2010
Judge: Mrs Melanie Lewis
Thank you to the exhibitors for an extremely nice entry and for the sporting manner in which my decisions were accepted. A warm sunny day with a welcome breeze made conditions ideal. A bonus was the neatly mown grass in the ring which was ideal to assess movement. I was fortunate to have two extremely efficient Stewards who ensured the smooth running of the ring, enabling me to finish my task in good time, despite a delay in the start of judging.
On the whole I was pleased with the exhibits presented to me which were clean, although many lacked the correct double jacket that the standard asks for. Front movement is still a concern as indeed was the variation in the size of some of the exhibits. Heads generally were good although some exhibits were rather heavy in ear. Temperament’s were excellent, just one or two not too keen on being handled on the table. Two exhibits had teeth missing and I found a couple with incorrect dentition.
Feet can tell you a lot about a dog and its lifestyle. The standard asks for feet to be small with firm pads. Flat feet not helped by long nails are most undesirable and indeed would be a drawback if the dog was carrying out the task for which he was originally bred. Scissor marks unfortunately were very much in evidence on some exhibits which spoilt their overall appearance.
Limit - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Border Union
20th Jun 2010
Judge: Miss Tracey James (Blackmine)
Yearling - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Blackpool Championship Dog Show
1st Jul 2010
Judge: Mr A Horner (Stineval)
May I take this opportunity to give my sincere thanks to the officers and committee of The Blackpool Dog Show Society for their hospitality and also for giving me this privileged appointment. This being my first appointment to award CC’s I would like to thank all the exhibitors for supporting me and accepting my decisions so sportingly. I found a couple of mouths with teeth out of line and considering the quality of some of the exhibits they had to pay the penalty. I also found a couple of kinked tails which really surprised me. Thanks go to my able stewards for keeping things moving; allowing the BOB to be ready for the group which he was placed G4.
Limit - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
Pity he had to meet 1st. A different type to 1, pleasing head, good neck, well placed shoulders, a level top line and good tail set, narrow right through and moved well both ways.
Northern Border Championship Show
18th Jul 2010
Judge: Miss Elspeth Jackson (Clipstone)
What an honour and a pleasure it was to judge the Northern Border Terrier Club's Championship Show. An entry of 202 and good Northern hospitality ensured I had a most enjoyable day. Many thanks to my capable stewards for keeping the day running smoothly.
I was very satisfied with both my challenges and all the top honours were strongly contested. I was especially pleased with my puppies and will watch their progress with interest.
Yearling - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Welsh Kennel Club
21st Aug 2010
Judge: Mrs D Townsend
Thank you to everyone for a very enjoyable day, it's always a privilege for me to go over other people's dogs. I was pleased with my class winners but overall I felt that the quality of exhibits was somewhat mixed; movement was good but I have to lament the untypical Border heads that are present together with the high number of single coats
Limit - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Driffield Championship Dog Show
2nd Oct 2010
Judge: Mr P J Greenaway
RDCC
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Limit - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
won a tough class, top quality grizzle, harsh coat, pleased in profile, good angulation, hard condition, moved well, very good head, won a close encounter. Preferred eye & expression. RCC
South Wales KA
8th Oct 2010
Judge: Mr B Aubrey
Limit - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Midland Counties CS
29th Oct 2010
Judge: Phil D Sharp
A magnificent entry, the highest in the terrier group. Some exhibits did not have a good otter head & appeared too coarse. Movement was also an issue, as it should be the hindquarters that provide the propulsion, with the topline remaining reasonably level as the dog moves. Tails were somewhat better than when I last judged at this level. I was pleased with my final line-up for both dogs & bitches.
Limit - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Scottish BTC Championship Show
13th Nov 2010
Judge: Mr D E Fryer (Irton)
Thanks to the Club for the opportunity to go over so many quality dogs, and to the exhibitors for bringing them along. I was pleased to find , overall, a better standard of movement than I had expected, particularly in front; likewise coats, in general, were of good quality and quantity. I was, however, disappointed that so many seemed to have small teeth; mostly technically correct with only a couple with missing teeth. One male was not entire.
Limit - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
Short of coat, would again prefer more head, moved well both ways, well turned hindquarters, but a bit steep in upper arm
Ladies Kennel Association
12th Dec 2010
Judge: Mr. Frank Nicholls (Halcus)
My thanks go to the exhibitors who provided an excellent entry in spite of the appalling weather conditions in many parts of the country recently, and the almost inevitable problems to be expected on the M6 motorway. Good quality dogs were present in most classes and I was pleased with both line ups for the CC?s. Coats were generally pretty good with just a few taken out for that ?other show?, and one or two soft coats. I found movement again a problem with a good percentage knitting or pinning at the front, and a lack of drive from the rear. The open dog and junior bitch classes were of the highest quality and some excellent exhibits went away cardless.
