Midland Border Terrier Club

COMMENTS ON BREED NOTES

Marie Sharp’s contribution to BT Breed Notes ( April 2008)

“I feel I have to comment on Ronnie Irving's remarks re his Manchester critique.

I was surprised to read mention of the American Standard as shaping his opinion on the ideal height/length balance of a Border Terrier. For those not familiar with the American Standard, it requires Borders to be taller than their length from withers to tail. This is just one of the many anomalies that occur in the American Standard which Ronnie states was written with help from many well known and revered UK breeders. Did they really think that a Border was required to run his quarry to earth?

Ronnie states that the UK Standard was drawn up with reference to the Fox Terrier standard which requires a squarely built dog, with height and length equal. If the Border is to be longer in body than a Fox Terrier, then it must have a rectangular outline, with body longer than its height, exactly the opposite to that required by the American standard.
One point on which I would like to agree with Ronnie - I too think that some Borders are too long in loin - their length of body should come from length of ribcage, not from length of loin.”

Trak Fryers response in Dog World 7th March 2008

Trak Fryer writes “I was rather surprised, and then amused, to see Ronnie Irving’s reference to the American Standard in his Manchester critique. Surprised because as Chairman of the Kennel Club I would have expected him to uphold its instruction to judges that they judge to the UK Standard when judging in the UK. Then amused since presumably if you can’t breed to – or don’t like – the UK Standard you can pick suitable alternatives.
This could prove to be a good idea – for example, writing in the mid – 1850s Jacob Robson commented of the Border: “They vary in weight, 15lb to 18lb is their best size….” Now there can be few characters in the history of the breed who are more revered or well known than Jacob Robson since he is generally regarded as one of the founding fathers of the breed. This quote will be very useful to those with slightly larger than standard Borders.
However, with those of you with the smaller ones I would recommend using the original Standard drawn up by the Northumberland Club in 1920 – this required a maximum size of 14lbs for a male. The people who drew up this Standard were deeply involved with the breed and their names appear behind many of the early champions so I would think it would be safe to say they were a very creditable and revered group as well.
Early in the 1950s an attempt was made to alter the Standard to add a height clause, the concern being that judges were putting up too many dogs who were short on the leg. Various heights were suggested, including 16 inches at the withers, and that would be a useful Standard for those inclined to the rather taller type. Once again the clubs who supported these moves were composed of highly experienced and respected breeders with a long involvement in the breed.
I am afraid I can find no credible Standard or quote that would support some of the more exaggerated forms of preparation and showmanship that seem to be so popular at present, e.g. totally stripped out and standing stock still. Also all respected and revered authorities seem to emphasis the need for good movement – an ability to cover the ground effortlessly – so that seems to be hard luck for a lot of exhibitors. However, a few of last year’s critiques suggest that a number of judges do not agree so maybe there is hope there also.
Personally I support the views of the late Hugh Pybus. He had been involved with the breed throughout the early half of last century and bred and owned some of the early champions. He had a great passion for the Border and was not at all shy of advising his fellows on the correct way forward.
Speaking of the 1950s he said “We should judge to the Standard and nothing but the Standard……if judges are unable to do this then we (the breed clubs) should make sure that we educate them better so they do understand the requirements.” Comments which, apparently, are as relevant now as they were more than 50 years ago.
Please keep your news and views coming.”
© Trak Fryer

WRI's Comments at Manchester 2008

I very much appreciated being invited to judge my own favourite breed here, and enjoyed the occasion greatly. The entry of 158 was very satisfactory and the quality was pretty high. I was of course particularly pleased by the top winners and the Best of Breed winner (see below in Junior Dog) was very much what I am looking for in a good Border Terrier. The Bitch CC winner (Limit Bitch), as well as having many other virtues, has one of the best fronts around. Would that more of the breed had fronts like her! Bad fronts are, in my opinion, probably the most common fault in the breed today – pretty well in every country in which I judge, and it is something on which breeders need to work. Another issue is size and we should not forget that the standard calls for 15 ½ lbs (!) as the top size for dogs – they should also be able to be spanned - and many were not. One final point and that is that the picture which I have in my head of perfect balance in the Border Terrier and my interpretation of the breed standard’s requirement of ‘fairly long’ seems to be somewhat out of step with modern thinking. The modern trend seems to me to produce too many dogs which I believe to be ‘long’ rather than ‘fairly long’ – more particularly many which are too long in loin. Some people seem to attribute the word ‘racy’ in the standard, to the body of the Border when in fact it refers to the hindquarters. The American breed standard, to which many well known and revered UK breeders contributed when it was put together, calls for proportions where the Border Terrier’s required height to the withers is equal to, or slightly greater than, its length from the withers to the root of the tail. I agree with that and believe that is what is meant in the UK standard by ‘fairly long’.