BREED NOTES week ending 15th February 2008
|
Border Terrier Breed Notes (week ending 15
February 2008) |
|
My colleague commented in Breed Notes recently that, in view of the increasing numbers of Border Terriers being bred and shown, the judging of the breed was particularly important and that due regard should be given to the origins and purpose for which the breed was developed. Obviously a judge cannot test the dog’s working ability but can give due regard to the construction of the dog with working in mind, for example, narrowness, strong jaw & big teeth, drive from the hindquarters, length and flexibility of the body etc – too many to mention here (after all the standard was written with working in mind!). On the subject of the standard I was most surprised to have reported to me that a judge had recently appeared to suggest in their report that an overseas breed standard was more correct than the KC standard, although, as I understand it, one is supposed to judge a breed in accordance with the breed standard in the country where the appointment is being undertaken. The Border Terrier breed standard was originally written by people who knew about working Border Terriers and the terrain in which they were originally intended to undertake that work. They needed a reasonable length of back both to cope with the varied terrain over which they had to run when following a horse (the foxhounds in the Border country are slightly longer in back than those packs in softer country) and for the flexibility needed below ground. A Border with a short back would be unable to turn in a tight space underground and if the earth where it was working was rocky, there would be little chance of digging it out, with the obvious consequences for the terrier. Above all we should not lose sight of the first line of the breed standard “essentially a working terrier”. Congratulations to Mrs Tuffin and her homebred Oatberry Vino Vita (BelCh Hartswelin Little Tyke at Oatberry x Oatberry Linnet) on her BIS win at Dartford & District Canine Society on 27 January 2008. The BIS judge was Dr Geoffrey Curr and the breed and group judge was Mr M Hardy. |
|
Margaret Sneddon (01295 760757) (email:kersfell@fsmail.net) |
©2008 The content of
this web site is copyright of the MBTC unless separately assigned.
No part may be reproduced without written permission from the copyright owner.