Show Placings
Woolwich, Bexley & District Canine Association
1st Dec 2013
Judge: Mrs C Macleod (Brachan)
Best Puppy
Name at show: TPG1, Ottaswell Aida
Puppy /
First Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida
Ashford & Faversham & DCS
5th Jan 2014
Judge: Marjorie Dickenson (Kirkgarde)
Best Puppy
Name at show: TPG1, Ottaswell Aida
Junior /
First Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida
Boston & District Canine Society
12th Jan 2014
Judge: Mr David Maggs
I would like to thank the committee for inviting me to judge at this show, and to my two stewards who were very efficient and good natured throughout. I was a little dissapointed at the lack of coat on quite a few of the exhibits today, apparently many had been stripped ready for Crufts,I found no bad mouths, movement on the whole was good and I was very pleased with the overall condition and soundness, had no problem spanning any of the exhibits.
Minor Puppy - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida
Placing Critique
8 month old bitch with pleasing head and feminine expression, nice teeth, nice reach of neck and level topline ,well bent stifle, moved well, again lacking top coat.
Manchester Dog Show Society
16th Jan 2014
Judge: Mr Philip J Greenway
Best Puppy
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida
Minor Puppy - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida
Placing Critique
wheaten of extreme promise. Shapely 7½ months baby but so nice to look at. Quality headpiece & expression, nice neck, topline, set on, coat, angulation, sound with scope. BP.
The Border Terrier Club Championship Show
29th Mar 2014
Judge: Mrs Jane Parker (Conundrum)
I would like to thank the BTC club, for giving me a second chance to judge this, the most prestigious of the breed clubs championship shows. I was judge elect in 2010, but caught the awful Noro virus the night before I was due to judge and spent the next two days flat out.
The new venue that the committee has found, has to be lauded. It is large, airy, light, the flooring is excellent. The car park looked huge. From a judges point of view I could see all the dogs clearly at any time. Congratulations on a super venue.
My two stewards, Chris Davis and Liz Barratt were so very organised and kept me informed and on time throughout the day, with good humour lots of smiles and attention to detail. With such a lovely entry numbers wise, it was a long day. Thank you both.
Living in Canada now, it was a real pleasure to judge dogs that I had mostly not seen. Obviously some of the older ones were mere youngsters before I left and it was nice to see how they had progressed through the years. I found no missing testicles, mouths on the whole were good, with only a few missing teeth or one or two misaligned. Heads were in general better overall than when I left, with more who carried a moderately broad backskull and also a lot more with very good underjaw, something one had to look hard to find a few years ago. Coats were on the whole, good, there were a very few however, who had greasy and dirty coats, this I feel is completely unnecessary. A few arrived without their coats, this is just unfortunate as dogs do not know about our ambitions in regard to shows, and if the coat needs to come out then so be it! Feet in some instances were weak, with some flat footed and others harefooted, this breed needs to have really good tight feet, small with thick pads and be well knuckled, poor feet make the whole outline of the dog look wrong. The worst fault I found, as usual were fronts, all the usual suspects were there, wide fronts, narrow fronts, flicking wrists etc. I do begin to wonder if we will ever get this completely right, but if we are breeders looking to the future, we must be hard on this most prevalent fault, and do not use these dogs and bitches in our breeding programmes. Bitches had the most quality through the entry, again, this is usual, however the dogs that were good, were very very good, and the best, were exceptional. Size does need to be watched, this is a somewhat cyclical thing, but there were some big dogs and bitches in the ring. The first and most important words in our standard...â€Essentially a working terrierâ€...if it cannot be spanned, it is too big. In general I feel the breed in the country of origin is in pretty good shape, the top percentage of the dogs I judged were quite lovely and had breed type to spare. In my critique you will no doubt notice expressions I use again and again. I find certain things are ubiquitous (but none the less hugely important to breed type) and have my pet ways of describing them, I hope you forgive my industrial repetition in some regards.
