Best in Show Magazine
Danilovic Jovana Publisher & Art Director jovana@bismagazine.com Kanninen Milla Advertiser Relations milla@bismagazine.com
Contributing Writers Anne Tureen, Richard Hellman, Juha Kares, Karl Donvil, Lisa Croft-Elliott Pekka Hannula,Bo Bengtson, Ante Lucin, Mihaela Kosic Contributing Photographers Lisa Croft-Elliot, Selene Favretto, Karl Donvil, Tommaso Urciuolo, Anna Szabo, Jeffrey Hanlin Web Designer Sanja Jukic Printed by GrafoMark d.o.o
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intro Dear Best in Show readers and followers, This year we all have been through more than anyone thought possible, we became aware of how precious life is and they way we live it, should be like every day is the last day. I’m sure we all had ups and downs during this time, I’m sure it was not easy for many people, but as usual we came together in this though time, the dog show family is as good as it gets. It’s been though for everyone since the shows stopped and have barely resumed with a few shows now, we believe soon we will be back to the way we were before COVID-19. During this time Best in show magazine had the pleasure to work on many projects like, The Grooming Land and more recently starting our new adventure BIS Creative. We have successfully published 23 editions including our July 2020 edition where you will be able to enjoy beautiful photos from European Show scene taken by Karl Donvil, Dog Foto team, Anna Szabo, Tommaso Urciuolo, Beltran Alonso and Boris Glukharev. Besides show reports, in this edition, you will be able to read interviews with one of World’s famous Yorkie and Silky breeders; as well as interviews with Rebecca Cross, Jennes Nyari, Vincenzo Pontone, Giovanni Monteverde, Joe Borges and Katja Rauhut and many others. I truly hope you will enjoy spending time reading our new edition with a cup of coffee or tea till the next time.
Jovana Danilovic publisher & art director
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Content
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68
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CRUFTS 2020
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Rebecca Cross
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Jennes Nyari
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History of Yorkshire Terriers
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Comparison of Yorkie, Silky and Australian Terrier
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Meet the Breed: Australian Silky Terrier
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Meet the Breed: Yorkshire Terrier
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Young breeders
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Terrier Front
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IDS PAPA, Hungary
by Karl Donvil
Interview with Professional Handler Interview with Junior Handler by A. Tureen
by A. Tureen
Interveiws with: Annette Collins & Kristina Pastiu from Allanette kennel • Australia Sally Baxter from Karlyermai kennel • Australia
Interveiws with: Nicoletta Pollini Nancy Smith Sergio Amien
Vincenzo Pontone • French Bulldogs Giovanni Monteverde • Golden Retrievers Joe Borges • Chihuahuas Katja Rauhut • TT, Lhasas, American Akitas by D. Buchwald
by Dog-Foto team
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Crufts 2020, where every dog has its day The days before this year’s Crufts were very exciting. Not only was there the question as to what level the Brexit would affect the show, but a few weeks prior to the show, the first signs of Corona in Europe arose, accompanied by the first measures to control the virus. Alike a lot of people I was slightly worried if during the four days of the show we would face restrictions for traveling back home, risks of being contaminated at an event that attracts people from all over the world who have the habit to attend every weekend shows where people come from many different countries. For sure, if any event was very risky to spread the virus worldwide, Crufts was surely one of them. 19909 dogs were entered for the show and 3171 of them were Crufts Qualified dogs from 43 different countries and 4 continents. And that’s just the dogs for the show as all together 26.000 dogs were coming to Crufts for several other reasons too, like the sports and international competitions. The number of foreign entries was already affected by the BREXIT with no less than 12 %. People were worried and rumors circulated about the UK Government decisions to expect. However, the government released the travel regulations only two days after the closure of the entries, stating that nothing would change during the transition year. And of course, the result would have been different in the positive sense, if things would have been clear weeks before closure. This, along with the spread of the Coronavirus, made many exhibitors think twice and decide to avoid any risk of being in a lockdown situation with their dogs in a foreign country. I met several professional handlers who had only a few dogs to show, whereas they would normally have many more. For them, of course, it was 24
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bad luck as they had made all the expenses for traveling and accommodation. A young colleague, a photographer from Milano in Italy, had even more bad luck. He hardly arrived in Birmingham when he learned that the Air Company Fly-be, that he traveled with, was declared bankrupt, while on Sunday the news arrived that the North of Italy went into quarantine. Fortunately, he could find another flight and the quarantine rules were clarified, allowing Italians to travel home. How many entries from each country were withdrawn has not been communicated but ironically the country with the highest Corona infections in Europe was also the country with the highest number of entries for Crufts with 366 dogs, followed by France with 317. The number of UK entries was 16.525. After all, it was rather weird to see that very few people were taking the risk of contamination very seriously. I saw only one person with a protection mouth mask and although in the halls I had the impression that it was busy as usual, in the hallways it was unusually calm, strange! Last year the show had no less than 166.500 visitors. This year there were 155.000, which means that the impact of the Corona problems was not that big. In the weeks prior to the show, the Crufts website published the latest updates about the Coronavirus and green light was given the day before the show. Of course, certain precautions were taken and advice was displayed on signage. In every toilet, there was hot water to wash the hands and hand sanitizers were to be found not only there, but also at every entrance of a hall, alongside every ring and at all the places where officials were doing their jobs. In the main ring, every judge was offered to disinfect the hands after every dog. But besides this, it was business as usual from the first day on. The trade stand holders were all happily surprised and didn’t expect it after all the Best in Show Magazine
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troubles the show of this year had to face. It is no longer a secret that I’m a big fan of the Crufts Show Guide that people can buy and that contains a huge amount of useful information for all people who would like to purchase a puppy in the future or who need information about what activities are available. Crufts has hundreds of trade stands and there is so much to see that if you are after something in particular, you are lost without such a show guide. The space is huge! The 5 Halls, the Arena plus the Pavillon take up no less than 25 acres. 5000 Volunteers work together to bring Crufts to a good end, an amazing number! The British Kennel Club is doing a lot of work for improving the quality of the breeds. While a few decades ago the emphasis lay on the beauty and exterior of the breeds, the focus is now on the health of breeds with problems and significant progress is made since DNA research became common and affordable. Ani26
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mal rights organizations play an important part in it indirectly. Now the focus is on the shortnose breeds. The Kennel Club has now developed a “Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome health test and a new heart scheme for the Problems in the Cavalier King Charles breed. Some pressure from outside can make a significant change! But it does not always need to come from outside. The Kennel Club has always been very concerned about vulnerable breeds and does a lot to promote them. Crufts is always a good occasion to do so. But nothing is better than help from the media and celebrities. Since Boris Johnson became prime minister the popularity of the Jack Russell has increased significantly since he adopted Dilyn who came to live with him at Downing Street. No need to tell what breed Johnson has. And without doubt, the popularity of the Welsh Corgi Pembroke, once the Queen’s favorite breed, has seen the same increase thanks to
the popularity of the series “The Crown�. The Labrador leads again after a short reign of the French Bulldog and the Irish Red and White Setter’s position as the most vulnerable breed is alarmingly critical. New on the list is the Old English Sheepdog or Bobtail, imagine! Almost every year the Kennel Club recognizes a new breed. This year it is the Barbet, an old French breed that is most probably the ancestor of the modern Poodle. The Barbet is a water dog, used for hunting ducks and seen on many old paintings and etchings. There is so much to see and discover at Crufts, so many competitions in all the different disciplines. No way to follow them all. I met a woman on the train who every year comes to Crufts all four days. It is her holiday and she still enjoys every minute. And she is certainly not alone. The Arena can take 7000 people. Friday and Saturday it was almost full and on Sunday it was completely sold out. But during the day you can sit there from 5 till the very end around 8 PM. there is always something to do and to see. But in the halls too, there is plenty of activity apart from the show itself. Popular are the various Obedience disciplines, Fly Ball, Police dog demonstrations, Heelwork to Music, International Junior Handling, etc. The list is very long! But probably the most popular are the different national and international Agility competitions. The most important of them are held in the Arena just before the Group judgings and the volume of the applause is sometimes going over the pain threshold. But there is nothing worse for the ears and that excites the public more than Flyball. I just wonder how painful this must be for the sensitive hearing of dogs. During the evening program, before the group judging of the day, there are nice treats for the spectators, with a round of Agility to start with. On Saturday we had the Heelwork to Musik finalist. Belgium won this international Best in Show Magazine
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competition. The act was so close to perfection and breathtaking, a rather simple act and song, nothing very spectacular, but so sincere and eye-pleasing that nobody doubted this placement. Also popular is the Scruffts finals for Crossbreeds. I think its popularity has to do with the fact that people can more easily familiarize themselves with cross-breeds, contrary to the purebred dogs that look so glamorous and out of reach like movie stars. On Sunday, when for a seat in the Arena a ticket is required, there is always the famous “Friends for Live� competition for certain dogs that have meant or done something very special for someone. Friends for Life celebrates heart-warming stories of friendship in adversity, where dogs have changed the lives of their masters through bravery, active support or just companionship. People can tele-vote for their favorites and that’s always a guarantee to success. And one of the mean acts is the Police Dog team Presentation. This is a spectacular and impressive act and I am sure a lot of kids will start dreaming of a career at the police later. Things like this make Crufts for the English dog-loving people into their highlight of the year. But the attraction for Crufts goes much further across the British borders. A lot of people from abroad just want to come over and see their breed. Others come for shopping and traders are looking for new things on the market. And for those who are regular visitors, it is a chance to see friends from all over the world who share the passion for dogs. Crufts is much more than just a dog show and that makes it unique in the world. And what I like so much, in particular, is that for everybody who participates winning is the goal but participating is, in the Olympic Spirit, more important than winning. Going home with a 3rd or 4th place is already an achievement. There are many people I know that qualified for Crufts and that want to grab the chance 28
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to participate, whatever the result. Being qualified for Crufts is a win in itself. A quick look at the statistics is enough to see how difficult it is to win the breeds. The best scoring breeds in each group are as follows: in the Working group the Siberian Husky had 184 entries, in the Pastoral group it was the Border Collie with 303. In the Terrier group, the Staffordshire Bull Terrier with 341entries was the most popular, while in the Hound group the Whippet was in the lead 388. The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel was still the most popular breed of the Toy Group with 286 specimens, for the Utility group it was the Bulldog with 235 and by far the most popular breed at Crufts but also in the UK, in general, was the Gundog group leader, the Labrador Retriever with no less than 543 dogs in competition. And that are only the record holders, but this counts for many breeds and even the rare breeds offer enough competition to make a lower place worth participating. The highly unusual Basset Bleu de Gascogne and the Foxhound have drawn just four entries apiece. On Friday the Utility and Toy group were on turn. In Utility 2862 dogs were entered. Here we have the Bulldog who takes the lead with 235 dogs entered. The French Bulldog is still very popular with 212 dogs, but the Tibetan Terrier came also close with 203 dogs. The Dalmatian was just not enough to make two teams of 101 Dalmatians, there were 196 of them. Frankie (Ch Minarets Best Kept Secret), a Four-year-old Miniature Poodle from Ramsgreave, Lancashire, won the group that was judged by Mr.Paul Harding. Frankie previously won Reserve Best in Show at Crufts in 2017 and is owned by Melanie Harwood and her mother, Carol. In the 2621 dogs that were entered in the Toy group, we see the Cavalier King Charles on top with 286 specimens. The Chihuahua lost the first place and the popularity of the breed has
gone down in Britain with 26 %, but that was still good for 216 dogs for the long coats and 143 for the smoots. The Pug is still very popular with 281dogs entered and the Papillon, the BIS winning breed of last year, had 196 dogs in competition. Pablo (Ch Regina Bichon You Rock My World At Pamplona), a two-year-old Bichon FrisĂŠ living with his owners in Preston, Lancashire won the Toy Group that was judged by Mrs.Carolyne Roe. Friday was reserved for the Gundog Group only with 4481 participating dogs. Here we find several top-scoring breeds. Of course, the Labrador puts the crown with 543 dogs, on the heels followed by the Golden Retriever with 519. But also the Cocker Spaniel is still very popular, 370 were shown here this year. The laughing Flat Coated Retriever was represented by 331 of them. There were also 294 Irish Setters, 180 Pointers, 177 Welsh Springer Spaniels and 162 English, 153 Gordon Setters, 150 English Setters, all huge numbers in fact and the British breeds are without any doubt the most popular. Elsie (Gwendariff Coco Nut Cream), an Irish Setter from Huddersfield, bred in Northern Ireland, won the Gundog Group. Aged six, she is owned by Deborah Armitage, her handler and breeder is Diane StewartRitchie. The Group was judged by Mr.Per Iversen from Norway. On Saturday we could enjoy the Working and Pastoral Groups. Best scoring breed in the Working Group is the Siberian Husky, although it dropped in popularity in the UK with 37%. But here, at Crufts, we could see even more of them than last year, 184 altogether. Other high scoring breeds here are the Tibetan Mastiff with 184, the Newfoundlander with 182, the Bernese Mountain Dog with 168, the same as the Rottweiler. Winner of this Group, that was judged by Mr. Christopher Habig from Germany, was Drago (Ch Phoenix Never Dies Best in Show Magazine
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Du Monde D’Elias), a three-year-old Bullmastiff from Belgium, owned by Sylvie Loosveldt. In the Pastoral Group it is the Border Collie that leads with 303 dogs, before the Bearded Collie with 256, the Shetland Sheepdog with 228 and the Collie Rough with 219 dogs. Here the winner was Zokni (Ch Bottom Shaker The Greatest Picture), an Old English Sheepdog from Hungary, aged three, and handled by Zsolt Hanó. This Group was judged by Mr. Luis Pinto Teixeira from Portugal. And that leaves us with two more groups to go on Sunday before the Finals could take place. The Terrier Group, the most British Group of all, is not the most popular when it comes to numbers. The Staffordshire Bull Terrier is an exception along with the Border Terrier which is strangely enough not the most flashy breed in the group. There were respectively 341 and 256 in competition. All the others are far behind with only a few with a little more than 100. Mr.Tom Johnston judged the Group and chose Pixie, a Kerry Blue Terrier from Swansea, as his 30
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BOG. Pixie, (Indian Princess at Perrisblu), aged three, is owned and handled by Phil Davies. The Hound Group is one of the most varied groups, for non-British, the most bizarre where Dachshunds have to compete and be compared with Irish Wolfhounds, Bloodhounds to whippets. Outstanding numbers here are found in the Whippets with 388 of them. Another popular one is the Rhodesian Ridgeback with 226 dogs in the rings, but the Beagles were with tree more, 229. The Afgan Hound is a classic with 188 as is the Basset Hound with 156. But I’m surprised that the Irish Wolfhound was very strongly represented with no less than 144 in competition. Winner in this Group was the Maisie (Ch Silvae Trademark), a WireHaired Dachshund, owned and shown by Kim Mc Calmont from Berkeley, Gloucestershire. She was the pick of Mr.Mark Cocozza to win the Group. But a short time later, lining up for the finals, two-year-old Maisie was chosen by top-judge, Anne Macdonald to follow in the pawprints of Dylan, the winner of last year. That was a real surprise and the first time a Dachshund wins this prestigious show. ResBIS was our Poodle Frankie winner of the Utility Group on Thursday. It was the second time he won the ResBIS cup. It was amazing to see how both dogs kept showing for the photoshoot that takes easily 20 minutes, and Maisie in particular as she had shown since that morning in the breed ring, later in the Group judging and again for Best In Show, and still, she looked as she could go on showing for hours. Another Crufts is over and added to the long list since the show was first held in 1891 by Charles Cruft in the Agricultural Hall in Islington. It was very close if this show could have gone on as only a few days later most of Europe was in lockdown caused by the COVIT-19 virus. Let us hope that by next year a vaccine is found and things go on as usual.