Limit - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
Good head, well constructed and a nice size, moved very well, good double coat, tight feet. A good quality border.
Boston & District CS Championship Show
9th Jan 2011
Judge: Mrs Lynda Ward
Many thanks to my stewards for their unobtrusive efficiency and to all the exhibitors for a nice entry. Type and quality varied and today coats were at various stages although this didn't materially affect placing's. Last time I judged I noted that small teeth were prevalent and today I was surprised to find that level bites (although acceptable) predominated, I had 2 undershot mouths and large teeth set in a really good scissor bite were like gold dust. A major concern was movement, partially caused by stifles being too straight so limiting drive and causing a stilted action also often not helped by lack of thigh muscle and there were a number of wide fronts coupled with loose fore action. My final concern was the amount of exhibits that came very heavily to hand. This cannot be discerned by eye since some of the larger dogs were a desirable weight whilst some of the smaller ones were heavy. All that said, I enjoyed the day and was able to find class winners and others of correct type, size and sound movement. Both Open classes were composed throughout of quality exhibits and the CC and RCC winners were fit and worthy ambassadors for the breed.
Limit - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
Nice dog who moved well keeping a strong topline.Easily spanned with good body proportions. Not the coat of 1.
Manchester Dog Show Society
20th Jan 2011
Judge: Professor S P Dean (Tyrian)
A curate's egg day with some great border terriers and some disappointments too. My winners were typical and not only had the heads to win but moved soundly and had the coat and pelt so desirable in the breed. On the downside, although bites were generally good, there are too many with pathetically weak teeth and several with shoulders set too far forward so they looked narrow but had no fore-chest at all. A terrier needs fore-feet under its chest.
I was looking for borders that were soundly made and could therefore cover ground and I found them but there are some with short choppy actions. However I do not intend to be too pessimistic for the breed put on a good show today and there were some really promising youngsters in the puppy classes. Thank you to those who exhibited dogs with the typical thick harsh coat and pelt, these were all much appreciated.
Limit - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
Close up with good skull, strong muzzle, reach of neck. Heavier ears than winner, neat tight feet and moves with drive.
The Border Terrier Championship Show
26th Mar 2011
Judge: Miss Jean Singh (Vandamere)
Reserve Best In Show
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
DCC
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Limit - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
This dog, I think, is approaching his full potential; he looked the part and was in fine form and is pleasing in so many respects. He has matured in head and body, his movement is steady and covers the ground with drive and purpose. He has correct angulation for and aft, with a well constructed, toned body covered in a good double coat and a thick pelt. I liked his size and type, he is not overdone in any way. DOG CC & RBIS
National Terrier
2nd Apr 2011
Judge: Mrs Hilary Gilpin
RDCC
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Limit - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
nice to have a free standing dog, smart and handy, spannable , straight front legs small feet , coat just coming in, thick pelt. Reserve Best Dog
The Northern Border Terrier Club Open Show
9th Apr 2011
Judge: Mrs Anne Gregory (Remony)
My thanks to the Club for the invitation to judge, it was both an honour and pleasure to do so. My thanks also to the committee for their most excellent hospitality, to my capable stewards, Marjorie Wanless and Anjela Cranson, and to the exhibitors for their entries and support.
I had some good quality dogs to go over today and was well pleased with my winners. While I found hind action, on the whole, to be good, I did find a number of poor fronts. Front movement pinning in, weak pasterns, flat feet and feet that turned out or turned in. Some dogs also lacked forward reach. To be fit for the function it was intended, a Border needs, as well as strong sound hindquarters, a sound forehand with tight, thick padded feet.
Limit - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
good head, strong muzzle, good reach of neck into good lay of shoulders, stood on a straight front with neat tight feet, good rear angulation, level top line, well set on tail, strong hindquarters, moved out soundly with good front extension.
East Anglia BTC Championship Show
17th Apr 2011
Judge: Miss Julie Price
Limit - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
WELKS
29th Apr 2011
Judge: Mrs Margaret Sneddon
Many thanks to my stewards who had everything running smoothly in a calm and good-humoured manner, it makes judging such a pleasure. I had a good entry of 132 dogs with a lower than usual absentee rate of 14%, which was good for a Friday in the present economic climate and I was very pleased to be able to judge outside, although I understand some of the exhibitors found it rather chilly. Quality was rather varied but some of the classes were closely contested and I was delighted with my top winners. Front construction is still a problem with some and coats were rather varied but that could be due to the unseasonal weather which we have had recently. I was also pleased to see a number of the dogs moving freely, with reach in front and good drive from the hindquarters, Border Terriers could not work as they were intended to do without this asset.
