Badgerbeck Bobby Owl

Thank you to those exhibitors, who, in the present financial climate, gave me the highest entry in the Terrier Group, by a considerable margin, nearly half as many again as the next breed. Friday, M6, NEC, extortionate car park charges are not a good combination!! Thank you to my very efficient steward, who kept things running smoothly, so we could finish in good time, after the very late start due to the problems on the M6. Now, to the dogs themselves! I know that I was very lucky, in that when I started in the Breed, in 1980, I was taught about type, construction and movement by Ted Hutchinson, a master of the sport, who had campaigned the then Breed Record Holder, plus a string of Champions across many other breeds. This knowledge, plus, I would like to think, a natural eye for quality, has served me well over the following years. Therefore, it saddens me to see the type and constructional faults that are creeping into the breed. These faults are now so prevalent, that newer breeders, exhibitors and some judges, probably think, and accept they must be correct, so widespread are they. The Standard asks for an "otter" like head, moderately broad in skull. Too many have excessively broad skulls, giving an exaggerated, almost caricature look, rather than the refined beauty of an otter. Ear set is also a cause for concern. The standard calls for small, V- shaped, dropping forward close to the cheek. Too many ears are perched high, above the line of the skull, dropping forward to the temple, rather than the cheek, giving a foreign, almost Lakeland / Fox Terrier expression. While, I am sure, this may appeal in some quarters, it is totally incorrect on a Border Terrier. Now, to shoulders, and especially upper arms, a major problem today, particularly in the younger classes. Upright shoulders and very short upper arms, mean the front assembly of the dog appears "tacked on". The shoulder should be clean and well laid, with a long upper arm, meaning that the dog can stand with their front legs under them, perpendicular to the floor, rather than like a “milking stool. This, affects movement, giving an action that can only be described as "peddling a bike" and causing no reach on the move .They are, after all, a working breed, who are supposed to be capable of "following a horse". On the plus side, most were in good coat, and moved soundly behind, something which is much easier to achieve. Two exhibits were so thin, I felt their entry fee would have been better spent on a bag of quality food. My top winners are examples of Breeders who have stuck to their ideals, of breeding sound, honest, typical Border Terriers, bred to last, not following fashion by breeding, what, to my mind, are shorter coupled, flashier "terrier" types to appeal to the more modern way of thinking. They wouldn't have looked out of place from when I first started in the Breed, matching beautifully for type and construction.

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.

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.

I would like to thank the exhibitors for a lovely entry. Some quality exhibits to go over in both dogs and bitches and I was pleased with my winners. Temperament was excellent throughout. Such a shame we couldn?t be outdoors.