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GUNDOG Group Judged by Mr Per Iversen, Norway
group
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CH. GWENDARIFF COCO NUT CREAM Irish Setter
Owned by M. Armitage
group
2
group
3
CH. KAN TRACE VERY CHEEKY CHIC Lagotto Romagnolo
Owned by S. Zdunic-Sinkovic & A. Lucin
CH GALAKSI FREAKING FAMOUS American Cocker Spaniel Owned by M. & L. Kristensen
group
4
CH LUDSTAR FREDERICK FRANKENSTEIN Gordon Setter Owned by F. Boxall
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
HOUND Group Judged by Mr Mark Cocozza, UK
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1
group
2
group
3
CH SILVAE TRADEMARK Wire Haired Standard Dachshund Owned by C. & D. McCalmont
CH NDOKI HIGHLANDER Rhodesian Ridgeback Owned by S. Radke
CH TEOCRAZIA ONE MILLION Bassett Hound
Owned by F. Ghezzi
group
4
CH MINIDOGLAND TAKE AFTER SUN Short Haired Miniature Dachshund Owned by P. Meier & P. Cheong
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
PASTORAL Group Judged by Mr Luis Pinto Teixeira, Portugal
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CH BOTTOM SHAKER THE GREATEST PICTURE Old English Sheepdog Owned by J. Koroknai
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CH WYNDSTAR MAGIC MARKER Australian Shepherd
Owned by Kirtley / Erdesz / Shaw
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CH NIKARA DIAMOND DANCER Samoyed
Owned by V. Freer & A. Smith
group
4
CH FROSTICE MAKEOVER Shetland Sheepdog Owned by B. Andersson
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
TERRIER Group Judged by Mr Tom Johnson, UK
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INDIAN PRINCESS AT PERRISBLU Kerry Blue Terrier Owned by Davies
group
CH SAREDON ENIGMA Lakeland Terrier
2
Owned by J. Schembri
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CH ALGRAFS VIKTOR FOR ANROAL
3
Jack Russell Terrier
Owned by A. Roca Ales
group
4
ROCABEC RIDING SHOTGUN Bedlington Terrier Owned by Mrs & Mr Cumming
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
TOY Group Judged by Mrs Carolyn Roe
group
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CH REGINA BICHON YOU ROCK MY WORLD AT PAMPLONA Bichon Frise
Owned by Coad & Smith
group
2
DOMA FORTUNA RE DEL RITMO Havanese
Owned by Y. & T. Dobroczek
group
3
APHIENNA A MILLION DREAMS Long Coated Chihuahua Owned by H. Murphy
group
4
CH FLORITA TUELETTA Italian Greyhound Owned by H. M. Lister
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
UTILITY Group Judged by Mr Paul Harding
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CH MINARETS BEST KEPT SECRET Black Miniature Poodle Owned by M. Harwood
group
2
group
3
CH DAWIN ALL THE BUZZ Black Standard Poodle Owned by L. Campbell
CH KAGA NO SHOUJI GO SAPPORO KAGASOU VORMUND Shiba Inu
Owned by M. S. Dunhill-Hall
group
4
CH CHELMBULL THE AVIATOR French Bulldog Owned by Cund & Harrop
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
WORKING Group Judged by Mr Christofer Habig, Germany
group
1
CH PHOENIX NEVER DIES DU MONDE D’ELIAS Bullmastiff
Owned by S. Loosveldt
group
2
NAGEEM HARIBO AT HACCASBROOK Rottweiler
Owned by Mr and Mrs Franklin
group
PETRO-PRESTIGE DZHIYA Tibetan Mastiff
3
Owned by A. Kashin
group
CH MANZART VOGUE
4
Dobermann Owned by A. Everley
Group 1
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
BIS CH SILVAE TRADEMARK Wire Haired Standard Dachshund Owned by C. & D. McCalmont
BIS CH MINARETS BEST KEPT SECRET Black Miniature Poodle Owned by M. Harwood
Rebecca S. Cross Interview with Professional Handler Interviewed by J. Danilovic
Q: Dear Rebecca, thank you for taking your time to do interview with us. Please, tell us for the beginning, how did you get involved with dogs? Was it breeding or showing you have started first? A: I grew up breeding Scottish Terriers with my mother Dorene across in Alaska. We also bred Labrador Retrievers and my mother was heavy into performance events such as obedience, tracking, and hunt trials. Originally my parents began with sled dogs for many years in which my dad participated in local races. We got our first Scottie when I was about 5 or 6 years old. I participated in my first dog show when I was 7. Q: Do you remember your first show, which dog did you show? A: I believe my first show was when I was 7 years old, I showed a dog named Malarie who was a puppy from my moms very first litter. She was short of good quality but she was my first pet of my own.
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Q: Did you have a mentor in the beginning? A: My mother will always be my first mentor and rock in my breed. I had several teachers growing up in Alaska as we grew up in a very tight community of dog show enthusiasts. We traveled an hour each week just to attend handling class. Q: Do you know approximately how many BIS wins did you win till today? What about your first Best in Show and how did you feel winning your first BIS? A: I have probably a little over Best in Shows between my own dogs and clients, but my first Best in Show is definitely the most memorable because it was totally unexpected and with my own founding stud dog since I began breeding again after joining the military. Polo, Arabella’s Voyager, was his name bred by a very good breeder in Germany, Martina Werner. He is the dog that is behind Knopa and many of my dogs I have today. We were in Japan at one of the biggest FCIs in Hokkaido and he stole the
heart of the judge. What was truly amazing was this was no ordinary Scottie, he was also a wheaten color. Q: What result do you consider as your the biggest and best one? A: I would definitely have to say Crufts was absolutely the best feeling in my whole career. Q: How many shows per year you attend? A: I’m sure I attend well over 200 shows a year. Q: You are very well-known as a Terrier handler specialized for trimming breeds. How did you find attractive working with Terriers? A: Terriers requires a good eye and patience. I was always in awe over Wire Fox Terriers as a child and still to this day being my second breed specialty, have an extreme love for being able to sculpt and create something beautiful from 52
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hair. Not only is it the grooming but also the temperament that exudes from these breeds. Q: Do you have favourite show? A: This is tough but we as Americans look forward to our Super Bowl of Terriers, Montgomery County Kennel Club. Q: Which dog was your favourite dog that you ever handled, and was this dog also your most successful one? A: Definitely Ch. McVans To Russia With Love, Knopa! She was an amazing dog, with a heart of gold and the stamina to compete. When she entered a ring she commanded her presence be known and she never let me down. Q: What part of your job you do like the least in this business? A: Getting up early?!
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es and fulfill so many dreams through my job. I do still have a few places on my bucket list, Africa being one. I want to see the animals. Q: Please tell us name or two if there someone whose skills you admire when it comes to breeding, showing, grooming or judging? A: I have so many of those I admire over the years. As a handler and trimmer, Hiroshi Tsuyuki as he is my sensei and someone I had privilege to work alongside and mentor under while living in Japan for 5 years. He is also considered family. He learned under someone whom I consider to be one of the best in my breed and terriers in general. She has shaped the lives of many of the handlers today and although I never got to work for her personally, Bergit Kabel is simply one of the best. It’s not just about the grooming, it’s the whole physical condition of the dog in and out.
Q: Have you ever had crisis which made you consider quitting this job? A: Well I am a product in this business of leaving my previous career in Information Technology. I chose to make my hobby and passion my business and I don’t think I would be happier doing anything else. I like being my own boss. Q: What would you do, if you didn’t decide to be a handler? A: Probably answered that above, but honestly now I would probably still be involved in dogs somehow, perhaps a grooming shop or boarding kennel. Q: Is there something in the life that you would like to do or to visit, that is your life dream? A: I have been so fortunate to visit many plac54
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Q: How would you describe a professional handler? What are the most important skills for a handler? A: A professional handler is someone who has taken the time to learn their craft correctly and slowly. This is not a job you wake up and say, “I am going to be a handler!”. It takes time, dedication and determination. You have to be tough with a thick skin and take the good with the bad. You must be a good sport to your
competition as you never know, that could be your next client and I always instill this in my assistants. The most important aspect is not the dog show and the handling, but the upmost care and condition of your dogs. If you take care of them, they will take care of you. Conditioning is the most important. Q: What about Junior Handling and do you think that Professional Handlers and judges should work more with young people? A: Most definitely. I often have juniors assisting me and offer to take them for summers to open their eyes to our world. We need more and it’s getting harder with the changing times. 56
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Q: If you could, what would you change in dog world? A: I do wish we could get back to more breed specific events and less shows. I think by having more shows in a weekend versus one or two a weekend has diminished some of the quality of our breeds and diluted the numbers. The numbers are down because people have more options and can spread out so our entry numbers are smaller and the quality has gone down. I’m hoping that this time home during the Covid crisis has been able to open some eyes to new opportunities for the better.
Jennes Nyari Interview with Junior Handler Interviewed by J. Danilovic
Q: Dear Jennes, please tell us something about your beginning. When did you get your first dog and how did you get the idea to start going to dog shows? A: I got my first dog when I was only 4 years old, this was my White Swiss Shepherd named Handur, who was also the base of our kennel. As my mother was a breeder of Beauceron in the past, she already had experience with shows and therefore also wanted to show Handur. I accompanied them to a show and I really loved everything about it. That was the moment I decided I also wanted to show my dog. I trained a lot at home, and attended my first show in the White Shepherd Breed Ring at only 5 years young. Q: How did you decide that you will start Junior Handling and how was your first experience? A: As I come from Germany where the rules are very strict about Junior Handling, I would have only been allowed to participate from 9 years old. This meant that at first, I was only allowed to show in the breed rings. I always loved trying different breeds.I had the possibility to show my male at the WDS when I was 7 years old. From then on we attended many shows in other counties like Montenegro, Hun60
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gary and Serbia where I had the possibility to participate in Junior Handling for the first time. I extremely enjoyed it, and knew right away that one day I wanted to be as good as the Juniors I saw at that time in Group 2. Q: How would you describe relations between Junior Handlers? How friendly and helpful are they with each other? A: I do believe that the relationships between most Junior Handlers are very friendly and helpful. Through Junior Handling a lot of long lasting friendships can be created.This is based on similar interests which is amazing. Especially now during the last months when we weren’t able to attend shows due to the Corona Virus, I have learned to appreciate these friendships even more. This has shown me how fortunate we are to have friends from all over the world. What a gift it is to have other Junior Handlers you can meet at shows and maybe even train together. Helping others will always benefit both of you, also you’re having a nice time, which should be a key point in this sport. However, when I look at the photos from the US, where all the handlers are congratulating each other and are genuinely happy for each other, I miss that a little in Europe.
Photo 1 • Best in Show Junior Handler Split ‘19 under Mr. Bruce Schwartz with Afghan Hound Lodewijk „Jamaica Sun A Touch of Freedom“
Photo 3 • 9 year old VEW‘19 Starry Town for a Smile. SBIS in Montichiari 2019 and later All Breed Vet. Best In Show and R. Best In Group
Photo 2 • 7 year old Jennes, training with Handur in Serbia, before entering the breed ring
Photo 4 • Best in Group 4 at the World Dog Show ‘18 with White Swiss Shepherd Karuna of Skah Dakota
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Handling competition, I wanted to take a different breed to gain more experience. the owner or handler of the dog was always my “mentor” on that day. Thanks to this, I could get to know many different styles of handling, which I think is an advantage for me today. To learn the JH rules, I have printed out all of the rules and figures from the FCI web-page. I started practicing them at home with my dogs. I was never a fan of figures like “T” and “8”. I did not understand how some sort of gymnastics had to do with showing a dog breed appropriately. To my understanding Junior Handling should prepare you for the breed ring, learning how to bring out the best of the dog.
Q: When you started, did you have any mentors or people who were helping you, maybe Introducing you to the Dog World and JH rules? A: When I started participating frequently in Junior Handling I was only 7 years old, so when thinking back to this time I don’t believe I was mature enough yet to be bound to one person. I wanted to try everything, every breed, watch all the handlers carefully and try to analyze how they are doing it. Therefore I started off on my own, only together with my mother guiding me through the show world. As for every Junior 62
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Q: Do you have someone helping you improve your skills nowadays? A: Since the beginning that I am involved with dog shows, I knew that my personal goal is to focus on some breeds and show them at the highest possible level. I am not keen on becoming an All Breed Handler. The breed that has fully stolen my heart, are Afghan Hounds. Through some coincidence 3 or 4 years ago, I got to know Karin and Lothar Hessling, who since then have had a great influence on me. I find myself very lucky to have found someone who is happy to work and share their knowledge with a young person. Through them, I could finally fulfill my dream to have the possibility to work with an experienced breeder and handler. We have had a lot of fun when working with the dogs, but more importantly the love for the animal always comes first. For me there is no nicer thing than endlessly increasing your knowledge and noticing how much you have improved each time you enter the ring. I am very grateful to have them and extremely enjoy working with both!
