First Place in Puppy - Bitch, Judge: Mr A Cuthbertson (Ashbrae)
Thank you to the exhibitors for their entries and to my two stewards.
I think size needs to be watched in the breed as a working terrier. I have a large span but a number of dogs were not spannable by me, this reflected in my placings. We also seem to loosing the otter like head, some with too much stop, some with weak muzzles and others lacking under jaw. This results in a loss of type which defines the breed. We should try and adhere to the breed standard laid down by the original border terrier breeders.
The over baiting of dogs on the table is totally unnecessary. In my opinion they do not need to be constantly fed on the table. It makes judging difficult when a dog is constantly looking for food.
I was very surprised to see border terriers with coats on around the ring, as they should have their own double coat for warmth and protection. I hope this isn’t the start of trend with the breed becoming just another show breed and losing its identity as the standard states “essentially a working terrier”.
Liked this pup for her type and body lines. Nice head with dark eye and neat ears, shallow stop gives an otter like appearance. Narrow throughout with moderate neck, good shoulder with correct rib size and shape carried well back. Good texture of coat, very promising. BPB.