Puppy - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Bath Championship Show
23rd May 2014
Judge: Mr S Plane
Thankyou to the exhibitors for giving me such a good entry for the first time awarding challenge certificates. Although we had a super sized ring with short grass and level surface, the weather prevented us from using the outer part in some classes. Most of the exhibits were undeterred by the rain and dampness
Puppy - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Southern Border Terrier Club Championship Show
14th Jun 2014
Judge: Mrs Wendy Mooney (Chesterton)
Congratulations to the committee of the Southern Border Terrier Club for running an excellent show at a new venue under extreme circumstances. Due to a nasty virus the appointed judge, Mrs Betty Judge, was taken ill the day before and was not well enough to carry out her duties. I know that she was absolutely devastated and had been looking forward to the appointment for a long time.
Faced with such an emergency, show manager, Mr David Hunt managed the situation with complete calm and professionalism. I was both honoured and shocked to be invited to step in to judge and here, I must say a huge thank you to the committee for asking me but in particular to the exhibitors who had entered under and were expecting another judge and took the situation so sportingly.
I am grateful to everyone who accepted my decisions and placings so graciously and to my great team of stewards: Andrew Mooney, Elspeth Jackson and Bev Marsh, who kept everything running smoothly and between them managed to multi-task and juggle photographs, collecting ring, announcing, paperwork awards etc etc.
And so to the dogs themselves – there were some superb entries and it was an absolute pleasure to go over and place them. Some of the classes were so strong that even good dogs didn’t get placed.
Coats and presentation were generally excellent - something, which was not so apparent the last time I judged. This I put down principally to the time of year (for both shows).
Movement today seemed in many of the dogs to be lacking the drive that I would have wished for. In part, I think the surface may have been to blame (but not in all instances) and had we been outside on the grass this might have been different. I do slightly regret that I did not decide to judge the dogs outside.
Mouths were good in all but one (suspect) case, as were the temperaments. Size I think will need to be kept in check, there seemed to be a fair number who seemed to be heavy enough, others who were too deep to be easily spanned.
I was so thrilled with my “stars” of the show. It was a pleasure to judge all of your dogs; they were a lovely, quality entry.
Junior - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Placing Critique
Beautiful feminine head on this smart grizzle & tan. Nice length of body having an excellent coat. Nice narrow body with good length of rib, she moved soundly round the ring. Shown and handled well.
Novice - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Class Critique
This was not your typical novice class, full of first class bitches. I was spoilt for choice
Border Union Agricultural Society
15th Jun 2014
Judge: Mr J R Gilpin (Otterbobs)
Junior - Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Whitstable & DCS Open Show
22nd Jun 2014
Judge: Tim Ball (Kaitak)
Junior /
Second Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Windsor Championship Show
27th Jun 2014
Judge: Mr S Jackson (Clipstone)
Very sorry for the late publication of this report. Unfortunately the original was on a device that was stolen. It was an honour again to judge Windsor which is one of my personal favourite shows, and also my local!
BCC
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Junior - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Placing Critique
Certainly enjoyed going over this bitch and she seemed to enjoy showing. Well balanced bitch in all aspects. Good coat and pelt. Excellent movement. Pleased to award her the CC.
Novice - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
East of England Championship Show
6th Jul 2014
Judge: Miss Jean Singh
I would like to thank my stewards who kept the event running smoothly. My decisions were made on the exhibit on the day
I found heavy ears are creeping in, detracting from the otter head and keen expression. An excessive amount of exhibits were not in hard, toned condition. ‘Couch potato’ dogs come to mind. Front movement is also a cause for concern. I found two level mouths, one just level and a puppy , had a tooth out of line. My decision on some unplaced exhibits were a culmination of a long foreface and untypical expression, unspannable even though I gave some leeway and poor front movement.
Junior - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Placing Critique
a nice bitch of pleasing size, in good condition. Her coat was of good texture and undercoat was evident. She has a level topline and correct tailset, balanced throughout. She has a good reach of neck and is spannable. Her head was feminine with a lovely dark eye and strong muzzle, however she may benefit from slightly less furnishings. Moved soundly.
Graduate - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Paignton & DFA Championship Show
2nd Aug 2014
Judge: Mr T Johnston
Junior - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Placing Critique
good skull & eye, well set ears, good neck & depth, straight bone, & good outline, good loin & well angulated rear, free mover & nice shape but preferred drive of winner
Midland Counties Canine Society
25th Oct 2014
Judge: Mr Euan Castel (Flutorum)
My sincere thanks are extended to each exhibitor for providing me with such a wonderful entry, on this, my 1st CC appointment. At 160 dogs I had the highest entry in the group. I would like to thank the committee for their kind invitation and the hospitality that I received. Thank you to my two very competent stewards Alex & Barry Cole.