Q: Have you ever worked for a Professional Handler, and is there someone you would like to work for? A: I have never actually worked for a Professional Handler.However, I have had the opportunity to travel with some to shows and assist them. For example Valentina Zupan and Katja Rauhut. Both are extremely experienced handlers and I knew that I could learn a lot from. I definitely enjoyed my time with them. I would recommend traveling / assisting a Professional Handler to any Junior Handler, as it is a great experience. A Professional Handler I would love to learn from one day is Kristina Savina. I absolutely adore her way of handling Afghan Hounds and Standard Poodles in particular. You can see how happy the dogs are when she shows them, which I believe is one of the most important things. A dog that is happy to work for you will always show himself better.
Q: Seminars in handling and grooming, are very educational. Whose seminar would you like to attend? A: This is an easy question for me, as it would definitely be Javier Gonzalez Mendikote! In grooming particularly, perfectionism is very important. I don’t know anyone who expresses this more than Javier. Q: Lately there are many big handlers searching for assistants. What do you think Handlers are expecting from assistants? A: I don’t believe they expect too much from you. Mainly I think they want to see that you are keen on learning, that you are grateful to them for teaching you and investing their time into your knowledge. Furthermore, an even more important point is that they want to see your love for the animal. When accepting you as an assistant they are trusting you with the dogs whom they carry the responsibility for. I believe you must appreciate the opportunity to go to a Professional Handler, and not expect to
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show their top dogs, but prove that you are a hard worker. Q: What things are assistants looking to get from Professional Handlers besides knowledge? A: Besides knowledge, I think an assistant also looks for a partner and a life-time friend. As well as support and meaningful advice, for improvement, that’s for sure. From my point of view I think an assistant looks for a person who will teach them not just what they are meant to learn. I think a good Professional Handler who’s ready to share their knowledge with someone will share personal experiences, anecdotes, jokes and it will make the assistant become a better person. When we are speaking with someone that has experienced many things and has learned from them (good or bad), and when you work with someone with a whole life of experiences behind them, it’s impossible to not become more mature and human. Q: Do you have a favorite breed that you are usually showing in Junior Handling competition? A: My favorite breeds are Afghan Hounds, White Swiss Shepherds and Standard Poodles, however for Junior Handling I use the opportunity and try to take a different breed each time. I love challenging myself with different breeds. I believe that after my Junior Handling career ends I will never again have the possibility to gain so much experience easily. This is why for Junior Handling in particular I enjoy “difficult” breeds. Q: Even very young, you did many great wins in the show ring. Which results do you consider your greatest, not mentioning Junior Handling? A: Definitely winning Best In Group 4 at the World Dog Show 2018 with my breed, the 64
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White Swiss Shepherd. It was an unforgettable experience running in the bright lights of the main ring, with this beautiful dog on the end of the leash. Another win that is very close to my heart was when I was writing breed history with our own home bred male.He was the first ever short coated White Swiss Shepherd in Germany to win Best In Group, in a very strong line up of dogs. A quite recent win that I am very proud of was when I was invited to show for the famous Starry Town Kennel in Italy and won Specialty Best In Show with a stunning Bernese named Giotto. Later that day we won All Breed Vet, Best In Show and Ru Best in Group. Q: What about the future? Do you plan on pursuing a career as a full-time Professional Handler or do you have some other dreams? A: After I graduate from school and have my International Baccalaureate, I want to take a year off and work full-time as a handler. This has always been my dream since I was only 5 years old. In this year I want to travel as much as possible and increase my knowledge and I will dedicate all of my time to it. When the year is over I plan on attending University and studying Medicine. Even though I expect this to be very time consuming, I will not give up handling and will continues as much as possible. Hopefully that will be a lot. Q: Do you have hobbies besides Junior Handling? A: I have played classic piano for over 10 years and went to the Steinway Acadamy for many years. At some point I noticed that I would have to make a choice, so I cut back on piano and stopped participating at competitions so that I had more time for handling. I still play piano for myself sometimes to get a clear mind.
Q: How do you manage your school and time for traveling? A: I am absent quite frequently in school, because of the long travel to shows. I have however learned to keep the balance between both. I always carry my MacBook with me on travels to all of the shows.I keep up with all of the work and I don’t have a disadvantage in school. The car drive / flight to a show is usually fully used for school stuff, and in the evenings I try to keep 1-2 hours free to have time to revise for school after I have finished grooming the dogs.
Q: Do you have any advice for young people interested in Dog World? A: Always believe in yourself. Hard work will always pay off. You should never try to show off, but rather always keep an open mind. Most importantly, never forget that you are working with animals. This means that you both must be a team and work together. The dog on the end of the leash always reflects you. If you love your dog and work with them in a sensitive manner, they will do anything for you. Teamwork makes the dream work!
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History of Yorkshire Terriers Interviewed by A. Tureen
Terrier lovers are accustomed to reading that their breed is among the most ancient, and has been found in the British Iles since the beginning of time. In part, that is true, since all UK terriers come from the abundant rough coated dogs that are native to the British Iles. Each was different from the other in size and color all were mutts, though gradually, certain ‘’types’’ began to consolidate and come under a common name. Be careful not to call any early dog a ‘’breed’’, the term itself was not invented until the end of the 1700’s and didn’t come into general use until the mid 19th century. The dogs grouped under a certain name such as the Skye Terrier simply identified dogs from the Island of Skye. The examples of these dogs varied greatly in size, coat color and texture, and, of course, the ear carriage. (One English breed that is an interesting exception is the Greyhound, which was much more
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homogenous than other types of dog at a very early date.) Fortunately, the development of the Yorkshire Terrier is well documented and though it is very complicated, we can know almost to the dog who were its ancestors. It all began with the Skye terrier. This type of dog, a terrier from the island of Skye was mentioned as early as 1547. The many varieties of this dog eventually became divided into two ‘’new’’ types, the Clydesdale (now extinct), which was silky in texture and blue and tan in color, and the Paisley (extinct) which was all blue. The Clydesdale had a moment of popularity on mainland Scotland. Fortunately, this coincides with the development and popularity of the first dog shows and the resulting desire to write down standards for the various types of dogs, very shortly now we will be able to use the term ‘’breed’’. We can, therefore, read a standard for the Clydesdale.
A long low, level dog, with heavily fringed erect ears and a long coat like the finest silk or spun glass, which hangs quite straight and evenly down each side, from a parting extending from the nose to the root of the tail. Color: A level bright steel blue extending from the back of the head to the root of tail, and on no account intermingled with any fawn, light or dark hairs. The head, legs and feet should be clear bright golden tan, free from grey, sooty or dark hairs. The tail should be free from all traces of curl or waviness, very glossy and silky in texture with an entire absence of undercoat.with an entire absence of undercoat. The weight was at 18 pounds, (8.1kg). This type of dog became popular with ladies, and was also taken over to the USA and down to Austraila by visitors who found him a charming pet. The Clydesdale also participated in shows, under the heading rough and broken Scotch Terriers. Note that the Aberdeen, Highland, Cairn, Skye, Short-Coated Skye, Lowland, Roseneath, Paisley, Clydesdale, Diehard, Otter Terrier, Sorty Terrier and many other types of dog were known as Scotch Terriers, though they had little in common genetically, they came from different parts of Scotland and were therefore Scotch Terriers. (The Aberdeen
became what we know today as the Scottish Terrier). Sottish workers who emigrated to Yorkshire to find jobs in the booming cloth industry brought their little dogs with them so that they could catch rats in the home and workplace as well as brighten the family hearth. They had a preference for the smaller dogs, presumably since they required much less sustenance and also were at home in small quarters, and some of the silky Clydesdale types were among them. The two dogs known to have founded the lines that would become the Yorkshire Terrier were Old Crab and Kitty. Old Crab was a ‘’cross bred Scotch terrier’’ (a dog from Scotland, not a Scottish Terrier) of about 8 pounds (3.6 kg) owned by, Mr. Swift who ran a pub. Kitty was stolen from her original family and ended up in the hands of a carpenter, Mr. Kershaw,. She was out of a Skye Terrier (dog from Skye) and an Old English Black and Tan Terrier. The Black and Tan type is not exactly extinct, it was one of the ubiquitous dogs, found
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over much of England, and he was the direct progenitor of today’s Welsh Terrier. At the time of the 19th century there was much variation in size and coat, however, it was a black and tan dog. Both Old Crab and Kitty lived in Manchester. Old Crab was said to have a good terrier head and eye, with coat about 4in (10cm) long, and when he died his body was brought to the taxidermist, then stood in a glass case in the Westgate Hotel for years. Kitty had drop ears and a blue coat with no tan. Until 1850 she and Old Crab met quite frequently, she is said to have given the world eighty puppies.
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Mary Foster, Bradford kennel Mrs. Jonas Foster (Mary) is one of England’s great breeders (Bradford kennel) who went on to become the first woman to judge dogs in England, at Leeds in 1889. She is credited with the development of the breed into the modern Yorkshire Terrier. She selected from the descendants of Old Crab and Kitty until the size and coat bred true. She astutely acquired from Mr. W, Eastwood, Huddersfield Ben (whelped in 1865), whose dam was Lady, the great, great granddaughter of Old Crab. She showed him in 1871 at the Crystal Palace show in the class called the Broken Haired Scotch and Yorkshire Terrier. Mr. Sam Jessop who wrote the first breed book on the Yorkshire terrier in 1902 said of this dog: ‘’Hudder-
sfield Ben has been given the title of father of the broken Haired Scotch and Yorkshire Terriers and pedigrees of his progeny prove this point. He was no flyer, but the result of the
manufacturers of the breed, he was totally inbred and he passed his best factors on to his children. His merits as a show dog found him at great request as a stud, and luckily he possessed the rare trait of transmitting his virtues to his progeny. He was a great sire, one of those animals who make the history of the breed and whose influence is apparent generations after the progenitor has passed away,’’ Ben’s great grandson, Bradford Harry went on to become the first registered US champion. In 1886 the Kennel Club registered the Yorkshire Terrier as an official breed. In 1898 a Yorkshire Terrier Club was formed, with Lady Edith WyndhamDawson being one of the most influential members. Several other individuals including Mrs. Palmer, Mrs. Crookshank and Mrs. Hillman, all made important contributions to promote and standardize the breed.
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Comparison
Yorkshire Terrier Australian Silky Terrier Australian Terrier by Anne Tureen These three breeds have common ancestors in the Skye, Clydesdale, Waterside and Paisley Terriers. These early types of terrier were brought over to Australia by visitors or emigrants during the early 1800’s and were developed there independently of the UK. The Silky Terrier returned to England a few decades later and mixed with the Yorkshire then both were brought back and forth between the two countries until their respective standards began to define the breeds more clearly. Thus the Silky and Yorkshire Terrier are quite closely related, while the Australian Terrier, though there may have been some mixing with the Silky at the beginning, should be considered a branch from the same tree which, however, took a direction all his own, early on. The FCI standards for these breeds gives us a ‘’snapshot’’ of the breed with some defining characteristics in the paragraph ‘General Appearance’. The Yorkshire is described as: ‘’ very compact, and neat conveying an important air’’. The Silky is: ‘’compact, of medium length, substance, well groomed’’. The 72
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Australian is: ‘’ sturdy, rather long, alert, sound, untrimmed’’. Thus, we see a crescendo in substance. There is also a gradual shift of the level of refinement. While the Yorkshire has an air of importance and must be ‘’neat’’, the Silky need only be well groomed, much less of the perfect picture compared to the Yorkshire. Then we have the Aussie, whose every adjective describes a working dog. Note that all three breeds are competent ratters, a Yorkshire Terrier would probably leap from his silken cushion to catch a rodent if he ever happened to see one, in fact, I know of one that went missing for several hours in a country drainpipe after having escaped for some venatorial adventure. However, from the time of Mary Foster circa 1860, the Yorkie has been embraced by elegant ladies as a ‘’gold and blue’’ treasured companion whose priority in life is to be beautiful. In the ring today the evaluation of the coat ranges from 49 to 51 percent of the total dog according to the priorities of the judge. Ever practical, the Australian breeders satisfied their desire for a beautiful pet with the Silky main-
taining a balance with practical concerns. An example of this is the presentation of the head in the FCI Standard images above. Rather than the elaborate topknot with a red bow, the Silky is presented by knowledgeable breeders and handlers by combing the head back and to the side. This is a direct continuation from early show practice which is also shared by the Skye Terrier today, (another branch from the early types). Another difference in presentation is that the Yorkshire coat trails slightly on the ground surface but the standard of the Silky specifies that you ’’should allow daylight to be seen under the dog’,’ very practical. The standards define the desired size of the dog in terms of weight, (Yorkie 3.2kg, Aussie 6.2kg) and height (Silky dogs 23-26 cm, Aussie dogs 26 cm). Weight for the Silky merely stated ‘’in proportion to height’’ and the Yorkie has no cm value, but in early standards we can find 9in (22.8cm). This clearly shows a range of size, from the small Yorkie to the slightly larger Silky and the largest of the three, the Aussie. In all three breeds, the cranium must be flat, but there is an interesting difference in stop. The Silky must have a ‘’defined but moderate’’ stop and the Aussie ‘’slight but definite’’. The Yorkshire Terrier standard is silent concerning stop. While the facial region of the Aussie is equal in length to the cranial region, the Silky muzzle is described as ‘’slightly shorter’’ than the cranial region, while the Yorkie vaguely states, ‘’not too long’’ Should we interpret that as 3:5? The neck of the Aussie is described in terms which you might expect of a Working Terrier ‘’good length, slightly arched, strong…’’ The Silky has ‘’medium length, refined and lightly crested…’’ while the Yorkshire simply emphasizes ‘’good reach’’. This difference between the Yorkie and Silky is again brought forward in the General appearance of the Yorkie which must Best in Show Magazine
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have ‘’carriage very upright’’. Thus, while both dogs are rectangular, the Yorkie could give the overall impression of a square dog due to the slightly longer neck carried high. The eye is also quite different. While the Silky is closer to an earth dog expression, ‘’small, oval…never prominent’’ the Yorkie is closer to the toy group, ‘’medium, placed to look directly forward’’. This is coherent with his role as a companion who must communicate love and understanding to his mistress. Technically speaking, we could assume that the eye placement in the Yorkie is sub-frontal (80-75° from the horizontal plane) while the Silky is semi-lateral (75-60°). The Aussie eye is very similar to the Silky. While the ears of the Yorkie and Silky are set high, the Aussie has them ‘’set on moderately wide’’. Under the point ‘Body’ we find clear distinction from the ‘’compact’’ Yorkie to the ‘’moderately long’’ Silky and finally the ‘’Long in proportion to height’’ Aussie. All toplines must be level. The Silky and Aussie are more angulated dogs, both with a stifle ‘’well turned’’ and the hock joint ‘’well bent’’. The Yorkie has a ‘’moderate’’ turn of stifle. Like classic terriers the tails must be set on and carried high in the Silky and Aussie, though the Yorkie does not mention the set on, it is described as ‘’carried a little higher than level of back’’. Now we come to the highest order of the day, the coat. No doubt, this is the most distinguishing characteristic between the Aussie and his two cousins. The Aussie has a ‘’harsh, dense, straight’’ coat which should be about 6 cm long with a good undercoat. He comes in two varieties, either Blue, steel blue, dark grey blue with rich tan markings, or ‘’clear sandy or red’’. The first variety must have the markings ‘’on face, ears, underbody, lower legs, feet,
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Photo • The grooming style for the head was originally typical of the Skye, Yorkshire and Silky, though the Yorkshire has since move to the topknot with bow
around vent’’. The second variety must not have a white star or white anywhere, which is unusual for a solid colored dog. The Silky texture is described as ‘’flat, fine and glossy’’. His color can be ‘’all shades of blue and tan…the richer the better’’. Silver and white are not acceptable; Blue on the tail is to be very dark. The division of these colors is: Tan on ears, cheeks and face, then on the limbs from carpal joint to ground and hock joint to ground, blending slightly up the crainal edge
of the rear legs as far as the stifle (breeching). The cranium can be either blue or tan, then only blue from base of skull to tail. The Yorkie also has glossy silky texture. The entire head is ‘’rich golden tan’’, also found on the chest. The legs have the same rich golden tan, which in the hindquarters is no higher than the stifle. The rest of the dog is dark steel blue, (silver blue unacceptable). These interesting images from The Complete Yorkshire Terrier show the color division of blue and gold. In their seminal book, the Bennett sisters of Wildweir
kennel point out that also in the Yorkie the tan can be found from under the arms along the vent and even the underside of the tail, the brisket mixed blue and tan. In their drawing, they have shown what the standard describes and what the coloring really is. Both the gold and blue are expected to be of a more saturated tone at the base of the coat and lighter toward the tips. ‘’The base of the hair shaft is a darker shade of the coat’s dark blue color and this darker shade will show at any parting down to the skin.’’ The authors point out that breeders can never agree exactly how and when the Yorkshire puppies mature into their adult coloring because this is different for every blood-
line and even between individuals of the same bloodline. Regarding puppy coat texture, a wire coated puppy may acquire the correct silky texture when the black turns to blue between five and nine months of age. Concerning abundance, they observe that puppies with thin and sparse hair will grow long thick correctly colored and textured coats as adults. Wooly or cottony coats in older puppies with pale cream colored legs and the colors intermingled at the sides of the head will never develop the clear golden or steel blue colors correctly. Also, a puppy of 3 or 4 months with light tan and silver blue will never develop the correct coloring. However, some coarse white hairs among the blue in a puppy will most likely fall out. Finally, some puppies go through a brief stage with a brownish cast to their coat, which reflects a hormone imbalance and usually goes away completely. While these three dogs are true terriers and close cousins, each occupies a unique corner of the dog world. Small ratting Terriers were a necessity during the 19th century, and we find that they are still necessary today since their numbers are high in the registries of most countries, especially those of the classic Yorkshire Terrier.
