Show Placings
Riddings & DCS Open Show
4th Jun 2023
Judge: Mr Roger Mann (Lynsett / Valger)
Puppy /
Second Place
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
The Northern Border Terrier Club Championship Show
15th Jul 2023
Judge: Mr David Fryer (Irton)
My thanks to the Club for trusting me with a fine entry of dogs at this, one of my favourite shows; to my stewards for their understated efficiency which kept the show rolling; and to the exhibitors for the opportunity to go over their dogs, and for the sporting acceptance of my decisions.
The Border Terrier Breed Standard is a very brief document; as such, it needs some interpretation. The clue is in the first clause of it; ‘Essentially a working terrier’. This, together with a knowledge of the work the breed is traditionally expected to perform, gives an idea of the dog required. Thus we need a dog which can keep with the hunt over rough moorland country in what may be inclement weather, and then be able to go to ground and bolt or hold it’s own to a cornered fox. This implies sound, efficient movement, adequate heart and lung room, a weatherproof double coat and a thick, pliable pelt; but at the same time be small enough and flexible enough to follow a fox to ground .
Overall, I found most exhibits to be sound, and well presented (sometimes ‘overpresented’ to the extent that coats had more appearance than substance). The most prevalent fault I observed was untidy, converging front movement; an inevitable consequence of short upper arm and upright fronts. I did also find a few faulty bites; one undershot, one youngster with a lower incisor seriously out of line; and several with level bites, which, though permitted in the standard, are not (to my mind) desirable; also undesirable to me were the number of exhibits with small teeth in weak forefaces. There were also a couple of ‘winter noses’, but that, to me, is a purely cosmetic point and not to be penalised. All males were entire.
Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Placing Critique
9 mo , cobbier type, good strong head, nice neat feet, excellent coat and pelt, well balanced, moved well behind, would be better shown on a loose lead
Junior - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Placing Critique
2nd in PD; but moved more freely and better in this class
Leeds Championship Show
29th Jul 2023
Judge: Mr Brian Aubrey (Jenabeck)
Thank you all for a wonderful entry, I had to make some difficult choices on the day, but as always, I judge the dog on the day friend or foe and not what the dog as done in the past or what it will do in the future.
a few things did concern me on the day (1 ) so Many dirty teeth, (2) a few unfit dogs due to being overweight, (3) and the most concerning is short legs on one or two of the borders,
Puppy - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Placing Critique
This Grizzle puppy 9-months i think in my opinion will go far, very similar to mpd, otter type head, good straight front standing on good feet, easily spanned very good jacket moved well picking hairs for bpd.
Driffield Championship Show
26th Aug 2023
Judge: Mrs. Liz Wright (Totherend)
My thanks to Driffield Championship Dog Show Society for the invitation to judge today and thanks to my stewards Peter and Lesley Armstrong, who kept the ring running smoothly. Thanks also to the exhibitors for allowing me to go over their dogs. Front movement in the breed still needs some improvement, but overall I had lots of quality exhibits. Bites were good and only one kinked tail.
Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Placing Critique
Very good head and expression, liked his body lines and topline, shown in harsh coat with loose pelt, a little excitable on the move, but a nice pup.
The Northern Border Terrier Club Open Show
7th Oct 2023
Judge: Mrs Norma Ellis (Normbar)
Thank you to the Committee for organising such a well run show. The quality of the the dogs was very good, making my decisions more difficult in a good way. Nice atmosphere plus friendly sportsmanship prevailed.
Puppy - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Placing Critique
Mature boy, looked the part stacked and didn’t disappoint on the move. Good head and teeth, excellent coat texture and thick pelt, good topline and short tail, moved steadily
The Border Terrier Club Open Show
14th Oct 2023
Judge: Mrs Sue Baxter (Mysulan)
Firstly I’d like to thank The Border Terrier Club Committee for their very kind invitation to judge this Open show, I felt honoured and privileged . I thoroughly enjoyed my day and the hospitality on offer , the lunch certainly hit the spot..thank you Nancy Hogg. My two stewards, Jane Morton-Shaw and Marina Fleming kept things running smoothly and I am grateful for their support .
