Show Placings
Blackpool Championship Show
24th Jun 2011
Judge: Mrs Charlotte Archibald
My sincere thanks to Blackpool & District Canine Society, for inviting me to judge at this level, for the first time. Even the weather was kind to us!!
A special thank you, to the exhibitors for your support, giving me the highest terrier entry, and the sheer joy of going over every exhibit, thank one and all.
It was a fabulous entry, numerically and depth of quality.
On the downside I found one cryptorchidic, one suspect tail, and a lot of dirty teeth, although mouths were generally good.
Coats were at various stages and in some cases they were the deciding factor, movement not too bad, the odd one “pinning in”.
There were some attractive exhibits of both genders, that went ‘cardless’ today, for me, there was just too much of them.
Puppy - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Yorks, Lancs & Cheshire BTC Championship Show
24th Sep 2011
Judge: Mrs Marie Sharp
My thanks to the Committee for their hospitality, and to the stewards, Anita Harrison and Kevin Green who kept everything running smoothly. I always read the Standard before judging and decide where my priorities will lie. This time, I decided that for an essentially working terrier, narrow, lithe bodies are a must, not forgetting those features which distinguish a Border Terrier. Indeed most Borders are narrow when compared with a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, for instance, but far too many in this entry were too broad in the chest to be able to follow a fox to ground. When the chest is wider than my hand, it is far too wide. Going to ground is but one part of a working terrier’s life - he has to cover rough ground so needs sufficient length of leg, and a flexible loin to enable him to gallop, getting his hind quarters under his body. Following a horse is no walk in the park, it requires stamina - lung capacity which comes from sufficient length of ribcage. One word in the Standard always causes me trouble – “but” in the sentence “Head like that of an otter, but moderately broad in skull..” I found lots of otter shaped heads, a few with too much stop, few with too short a muzzle, so on the whole heads pleased me.
Junior - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Yearling - Bitch /
Reserve
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Novice - Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Placing Critique
G/t with lovely head. Good length of body but not the overall balance of winner.
Yorks, Lancs & Cheshire Border Terrier Club Championship Show
29th Sep 2012
Judge: Mrs Janet Lee (Tythrop)
My thanks to the officers & committee for their invitation & hospitality , I thoroughly enjoyed my day with them , the border folk & their dogs .Thanks too to my stewards for the day who kept the ring running smoothly . It is 28 years since I attended my 1st YLCBTC Ch show , watching Ch Dandyhow Crofter gain his title & Ch Thistycroft Candlelight take top honours . I remember clearly the heavy fall Ted Hutchinson had due to lack of mats , thankfully no-one slipped today , though some dogs did.
For me the most important sentence is ˜essentially a working terrier” I fully appreciate a gorgeous otter head & all breed details , but the common factor of all terriers pedigree & crossbreed who go to ground is that they are narrow fronted & eminently spannable , having a flat rib, this is a flattish egg shape , never slab-sided , well sprung nor barrel chested , all equally faulty in a Border . If the frame is too big by being either too deep &/or sprung they will get stuck & die underground as not all places are diggable . I was taught they should resemble a lightweight hunter , legs slightly longer than depth of body & ˜fairly long in body”, i.e. longer wither to end of loin than wither to elbow with no trace of brisket below elbow . These essentials plus positive straight scopy movement were uppermost today . I have no colour prejudice nor pedigree preference at all.
Temperaments were excellent in the ring with only a couple of “outbursts” from outside, a must for a working terrier is an equable nature . All males were entire . A few misplaced teeth & tail faults which would not affect work but do pass on to progeny . Untypical round eyes often too close together are prone to damage & ulceration working , & give a surprised foreign look rather than kind in repose & keen when alert correct expression . Quite a few ran down to the shoulders being either short in foreleg &/or steep in croup . Was pleased my winners have enough scope & soundness to get there & handled well enough in rib & front to be able to get in & more importantly , back out again.
Post Graduate - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Aston in Makerfield Canine Society
2nd Mar 2013
Judge: Tan Nagrecha (Chadimore)
Limit /
Third Place
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Bootle, Crosby & South Liverpool Canine Society Open Show
24th Mar 2013
Judge: Mr Ifor Williams (Bryntonian)
Limit /
First Place
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Blackpool & District Championship Show
21st Jun 2013
Judge: Mrs Hilary Gilpin (Otterbobs)
What a lovely day, no rain in sight!!
Thank you to all the exhibitors and especially my steward Alisan, she was excellent at her job. I enjoyed judging many dogs that I had not be over or seen before. Many dogs had little or no coat at all, Border Terriers must have a harsh double coat when showing not just stripped out and in their under coat, also there was hardly any muscle tone, no level backs, no slim straight narrow fronts and the movement should of been better. In a few of the older classes I could not span a few dogs and they were heavy when I lifted them up off the table, I found all the mouths clean with full dentations and I *placed those that were nearest the standard in each class*. Very pleased with both dog and bitch winners and their reserves and best puppy.