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Allannette
Australian Silky Terrier by Annette Collins & Kristina Pastiu, Australia Interviewed by A . Tureen
Q: Thank you for doing this interview with Best in Show Magazine. Please tell our readers how you got involved in dogs? A: I am Annette Collins and my kennel name/ affix is Allannette. My family had a silky called Buster when I was a child. My husband gave me a little female silky called Minnie shortly after we were married. It wasn’t until 1982 that I purchased a male called Heatherset Fonzie, who ended up being my foundation dog. In my search for a companion for him, I was lucky to meet Allan Caverley and Bruce Ross Smith who were Canaussie Kennel. They sold me Canaussie Rachael and convinced me to have a go at showing both of my silkies. It didn’t take long before I was hooked. After successfully showing my foundation silkies I ventured on a journey that took me further than I could have imagined. I started Allannette Kennel in 1983 and bred my first top winning silky, Grand Champion Allannette Valentino, “Rudy”. Rudy was one of a kind and quickly took the spotlight outshining his sire, Fonzie. He became a Multiple All Breed 76
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BIS and Specialty winner. In 1993 he was awarded Top Toy Victoria, at the National Toy Dog Club Show. Valentino is the sire of many top winning silkies. I exported 4 silkies to Finland and my dear friend, Silja Susia of Stenilja Kennel, put Allannette in the spotlight all over Europe. In particular Ch Allannette Valentine, a Valentino daughter, who won the title World Winner three times, in 1995, 1996 and 1998 as well as the title European Winner twice, in 1997 and 1998 and multiple Champion titles across Europe. Much of their success is reflected in the pedigrees of many beautiful silkies in Europe today. In 1998 I leased my lovely bitch Ch Allannette Kiss N Tell to Jennifer Smith of Rosadoone Kennel in Sydney, NSW, for showing and breeding to her dog, Ch Rosadoone Love Bandit (also a Valentino son). In return I was given Rosadoone King Pin, a puppy from this mating. He was a beautiful boy winning many All Breeds BIS awards. My greatest thrill was when, in 2001, he won Best Exhibit in Show at the ASTCV Ruby Show under the respected Breed Special-
ist, Florence Males of the Weeblu Kennel in America. He was also awarded Top Toy Dog in Victoria, 2000, #1 Silky and #4 Toy in Australia. I also exported frozen semen from King Pin to Joy and Dewey Simmons of Chances R Kennel in America. The results of this can be seen in many US dogs and his son is successfully being campainged there now. Once I had obtained King Pin’s grand champion title, I sent him to Stenilja Kennel in Europe as well. His bloodline is now behind many of Europe’s beautiful silkies. It wasn’t long after sending King Pin to Finland that I retired from breeding and showing. K: I am Kristina Pastiu and my kennel name/affix is Allannette. The love for silkies started early on in Australia when as a child I grew up next to a silky breeder. I immediately fell in love with the breed and wanted to have one as part of the family. Life took me on an adventure to Europe where I bought my first silky, which was also a show dog, from Miljen Vaic of Debrisilk kennel. This was the beginning of my career in dog showing and eventually led to breeding. I started off showing my silky and gradually other breeds, first helping friends and later as a handler. My involvement in breeding silkies led me to meet many prominent European silky breeders from whom I learnt a lot about the breed, but my show career also helped me to befriend judges that taught me general knowledge of structure and conformation. I became close friends with a prominent and well-respected judge and silky breeder, Mirjana Krstic Arbanas, and our mutual cooperation began. In 2013 I returned to Australia, bringing my 4 show dogs with me, and had the great privilege to enter into a partnership with Annette Collins of Allannette. Together we resurrected Allannette and are bringing it back to its previous glory and success. 78
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Q: The standard specifies moderately low set in the paragraph on General appearance. What ratio should we expect from the depth of body (withers to sternum) and length of leg (elbow to ground)? A & K: The silky should have moderate depth of chest which should reach slightly below the elbows and the ratio of depth of body to length of leg should be 1:1. Q: Please describe what you are looking for in the Silky head and expression. A & K: The silky should possess a keen, intelligent and alert expression. The ears should be small, V shaped, set high on the head and free from feathering. They should be pricked and used well, showing off the dog’s alertness and attitude. The eyes should be small, oval shaped and as dark as possible with dark rims, not set too far apart. The head should be wedge shaped with a flat skull and parallel head planes. The muzzle should be slightly shorter than the skull, with the length of the muzzle being 2/5 of the length from the tip of the nose to the occiput. There should be no fullness between the eyes and the stop should be slight but well defined. The muzzle should be chiselled and square with strong jaws suggesting the ability to hunt and kill rodents. A snippy muzzle detracts from the dog’s appearance. The lips should be tight and dark, the nose black and with a normal sized
opening. The bite should be a scissor bite with good sized teeth and preferably full dentition. The hair on the head is fine and silky and the topknot should be either parted or brushed back allowing for the eyes to be seen. The hair on the cheeks should be in keeping with the remainder of the body, a very long fall of hair would make the silky resemble a Yorkshire terrier. The hair on the muzzle should be short, progressively increasing in length from the tip of the nose to the cheeks giving it a balanced and natural look.
Q: Is it a challenge to keep the silver out of the blue colour, especially since the standard allows silver in the topknot? A & K: The colour of the topknot is determined by the richness of the tan with dogs that have darker tan having a fawn topknot and dogs with lighter tan having a silver topknot. The colour of the blue is not correlated with the colour of the tan and therefore the prevalence of silver in the coat is not influenced by the colour of the topknot.
Q: Would you describe the correct chest shape of the Silky as heart, oval or round in section? A&K: The Silky has an oval shaped chest of moderate depth with well sprung ribs.
Q: Is correct height at withers generally found in the Silky? A & K: Generally, we have uniformity in height at withers throughout the breed with dogs ranging from 23-26cm and bitches slightly less than dogs.
Q: How much tuck up would you expect on a Silky? A & K: Given that the chest is of moderate depth and the loin fairly short and strong, this results in a slight tuck up.
Q: The standard specifies that ‘daylight should be seen under the dog’, yet the image chosen on the cover of the standard shows a coat touching the ground surface. How important
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should this point be in the breed typical presentation at shows? A & K: Coat length is a much-debated subject in the breed with varying opinions of what the accepted length should be. Obviously, when a dog is presented in tall grass the coat will look longer than when the same dog is presented on a table. Similarly, a dog when viewed from above will appear to have a longer coat than when it is viewed at eye level. Because of this, I believe we should be evaluating the length of coat when a dog is on a table at eye height to give us a better and more accurate representation. The standard calls for daylight to be seen under the dog and so when viewing the dog on the table, the coat must not be so long as to be touching the table and the tips should be thinner allowing for daylight to be seen. A dog that has a longer coat which has been cut will also have a fuller coat and will not allow for the daylight to be seen so when evaluating the length of coat we should not only look for the coat not touching the table but also for thinness at the ends indicating correct coat type and length. A dog with an excessively long coat would struggle to hunt and kill rodents, which is what these dogs were bred for, and therefore should be treated the same as any other fault when judging. Q: Which are your priorities when breeding the Silky? A & K: It is very difficult to prioritize any particular aspect of the dog when breeding because they are all closely connected. For example, a dog that lacks attitude will generally flare its ears which in turn affects the expression. Soundness is obviously one of the key features, soundness both in conformation and temperament which in turn results in good movement and expression. Similarly, a dog which is structurally sound but lacks the coat is not true to 80
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type so we should give everything equal priority when breeding. Q: How many dogs do you keep in your kennel, and how often do you use dogs for reproduction from the private families who have adopted your puppies? A & K: We do not have kennels as such and our dogs live in the house as part of the family. Because of this, we only keep a small number of dogs and we place many of our breeding stock in private families. Q: How often do you use a dog from other breeders at stud or by acquisition? Are these generally dogs in your own country or do you also go abroad? A & K: Silkies are no longer as popular as they once were, particularly here in Australia, and the gene pool is greatly reduced so we are working on increasing the gene pool by outsourcing stud dogs, both from Australia and overseas. In recent years, the majority of the litters we have produced have been sired by males not owned by us. Q: Of which achievements in the ring are you most proud? A & K: It is lovely to win at a show and it is usually a good indicator of success at breeding but it shouldn’t necessarily be the priority. We should focus not only on producing exemplary specimens of the breed which are worthy of a win but also on cooperating with other breeders for the betterment of the silkies and helping newcomers start off with good specimens as this is the only way to ensure the preservation of the breed. We are proud that in the last 5 years of showing we have helped increase the number of silkies at shows. Previously, there would only be a handful of specimens entered, if any at all,
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and now the numbers are up to double digits, many of these dogs being ones that we have bred and given to new exhibitors to help start them out in the breed. We are proud of the quality of the dogs that we are showing as well as the uniformity in type which is reflected in their multiple class in group wins. Q: Which 3 dogs showing in recent years, not from your kennel, do you most admire? A & K: There are so many beautiful dogs being shown around the world that it is truly difficult to choose just 3 but I will try my hardest to choose one from each continent where silkies are prominent. Europe is buzzing with beautiful dogs, all presented so well but one of my favourites would have to be Ch Revloch Curiosity in Cahoots. I have fallen in love with this dog while watching the silkies being judged. He truly enjoys the showring and has attitude to die for. He is not only structurally sound but also is an excellent example of correct coat which allows daylight to be seen under it. One of my favourite dogs in Australia is Ch Balkana Purple Rain, an exemplary specimen of the breed possessing not only beautiful type and structure but also outstanding show presence; a delight to watch him strutting around the ring. A US favourite would have to be GCH Chances R Dandy’s A Little Demon, a true showman that takes your breath away with his exquisite movement, immaculate coat and presentation. Q: What do you think are the strong points and weak points in the breed today? A & K: As with all breeds, the silkies are evolving and changing from what they used to be in the 50s when the breed was first recognized. They have become more refined and their show presence more breathtaking with the ma82
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jority of specimens being shown in immaculate coat condition. An emphasis has been placed on topline, movement and coat which are by far the strongest points of the breed today, but have unfortunately lost many important traits such as strong pasterns and cat like feet which can easily be overlooked as they are concealed by coat. Many of these traits have been lost as the dogs are no longer used and bred for their original purpose but rather for the showring where these characteristics don’t stand out. Another aspect of the breed that has suffered due to showing is the head and strength of muzzle in particular. The focus has been placed on prettiness rather than functionality and many dogs have lost the strength in their jaws. Q: Do you think judges generally understand your breed well? A & K: The low numbers of dogs as well as lack of diversity of the breed has had an impact on Australian judges, in particular judges from areas where there may not be any specimens for them to examine and learn from first hand. European and US judges have had more exposure to the breed and have a much better understanding of the fine points which cannot be learnt from a textbook but rather must be experienced but one of the greatest issues I have noticed when it comes to judging is the preference for coat over a good topline. More often than not a dog with a roach or a dip, be it on the move or when standing, but in full coat will have preference over a dog with a correct topline but with less coat. The only fault mentioned in the standard is “a topline showing a roach or a dip is a SERIOUS fault. I think this is an important point to be considered when judging Silkies.
Q: Which judges would you consider ‘specialist’, meaning that their understanding of the breed is deep enough that their opinion should represent a point of reference to breeders? A & K: Any judge with not only extensive knowledge of the breed but also an eye for structure would be considered a breed specialist. There are many judges who have shown great knowledge and understanding of the finer points of the breed and exhibitors can and should learn from and talk to such judges not only to discuss their breeding from a different perspective but also to better their breeding by acknowledging traits they may have overlooked but the breed specialist identified.
