First Place in Junior - Dog, Judge: Mrs Jane Roberts (Smalesmouth)
I would like to thank the Officers and Committee of the Northern Border Terrier Club for the kind invitation to judge their open show at Otterburn. I thoroughly enjoyed my day and was delighted with my winners. Many thanks to my stewards Lesley Gosling and Allen Horner who kept everything running smoothly throughout the day. I would also like to thank all exhibitors for the privilege of judging their dogs.
Driving across to the venue on the morning of the show was a timely reminder of the terrain that Borders Terriers were bred to encounter whilst out hunting. Bearing this in mind I was looking for fit dogs whose structure and movement allowed them to cover the ground economically.
Positives were that the dogs were generally fit, they were shown in coats that had not been over trimmed and temperaments were good. A couple of negative points that I felt applied to a number of exhibits: there were few dogs with really big teeth and also there were rather a lot of thin tight skins. Really thick pliable skin was a rarity.
I really liked this 13mnth grizzle and tan dog. Very masculine and beautifully presented in hard, fit condition. Well constructed throughout, he presented a balanced picture. Good head with moderate width of skull,strong muzzle and very good set of teeth. Lovely reach of neck into good shoulders. I liked his length of body. Very good legs and small tight feet. Really good double coat and thick pelt. Economical movement that covered the ground well. RBD Lost out on maturity to older dog in the challenge.