Open - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
grizzle dog with a good head and dark eyes, good mouth. Nice length of neck; would prefer more length in rib, good coat and pelt. Moved well.
Joint Border Terrier Clubs Championship Show
1st May 2011
Judge: Mrs Lesley Gosling
My thanks to my two excellent stewards who kept exhibits moving along, making my task easier, and to the Yorks, Lancs and Cheshire Club for inviting me to judge.
Coats were generally very good with undercoats evident and few showed signs of scissoring and shaving. I was pleased that all the puppy dogs were of a sensible size for their ages and almost all exhibits were spannable; however, shoulder construction problems remain an issue, with short upper arms and poor shoulder angulation resulting in wide, or tied fronts, spoiling otherwise quality exhibits. I noticed that some were roaching over the loin, creating bouncing back ends on the move with the loss of level toplines, and many had a distinct lack of stifle bend, resulting in a lack of driving action on the move. Consider feet - a few needed claws trimming (or more road work).
Some heads were untypical and snipey; there were a number of suspect mouths and one undershot puppy, but I was impressed with the overall condition of the entry in general and the winners were a credit to their owner/breeders. The well filled Limit bitch class was outstanding and it was a pity not to have more awards to present. My thanks to everyone for accepting my decisions so sportingly and congratulations to the top winners, whose dogs were so deserving of their wins.
Here’s a plea - please use bait sparingly, and not while your dogs are on the judging table. It’s a pity that a number of exhibitors are slaves to baiting their dogs on the table, making the dogs move around and become unsteady, while making it difficult for judges to access mouths and assess facial features. Baiting also affects movement round the ring, with exhibits “crabbing”, watching for the treats.
Open - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
National Dog Show
7th May 2011
Judge: Mrs Jayne Alpe
Thank you to the committee for inviting me to judge, I thoroughly enjoyed my day. My two stewards were very efficient and experienced; they managed to keep my ring running smoothly. I found the quality in the dogs overall to be higher than last time I judged, with in both sexes a slight improvement in movement. Although there are still some that are not driving from behind and covering the ground, and some with short, choppy, odd front movement, sometimes coupled with too narrow fronts and lack of muscle tone. Maybe more road walking would help in some cases to build up muscle, but in others is down to a problem with shoulder construction and pasterns. I found no incorrect mouths, there were a couple with broken teeth, hopefully indicative that we still work some of our show dogs. But there was a shortage of those lovely strong big teeth that the breed is known for and small teeth are on the increase. What also did disturb me was that large heavy ears seem to be creeping into the breed, which affects that lovely typical expression. In a lot of classes places could alter on another day, in fact in some classes I was spoilt for choice and would have liked more than one red card. I was delighted with my top winners who all fitted my criteria very well, every one of them displaying correct Border type coupled with sound and true movement.
Open - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Scottish Kennel Club
20th May 2011
Judge: Mr. David Hunt (Ottaswell)
Thanks go to the committee of the Scottish Kennel Club for inviting me to judge for the first time north of the border, Special thanks to my stewards on the day Messrs Goudie & Jackson for organising the ring so efficiently and ensuring everything ran smoothly during my judging. Good stewards are a welcome bonus for any judge. Despite the disappointing weather, thanks also to the exhibitors who attended and for giving me the second highest breed entry of the whole show.
With a large ring and mown grass, I was able to see the dogs move accurately. In general I thought the bitches were stronger than the dogs, but was pleased with all my class winners, and thought my CC winners a credit to the breed. Size was generally good with only a couple being difficult to span. As always coats were at various stages but I was surprised to find 2 very undershot bites in mid range classes.
Open - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Border Union
18th Jun 2011
Judge: Mr Tony Tomlinson
DCC
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Open - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
eyecatching, good head, very well constructed, built on racy lines, moved very well, in good coat, well deserved CC
Scottish Kennel Club
28th Aug 2011
Judge: Mrs Marion Reeves
Though pleased with my winners, depth of quality within the entry was mostly lacking. It is fair to say that Border Terriers still come in every size and shape imaginable. Though I am aware that it is a matter that sharply divides opinion within the breed, I for one would prefer the breed standard to be more specific in detail of what is desirable. Maybe, perhaps that might head to a more uniform type in the show ring.