Q: Finally, please share with all of us what makes your breed so irresistible? A & K: Once you have lived with a silky you can never go back. They are sassy and confident; full of themselves all the time. They truly are a big dog in a small body. Their long, silky coat is addictive to touch and once they are in motion it catches the eye of all those who observe. Their structure is truly graceful with the long crested neck flowing into a strong, level topline coupled with the fearless attitude and desire to take on the world makes them look as if they are on show every second of the day.
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Karlyermai
Australian Silky Terriers by Sally Baxter, Australia Interviewed by A. Tureen
Q: Thank you for doing this interview with Best in Show Magazine. Please tell our readers how you got involved in dogs? A: I first got involved in showing dogs when I was expecting my first child, prior to that I had shown horses extensively. My doctor would not allow me to ride/show my horses, so my husband encouraged me to show my dog instead. So at 5 years of age my Australian Silky Terrier boy became a show dog. In the course of his career he became a Champion, a Best in Group Winner and Best of Breed at Perth Royal Show My first breed was and still is the Australian Silky Terrier. I have had worldwide success with our dogs, producing Champions in Finland, Sweden, Germany, Austria, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Italy, France, Slovenia and South Africa. One of our Silkies has achieved a Res CC at Crufts, and we are very proud to have won the World Winner title at a World Show not once but twice( in Helsinki in 1998 I
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personally handled our boy Multi Champion Karlyermai Cool Dude to Best of Breed ,the only Australia owned/bred and handled dog to achieve this honour.. I also own and have campaigned the only four Grand Champion, two Supreme Champion Australian Silky Terriers in Western Australia.., the first Supreme Champion in Australia and the First C.I.B. Dog & Bitch Australian Silky Terrier in Australia. Karlyermai Silkies have also achieved CC’s at every main land Royal Show in Australia . I have also handled to their Aust Champion titles, Italian Greyhounds, Yorkshire Terriers, Norfolk Terriers, Dalmatians and Poodles(Toy). I branched out into our second breed in 1999 and in so doing joined the Utility group. I was now also owned by a Portuguese Water Dog. The group and the breed presented its own challenges. I have achieved a great deal of success with this breed not only here but also in the Eastern States. Achieving Best of Breeds
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at Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide Royal Shows with dogs I have campaigned. I have now titled 15 Portuguese Water Dogs with 8 under our Karlyermai prefix. I have also campaigned the first Grand Champion Portuguese Water Dog in Western Australia. I have also campaigned and titled Norfolk Terriers in conjunction with the Jotruba prefix, and Poodles(Toy) with the Rosuvic , Hoku and Firezeye prefixes. I started judging with my first group( Toys) in 1994. I have judged here in WA and at Specialty and Group Specialty shows in Victoria, NSW, ACT and South Australia. I have judged at the Australian Silky Terrier Club of Finland Specialty in 1998. I completed my Utility Group in 2005, followed by the Terrier and Non Sporting groups in 2009, the Working Group 2012 and the Hound group in 2013 and my final group Gundogs for All Breeds Status in 2015. I have judged Internationally in Indonesia, Philippines, China & New Zealand. Q: The standard specifies moderately low set in the paragraph on General appearance. What ratio should we expect from the depth of body (withers to sternum) and length of leg (elbow to ground)? A: I believe when the standard states Moderately Low set it is referring to the entire dog being lower to the ground rather than it being a low on leg breed, they are not a leggy breed but also not a dwarf type. It must be remembered that they are an extremely agile hunter which need ground clearance and drive to capture their prey. Q: Please describe what you are looking for in the Silky head and expression. A: My immediate impression when first look-
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ing at the head of the Silky Terrier is an intelligent expression with parallel planes of skull and muzzle. Small upright(not flaring) ears with dark eyes and black nose. The muzzle should be slightly shorter than the skull, definitely not equal as this would resemble an Australian terrier. A ratio of approx. 2:3 would give a pleasing length. It should not have diverging planes, the breed if definitely not down faced. The eyes are oval shaped with well pigmented eye rims and should be approx. the same width apart as the distance between the ears. The stop is moderate and not too deep. Scissor bite is a must, the Australian Standard does not call for complete dentition but it is preferable. The teeth are relatively large for a small dog. The jaw should be strong enough to preform the role, that of killing rats & mice. For the head presentation I comb the hair on the topknot back over the skull to show off the head. The bride of the nose is trimmed with neatening of the muzzle and trimming of the whiskers. Remember the Silky Terrier has two colours on its head. A fawn or silver topknot( which should be free from dark shading/smuttiness in an adult dog) and tan on the rest of its head. There should be definition and not an all over tan head. The long hair referred to in the standard is to ensure that the breed does not have the look of the Yorkshire Terrier. Males should look masculine.
Q: Would you describe the correct chest shape of the Silky as heart, oval or round in section? A: The correct chest shape would be heart shaped, we need them to have plenty of heart room and be able to energetically follow there breed function. Sometimes if carrying excess weight they can appear round but this is not ideal. Q: How much tuck up would you expect on a Silky? A: I would allow for some tuck up but not a great deal. A mature bitch that has had a litter would have a lower underline.
Q: Is it a challenge to keep the silver out of the blue color, especially since the standard allows silver in the topknot? A: The challenge is to keep the tan/fawn out of the blue colouring. Given that the breed is a 3 coloured breed that begins life as a 2 coloured puppy and changes colour completely over the first 18 months of it life. In the quest to have rich tan on the points of the breed, the colouring can sometimes spread through the blue saddle area. This can particularly happen in bitches and can be influenced by hormonal changes and certain types of food. Iron rich foods can produce tan/gold hairs through the blue areas.
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The blue on the back and saddle area should always be clear of tan/gold hairs although I would expect to see shading within the blue. Not every hair has be the exact same shade, in fact nuances of colour give it the silken like appearance. Q: Is the correct height at withers generally found in the Silky? A: Generally, most silkies shown are within the size tolerances listed, with some on the larger size. Something we need to be aware of. 88
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We would rarely see smaller silkies. Since the weight listing has been removed however, we have seen a greater number of heavier silkies, and we must remember that the standard does say ‘refined’ Q: The standard specifies that ‘daylight should be seen under the dog’, yet the image chosen on the cover of the standard shows a coat touching the ground surface. How important should this point be in the breed typical presentation at shows?
A: This has been a discussion between Silky Terrier exhibitors since the breed began. My belief is that the coat should not resemble a Yorkshire Terriers coat, or impede their movement but that it is a dog show and they are required to present a well groomed appearance. If the coat, when the dog is on the examination table is trailing on the ground and you are not able to see their feet. It is too long. Preferably you should be able to see under the dog on the table, this may not be a possible on grass. Q: Which are your priorities when breeding the Silky. (Head and expression, general morphology, Coat, Movement, Attitude etc..) A: Type (the breed must look like the breed. A small agile, inquisitive, confident terrier, low on leg with a blue coat, tan points and a fawn/ silver topknot. Temperament(This is a family breed developed to live within the house, chase vermin and not shed on the furniture, it is a watch dog not a guard dog. Nasty or snappy have no place in my breeding program, confident and inquisitive do). Sound structure and movement( Alert busy little dogs that are sound in body and mind) Correct toplines, Good reach and drive. Good lay back of shoulder. Correct flow of neck into shoulder. I was once taught the adage. No neck, + no shoulder,+ no topline = No movement. Q: How many dogs do you keep in your kennel, and how often do you use dogs for reproduction from the private families who have adopted your puppies? A: At the present time we have 18 silkies in our kennels ranging from our 14 year old boy to our 3 month old babies. We occasionally have girls out in pet homes under breeders terms but generally we breed from our show dogs. Our girls are not bred from until they are 18 months
to 2 years of age and except in exceptional circumstance they are already Show Champions. They then will have 2 -3 litters and are retired and sterilized at 6/7 years. Q: How often do you use a dog from other breeders at stud or by acquisition? Are these generally dogs in your own country or do you also go abroad? A: I have incorporated several male bloodlines from other breeders in our breeding program. It is difficult to included overseas lines in Australia due to our quarantine laws, but I do have a male from Ireland who travelled to us via New Zealand. I try to make sure that I am not too closely line breeding. By judiciously outcrossing I keep my options open in breeding. Q: Of which achievements in the ring are you most proud? A: Over the last 30+ years we have had many highlights with our dogs. Multi Ch Karlyermai Cool Dude - World Winner 1996 & 1998 Top Winning Australian Silky Terrier – Western Australia 1998 – 2019 ( with 7 different dogs) Grand Ch Karlyermai Latin Lover Multi Best In Specialty Show Winner Sup. Ch Willame Dusty Rogue 1st ever Supreme Champion Australian Silky Terrier in Australia Best Breeders Group in Show Perth Royal Show Q: Which 3 dogs showing in recent years, not from your kennel, do you most admire? A: 2 of these are not recent but would still hold their own in the showring today Ch Heatherset Fonzie & Grand Ch Allannette Valentino owned by Annette Collins , two dogs that would still hold their own in the ring today. Ch Judytoo I Got Stuck Dammit owned by Lynne Bennett a beautiful example of the breed.
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Q: What do you think are the strong points and weak points in the breed today? A: The Strong points of the breed that they are still generally true to the dog envisaged by the pioneers of the breed, they may be a little more glamorous but they are still terriers that can hunt vermin and then sit on the couch after tea. Our weak link at the moment is our rapidly reducing gene pool, and that breeders need to co operate to preserve our breed. Q: Do you think judges generally understand your breed well? A: No, they need to look under the coat to the working terrier and at the same time appreciate the beauty of the furnishings. Q: Which judges would you consider ‘specialist’, meaning that their understanding of the breed is deep enough that their opinion should represent a point of reference to breeders? A: Mrs L. Bennett (Judytoo ) Mr. M. Camac (Dulcaninna) Ms. J Cooke (Jansilk) Mrs P Scales (Gayplad) Mrs D. Johnston (Gayplad) Ms T. Scales (Gayplad) Mrs. D Banks Mr J Camac (Balkana) Q: Finally, please share with all of us what makes your breed so irresistible? A: It is a breed that can be all things to anyone. It is a lap dog, it is show dog, it is a sheep dog, it is a companion when you are feeling down, it is a watch dog, it is a friend to the children and grandchildren, it is a hunter, it is a snuggler. It is all these things and more all wrapped up in a 25cm ball of muscle that need to know everything that is going on and at night settles for everything being right with their world. The next day doing all over again.
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Qoccle’s Yorkshire Terrier by Nicoletta Pollini, Italy Interviewed byA. Tureen
Q: Hello, Thank you for doing this interview with Best in Show Magazine. Please tell our readers how you got involved in dogs? A: Since I was a little girl, I’ve always loved animals. All animals, from insects to birds, rodents, mice and hamsters. I lived in the countryside and I loved to play outside and observe the animals. We had chickens and rabbits and a few English Cocker Spaniels that my grandfather liked to go for truffles with. It was at that time that my passion for dogs was born, and when I finished school and begun to work I used my first salary to buy a female Yorkshire Terrier puppy. I was twenty years old. A couple of years later I contacted Mrs Antonella Tomaselli of the “Delle Antiche Mura” affix, and shortly afterwards the second female arrived, the beautiful Asaea Delle Antiche Mura. With Asaea I participated in a few shows and I still remember the first feelings, the will to learn and understand more about this breed and the dream of having my first litter. Asaea was a wonderful mother and it was clear to me that
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breeding this breed would become the center of my life. The third female I obtained was Qoccle of Millmoor, bred by Ronny Engelen. I have to say that these two great breeders of the past have taught me much, and that with Asaea Delle Antiche Mura and Qoccle of Millmoor my kennel was born. Q: Please describe what you are looking for in the Yorkshire head and expression. A: When we are looking at a dog, the head is the first thing that attracts our attention, therefore it is important to maintain the right characteristics. In the years I’ve been involved with the breed, I’m looking for a head with the right proportions. The skull/muzzle axes must be parallel, the muzzle must have the right size (not too long, not too short), and the skull flat. The nose must be black with well evident pigmentation. The ears small, placed high and relatively close to one another. They must be thin but firm, they must be rigid and not wobble when the dog moves.
The jaws must close in a scissors bite, the teeth must be placed evenly without any missing. The eyes must be dark, slightly oval shaped and they must never be round and/or protruding. They must be placed in the front, never too much towards the sides of the face. A nice pigmentation around they eye, that gives the dog a lively and intelligent expression is important. The coat is silky, of a golden color and must have three tones. Darker on the ears and the muzzle and lighter on the sides and the top of the head. This golden shade like a frame encases the characteristics of the head with an attentive and lively expression. Q: The standard describes the Yorkie tail simply with ‘’as straight as possible’’ do you think breeders are giving due priority to this point? There is no mention of the set on or presentation of the Yorkshire tail, how do you like to find it on a quality dog?
