Show Placings
Darlington Championship Show
17th Sep 2023
Judge: Mrs D Bullen (Fevstone)
I would like to thank the committee for inviting me to judge for the second time. I had a good entry of 125 with a few absentees as is usual, the dogs were of varying types and sizes which is to be expected. The ones that were unspannable aren’t fit for function as they fall at the first hurdle so to speak.
There are quite a lot creeping into the breed of late which lack power in the foreface. Falling away below the eye with a foreign expression. Also lacking in underjaw. Again a weakness in the breed which needs addressing or we will lose these qualities essential to work. A lot now have too short an upperarm which is vital in construction as it propels the dog forward as he should cover the ground effortlessly striding out. Not Pitter patter slowly. On a more positive note I found a lot of quality true to type borders that were a pleasure to judge. Effortless free movement which is essential. I’m sure the breed will go on to have a bright future if we all keep to the breed type.
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Mr Blue Boy
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 .
Minor Puppy - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Mr Blue Boy
Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Mr Blue Boy
Placing Critique
(Seen dog from Class 1) 8 month old B&T , ok head , a little finer all over than the first . Muzzle and dentition all ok but could would like to see a bit more fill under the eye…A harsh double coat …a little unsettled on the move but what I saw looked ok.
The Scottish Border Terrier Club Championship Show
11th Nov 2023
Judge: Mr Mark Lowry (Ravenside)
Firstly, I would like to thank everyone for a lovely entry and also to the Scottish BTC for this opportunity. Special thanks go to my two stewards for the day who kept everything running smoothly and for their good company. Although the lighting in the hall isn’t the best, it was adequate and the large square ring was perfect for watching movement, something I feel is very important in a border terrier. On that note I found my main winners to excel in this department. I was pleased to judge some strong puppy classes and also some strong adult classes
Puppy - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Mr Blue Boy
Placing Critique
Blue & Tan nearly 9 months. Pleasing head with dark eye. Good for bone with well-muscled hindquarters
Special Beginners - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Mr Blue Boy
The Scottish Border Terrier Club Members Limited Show
28th Jan 2024
Judge: Mr. P. Appleby (Hollexby)
Firstly I would like to thank the committee for inviting me to judge this show, it was an honour and a privilege, secondly thank you to the exhibitors for entering a lovely selection of dogs for me to go over, and lastly but not leastly to my Stewards, Liz Barret and Val Mason for keeping me right.
Puppy - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Mr Blue Boy
Maiden - Dog /
Second Place
Name at show: Mr Blue Boy
Placing Critique
11 month old Blue and Tan, head well proportioned with nice eyes and ears, neat feet, very fidgety on both the table and on the move
The Border Terrier Club Open Show
24th Feb 2024
Judge: Libby Tanton-Joy (Itsaso)
Thank you to the committee for inviting me to judge their open show held at Jedburgh, the home of the border terrier. It was a great privilege, and I had some amazing dogs present who are a credit to their owners, thank you for bringing them.
Thank you to my stewards for organising the rings so smoothly and keeping me on track so we finished at a reasonable time. The hospitality was second to none and I would like to thank the whole committee for this.
Special Beginners - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Mr Blue Boy
Maiden - Dog /
First Place
Name at show: Mr Blue Boy
Placing Critique
Blue and tan presented in good jacket. Broad head with dark eye, would prefer more fill. Straight front, strong loin and spannable. Moved Ok once settled.
The Border Terrier Club Championship Show
30th Mar 2024
Judge: Mrs Lynda Ward (Roundtown)
It was an honour to be invited to judge this, our parent club’s show. My thanks to the committee who ran such a lovely event with a relaxed and friendly atmosphere. My judge’s gift is much appreciated and will be a treasured momento of the day.
My superstar stewards, Janice Johnson and Liz Barrett, worked hard and unobtrusively whilst keeping the classes moving smoothly over a long day – well done ladies.
Many thanks of course to the exhibitors who made the journey on a major bank holiday weekend giving a large and quality entry of 190 dogs making 229 entries plus 10 NFC.
I had some lovely sound and typical Borders to go over and, had I had them, I would have had no qualms in awarding 4 dog tickets and 5 bitch tickets.
Unfortunately there are always downsides in a big entry and today size was an issue with some overly large exhibits who were not spannable and very heavily built.
There were a number of youngsters which were obviously unused to having their mouths examined and more practice in a calm atmosphere would help to make them comfortable and avoid stress for them and their handlers.
Ears need watching as some were quite large and spoiled the head.
Sadly, as in the past I must complain about long tails. Tails are an integral aspect of the overall picture of a typical Border outline and long is simply wrong. Our breed standard is spartan compared to many others but for tails the description is clear and begins with, “Moderately short; fairly thick at base, then tapering.” Hopefully the issue will be addressed before the untypical becomes the norm.
On a positive note …
Feet were overall small and thickly padded although some would benefit from trimming and shorter nails.
There was a good number of lovely otter-like heads of correct proportions with well placed dark eyes and a keen expression.
As is usual these days coat presentation was generally good and today there were plenty of dense coats of correct texture and thick skins.
Do I think the quality shown in this entry bodes well for the breed? Yes.
Special Beginners - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Mr Blue Boy
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
Junior - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Mr Blue Boy
Special Beginners - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Mr Blue Boy
The Scottish Border Terrier Club Open Show
2nd Jun 2024
Judge: Dr Margaret Armstrong (Ploughdown)
Thank you to the officers and committee of the Scottish Border Terrier Club for inviting me to judge their June 2024 Breed Club Open Show. The day was marked by very good weather conditions: a mixture of sunny spells, brisk breezes and cloud. Just right for the dogs. The dreaded rain kept at bay so the Gods smiled down on us. What a super venue to hold a show. There was a large indoor hall if needed. However, given the clement conditions, we were outside for judging on a large paved area surrounded by raised grass banks that afforded for spectators a good view of events. The welcome from officers and exhibitors alike was warm and hospitable and I’d like to thank exhibitors for the super entry I had and for their good grace in accepting their placings. There was a great sense of collegiality among members and good humour was in plentiful supply. The catering was second to none; the poached salmon salad at lunch was super. And I was sent on my way with enough food to see me back over the sea to Northern Ireland. Finally I’d like to thank my two stewards on the day: Kath Lothian and Pete Appleby. They were welcoming and fulfilled their duties with quiet good humour.
Junior - Dog /
Reserve
Name at show: Mr Blue Boy
Novice - Dog /
Third Place
Name at show: Mr Blue Boy
Border Union Agricultural Society
16th Jun 2024
Judge: Mr. David Matthews (Tojamatt)
My thanks to the Society for the invitation to Judge one of my favourite shows, it didn’t all go to plan with the weather playing its part. I would like to thank all the exhibitors for going along with my decision to stay outside despite the weather, and my special thanks to stewards Judy Carr and Audrey Coltart for braving the weather also. Also my thanks to Euan for posting my judging book and critique notes and to whomever handed it in.
Sorry for delay, holidays and work have played their part. I had some lovely dogs to go over and thank you all for bringing them.
Novice - Dog /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Mr Blue Boy