DCC
Name at show: CH Ravenside Ballymoss
Open - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: CH Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
g/t. Presented in tip top form. Very pleasing neck, shoulder topline. Good length of rib producing correct underline. Narrow straight front, easily spanned. Good Otter shape head and keen expression. Moved well all ways. CC.
Birmingham National
13th May 2012
Judge: Mrs Pat Baxter
Open - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: CH Ravenside Ballymoss
Bath Championship Show
25th May 2012
Judge: Mrs Diane Rayner (Stoneygin)
It was a real privilege to be asked to judge this show. I had a very good entry which pleased me and hope I did it justice. The dogs were generally in good fit condition, came across a few that were too thin, you can’t expect a young active dog to gain good muscle tone if you don’t feed them enough. They must feel miserable kept in that condition, constantly hungry. It was a very hot day, but we tried to keep them in the shade as long as possible but a few were showing signs of the heat. There were a few that looked rather scruffy with long nails and looked as if they had forgotten to take off their carpet slippers. But most were a pleasure to go over.
I was very pleased with my winners.
Open - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Ravenside Ballymoss
Three Counties Championship Show
10th Jun 2012
Judge: Mrs P McLellan
I enjoyed my day very much and must thank the exhibitors for an excellent entry. I was pleased with my principle winners. Some dogs were penalised today for lack of coat. I know coats will grow but at this level of showing dogs really need to be in good coat and in good coat condition. Movement in some exhibits left a lot to be desired.
DCC
Name at show: CH Ravenside Ballymoss
Best Of Breed
Name at show: CH Ravenside Ballymoss
Open - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: CH Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
Grizzle dog presented in tip top condition. Cracking jacket. Masculine head with keen expression. Good topline and tailset. Narrow body easily spanned. Nothing to touch him today. DCC & BoB
Border Union Championship Show
17th Jun 2012
Judge: Mrs Kate Walton (Enterlaw)
After an absence from the Showring and judging for the past 18 months, due to illness I was interested to find almost a new generation in my entry. Not even the appalling June weather and the resultant sudden switch from outdoor to indoor rings could dampen my enthusiasm hut I do apologise to exhibitors for the lack of adequate space in the indoor wet-weather accommodation. Thank you all so much for your sporting patience and to my two excellent stewards for their assistance in moving us under cover so efficiently. After Open Dog. I just could not record legibly in my judging book! I much enjoyed looking over and handling this large entry with relatively few absentees. I was very impressed by the standard and quality of my main winners and in the way the dogs adapted to the change of rings. It was a pity that the benching for the congested indoor ring was so far away. I felt particularly sorry for all the bitch exhibits who were obliged to show in such a small muddy ring, especially those in the big classes which had to be split and the fact that other terrier breeds with smaller entries were given larger rings, Considering the conditions, all temperaments were excellent. Only one level mouth and two slightly out of alignment. All dogs were entire. Movement is still an overall problem. Some exhibits could be tidier!
DCC
Name at show: CH Ravenside Ballymoss
Open - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: CH Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
Even the sudden downpour during this class failed to dampen the quality of this exhibit, meeting the Breed Standard in almost every department. From nose to tail and top to toe, very hard to fault. A very worthy winner of the CC.
Blackpool Championship Show
22nd Jun 2012
Judge: Mr Dan Ericsson (Sweden)
Movement was difficult to assess under these circumstances, but most dogs seemed to cope remarkably well despite knee high mud & a water logged ring – living proof of the hardiness of the breed!
Despite the appalling weather I enjoyed my day with the Borders very much & was impressed with the overall quality of the dogs & the keen sportsmanship of the exhibitors.
Open - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: CH Ravenside Ballymoss
Northumberland County Show
27th May 2013
Judge: Miss Tracey Peacock (Ragatam)
I would like to thank all of the exhibitors for giving me a great entry and allowing me to go over their dogs. There were lots of quality dogs that went without places today. Thanks also to the steward Colin Woodward who kept the ring running smoothly. Unfortunately the grass in the ring was long which made movement difficult for some dogs. I’m sure that this will be noted for future shows.
Open - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: CH Ravenside Ballymoss
Placing Critique
Presented in tip top condition. Typical head. Good reach of neck and good length of body. Super jacket. Just not so positive on the move today.
Three Counties Championship Show
6th Jun 2013
Judge: Mrs Jena Tuck (Nettleby)
Open - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: CH Ravenside Ballymoss