To the exhibitors , my thanks go unbounded as I had a lovely selection of good quality dogs to go over and there were certainly some tough decisions in many of the classes. It is an education to finally go over some of the dogs I have admired from the ring side. I am grateful that my decisions were taken, mostly in a sporting manner.
My general findings were , all males were intact , I found no kinked tails ( 1 dog had a bump on the underside of its tail , not a kink in my opinion), jackets were, as usual , at various stages of growth. I was impressed by the fact that all animals before me could be spanned , some a little easier than others.
Once again I feel compelled to comment on the state of nails and feet. In my opinion , many dogs had nails that were too long and some needed drastic fur trimming to enhance the shape of the feet.In my opinion it is a shame to groom your dogs for the ring but forget that ,especially whilst on the table, the judge has a perfect view of any, long nails and/or woolly “ Yeti” feet .
Best Dog
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Best Puppy - Dog
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Puppy - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Placing Critique
A strong puppy, just short of his first birthday , super head and expression , well put together . A little up on the leg , perhaps he has reached his full height . A youngster with plenty of substance , but without any coarseness ..moderate neck into good narrow front . Strong straight Legs and tight feet finished off with lovely thick pads , looks as if he could go all day . Ribbed well back and very fit, strong loin.Good textured jacket and handful of loose pelt . Super topline finished off with a nice full ,short tail … Covered ground effortlessly ….Pleased to award him , not only the class but also Best Dog .
Manchester Championship Show
20th Jan 2024
Judge: Mr Richard Allen (Penparc)
Junior - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Yorkshire, Lancashire & Cheshire Border Terrier Club Open Show
27th Jan 2024
Judge: Mr R Wright (Borderexpress)
Thank you to the committee of the YLC Border Terrier Club for this appointment, a very hard working team that pulled a lovely show together at a great venue and also my two very capable stewards Bridget Singh and Margaret Davies. To the exhibitors that also supported me on my wonderful entry for the day and generated a great atmosphere around the ring.
The lunch time interval also kept me busy with 6 lovely puppies taking part in the puppy walk, a great idea successfully carried out by the club and an opportunity to get the youngsters out and into a show environment – some promising youngsters to go over made the interval very pleasing.
I was really pleased with my final line ups on the day although I felt that the bitch classes were stronger than the dog classes, jackets with Crufts up and coming in a few weeks were varying so again thank you for putting exhibits forward that we all knew could do with some more jacket to just complete the picture.
Junior - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Placing Critique
14 month old grizzle dog that took time to settle today which made him a little over keen on the move, strong head and good ear placement – clean shoulders and good in the rib, lacking jacket and not so good in tail set which drops off a little and spoils his overall picture.
Northern Counties Sporting Terrier Golden Jubilee Open Show
17th Mar 2024
Judge: Mrs Margaret Davies (Glenorchy)
Many Thanks to the Society for inviting me to judge at their Golden Jubilee Open Show. Thank you to my two stewards who kept things running smoothly and also my grateful thanks to all the exhibitors who came under me and gave me a lovely entry.
Most of the exhibits were presented in a good clean condition, but a few could have done with a little finer tuning on their presentation. Just one level bite.
I find the true otter head is disappearing and movement left a lot to be desired, fronts were knitting and rears were moving close behind. Apart from that, I had an enjoyable day, thank you all.
Junior - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
The Northern Border Terrier Club Open Show
13th Apr 2024
Judge: Mrs P Cox (Cushatlaw)
I would like to say a big thank you to the officers an committee for kindly inviting me to judge this lovely open show and to all the exhibitors for exhibiting their dogs under me. A special thank you to the stewards who kept the ring running smoothly.
Junior - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Placing Critique
Well matured boy with lovely grizzle coat thick pelt. Good head proportions. Slightly thicker set than the class winner but again good angles. Good length to rib and strong over the loin. Just preferred the movement of the class winner today as he tended to throw his backend.