A: Firstly, I would like to say that the tail is no longer docked for a little over ten years now. The tails were previously docked when the puppies are a few days old and this definitely influenced the way the tail was carried. I believe it will take further generations to correct the carriage of the tail. I find that many breeders are taking this into account. On a quality dog I love to see the tail set correctly and carried straight. We must also not forget that the tail expresses the mood of the dog and therefore when the dog moves the carriage may vary slightly. The important thing is that the tail is not curved too much on the back. Q: Which are your priorities when breeding the Yorkshire Terrier. (Head and expression, general morphology, Coat, Movement, Attitude etc..) A: The first thing that strikes me in a Yorkshire Best in Show Magazine
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Terrier is the attitude. When I observe my puppies from the moment they take their first steps I’m always trying to see if there is among them that puppy that will in the future have something special. The head and the expression are of great importance, as well as the texture and color of the coat that make this breed really unique. The movement is fundamental. A Yorkshire Terrier that moves well in a harmonic way with a correct topline is among my priorities. Equally important is the right terrier character. Energetic, brave, always ready to play, and curious about everything. Q: What are your criteria evaluating coat texture and color, especially the blue, in young dogs? A: The Yorkshire Terrier is a breed that really goes through an incredible transformation. The puppies are born black with little tan golden spots on the muzzle, above the eyes, on the inside of the ears, on the legs and under the tail. In the first two to three years of their life the coat is in a continuous transformation. In juniors the blue must be very dark and at the age of three to four months a silver-colored coat begins to grow in the middle of the head, which later turns to golden blond. From around
five months, the blue is starting to break on the parting of the coat on the topline of the puppy. The texture of the coat is fundamental. It must be silky and give the sense of steel. It must never be wooly. If the texture is correct, the coat will be shiny and will fall on the sides of the body straight and heavy. From the first months, it is possible to understand if a puppy has the correct texture. Q: How many dogs do you keep in your kennel, and how often do you use dogs for reproduction from the private families who have adopted your puppies? A: I love my dogs, but most of all I love having them around. I prefer to have a limited number of adults so that I can dedicate each and every one of them the right amount of time. I have occasionally used a few males in my breeding program that I have sold, but not very often. Q: How often do you use a dog from other breeders at stud or by acquisition? Are these generally dogs in your own country or do you also go abroad? A: I have to say I’m always searching for new lines in order to improve my dogs, although I don’t go out of my lines very often. The dogs I choose to breed my females with are sometimes in my country, but also abroad. Q: Of which achievements in the ring are you most proud? A: I’m thinking about my answer and in a moment a thousand memories fill my mind. There have been so many times where I felt proud of my dogs in the show ring! But what I’m most proud of is BIS/ BISS, Multi Ch. Qoccle’s Oliver Lightsome, Best of Breed and Reserve in the Toy Group at Crufts 2006, 4 consecutive times European Winner and BOB, World Winner 2007! Another result that
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filled me with pride was obtained by my BIS/ BISS, Multi Ch. Qoccle’s Welcome Emira, who won the title of World Winner in 2016 and then went on to win BOB at an important specialty show in NY, USA, obtaining her American Champion title with three majors! Another great proud moment was participating with her in the Westminster Dog Show and winning Select Bitch! These, as well as many more great results, have made me feel proud of my work and my dogs. Q: Which 3 dogs showing in recent years, not from your kennel, do you most admire? A: I have to say that I’ve admired different dogs in the last few years, but, as soon as I read this question, I immediately thought of three dogs that have impressed me very much for their great quality, personality and beauty. World Winner, BIS Ch. Debonaire’s Hold Me Now, bred and owned by Bernice Unden (Sweden) and handled by Sergio Amien BIS, Multi Ch. Red Bull De La Villa y Corte, bred, owned and handled by Ana Mesto and Carlos Salas (Spain) BIS, Ch. Estugo Amien Dancing Queen, bred, owned and handled by Sergio Amien (Spain)
Q: What do you think are the strong points and weak points in the breed today? A: These days there is more attention to selection, as far as different genetic diseases are concerned. Like in all breeds also in the Yorkshire Terrier there is a tendency to use specific tests in order to avoid genetic diseases as much as possible. There is more attention to breeding dogs with strong, good bone and free of patellar luxation resulting in better-moving dogs. I find that through the years that there has also been an improvement in the character. I think that one of the weak points is the coat color and texture. It’s difficult to always get the correct texture and the right color. We often see examples that are too light or too dark, with a texture either light or wooly and heavy. Q: Do you think judges generally understand your breed well? A: This is definitely a breed that is much better understood by specialist judges, that is those that have bred it for several years. Q: Which judges would you consider ‘specialist’, meaning that their understanding of the breed is deep enough that their opinion should represent a point of reference to breeders? A: To answer this question, I reconnect to the previous one. I consider specialists those judges that have bred this breed for a number of years and therefore have a better, deeper knowledge of its different specific characteristics. Q: Finally, please share with all of us what makes your breed so irresistible? A: Eyes dark and sparkling, a little face sweet but always attentive, the long shiny silky coat like gold and steel, , a character that is brave and always active make this breed really irresistible! Best in Show Magazine
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Hekan’s Yorkshire Terrier by Nancy Smith, USA Interviewed by A . Tureen
Q: Thank you for doing this interview with Best in Show Magazine. Please tell our readers how you got involved in dogs? A: I love to shop for fashion! My daughter and I were shopping one day when a darling Yorkshire Terrier ran across the floor of the store we were shopping in. We instantly fell in love. I am a licensed cosmetologist so the beautiful hair immediately got my attention. It was not long after that day in the store that I closed down my Beauty salon to pursue a career in dogs. I began showing Yorkshire Terriers in 1995 and finished the championship of many of my own. I began handling for a few select friends at which time I was asked to show “Keegan” BIS BISS CHGP Karma’s Promise Key-per. I bred both of his parents so it was quite an honor to show him since he contained all my bloodlines at the time. I showed Keegan for the first three years of his age. We won some specialty awards and I had him ranked at #3 in USA. I knew he was a great dog. I had to stop showing to care for my mother so I turned over his 96
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career to Diane and Luke Ehricht. Keegan to this day has exceeded all my hopes and anything I could have possibly asked for from him. Keegan has won many Specialties including our nationals in 2018, 2019, multiple Best in Show and Reserve Best In Show honors, 2017, 2018, 2019 Westminster breed winner ending group 3 award winner in Toy group for 2019. Keegan was also a top Toy dog for all three years of his campaign. There are some great dogs and great breeders in Keegan’s background of course which is the same background as BISS BIS GCHG Karma Hekan Mini Cooper, 2020 National specialty winner and 2020 Westminster breed winner. “Mini Cooper” as we call him is our current dog being campaigned. Their Dam, Ch Hekan’s Promise For Karma was a glorious bitch bred by me. She won BOS to breed Westminster 2009, being a bitch we did not campaign her. Her sire is BISS Ch Hekan Freedom N Justice (BISS winner in 2005 Greater New York) Behind Justice on the sire’s side is a male I purchased
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from Lisa Farmer and was #1 male in 2003 Ch TipTop Let Freedom Ring At Hekan, 2003 Eukanuba Breed winner. He goes back to BISS BIS Ch TipTop Come Fly With Me (Frankie) Westminster breed winner. Their dam’s side is from Ch Hekan Let Miss Mercy Lead who was a (Frankie) daughter. The grandmother is Northshire’s Leave Em Speechless, a bitch I purchased who was bred by the Dorothy Naegele of the great Northshire kennel. In the line is also Tapyoca from the late Carl Yochum. The sire is from Dogwood’s kennel owned by one of the co-owners, Kathy Bevil. The Dogwood male goes back to BISS BIS Ch Rothby’s Reputation (Westminster breed winner) and one more generation back to BISS Ch Orwick’s In The Nick Of Time. Those are some of the great contributors to my lines and the great legacy they have imparted to the breed. I have many great breeders to thank, too many to mention here. To breed a great dog takes a wonderful team of patient and caring breeders. Q: Please describe what you are looking for in the Yorkshire head and expression. A: When I look at the breed I don’t go past the head wanting to find a pretty face! The head should be small, slightly flat and not too round. The forehead should not be too domed. An incorrect rounded skull will result in ears placed further to the side of the head. The ears should be closer to the occipital. Our standard calls for small V shaped ears, set high on the head and carried erect. I think breed type is that of a Toy size dog not exceeding 7 lbs (3.2 kg). Ears I see nowadays are tall ears or big ears. I prefer small ears, well set on top. The proper ear set will bring your eye from the top of the head to the finishing in a defined beauty of the Yorkshire Terrier. The eyes draw me in first by being centered, not close-set or round! They should be placed 98
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so as to look directly forward. The shape first of all should be oval and have dark eye rims. The eye will also become rounder with an improperly round head. The oval eye sparkles and begs for attention. The eye rims appear to have black eyeliner when they display the proper pigmentation. The muzzle length is two to three less than half the length of the skull, or 2/5th the overall length of the head. I Look at nose to eye and eye to occipital for ratio. The top of the muzzle and skull should appear as parallel planes broken by the stop. This muzzle preferably broad with a slight tapering toward the nose. The stop is definite and the nose black. The face resembling a gentle appearance of innocence. The width of the jaw line is important not to be narrow. Again, a little width gives balance. A good scissor or level bite is necessary as a bad bite can show discording to the pretty face. Q: The standard describes the Yorkie tail simply with ‘’as straight as possible’’ do you think breeders are giving due priority to this point? There is no mention of the set on or presentation of the Yorkshire tail, how do you like to find it on a quality dog? A: A good tail set is an important part of the breeds structure giving a balanced look from head to toe. Rarely a miss as no-one dog is that perfect canine. As the face to me, the tail is just as important to the Yorkshire Terrier’s balance. I like to see a 45 degree tail (not over the back but positioned pointing away from the back at 45 degrees) set at a stack (when the dog is set up in the position to view the silhouette). The tail should be carried higher than the level of the back, not too long, not too short. It should be docked at medium length in USA which is 1 to 1 1/2 nickel widths as a two to three days old puppy, above the gold. The tail should always be
erected or the appearance of body length will be long. Q: Which are your priorities when breeding the Yorkshire. (Head and expression, general morphology, Coat, Movement, Attitude etc..) A: I try to honestly evaluate the breeding prospects, eliminating first off life threatening traits as this does not constitute a pet quality Yorkshire Terrier. Second considerations are maybe slight structural deviations from our standard, (There are no perfect Yorkies) and lastly I look at cosmetic
considerations or the “finer points” that make up the breed standard. I also like to look at genotype along with dominant and recessives for our breed. Health however is my first requirement. All my dogs are health tested. Embark has a wonderful program along with the YTCA CHIC tests. Temperament for me is the first consideration for breeding stock in a show dog. The attitude from the parents are most important to carry on the traits of the Yorkshire Terrier. The Terrier isn’t the shy, baby lap dog at all! The Yorkshire Terrier’s attitude is showy (notice me and will Best in Show Magazine
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get your attention) bringing you into his space at which time you may get a little bark! Fearless Energetic Bigger than life! Q: What are your criteria evaluating coat texture and color, especially the blue, in young dogs? A: The Yorkie is identified by the long straight, silky body coat of lustrous steel blue and clear shaded tan. Color is a hard one as the blues and tans seem so diluted in American Yorkshire Terriers. Silk is a dominant gene and to get it, one parent must display the trait. Soft coats however are recessive thus making breeding the proper coat more difficult as passed down through the years. With genetic testing it becomes a bit easier to breed the proper color if you can grasp the meaning of it all. If the Yorkie has two copies of the graying gene they will develop a silver coat as they age. If they have only one copy the will develop the distinctive dark steel blue as is proper. It is from my understanding that we must have Gg in the G locus to achieve the dark steel blue. I am not a geneticist but I am making progress by simple eliminations and not breeding to so many lines that I don’t know what needs fixing. I think the age of change can vary which can add to difficulty of picking the perfect puppy. I like to see straight hair with shine in a 12 week old puppy. The color can change any time after 8 weeks and continue until age of 3. I prefer a puppy with a less dense coat, I want the puppy to have a fine silky coat texture that is straight. I like the head to clear of all the black at an early age to express the proper shaded tans. I look for deep gold at the points. At the first bath around 10-12 weeks I evaluate 100
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coat texture and how easily it combs out. I find the best silk combs very easily. The coat is cool to the touch representing the silk it should be. Q: How many dogs do you keep in your kennel, and how often do you use dogs for reproduction from the private families who have adopted your puppies? A: I like to keep no more than fifteen dogs in my kennel. I have my own stud dogs and a couple of breeding partners if I need an outcross male. Q: How often do you use a dog from other breeders at stud or by acquisition? Are these generally dogs in your own country or do you also go abroad? A: One of my breeding partners is in Mexico and we make visits two or three times yearly to share both male and females for breeding stock. Q: Which achievements in the ring are you most proud of?
Q: Do you think judges generally understand your breed well? A: I think yes, they know structure and it has to start there. A dog can have a long silky correct coat but not be fit for a breeding program if he is not structurally sound with excellent temperament.
A: I think my Westminster breed wins are my most proud moments. Both males had the honor of number one in USA for the year prior. There were obviously many judges in agreement as to the qualities both males possess. Q: Which 3 dogs showing in recent years, not from your kennel, do you most admire? A: I always admire Estugo lines and appreciate the well thought out pedigrees. I will always admire the stud dog that I used BIS BISS Ch TipTop Come Fly With Me. I also admire Caraneal kennels and her BISS GCHS Caraneal Bugsy Malone. There are many I admire in other countries such as Hunderwood Obsession just to name one. Q: What do you think are the strong points and weak points in the breed today? A: Unfortunately I feel the correct color and texture seem to elude our breed. I also feel we need more soundness in patella.
Q: Which judges would you consider ‘specialist’, meaning that their understanding of the breed is deep enough that their opinion should represent a point of reference to breeders? A: We have some very good judges but I prefer not to name any here. Human judging is just that. The opinion of the person judging in the ring and what he has to judge by picking the very best, CLOSEST to the Standard of that breed. It is also possible for them to pick what they like verses what it should be, but keep in mind, the judging is with what is in front of him/her at the time. It certainly can be subjective. They don’t always get what the Standard orchestrates in every canine. It’s an important job and they can only do it as good as what has been presented to them to judge. Q: Finally, please share with all of us what makes your breed so irresistible? A: I’m motivated by challenge and like to do things as perfectly as I can. This breed gives me everything I want in a dog. Beauty, sweet, loving, adventurous, showy, tireless and childlike. They keep you young and on your toes and at the same time give you peace and rest when the day is done to cozy up to you enjoying a nice quiet evening calling it a day.
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Estugo’s Yorkshire Terrier by Sergio Amien, Spain Interviewed by A. Tureen
Q: Thank you for taking part in this interview with Best in Show Magazine. Please tell our readers how you got involved in dogs? A: I got involved in dogs when I was 16 years old. A dog was given to me a couple of years before, it was a mix of Schnauzer and Yorkie. At 16 I went to visit a dog show near my home and I do not need to even say how much I liked it. I bought my first Schnauzer (mini) to show. My very first dog show to exhibit at was an International show in my country Costa Rica, and I won BIS puppy under MR. Carlos Navarro from Mexico. Since then, I breed Miniature Schnauzer, American Cockers and Yorkshire Terrier. At my first show I met the Flores family. They thought me my basic skills. One year later I was helping people to show their dogs, not professionally, but as friend.
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Q: Please describe what you are looking for in the Yorkshire head and expression. A: Head is important as in any other breed. In recent years it has become a big problem, as people are changing it to a different breed. We should look for a small head, flat in skull and muzzle-“not to long”, but not to long does not mean short. We are breeding Yorkshire Terriers not Chihuahuas. They are a small breed but still a Terrier, not a head but neither the opposite. I personally like 2:1 proportion. This is 2 parts skull, 1 part muzzle, not down-face, but I do not like to see the nose in line with the eyes. It must be a triangle formed by the eyes and the nose when you look at the dog face on. Short muzzles normally come with rounded skulls and a very pronounced stop.
the back. The long tail is quite new, so we are dealing with it. Straight and 45 degrees is the perfect tail in my opinion. When the dog is happy it could be a little bit more. Tailset must be set of the level of the back Q: Which are your priorities when breeding the Yorkshire Terrier. A: My priorities are: conformation , movement, silhouette, head, coat and temperament, in this order. It is difficult to have everything, that is why I use the best specimen who has the quality I am looking for in an specific female.