Post Graduate - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Tonge & District Canine Society Open Show
20th Jul 2013
Judge: Mark Walshaw (Janmark)
Post Graduate /
Second Place
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Cartmel Agricultural Society
7th Aug 2013
Judge: Moira Barrass (Gallondean)
Post Graduate /
Third Place
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Liverpool Terrier Club
6th Oct 2013
Judge: Mr Chris Wallace (Hobholt)
Best Of Breed
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Limit /
First Place
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Placing Critique
3 years old G/T bitch, very similar to her daughter who was 2nd in junior except she was narrower, flatter in rib and moved true, front, side and back. In good coat, loose thick pelt, good tail set. BOB
Midland Counties Canine Society
25th Oct 2013
Judge: Mrs Val Furness
Thank you to M.C.C.A for the appointment also my stewards and a thank you to the exhibitors. Coats and size were mixed and a few entries i could not span the one thing that was apparent was the number of very lean exhibits. You BREED for size not FEED for it.
It was also nice to see that most of the early classes looked as they should be and not looking like they should be in open class
Post Graduate - Bitch /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Wigan & District Open Show
3rd Nov 2013
Judge: Kim Lathean
Graduate /
Second Place
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Heywood & Radcliffe Canine Society Open Show
5th Jan 2014
Judge: Mr Mike Vikers (Eskwyre)
Open /
Second Place
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Wigan and District Canine Society Open Show
2nd Nov 2014
Judge: Mr. Bob Wright (Totherend)
My thanks to the organisers, steward and exhibitors for a welcoming and well supported show. There were some quality exhibits and although there was a variety of types they were generally within the breed standard. A few exhibits were the right side of spanable but only just, dentition was generally good and there were no signs of poor temperaments.
Graduate /
Very Highly Commended
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
The Southern Border Terrier Club Championship Show
6th Jun 2015
Judge: Mr Stewart McPherson (Brumberhill)
My thanks, to the Club, for the invitation to judge their Club Show and the hospitality shown to Peter and myself. Thanks, also, to my Stewards, Wendy Mooney and Denise Townsend, who valiantly coped with the paperwork in the, at times, rather blustery conditions, keeping everything going smoothly! Thank you to the exhibitors, also, who entered for my opinion. The grass, in the ring, wasn’t exactly “bowling green”, so it certainly sorted out the good from the bad, on the move!
As is usual, from me, not an “everything in the garden is rosy” preamble! After 35 years, living and breathing Border Terriers, I tell it, as I see it!
As with my last appointment, Crufts, it is just over a 3 year gap, since I judged the Breed in the UK. I had obviously made my point, last time, that I wouldn’t pass the excessively broad skull, almost caricature like, that had become popular, despite the Standard asking for “Head like that of an Otter. Moderately broad in skull”, as there were none I thought overdone, on the day. I think, the problem lies, possibly, that the Standard doesn’t specify, as I was taught, that it refers to English River Otter, some people, mistakenly thinking the commoner headed Sea Otter, or deeper stopped Asian Short Clawed Otter is being referred to. There is a big difference between the three! Not helped by critiques, apparently, praising “broad” skulls, which, to me, sends out the wrong signals!
At Crufts, I had thought the breed had turned a corner, with regard to forehands ie. shoulder and upper arm construction…….how wrong was I?!!! I think I had the full range of faults today, upright shoulders, short upper arm, out at the elbow, sometimes all on the same exhibit! The widest part of a Border Terrier, “Essentially a working Terrier”, bred to go to ground, shouldn’t be the elbows, this fault usually being because the forehand isn’t set on the body correctly, being too far forward, due to a short, steep upper arm, usually, although not always, accompanied by an upright shoulder. These faults also affect that other line from the Standard “Capable of following a horse”, as, due to the incorrect angles, the movement is no longer efficient, being restricted to a shorter, hackneyed, step in profile, almost as though they are walking on hot coals, due to the foreleg not reaching full extension. It may look ok, coming and going, being accurate, as the shorter stride means there is less room for error, but the lack of a ground covering stride would mean the dog working twice as hard on the move, doing its job, soon becoming exhausted. This was brought home to me, discussing the stamina of various dogs with a friend, his son exercising their two Border Terrier champions chasing after him, on horseback, around a field. The accurate mover, with the shorter stride was soon exhausted, having had to work twice as hard, whereas the more angulated one, with the longer, ground covering stride, was up for more! Like, usually breeds like, good forehands being bred for. They don’t appear as if by magic! I am well aware that these faults are seemingly being passed by Judges, not just in the UK, at the very highest level, but that doesn’t mean that they are either correct or desirable and they are very difficult to breed out. I’m left wondering, having read a number of critiques, then having seen, or judged the dogs being praised, are the Seminars failing to educate the correct mechanics of economical movement, or are people just not seeing the movement faults, as long as its trots up and down, with its head and tail up, showing nicely for the Judge! Conversely, as ever, hind movement was pretty good.
