Show Placings
Boston & DCS Championship Show
11th Jan 2009
Judge: Mrs Kate Walton (Enterlaw)
A great honour to judge the breed at this show where Borders were the only breed in the terrier group to have CCs on offer & for the first time. Thank you to all exhibitors who braved the exceptionally cold weather at Newark. Remarkably there were only 6 absentees in the dog classes & 19 in the bitch classes out of a total entry of 114 (2 late entries increased the published catalogue entry).
In general I was looking for skulls like that of an otter, the late Walter Gardner told me 30 years ago to place the ears of a Border back to really appreciate the shape of an otter skull & this holds true today. I was also looking for a Border who was easily spanned & most importantly one with good movement & of a size to enable this working terrier to go to ground. I have to say that front movement in many cases was worse than rear movement, with pinning-in & platting much in evidence, while a few were cow-hocked at the rear. All dogs were entire, temperaments overall were excellent, dentition in a few cases incorrect & essentially for the breed, thick pads were noticeably lacking in some exhibits. As always coats were in varying stages of growth, several toplines were not typical with low set tails, otherwise I was delighted with the first placements in each class, all of which were representative of the Standard.
Yearling - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike
Post Graduate - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike
Placing Critique
different type to 1 but liked her overall balance, well presented & moved soundly
Midland BTC Open Show
15th Feb 2009
Judge: Mr Jimmy Gilpin (Otterbobs)
I would like to take this opportunity to say many thanks to the Midland Border Terrier Club for giving me the privilege to judge their Open show and for giving me such a wonderful entry.
Novice - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Graduate - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
East Anglia Border Terrier Club Champioship Show
19th Apr 2009
Judge: Mr Simon Jackson (Clipstone)
I was honoured to be invited by the Club to judge this show, which has always held a special place in my heart. My thanks to everyone involved at the Club for a super day, and exhibitors for a high quality entry.
Overall standards were high with a number of classes where exhibits genuinely worthy of placing went without reward, which was a nice position for me in, and an encouraging one for the breed to be in if this is replicated at other events.
I am pleased to say that I found only two incorrect bites. However, I am frustrated at the inability of some exhibitors to appreciate the correct speed of movement of their dogs, which if correct would improve the appearance of the dogs on the move, many dogs were moved too slowly, thereby preventing the dog from driving out.
Incorrect movement cannot be hidden by moving the dog slowly, likewise, correct movement can easily be displayed if the dog is just allowed to move freely, even if this means the exhibitor running with their dog. Do what the dog needs to get the best out of it.
It was a pleasure to judge in such a venue which is light, airy, clean and "exhibitor friendly". Please excuse the slight delay in providing this critique, with the newly resurrected Joint Show following 2 weeks after this, and my involvement in the management of that show, time has been tight.
I was heartened to find youngsters being youngsters, playful, awkward and proper babies, far too often these days we see perfectly turned out and immaculately school puppies which appear almost "models", let the youngster be so, this is a sport that we, and the dogs, are meant to enjoy. Puppies jumping over the dark lines in the carpet is a cute, if a little frustrating for the handler!
I was very impressed with my main winners. My Best in Show I have been aware of for some time and watched her develop with interest. I was excited on close examination of her to find her a superb example of the breed in every aspect, and was delighted to award her her first CC and Best in Show. I am sure she will have an illustrious career.
The Dog on the other hand was a total stranger to me and a highly pleasant surprise. On winning his class he took my eye and stole the Dog CC. It gave me great pleasure to also award him his first CC. My best to him for his future.
Yearling - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Special Beginners - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Placing Critique
4th in the Yearling class, well handled dog with nice coat. Attractive head, nice expression.
Northern Border Championship Show
19th Jul 2009
Judge: Mr Gerald Baker (Jaslou)
It was an honour to have been asked to judge the Northern Border Terrier Club Championship Show, I wish to thank the officers and committee for their great hospitality and catering, Special thanks to my stewards Doreen and Claire, Overall the dogs were in better coat and condition than the bitches, with some short of coat or none at all, Although level bites are acceptable in the breed there were more today than expected, I was very pleased with my class placing. And final line up.
Graduate - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Special Beginners - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Leeds Championship Show
24th Jul 2009
Judge: Miss J Singh (Vandamere)
I would like to express my appreciation to the exhibitors for their support. On the whole, rear movement was satisfactory. However I observed front movement on some exhibits was unsatisfactory. I found one mouth with a misplaced tooth and another with a just passable level bite. Presentation of most dogs was of a high standard but some exhibits shown today would benefit greatly from regular daily exercise.