Some dogs I have seen that you could put your finger in the stop and it will fit completely, like a Shi-Tzu. This is not good. Jaws must have enough bone to hold the teeth. Many dogs with small bone will loose their teeth young if there is no space for the roots. Ears are getting big and some even more round which is not correct, pointing up; small and “V” shaped. Eyes must be oval and not prominent, dark in color and not liver or brown. A very important feature is a very good pigmentation in the eye lids, that is a big part of the correct expression. Eyes should not be round. Q: The standard describes the Yorkie tail simply with ‘’as straight as possible” do you think breeders are giving due priority to this point? There is no mention of the set on or presentation of the Yorkshire Terrier tail, how do you like to find it on a quality dog? A: The tail is very important for the silhouette of the breed. It should be pointing 45 degrees up from the topline, not 90 or even curling over 104
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Q: What are your criteria evaluating coat texture and color, especially the blue, in young dogs? A: “Coat”is a big deal, and it is very difficult to find the correct one. Real silky coat is single, not double coated (undercoat).It is straight and not wavy, glossy and reflects light. In young dogs, the more silky coat is not dense. Very abundant coat on a young dog, especially in the legs is normally a bad sign. The correct texture is the one who will give us the 3 shades of gold. One solid gold in the head is an indication of “modificated” texture, not silky. Color in the body is “dark steel blue” this means “blue”, as dark and metal looking as possible, not black or gray or silver-medium, it must be“blue”. I was thought that it is like looking into a gun-powder barrel or into a canyon. This description is the ideal, but it is also important is to have the“dept”of color, this means that it should be even, top or under, one color in body, not different colors. Puppies will be dark in color, even almost black, but shiny for the correct texture. The gold color is even more difficult, it should be like a 24 carat gold ring, darker in the roots then in the ends of hair, but also darker at the muzzle and ears than the rest of the head at
the world winners I have made make me proud. Q: Which 3 dogs showing in recent years, not from your kennel, do you most admire? A: That is easy… BIS, BISS, WW, Crufts Winner, Multi Champion Debonaire’s hold me now (Mike) the top winning Yorkie. -BIS, BISS, WW Crufts winner Multi Ch. Royal Precious JP’s Fy Juliana -BIS, BISS, Crufts winner, Multi Ch. Royal Precious JP’s Fy Conan the legs, it is also darker at the roots, so we should look at the roots. Q: How many dogs do you keep in your kennel, and how often do you use dogs for reproduction from the private families who have adopted your puppies? A: Personally I do not have many dogs. I am always on the road. I have at home 4 females and 1 male, plus 3 more females with my friends in Sweden. I am working at the moment with 3 breeders, we breed between us with good results. “Debonair” from Sweden, “Wonwytes” from UK and “Royal Precious” from Japan, so we do not need to have a lot of dogs, just the best ones. Q: How often do you use a dog from other breeders at stud or by acquisition? Are these generally dogs in your own country or do you also go abroad? A: We breed between us all the time, it is like a big kennel that covers the world. We make decisions between us and share the results. Q: Of which achievements in the ring are you most proud? A: Achievements: Winning BOB at Crufts 7 times in the last 10 years is a big deal for me, twice I have not show any dog. Of course all
Q: What do you think are the strong points and weak points in the breed today? A: Today Yorkies are more sound now, but we are loosing the true type. Q: Do you think judges generally understand your breed well? A: I think Yorkies are difficult to understand, even for serious breeders. I think judges do their best, it is most important for them to be consistent so we understand what they are looking for. Q: Which judges would you consider ‘specialist’, meaning that their understanding of the breed is deep enough that their opinion should represent a point of reference to breeders? A: For me UK judges are more likely to find the type as they are more used to it, also the Japanese judges. Of course some old European judges remember the correct type. Q: Finally, please share with all of us what makes your breed so irresistible? A: Yorkies have always been a favorite for people. They are very common in royalty and high class society. Now a days, we all have the opportunity to get one. Their small size, beautiful coat and alert and happy temperament make them very popular for me. Being so difficult to breed is a plus.. Best in Show Magazine
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Of The Royal Way French Bulldogs by Vincenzo Pontone, Italy Interviewed by J. Danilovic
Q: Thank you for doing this interview with Best in Show Magazine. Please tell our readers how you got involved in dogs? A: First of all, I would like to thank you for choosing me for this very prestigious interview.It is a great honor. My story with dogs started when I was very young, when my only games were stuffed animals and farm animals. My parents were not “dog people” , so for them this passion for animals was very strange. They only gave into my requests for a puppy when I was 11, a male fawn Boxer puppy called “Argo” arrived. He had no pedigree, but for me he was the most beautiful dog in the world. At the age of 16 I went to Naples for a walk with friends, by pure chance I entered a pet shop that also sold puppies. I saw in a box a very strange puppy with a Boxer face and funny ears. I asked the owner what breed it was and found that it was a French Bulldog. Needless to say that this small funny beauty came home with me, she was called “Satie” . She was bought with the money saved from a summer of work and from then on I never stopped with this beautiful breed. Throughout the past 20 years I have also owned other breeds, but always in small numbers. These breeds included : Rhodesian Ridgeback, Bassethound 110
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(with whom I also bred 2 litters and produced 2 Italian Champions). I also co-bred Papillon and Pekingese. At the age of 17 I started going to dog shows,helped by my father and then when I was 18 I got my driving license and continued by myself. From 20 to 26 years old I showed dogs of different breeds with good results (I have never called myself a “professional handler” even if everyone does it today.). At 27 years old, I was pushed and helped by my “dog master” Alberto Cuccillato. I started on my judging career. First as a secretary of rings for about 5 years and then with the process it led me to become an ENCI/FCI judge in January 2018. I love all dogs indifferently, but I have a soft spot for all the brachycephalic breeds that I look at and judge with particular joy. Q: Why have you chosen your particular breed? A: I chose to concentrate on the breeding of French Bulldogs after the first litter I had with my female. This litter gave me a nice feeling. It showed me how nice it was to watch puppies grow and follow their development. At that time I of course had no idea how hard it was, how long it takes to get some nice results and breed nice and healthy dogs. Study pedigrees, watch
Photo 1 • U’ MAMMA MI’ OF THE ROYAL WAY
dogs , drive for many kms , sleepless nights.All of these are a mix of feeling which I liked. That’s why I decided to start to breed. Q: What are your priorities when breeding. (Head and expression, general morphology, Coat, Movement, Attitude etc..) A: This is a nice and difficult question for me. I need to separate my self when I breed and when I judge, sometimes it’s not very easy. My
priority as a breeder is to get typey dogs with good health. I like when looking at the face how you can recognize a very nice French Bulldog with a super head and expression. Q: How many dogs do you keep in your kennel? Do you co-own dogs in some other households or families? A: All of my dogs are family members and they all live in home and I do not have a big house. Best in Show Magazine
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The number of dogs I keep is more or less than 10. For this reason I often keep some interesting females or males with family/friends which I keep under control and follow them for all their life. Q: How do you evaluate your breed quality in your country and other countries in Europe and the rest of the world? A: In Italy, at this moment we have good quality Frenchies in general. Different breeders are doing a good job of mixing together quality and healthy dogs. In the short time I have been judging, I have judged in 7 different countries and while there I also found good quality of dogs compared some years ago. In my opinion the best dogs at the moment are in China, Japan and Russia. Q: Which achievements in the ring are you most proud? A: I have been showing my dogs almost everywhere in the past 20 years and I had many successes, which always make me so proud. If I have to mention a few of them I have to speak about Crufts. There I won 3rd place in a huge open class in 2016 with my Perfect Lady. There was also the res. class win at the WDS in Liepzig 2017 with about 30 bitches with Ramona. Euro Puppy Winner 2019 with Smith at EDS in Wels and many club shows where I got BIS. I also won 2 BIS all breeds in IDS in Italy that is not very common for a Frenchy. I have to say that I mentioned the big shows but often the small wins under the well known and breed specialist judges for me are the best. Q: Of which achievements in the breeding are you most proud? A: Well for me the best achievements for a breeder is to sell dogs all over the world and not because of the business but because it 112
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Photo 2 • J. Ch. and Top Junior Male 2019 Smith Of The Royal Way, Puppy Best of Breed at the European Dog Show Wels, under Mrs Tatjana Urek.
means people appreciate what you are doing for the breed and they like your dogs. I have sold dogs in 3 afferent continents and almost in every country in Europe. Q: Which 3 dogs showing in recent years, not from your kennel do you most admire? A: This is a hard question. There are different dogs that I have liked in the past, but if I have to choose only 3 I will say: Friend De La Parure At Kingfriend, A’ Vigdors Amant De La Liberte, Vanity Fair’s Back All Inn. These 3 dogs are not only big winners at show but also produced a lot of quality pups, which for me is even more important. Q: What do you think are the strong points and weak points in the breed today? A: In my opinion the strong points in the breed nowadays is that we have compact bodies, which is very important and in general good
problem to recognize a good top line or roach back as the standard calls it. It’ s not an easy job I know, but we have to work hard as a team to do the best for our beloved breed. Q: Did you have a mentor/some help in the beginning? How important do you feel it is to have good mentors when starting out? A: From the moment I decided to breed my first female I had been lucky to meet a Vet who was also a breeder of Frenchies not far from home. The vet had owned some beautiful males from a prestigious blood line and he helped me a lot. At that time I was just a 17 years old boy, with no money but I was full of spirit. His name is ANGELO BOATTA , who I thank every time I meet him. He also thought me a lot about the breed. It is very, very important when anyone starts out to breed that we meet people who help and guide us. I will always do the same when I meet a good person and younger people who want to learn about the beautiful but hard job of breeding healthy and beautiful dogs.
Photo 3 • Vincenzo with Royal Way puppies Photo 4 • Multi J.Ch. Jacob Of The Royal Way
typey dogs with correct expression. It is very hard to find many of them in the ring long in body or with a-typical head. Instead the common problems I found judging and watching dogs are: Big ears and incorrect ears/set, low legs and narrow underjaw.
Q: Finally, please share with all of us what makes your breed so irresistible? A: This for me is a very easy question. This breed has so many wonderful points, especially about character which makes a Frency a unique dog.They are a friend for the life, a joy for home and a family member 100%. He loves everybody and can be so funny in every single action that you can’t image. Sweet like a candy but strong like a molosso. To conclude I want to say that if in life you try a French Bulldog you will not be able to be without one anymore.
Q: Do you think judges generally understand your breed well? A: As the French Bulldog nowadays is very popular breed, we have so many at dog shows and judges are almost all prepared to judge them. In my opinion many of “us” have a Best in Show Magazine
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Olvinglay Golden Retrievers by Giovanni Monteverde, Italy Interviewed by J. Danilovic
Q: Thanks for doing this interview with Best in Show Magazine. How did you get involved in dogs? A: Thank you for thinking about me for an interview in your Best in Show Magazine. The passion for dogs and animals was born with me, helped by the big cattle breeding of my family. I loved spending my afternoon since I was a tiny child taking care of all of the animals on the farm. I was 5 years old when Diana the sheepdog of my family gave birth to her litter in the farm. I still remember like it happened yesterday, this event was emotional for me. My approach to Golden Retriever’s started when I was twelve years old, it was love at first sight and from that moment I decided to put all of me into this innate passion. I made up Oliver,who was my first Italian Champion at the age of 17 and since then my dogs have never let me down. With hard work and a big passion I have achieved 9 Italian Champions. My mentor, the person who thought me every thing I know today about the breed, and who always supported me over the years is Heather Morss from Xanhos Kennel in the UK.
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Q: Why have you chosen this breed to focus on breeding? A: I have fallen in love with them because of their temperament. They perfectly represent my character and the way I like to be. Q: Which are your priorities when breeding. (Head and expression, general morphology, Coat, Movement, Attitude etc..) A: Soundness is very important to me, when you start looking at a Golden Retriever from the head, everything has to flow, without exaggeration and with a touch of elegance untill the end of his tail. My ideal Golden Retriever and what I am looking for in my breeding plans is a dog with an important head but at the same time with a gentle expression. A well settled and correct front construction with a good length of leg is for me a must! Unfortunately nowadays this point is a bit underestimated, but the correct length of leg is so important in Goldens. Level topline with a perfect tail set, substance in bone and correct back angulation without exaggeration, all of this has to work together during movement making a beautiful dance.
Q: How many dogs do you keep in your kennel and do you co-own dogs in some other households or families? A: At the moment I live with 8 dogs as I think
it is very important be able to give each dog, every day, the right amount of individual attention. I’m lucky to have friends who have some of my dogs in their beautiful families, giving them the “only child” life that some dogs particularly deserve. This allows me the chance to show or breed from them. Q: How do you evaluate your breed quality in your country and other countries in Europe, and Europe and rest of the world? A: I think in Italy the quality of the Golden is
pretty high actually, greater in the bitches than in the dogs. Having a look all around in different countries it happens very often, it is easier to breed a stunning bitch than a stunning stud dog. The European countries who represent the higher quality Golden to me is the UK where the breed originates. Holland, Sweden, Finland, Spain and Australia have magnificent example
Q: Of which achievements in the breeding are you most proud? A: I will answer these two questions together, as the most important results I’ve achieved come from dogs I own and bred. I am so proud of having made up the first 2 Italian Golden Retriever’s to ever gain the UK Show Champion Title, BOB at the WDS in Leipzig 2017, BOB and Gundog Group 3rd at Crufts 2019 and 2 Times Best In Show at The Golden Retrievers Championship Show organized by The Golden Retrievers Club in the UK. Q: Which 3 dogs showing in recent years, not from your kennel, do you most admire? A: Dutch Consolidation Galaxy, Dewmist Sympatico, Marybel Fashion Guy. Q: What do you think are the strong points and weakest points in the breed today? A: For strong points I would say substance, bones and top lines. Weak points, the biggest to me is the lenght of leg, sometimes it is too short and sometimes we see a low tail set.