Mouths were good, a couple were unspannable and coats varied. Some exhibits were untidy in undercarriage, legs and feet and would benefit from a little grooming a few days prior to show day. More importantly, a number of exhibits were overweight and lacked muscle tone. That said, there was a depth of quality to each class and a number of nice dogs had to go unplaced on this occasion. I was extremely pleased with both the dog and bitch line ups.
Junior - Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
The Midland Border Terrier Club Open Show
16th Nov 2014
Judge: Miss Tracy Peacock (Ragatam)
I would like to thank the committee for the judging appointment and the two stewards, Jem Thomas and Margaret Davies. I enjoyed my day very much. Thanks to 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 back. Movement in some exhibits left a lot to be desired.
Junior - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Placing Critique
Another quality bitch of good size make and shape throughout. Well placed shoulders with a good length of upper arm. Lovely bone throughout, good coat and pelt. Sound positive mover.
Limit - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
East Anglia Border Terrier Club Open Show
23rd Nov 2014
Judge: Jane Moreton-Shaw (Fehmarn)
I would like to thank the committee and members for inviting me to judge at the show, and to all those who entered under me. Also thanks to my two stewards Robert Brewster and Jeremy Young and for those who prepared lunch.
I thoroughly enjoyed the day and was very happy with my winners. In a couple of classes the decision was very close. There were no kinked tails, temperaments were good on the whole, with only 3 that were roughly handled, subsequently the dogs were behaving nervously. I had a couple of bad bites and a couple of level bites. All bar two were spannable. Coats again on the whole were good. Thank you to the exhibitors for accepting my decisions, apart from one unsportsmanlike behaviour in the ring!! The class I enjoyed judging the most on the day was Veteran Bitch. Lovely classy bitches in good condition and very close decisions between them all.
Junior - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Placing Critique
Another lovely bitch. Good length of rib on a balanced body. Good bend of stifle, coat and pelt. Nice feminine head. Moved well.
Limit - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Reading & District Kennel Association Open Show
29th Nov 2014
Judge: Mr Ian Gabriel (Gaybryl)
Best Of Breed
Name at show: TG3, Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Open /
First Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Ladies Kennel Association
14th Dec 2014
Judge: Mr David G Winsley (Davmar)
Though the standard calls for a narrow body I found many dogs who were too skinny & I could easily feel their ribs! Heads were quite disappointing, many had long weak muzzles not the proportions one associates with an Otters head. Many exhibits lack the small round foot & I doubt if they would cope with the exercise it needs to follow a horse. Coats were mixed & many just a seasonal problem.
RBCC
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Yearling - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Placing Critique
this bitch seemed to improve the more she showed. She has a well balanced head, well placed ears, good eyes & correct expression. Good neck with clean well angulated shoulders. Well made balanced body, excellent turn of stifle, neat feet & the correct amount of bone. Thick pelt & harsh coat. Sound mover both ways, well handled & showed well. RCC
Boston & District Canine Society
11th Jan 2015
Judge: Mrs Julie Guvercin
Thank you to all exhibitors for your entries I had a good cross section of dogs to choose from. Some dogs that I have admired in the past were either not in coat or didn’t move well and others that I've not noticed before, were 'found ' on the table. We must all remember judging should be on the day and not on what something has won or not won, beforehand. I'm sure the same dogs could be placed differently on another day under me, some that did or didn't perform affected their placings accordingly.
Some super puppies coming through, with all four of my puppy class winners looking very promising. They gave me some hair splitting decisions.
Yearling - Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
The Joint Border Terrier Clubs' Championship Show
3rd May 2015
Judge: Miss Julie Price (Oxcroft)
I would like to thank the Midland Border Terrier Club committee for the opportunity to judge this year’s Joint club show. Many thanks to my two ring stewards Bob and Liz Wright for the smooth running of the ring and the cups of coffee. It was an experience to go over so many dogs of different types; this made my job difficult at times, as each one had different attributes to the next. A few classes I found very hard to decide who my winners would be for this reason. Is the breed getting better or worse? I do not think I am the first to mention that there are too many foreign heads and plain faces with no expression. The breed standard states “a head like that of an otter” and “essentially a working terrier”. Confirmation and movement, I think has improved a little, but the heads and strength of the dogs has declined. When I looked at some of the dogs, I liked them but then had to remind myself that they where dogs not bitches. Thank you to all exhibitors for letting me go over your dogs and the gracious way most of you accepted my decisions.