Yorkshire, Lancashire & Cheshire Border Terrier Club Open Show
4th May 2024
Judge: Mr Ken Fraser (Ycart)
Best Dog
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Best In Show
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Limit - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Placing Critique
red/Grizzle keen and alert expression on a moderately broad flat skull with very little stop,correct dentition,strong lower jaw,good under eye fill ,good length of neck into well laid shoulders narrow front which continued throughout the body being easily spanned, good length of body with ribs carried well back, level topline stood and on the move. correct short carrot tail, Thick jacket of excellent texture,thick pliable loose pelt. nicely conditioned rear quarters with good muscle tone.Rear angulation which isn't over done, stood on nice well padded tight feet which propelled him around the ring with purpose and drive from all angles,covering the ground with ease and efficiency. B.D B.I.S
Scottish Kennel Club (Ocober)
16th May 2024
Judge: Mr. Stewart Golding (Beaconpike)
Sorry for delay in critiques, work commitments had to take priority. Thank you to the committee for inviting me to judge the October show which was brought forward in conjunction with the May show. Thank you to my two stewards for keeping the ring running smoothly, which wasn’t easy with two shows running side by side. Thank you to the Exhibitors for a lovely entry and accepting my decisions in a sportsmanlike manner. I had some difficult decisions especially in the bitch classes where I just didn’t have enough cards to hand out. Coats from last time I judged had improved and it was a pleasure to see so many in correct double coat of depth. On the whole movement was good. I did find a couple of incorrect bites and one kinked tail
Limit - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
The Northern Border Terrier Club Championship Show
13th Jul 2024
Judge: Mr. Mark Ord (Marnadee)
Having attended & a long association with this breed club I was very honoured when I received the invitation to judge this show. It is pleasing that the club has such a wealth of supporters who do such sterling work and put on shows that make you want to return to. Walking into this venue today brought back many memories of the past and I am sure the pioneers of the club would be thrilled to see how it has prospered from humble beginnings. The Border Terrier continues to hold its own compared to many of today’s terrier breeds both as a companion and show dog. Breed standards were compiled by looking at the dogs of the time and their working capabilities fitting this purpose, this should still be adhered to now despite hunting no longer being allowed. This being said dogs should be presented for the show ring to the best of an owner’s capabilities, in hard muscular condition and coat presented clean and fit for the purpose of working in rough terrain.
I today found mouths to be good in the majority and I like to see large dentition along with a correct scissor bite. Several had eyes that needed attention in the way of cleaning before coming into the show ring. We still are seeing the incorrect flipping front action due to short upper arms and if not addressed this will become the norm. After my last appointment, I was pleased to only see a small minority where scissoring had been used on the coats which should not be the case. I did find today several coats that I would class as broken rather than the desirable tight harsh top weatherproof coat with undercoat for warmth. On a positive note, the bitches were easy to span and only a minority of males could not be. Pelts were pretty good being both thick & loose.
Mid Limit - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Placing Critique
masculine red grizzle, has good short strong muzzle with strength in his jaw, correct ear placement of good size & shape, moved well from his rear but another where needs to tighten more in front action.
Leeds Championship Show
28th Jul 2024
Judge: Mrs Linda Coleman (Hartswelin)
I enjoyed my judging and appreciated the good sportsmanship around the ring with applause for all class placings, this is so often lacking these days. In the males there were a lot shown in single coat so these were not in contention on the day, also quite a few were difficult to span. I did not find these problems in the bitches However as many judges before me have commented, good front movement is the exception rather than the norm and these Borders would easily tire following a horse all day.
RDCC
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Limit - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Billy Boy Mayhem
Placing Critique
Red g/r in super coat and condition. Lovely balanced front and rear angles Decent bone, good feet and tail set. Masculine head with strong teeth and jaws. His profile movement was easy and ground covering, pleased to award him the Res CC