Novice - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Placing Critique
Lacking coat today and did not seem to enjoy his outing. Consequently, movement was difficult to assess.
Midland Border Terrier Club Championship Show
2nd Aug 2009
Judge: Mr T Tuck (B) & Mrs J Tuck (D)
Dogs, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Committee for inviting me to judge the dog classification at their 25th anniversary show, also my very able stewards Christine Horner, and Chris Wallace who did a great job with the organisation of my ring.
Bitches,
I thoroughly enjoyed this appointment, thanks to my experienced stewards and an entry that contained some really outstanding examples of the breed. I really liked my winners, and handled some extremely promising youngsters. Having said that, the early classes were much more variable, with fewer exhibits that combined quality and breed type. Later classes were more consistent, and it was nice to find a few more classy otter-like heads and neat front construction.
Maiden - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Placing Critique
A neat workman like dog, with a strong head, ok in front, in very good coat, spanned easily, moved well.
Graduate - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Special Challenge - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
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.
Graduate - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Midland Border Terrier Open Show
22nd Nov 2009
Judge: Mr Bob Wright (Totherend)
My appreciation goes to the MBTC officers and committee for the opportunity to judge such a good entry of BT?s and the stewards for their support during the show. Also to the many entrants who braved the adverse weather conditions. I trust none of them had to swim home.
I was delighted with the entry, a small number of which were more pet than show but I was happy to go over them, pleased to see their handlers? pride in them and hope they enjoyed their day out irrespective of placing. It is a reminder to us all that this is fundamentally a hobby to enjoy and to the more critical of us when we nit-pick that we are generally doing it to the cream of the breed.
The quality was for the most part high with some of the bigger classes bringing too many good dogs for the limited places which were very hard fought and I was disappointed to turn some otherwise good dogs away. A few were weighty, my small hands still spanned all but one at a stretch, one mouth was bad and two borderline but there were a couple that would have been better served having a square meal, a groom and a good walk than coming in the ring.
Coats were an issue. I found it difficult to penalise a good dog when it obviously had a double coat but had little to show for it due to grooming. So despite some dogs being well placed I would still have preferred to see them with a more natural coat.
There was a lot going on with front movement which often paid a penalty and thigh muscle tone was at a premium so perhaps the weather also affected exercise regimes. It was particularly difficult to ignore movement completely in some of the very promising puppies but I'm hopeful there will be a dramatic improvement as they mature.
Well done to the more junior handlers who did a good job but were obviously shown no quarter in the placings. Don't be discouraged, you've got plenty of shows ahead of you.
I was well pleased with all my winners and the fact that others could have done the positions justice too. So here we go:
Graduate - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Midland BTC Open Show
14th Feb 2010
Judge: Mrs D. Rayner (Stoneygin)
Graduate - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Crufts
12th Mar 2010
Judge: Mrs L.A. Crawley
Graduate - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
East Anglia BTC Championship Show
18th Apr 2010
Judge: Mrs Trak Fryer (Irton)
I would like to thank the exhibitors for a lovely quality entry, the Club and committee for the appointment and my stewards Simon and Bev Jackson for their efficient help throughout the day. I was generally pleased with the overall quality, heads were good, pelts generally good and movement OK with many very typical exhibits on show. I was disappointed to find a number of poor mouths in the dog entry and to find a few exhibits presented down to the minute but totally lacking muscle, something that I find unacceptable in a dog with the Borders outlook on life.
Post Graduate - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Placing Critique
Nice type of dog with an excellent head, rather more heavily built than 1, OK for bone with nice tight feet and a good tail, decent on the move but rather short of coat today which cost him.
Class Critique
A disappointing class in comparison to the last one.
Yorks, Lancs & Cheshire BTC Championship Show
25th Sep 2010
Judge: Mrs. Doreen Rushby (Dormic)
Many thanks to the exhibitors for a super entry. My DCC, BCC, and BP were a credit to the breed. Shoulders are still a big problem, ferrety feet was a recurring problem, thick pads are essential in a Border. A number lacked condition, trying to keep weight down should not be at the expense of nourishment.