Yearling - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Placing Critique
Red Grizzle bitch of correct proportions and with a good length of neck and body moved OK.
National Dog Show
9th May 2015
Judge: Mr John Dace (Cassacane)
I must begin by saying a very sincere thanks to the Kennel Club and the officers and committee of the Birmingham Dog Show Society Ltd for giving me this most prestigious appointment to award Challenge Certificates for the first time.
Also again sincere thanks to the exhibitors for their splendid entry and acceptance of my decisions on the day, and to my very efficient Stewards who ensured that classes moved along which helped in a timely finish.
On reflection of the exhibits I found that teeth and mouths were very good on the whole, feet were variable as was movement. Temperaments were good. All dogs were entire. My main concerns were in the condition of some exhibits who could have been fitter and harder in muscle tone but where has the consistent “head like that of an otter” gone? The variance in head shape and therefore expression was quite evident. I was pleased with my final awards and again many thanks to everyone for making this one of my most memorable days.
The depth of quality particularly in the bitches bodes well for the breed in the future but as already mentioned concentration on heads to achieve the “head like that of an otter” should be one of the paramount objectives.
Limit - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood
Bath Canine Society
22nd May 2015
Judge: Mr Jack Watson
Limit - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood JW
Placing Critique
good head with broad skull, short muzzle, straight front, nice reach of neck & lay back of shoulder, straight front, ribs well back, strong quarters
Southern Counties Canine Association
30th May 2015
Judge: Mrs Lesley Gosling (Akinside)
I must first extend thanks to my very professional and able stewards, who kept me on track and on time.
My general remarks here cover the real concerns I have about the way the breed is heading currently. Increasingly, upright shoulders and poor fronts are becoming the norm rather than the exception. Upright shoulders may produce a flashy show dog on its toes, but Borders are not flashy by nature. I suspect I have referred to this problem in every critique I have written for Championship shows I’ve judged and it appears to be getting worse, not better. Please read the standard carefully; look at anatomical drawings of the dog skeleton. Shoulders are now at a steep 60 degrees on some exhibits instead of the normal – and correct – 45 degrees. Undercoats are being raked out to give a cleaner profile – why? Borders – working terriers – need their undercoats 24/7 to keep them warm in bad winter weather while they are waiting to be called for action. It is a requirement of the standard, not a fashion statement. Sooner or later we will end up with a single coated breed, and to its detriment.
Judging today, temperaments were very good; I found two kinked tails, several minor dentition issues, many dirty teeth and one undershot mouth. Males were all entire. Coats were mostly betwixt and between but the good double coats were exceptionally good. I love to see happy dogs with wagging tails but some dogs were very lack lustre and did not seem to be enjoying their day. There were also one or two exhibits too thin and lacking in condition. Finally, baiting is still a contentious topic for me – I use bait sometimes myself – but on occasions it was almost impossible to get at the dogs or examine them without getting round, over, or under an outstretched arm with bait. As a courtesy to judges, please keep baiting to a minimum, especially on the table.
Thank you to everyone for accepting my decisions sportingly. It was a genuine pleasure to go over the entry – winners and non-winners.
Limit - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood JW
City of Birmingham
5th Sep 2015
Judge: Mrs P. Clark (Gameway)
My thanks to City of Birmingham for the invitation to judge and to the exhibitors who gave me such a good entry in both numbers and quality. Thank you also to my two hard working stewards who kept the ring running very smoothly. I found the limit and open classes in both dog and bitch had quality in depth and they were a pleasure to judge Thank You
Limit - Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood JW
Class Critique
Wow! What a class they were all quality down to VHC and those that left the ring on another day I would have been very happy to place. Two blues bitches headed this class both had fabulous blue jackets with undercoat something I noticed lacking in some exhibits and both beautifully presented – newer exhibitors please note how the good ones are turned out.
Southern Border Terrier Club Open Show
20th Sep 2015
Judge: Miss Felicity Freer (Felfree)
Many thanks to the committee & for all the exhibitors for making my appointment so enjoyable.
