National Terrier Club

Many thanks to Stuart Plane and his hard-working committee for the invite to judge both smooth and wire fox terriers at this, the most prestigious of terrier shows. It was good to have The National Terrier back. It is always an honour to judge fox terriers and thank you to the exhibitors for a super entry. Smooths have certainly improved since my last appointment and pleasingly there were no recurring faults throughout the entry although we do need to watch that cathedral chests don’t become common place. I was very pleased with my principal winners.

PUPPY DOG. 1st: BROOKES, Mr & Mrs A & M Zetamaz I'm Your Man. Quality B/W puppy and a nice start to the entry. Very pleasing head and expression, with good dark eye and good ear placement and carriage. Nice overall shape. Short backed. Good depth of chest for one so young. Correct front assembly. To be hypercritical I would like a fraction more lay back of shoulder. Good hind quarters. Moved well in both directions. Wouldn’t want him any bigger. JUNIOR DOG 1st: ARUSTAMYAN, Miss Olia. Chipstead Puzzle of Lorecon Interesting B/W/T dog. He has a really lovely head classical piece which is of good length, and with strength throughout. Excellent small dark eye with keen expression, good ear placement and carriage and has correct chiselling. Excellent front assembly, super bone and decent feet. Correct length of neck and well laid shoulders. He is however longer cast than I would like which somewhat detracts from his virtues. OK hindquarters. Good front action although a little untidy going away. LIMIT DOG 1st: MCLAUGHLAN, Mrs/Miss Lyndsey/Cara Nisyros Crossfire at Azrams. Upstanding b/w male who scores for his overall shape. Good head and expression. Neat ears. Well off for bone. Correct front assembly. Would prefer him a fraction shorter in back. Good hindquarter angulation and good second thigh. Moves well with correct footfall,although a little more enthusiasm and drive would help. 2nd: HUGHES, Mrs Margaret & OSBORNE, Mr J & MCKENNA, Ms Forgevale Top Gun. Quality t/w with a pleasing overall silhouette and size. Nice head with enough chiselling. Good neck and shoulder. Short backed, and has good spring of rib, well angulated behind. Would prefer him a little straighter in the front. Moved ok. 3rd: GRANT, Mrs Sandra Ann & HEMMINGS, Mr Ivor Ticknock TriggerHappy. OPEN DOG. It was refreshing and a real pleasure to see a full open dog class with top quality dogs throughout. There was quite a variety in type, age and maturity which took sorting through. 1st: SCHOENEBERG, Mr Friedrich-Wilhelm Boz&H Schneemann v. d. schonen Bergen. A new one to me. B/W who immediately caught my eye on the initial inspection. He just 18 months but is a real stallion of a male. He has a super outline which is balanced and without exaggeration but is still very elegant without losing any masculinity. Short backed yet covering plenty of ground as required. Nice head piece with keen dark eye, clean back skull and correct proportions. Neat small ears which if I am to be critical of him, he could use a little more to his advantage. Super length of neck into well laid-back shoulders, cleanly cut at the withers. Short backed with solid topline. Clean front with good bone and correct cat-like foot. Well ribbed up. Short strong loin. Excellent hind quarters. This dog is a pleasure to watch on the go around, his movement is effortless and true, and gave me pleasure to see how he really used the ring but at the right pace. Just still needs to mature all through and then he will be hard to beat at any level. Pleasure to award him the CC, which was his second I learned. In my opinion his crown cannot be far away. 2nd: DAVIES, Mrs Cherry Ch Mosvalley Brian May. This is a well-known smart B/W who I have admired ring side for some time. Out of a bitch I awarded limit bitch to last time I judged, and by a dog I much admired who in turn is out of a previous BOB of mine. He has inherited their many virtues which are easy to see for the smooth fox connoisseur. This dog is a super example of a moderate and balanced SFT. Upstanding with no signs of coarseness, he has an excellent long lean head with correct amount of chiselling, small dark eye and pleasing ear size and carriage. Good strength of muzzle. Lovely length of neck into the best of shoulders. Clean front, good bone and neat feet. Short top line which he held on the move. Well ribbed up. One of the best examples of hind angulation shown today with good second thigh development. In good hard condition and as one would expect from this established kennel in A1 order. Movement was precise. He just didn’t put all in today and drive as I have seen him which cost him higher honours. Nevertheless, he pushed winner hard. RCC. 3 Wilberg’s Ch Kanix Quintus. VETERAN DOG 1st: JACQUES, Mrs J A Residenset's Hands In The Air For Jacqspot (Swed Imp). All white male with Tan ears. Although he is top size, this male is balanced and full of quality. Super classical head with excellent dark eye and really has a varminty expression. Good neck and shoulder which was not overloaded despite his age. Level topline which is retained on the move. Good depth of chest with good spring of rib. Clean in front with excellent feet for his age. Moved well. Credit to his owner. 