It was interesting to note that those I have rewarded in the past, with the correct forehands and narrow fronts, at Crufts and previous engagements, came back, having retained their virtues and have also passed the same, narrow, lithe bodylines on to the next generation. If they are made right, they last right! A working Terrier, whose front is going, or has gone, by the time it is reaching maturity, is neither use nor ornament and is a liability to itself and its owner.
I would like to think, from ring side, that it was obvious that I was looking for Borders with a pattern of moderation and workmanlike construction, with sound, free, scopey movement, who also had quality and style. It wasn’t always easy, in some classes, but I thought my final line ups, in both sexes, demonstrated my priorities.
On the whole, coats and pelts were good, as always my opinion being that coats are transient. I don’t expect them to be aimed specifically, time wise, for me, as I am more concerned with correct construction, but it is “the icing on the cake.” As long as there was evidence of the correct textures, no one was unduly marked down, until it came to the top honours.
Most were spannable, although very few were easily spannable, slightly worrying, as my hands have a big span! This isn’t just a UK problem!
Mouths were all acceptable, a few with the odd broken tooth, which is only to be expected in a working Terrier and certainly wouldn’t be penalised by me.
Post Graduate - Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
Placing Critique
Grizzle and Tan. Typical head and expression. Straight front. Narrow bodylines. Good top line and tail set. Good coat and pelt. Sound, free mover.
Deane & District Canine Society Open Show
21st Feb 2016
Judge: Mrs Felicity Snook (Pitcombe)
Open /
First Place
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
The Nothern Border Terrier Club Championship Show
15th Jul 2017
Judge: Mrs. P. McLellan (Breconbeds)
My thanks to the committee and members for giving me the opportunity to judge this show, with such an excellent entry. However, I’m sorry to say that I was alarmed to see so many dogs that were short in both rib and leg, resulting in short backed and cobby looking dogs with deep briskets. I also observed that some of these same dogs had pleasant enough heads but carried very small teeth.
Movement was a major concern; decent enough dogs to examine but poor fronts on the move spoiled the whole picture – toeing in and/or with incorrect shoulder angulation. Some were really wide in front.
Veteran - Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet
St Helens and District Canine Society Open Show
17th Feb 2018
Judge: Josh Henderson (Tuwos)
Many thanks to the society for the invitation, my steward for keeping things moving but most of all the exhibitors for their entries and exhibits.
Post Graduate /
First Place
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet at Keebank
Placing Critique
7 yr old female in wonderful condition. sturdy, broad head with keen expression, i would prefer more strength in muzzle. Fair length of neck but a little overloaded in the shoulder area for me. Moderately angulated fore and aft moving true out and back.
Blackpool & District Canine Society
23rd Jun 2019
Judge: Mr S A Mcpherson
My thanks go to Blackpool & District Canine Society for the invitation to judge their show, my very efficient stewards and to the exhibitors for their wonderful entry, topping the Terrier Group by quite a margin!
It was a good quality entry, all the way through, especially in the younger classes, Junior bitch being quite exceptional, which bodes well, for the future!
I thought the line ups, for the CCs, were excellent, all, for me, fitting the Standard well, good for size, lithe bodied, easily spanned and with a good length of stride.
Only a very few were difficult to span.
As for points of concern, a number with very deep stops, often with a rounder eye, which gives a rather untypical expression, more reminiscent of the Asian short clawed Otter, rather than the English River Otter.
Forehand construction, as ever, is the main area for concern, correct shoulder and upper arm being the most difficult thing to breed for and attain. A correct forehand is a joy to watch, on the move, especially if they have the rear angulation to match, giving totally balanced, efficient, ground covering movement, but get it wrong and the movement is a bit like a “ bike with square wheels! “ in profile! I’m well aware it’s possible to win, at the highest levels, with the latter, but it doesn’t make it correct, when the Standard asks for the soundness to follow a horse, which, obviously, would require a good length of stride.
A few dogs weren’t too keen on the bandage on my hand, covering up the aftermath of an unfortunate trip up, on gravel, none were unduly penalised.
Veteran - Dog or Bitch /
Second Place
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet at Keebank
Placing Critique
Light grizzle, nearly 9 years old. Loved her for type. Typical head and expression. Good neck and shoulder. Good front and hindquarters. Bodylines good for her age. Good coat and pelt. Sound, free mover.
Yorkshire, Lancashire & Cheshire Border Terrier Club Championship Show
22nd Sep 2019
Judge: Mr A Horner (Stineval)
May I take the opportunity to thank the Club and its members for inviting me to judge at this show, and for the super warm hospitality I received. Special thanks to my ring stewards Carolyn Richardson and Julie North, for being efficient and keeping me on track.
I found no bad mouths and as always in our breed, coats at various stages. Lots of spannable dogs and bitches which I like.
I would like to say a huge thank you to the exhibitors for giving me the opportunity to go over their dogs, this was a real honour and I thoroughly enjoyed my day.
Veteran - Bitch /
Third Place
Name at show: Keycharm Miss Muffet at Keebank