Post Graduate - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Placing Critique
Pleasing head, good neck and shoulders. Level topline. Neat Tailset. In good coat and condition. Moved freely
Crufts
12th Mar 2011
Judge: Mrs Elaine Cuthbertson (Ashbrae)
It was an honour to be invited to judge this prestige show, and a privilege to be able to handle so many good borders. With an entry of 254 dogs, 306 entries, and with the help of my very efficient stewards this enabled me to finish on time for the BOB to go forward into the group. With the large classes it would have been nice to have had more time and more prize cards.
Many borders were in very fit condition and in gleaming coats, others sadly were not. I was very surprised at the numbers that were overweight, a few under and some in poor coat. There is a difference of being short of coat and being untidy which some were, several having scissor cuts in evidence which is totally unnecessary.
Some nice otter type typical heads were in evidence, some with quite large ears which seems to be creeping into the breed, and close set eyes giving an alien expression. Quite a few were upright and heavy in shoulder, with a shorter back than desired. Most were spanable although many had a rounder rib than required. This reflected in my placing's as the fitness and welfare of the dogs is of the uppermost importance, as the breed standard states, the breed being essentially a working terrier.
I thought my principle winners were excellent representatives of the breed, and I enjoyed seeing my BOB being short listed in the group.
Limit - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
East Anglia BTC Limited Show
20th Mar 2011
Judge: Rachel Larner (Hawcoat)
Firstly I would like to apologise for the delay in this critique. I would like to thank the committee for inviting me to judge this show and all the members for entering and attending. I would also like to thank the stewards for the running of the ring.
I enjoyed going over all the dogs and found temperaments of all were good. Coats seemed to be a bit hit and miss today as it seemed a lot of people had taken them out after Crufts! Movement was generally good and I only found one bad mouth. I was extremely pleased with my overall winners and feel they are good examples of a Border Terrier.
Open - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Placing Critique
Heavier looking border but this was down to thick double coat. Good strong otter head with neat ears. Moved well.
National Terrier
2nd Apr 2011
Judge: Mrs Hilary Gilpin
Limit - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Three Counties
8th Jun 2011
Judge: Mr Ron Wheatley
Thanks for the large and interesting entry. Although quality was variable there were many good entries to examine. Most were of a good size and generally coats were good, feet very variable, particularly hind ones. Although many moved out with drive, movement in many others was a concern. Many would benefit from more exercise and muscle development. There was only 1 kinked tail and mouths were mainly good. Finally, please realise that if you bait your exhibit on the table the judge can't see it!
Limit - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Boston & District Canine Society Championship Show
13th Jan 2013
Judge: Mrs Janice Johnson
My thanks firstly go to Boston & District Canine Society Committee for giving me this opportunity to judge the breed again, for looking after me on the day and providing my excellent stewards who gave me great support throughout the day with their efficiency and unobtrusive discretion.
Secondly the exhibitors, who travelled many miles for my judgment, thank you all for taking my decisions sportingly. Thank goodness we didnâ??t have the following weekend when we were all had over 6 inches of snow!
I was extremely pleased with my main winners who all deserved their placings and I was delighted when I received the news that my BOB winner had gone G2 in Terrier Group under Ernie Darby and my best puppy had gone G1 in the Terrier Group under Peter Clifton.
I had some really good examples of the breed to go over and it is a pleasure when you find an exhibit in a class that really meets all your requirements. Movement in the younger classes was inconsistent some may settle others will not. I had a number of very nice quality borders who I know will go on to greater things and some promising puppies, I will watch their futures with interest. Coats on the whole were good with most of the exhibits having thick pelts.
Limit - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Midland Border Terrier Club Open Show
10th Feb 2013
Judge: Mr M. Hollingsbee (Otterwood)
I would like to thank the Officers and Committee of the Club for their kind invitation to judge this show, my third opportunity at a breed club show.
My heartfelt thanks to my two stewards, Kathy Newsome and Jem Thomas who, by their calm organizing ability ensured that the show ran smoothly and finished in good time for the exhibitors to beat the inclement weather.
Finally the exhibitors for braving the threatened snow storm and allowing me to go over their dogs.
I only found one bad mouth. The quality of coats varied as would be expected in the run up to Crufts. Of concern to me is that a few of the exhibits were much too large for the standard. To be able to go to ground it is essential that the breed does not get oversized. Overall the quality of the exhibits was good and decisions in some of the classes were very close.
Limit - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
Herts & Essex Border Canine Society Open Show
17th Mar 2013
Judge: Mr Gavin Robertson (Soletrader)
Open /
Third Place
Name at show: Bramblebee Little Tike At Cynetkoy