2nd: BROOKES, Mr & Mrs A & M Ch ZETAMAZ GERARD DEPARDIEU JW Sh.CM ShCEx. b/W. A worthy Ch. Lovely overall shape. Pleasing head and expression. A little fine in bone for me for a male. Moved well with good drive behind.PUPPY BITCH 1st GRIFFITHS, Ms J M Yoxella Well In Touch. Alone but certainly not disgraced as I am sure she would top a quality class. This bitch made me smile as soon as I saw her today and it was a pleasure to go over her. She is quality throughout and of such lovely breed type. She has a very typical head, long and lean with lovely keen dark eye. Nice ears. Super neck into correct shoulder placement. Correct front. Good bone and tight feet. Good spring of rib. Good hind angulation. Needs to strengthen a fraction in topline and mature through. Moved well in both directions. In many ways reminded me of the lovely Ch Riber for Real. I was more than happy despite her young age to award her with the RCC in good company. I will follow her progress with interest. Pleased to see her shortlisted in the puppy group where she gained some more admirers.JUNIOR BITCH 1st: MORRIS, Mrs Sandra Sanamaris Serena. Lightly marked T/W Very typey young bitch of quality as one would expect from this exhibitor. Pleasing head proportions, nice dark eye and correct ear carriage. Nice for size. Good length of neck into correct shoulders. A fraction long in loin and needs to tighten in topline. Excellent muscled up hind quarters Moved well2nd: VICKERS, Ms Joanne & DAMS, Mr N Tamedale Sapphire. T/W many of the qualities of the first bitch apply here also. Clean throughout and quality. Pleasing typical head and expression. Good rib. Super HQ. Pleasing front action but ould be a little tidier in hind action if being critical.POST GRADUATE BITCH 1st: VICKERS, Ms Joanne & DAMS, Mr N Tamedale Topaz. T/W of lovely type. Pleasing head and expression. Best of neck and shoulders. Good front. Excellent bone and feet. Good spring of rib. Good tail set with plenty behind the tail. Moved very well. Needs to tighten in topline to complete the picture. 2nd: MARTIN, Mr Ian TAMEDALE FENELLA. Different in type to the first placed bitch but again a very pleasing head. Nice overall proportions. Good bone and feet. Moved well. 3rd:MOORE, Ms L Zetamaz Chasing Rainbows at FinchamLIMIT BITCH. Good Class headed by two very nice bitches who I am sure will both do well and change places from time to time. 1st: HUGHES, Mrs Margaret & OSBORNE, Mr J & MCKENNA, Ms Forgevale Scaramouche. T/W of lovely type. Nice overall shape. Good head and expression. Lovely neck and shoulder. Moved well. 2nd: HANNAR, Mr J & HANNAR, Ms E Borovale Amber. Another nice bitch of correct type. Has many of the virtues of the first bitch. Just preferred expression of sacramouche. Not in her best jacket. Excellent mover. 3rd: RICHARDSON, Miss A Lizoni Hoochie Coochie OPEN BITCH 1st: WILBERG, Mrs K S Ch Kanix Quickstep. This is the head and expression I was looking for all day. B/W quality bitch who commands attention as soon as she enters the ring. Scores with her overall shape. Her head piece is quite lovely and of good length and correct proportions. Clean in back skull, she has an excellent dark eye and correct sized ears with natural correct carriage. She exhibits that desired varminty expression which is the essence of the SFT. She is very nicely chiselled and has a punishing foreface without any loss of femininity. Good elegant neck into excellent shoulder placement. Clean front with no obvious fore chest. Good bone throughout. Short backed, level top line and tail on top with plenty behind the tail. On occasion she can just over stretch herself and do herself an injustice appearing a little straight in stifle, but she is not so, and has correct hind quarters which are well muscled. Did not stop showing and moved well both fore and aft. I have like her ringside and she did not disappoint on going over. If I am to be hypercritical I would just like a fraction more of her. Easily annexed the CC today and BOB over a good dog. Later Group 4. Well done. 2nd:BROOKES, Mr & Mrs A & M ZETAMAZ CRYSTAL RAINBOW. I appreciate that I am partial to an all-white with correct dark pigmentation and I did like this bitch very much. Good head and expression. Neat ears. Darkest of eye. Nice overall shape. Moved well in both directions. To be critical a little straight in stifle. In A1 condition.

Dr Ian H Gabriel