Open - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood JW
Placing Critique
moved well. Shown in good coat. Would have liked stronger head & smaller ears.
South Wales Kennel Association
10th Oct 2015
Judge: Mr Phil Sharp
I would like to thank the committee of SWKA for their invitation to judge & their hospitality on the day, my stewards for all their hard work, & the exhibitors for their support making Border Terriers the highest entry in the group.
I was recently reminded just how long I have been involved with the breed when a photograph was circulated of the exhibitors at the very first open show of the Southern Border Terrier Club, held in a field close to the rectory at Hawkesbury. I guess this must have been in the early 1970s. It also prompted me to think that I must have judged for the first time some 40 years ago & I have seen a lot of Borders over the years since then. Each time I have judged I have been fortunate to find a few outstanding dogs, some very good ones, mostly good ones & very few poor ones. This was the case once again at this show.
Dentition was good, there were no kinked tails & movement & coats were variable as normal. A couple of the dogs were spooked by the loudspeaker announcements, which was a great shame for the owners. I believe that everyone knows the faults of their own dogs, so it is the plus points that I have noted down for the most part.
For one reason or another, I have not got to a show for a year or thereabouts, so seeing most of these dogs for the first time was a real pleasure.
Limit - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood JW
Bath Canine Society Championship Show
27th May 2016
Judge: Mr Alan Hedges (Ramblix)
My thanks go to the Officers and Committee of Bath show for inviting me to come and judge Border Terriers for the first time, and on the Bath Billiard Table as well, it was a fabulous day for me and will live long in my memory.
I thought the dogs were better than the bitches although reading through my critique it doesn’t sound like that, but it was. If I may make a couple of points. Nobody who goes to shows goes to lose and some are making it rather easy for the judge to give them a hard time. Long pointed nails are not good news , nor is standing the dog like a rocking horse. If you are going to use bait, the dog needs to think it has a chance of getting it, the idea is to bring him up on his toes and make a much better picture. Every little helps, none of the opposition are going to roll over and make it easy for you!
Hind movement was generally better than front movement, and plenty could have been fitter.
My thanks go to all who entered, you gave me a wonderful day and I was honoured by each and every one of you
Open - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood JW
Class Critique
Having seen all of the above (first three placed) since they were puppies, I never imagined for one second I would ever judge them, thank you for doing me the honour of bringing them.
East Anglian Border Terrier Club Open Show
20th Nov 2016
Judge: Mr Dave Matthews (Tojamatt)
My thanks to The East Anglian Border Terrier Club for inviting me to judge the November Open Show also my stewards Rob Brewster and Bev Jackson for their help throughout the day. It was a lovely venue and atmosphere and a very well run show. Thanks also to all the exhibitors who entered the show and accepted my decisions with great sportsmanship.
Reserve Best Bitch
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood JW
Open - Bitch /
First Place
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood JW
Placing Critique
Reserve Best Bitch. Red bitch narrow throughout in the thickest of coats and pelt, feminine head with keen dark eye, neat ears good length of neck flowing into good shouders narrow ribs good strength in loin, nice rear angulation handy size, nice length, good topline and tailset.
The Midland Border Terrier Club Open Show
4th Nov 2017
Judge: Mrs Sandra Girling (Benattivo)
I would like to express my sincere thanks to the Officers and Committee of the Midland Border Terrier Club for inviting me to judge my first club show. My very competent and Friendly stewards Jem Thomas and Richard Wright, were well organised to keep the day flowing so many thanks for their help. A special thank you to all the exhibitors who trusted me to evaluate their Border Terriers, accepting my decisions graciously.
I was very impressed by the standard of presentation particularly the quality of coats. I had some amazingly difficult decisions and in many classes placings were hotly contested, forcing me to ‘split hairs’ over placings. I appreciated that some quality exhibits did not win their classes despite some outstanding breed features. I looked for accurate movement and narrow body lines which were present in my primary winners. The youngsters were particularly noteworthy staying enthusiastic and keen right to the end of the show.
Open - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood JW
Guildford & DCS Open Show
12th Nov 2017
Judge: Mrs Elizabeth Barrett (Howthwaite)
Open /
Reserve
Name at show: Ottaswell Aida At Hoathwood JW