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Q: Do you think judges generally understand your breed well? A: Yes. Q: Which judges would you consider ‘specialist’, meaning that their understanding of the breed is deep enough that their opinion should represent a point of reference to breeders? A: I consider “specialists” to be judges who breed gundogs and at the same time have achieved great results with their dogs in the ring and in their breeding. Q: Did you have a mentor/some help in the beginning? How important do you feel it is to have good mentors when starting out? A: My mentor and the person who has passed onto me all of her knowledge about the breed is Mrs. Heather Morss. Heather has always been a big pillar in my life as a breeder, and still is to this day. There is no school or university where we can go to learn how to breed. At the same time it’s not so easy to learn any another form of art. From the bottom of my heart I say that breeding is not simply putting two dogs together and then take care and love the puppies. Breeding is an art and we truly need someone to go to where we can learn as much as we can about it. Having a mentor in my opinion is absolutely essential, someone to learn from, someone to trust and most importantly someone with extreme sincerity to guide us in the big and sometimes not so easy decisions. I will be eternally grateful to Heather, she has played a big part in my success. Q: Finally, please share with all of us what makes your breed so irresistible? A: The elegance, the will to please and the constant needing of contact, sometimes just with a look of love.
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Bellyss Chihuahuas by Joe Borges, Switzerland Interviewed by J. Danilovic
Q: Thanks for doing this interview with Best in Show Magazine. How did you get involved in dogs? A: My parents bought a female dachshund two months before I was born. « Rumba » was on my side during all my childhood. My dream was to have a beautiful fawn Boxer male; but my mother decided otherwise : In 2004 we had our first Chihuahua, a lovely long-haired male born in Switzerland called « Virgil Jacot de Guillarmod ». He was supposed to be a family pet. Few months after selling him, Sonia Chavarria-Cestrone (Virgil’s breeder) encouraged us to show him in junior class. Quickly I’ve started to show him in his breedring and in the Junior-Handling-ring. I learned a lot during the Junior-Handling’s training sessions we had at every dog-shows and with Sonia’s step-daughters : Justine and Estelle. I’ve been lucky to be on many Junior-Handling’s podium with Chihuahuas. When my Junior-Handling period was finished I’ve shown some dogs for family, friends and breeders around Europe, collecting some nice results at World Dog Show, Euro Dog Show and Crufts. During all this period I have been 120
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lucky to meet trustable people from around the world who have been (and are still) on my side. I don’t need to mention their names, they know they are important for me and have my respect. These experiences give me the opportunity today to lead a weekly Ring-Training lesson at my local kennel club. This year I will judge the Swiss Junior and Show Handling Championship and I’m very excited about this appointment. Last year I judged more than 100 Long Coats at the Midland Chihuahua Club (UK) Open Show and I was supposed to judge the Smooths this year at the British Chihuahua Club (UK) Open Show but *CoronaVirus* has decided otherwise. Since 2019, I am a FCI student-judge for Chihuahuas, Chinese Crested Dog and Little Lion Dog; it is a responsibility and a project that is close to my heart. Q: Why do you breed Chihuahuas ? A: Breeding is for me a small-scale activity but always done seriously. Breeding is also for me a way to perpetuate the breed. Of course you can see hundred of Chihuahuas in the street of a big city but how many of them are from reputable and serious breeders trying to keep
Photo 1 • Ch. Copymear Celebration
and respect the original breed heritage ? Few, very few. I decided to breed Chihuahuas for trying to produce decent dogs and for the social aspect around it. I cherrish the « puppyperiod ». I love to spend time with puppies,
socializing them, training them to walk on leash, bringing them around to discover the world. I do not pretend to improve the breed but trying to perpetuate it is for me already a beautiful purpose.
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lifestyle. Our Chihuahuas are coming with us on holidays, in restaurants and at our friends’s barbecues. We have always kept our veterans with us until the end. Sometimes I wish to have more dogs but I have to realize the quality time I share with the ones I have.
Photo 2 • Ch. Virgil Jacot de Guillarmod
Q: Which are your priorities when breeding. A: My priority is to breed Chihuahuas with a Chihuahua Look and a Chihuahua Temperament. I try to breed and select dogs according to the standard and to my vision of it. I will encourage to breed dogs with a correct size for the breed, a dog with the breed characteristics without excess and with a good temperament. My goal is to be happy and proud of the average quality of the litter, it’s why I will never buy or select producers who do not meet my expectations. I could never breed dogs that no longer look like Chihuahuas just to keep up with current sales trends. I am very sad when I see “breeders” focusing only on short muzzles and special colors. Producing a puppy for show is not the only priority. The first priority is to breed healthy companion dogs. I keep in mind my responsibility when I produce puppies, especially on finding exceptional people if I cannot keep them. We must keep in mind that all the puppies sold to families as pet are the real ambassadors for our breed. Q: How many dogs do you keep in your kennel and do you co-own dogs in some other households or families? A: I never had a lot of dogs at home. To the maximum I had five adults plus puppies at home. Having a small number of dogs is a question 122
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Q: How do you evaluate your breed quality in your country and other countries in Europe, and Europe and rest of the world? A: Switzerland is a small country. The number of Chihuahua breeders is very low; I don’t know it exactly but probably less than ten active breeders in the country. For such a small number the quality is in the average. We often have breeders or passionate exhibitors who do interesting matings or imports. It’s very important to stay connected with others countries when you are a living in a small place like Switzerland. I have never been out of Europe but I have already seen some Americans, Asians, Australians and South Americans dogs in our european rings. I can only say that excellent and poor quality is everywhere. You can find serious and devoted breeders in every countries. We have to keep in mind that our priority is not to improve and keep the quality for us. Breeding is a collective art without borders. Do it for you and for others. Q: Of which achievements in the ring are you most proud? A: Of course I’m very proud of every big wins, even more in a breed like the Chihuahua where the entries are often very numerous. But a real achievement I am proud is when I share a perfect moment in the ring with my dog. Everyone who has shown a lot will know that every show is totally different and emotions as well. Sometimes you can win but without being very proud; maybe because the dog wasn’t perfectly connected with you, maybe because you were a
they may have notable differences in size at birth. It’s for that I will say I’m happy when I have a litter without complications, when the mother is still in top condition after birth and when the puppies have stable and average weights. Compared to some breeds, the Chihuahuas is not as “fixed” as the others. Breeding a homogenous litter in type and size is already something that makes me happy.
Photo 3 • Ch. Native des Pyramides de Cholula and her girls
bit more stress during this day, maybe because something disturbed your mind during this moment, etc. And sometimes you « loose » but you have nothing to blame your dog or yourself because the job has been done perfectly. You were in perfect mood and concentration, the dog had fun and you too. I will never question a judgment. I accept the game and keep my spirits up for the next days. To summarize my answer; I will say that I am proud every time when the dog and I perform without a hitch and without regret. Q: Of which achievements in the breeding are you most proud? A: I would like to change the word « proud » by « happy » for this question. The Chihuahua is not the easiest breed for breeding. They are quite smalls, they have quite big heads and even if they are the smallest dogs in the world
Q: Which 3 dogs showing in recent years, not from your kennel, do you most admire? A: Born in 2008 : Ch. MistyMeadow’s Orlando Furioso « LUCA » Luca is own and bred by the Cochetti’s Family in Italy. I like his size and substance. He is a dog filling so many required characteristics of the breed. He has an excellent temperament and something else we must not denigrate : He ages well. At 12 years old today he is still in perfect condition. He is alert, lively and has an amazing pigment for his age. In addition to his successful show carrer, Luca is a significant producer in the breed. I have been lucky to meet some of his offsprings and to show some of them. Born in 2009 : Ch.Copymear Celebration « CARLA » Carla is the most winning SmoothCoat Bitch of all time in UK. She has won 52 CC’s. Bred and owned by David Reece in UK. She was a real jewel and a real icon for the breed. I’ve been lucky to meet her at Crufts. She was a real showgirl, always on the starting block ready to fly in the ring. Large eyes and ears, beautiful glossy coat, a swift and fluid movement from a body full of substance and a shinning soul. She was a real « Eye-Catcher » and I will always keep in mind this magical feeling I got when feeling her into my hands. The last dog I want to mention is a dog I have never met in real life but I have seen so many pictures of her and heard so many stories about her that it’s like I’ve met her in an other life. Born in 1991 : Ch. Griotte de la Lumière de Sigiria « Best in Show Magazine
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with a correct quantity and quality of coat. All these points surrounded by an amazing temperament. A real showgirl who has continued to win some « Best Of Breed » from the veteran class.
Photo 4 • Ch. Misty Meadow’s Orlando Furioso Photo 5 • Ch. Griotte de la Lumière de Sigiria
GRIOTTE » Griotte has been bred and owned by Monique Rossi in France. Anne Leplat and Monique Rossi got an important impact for the breed in France, mainly by being pioneers in the importation into France of dogs coming from UK. Griotte is a daughter of an english import : Ch. Chipperlake Anthony and a french mother Biguine de la Lumière de Sigiria (herself bred from two English dogs.) Griotte is the type of dog we see less and less these days. A compact bitch with a real Chihuahua size, without excess of type, lean lips, dark round eyes, a perfect shape of apple dome, a clean outline 124
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Q: What do you think are the strong points and weak points in the breed today? A: As I just write, I find more difficult to find compact dogs in both varieties. Many of the dogs I see on shows, and mine too, are often too long. Using the sentences « It’s OK for a female. » and « He is long but he is young, he will look shorter after maturing » is good for our morale and general optimism but we must remain attentive on this point. A well proportioned puppy will be a well proportioned adult, a long puppy could improve but will stay long. An other important point for me is the temperament. Chihuahua must be a big spirited dog in a tiny body. I think that the question of temperament could be an actual weak point and an actual strong point. It depends on the lines and on individual dogs. Anyone who has been in contact with many Chihuahuas know how some of them could have an easy and strong temperament and others could have an irregular and sometimes stupid temperament. I like to see happy and confident dogs in the ring. These charismatic little ones are the ones we like to see on main rings representing our breed. Q: Do you think judges generally understand your breed well? A: Yes, I assume that qualified judges have sufficient cynological experience and have been fairly validated by their Kennel Clubs. We will always meet judges who do not share the same opinion, but that is also the point of going to the exhibition. Anyone who goes to an exhibition agrees to be shaken up in their ideas and to receive a new opinion.
Q: Which judges would you consider ‘specialist’, meaning that their understanding of the breed is deep enough that their opinion should represent a point of reference to breeders? A: I cannot mention all the specialists we have in the breed. A good chihuahua judge is someone who is able to understand the breed and his history. By history I mean the recurring topic we have in the breed : the molera. This « softspot » they have on the top of the head is a historical breed characteristic. End of the year 2009 this characteristic has been listed as a disqualifying fault. A good judge is someone understanding we cannot change all the breed stock with a snap on the fingers. Obviously we do not want to see extreme moleras covering all the skull but a small and regular molera must be mentioned but not disqualified. This subject must be understood by the judges but also by veterinarians who are sometimes alarmist with neophyte adopters. A judge who has enough experience in judging, in breeding and/or exhibiting Chihuahuas, knowing the specific historical points and able to have a soft and patient hand when examining them could be called a « specialist ».
dogs and of course : love. I would like to add that my mother tongue is French and it is not always easy to express myself so clearly in another language and that I hope you have managed to understand the meaning of my ideas in the answers. Thank you for this interview and for taking the time to read it.
Q: Finally, please share with all of us what makes your breed so irresistible? A: They are irresistible because of their expression and size. If you have Chihuahuas living with you, you can clearly see so many « things » on them. They can be seen as dog, cats, humans, a lazy marmot, a heating pad , an electric battery, a psychologue, a clown, an arrogant comedian, a pitying child, a quiet shadow, a security alarm and so many other things ! I like this aspect of small dog with many facets. Anyway, you have to keep in mind that the Chihuahua is a dog in its own right. Its small size does not make it an accessory. He needs education, activities, social connexions with other Best in Show Magazine
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Ti La Shu
Tibetan Terriers, Lhasa Apsos & American Akitas by Katja Rauhut, Germany Interviewed by J. Danilovic
Q: Thank you for doing this interview with Best in Show Magazine. Please tell our readers how you got involved in dogs? A: Katja Rauhut- 33- Germany I have been involved in the dog world since I was little girl. Together with my Mum Sabine I breed Tibetan Terrier, Lhasa Apso and American Akitas under the Prefix “Ti La Shu”for a very long time. I will now continue with my own Kennel name which will be “TigerPaw“. I got my very own Tibetan Terrier when I was 6 years old. Together we competed in the Junior handling competition. Soon I started showing our Tibetans in the breed rings too with great success. I have twice won the “German-Junior handlingFinal” (2002 and 2003) and represented my country at the International Junior handling competition at Crufts (2003 and 2004). Furthermore I won the Junior handling Final in Monaco in 2004 which gave me the opportunity to represented Monaco at Crufts in 2005. I was Runner Up best Junior handler at Crufts 2005. The first German Junior handler to achieve a placement at Crufts. 128
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What I enjoy most after finishing my Junior handling career is judging Junior handling competitions all over the World. I have judged Junior handling competitions in Germany, Sweden, Australia, Split-Croatia (at the famous Summer Night Dog Show) , Helsinki Winners Show, the World Dog Show in Milano Italy , the World Dog Show in Germany, last years country final in the Netherlands and the State Final in Queensland Australia. If the Corona virus doesn’t cross my path I will hopefully judge the Swedish junior handling finale this year in Stockholm. At home and abroad I give regular handling classes for breeders, handlers and junior handlers. During my junior handling years I spent a lot of time in the USA, with different breeders. I also had the opportunity to work a whole summer with professional handler Kathryn Mines. Later I had the opportunity to work with other professional handlers in the USA such as Taffe/ Bill McFadden and Amy Rutherford. The work with the dogs, the culture, the different groom-
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ing and presentation as well as the millions of miles traveled to different cities and dog show venues – the whole experience I wouldn’t want to miss. I am very grateful to my parents for making this possible. Luckily I had the pleasure to handle and show almost all breeds over the years. I love all long coated breeds. I love the grooming involved. I almost feel “naked” when I do not need a brush or comb when entering the ring. Some might say it’s a bad habit, some will agree brushing in the ring or while waiting got go in the ring keeps you calm ;). That doses not mean I don’t enjoy showing short coated breeds. Q: Why did you choose your breed? A: We used to have German shepherds, Bernese Mountain dogs and Newfoundlands, all big breeds. I wanted my very own little dog, that I could take out for a walk when I was a kid. We started breeding TTs because we were searching for a very healthy breed that was fit for function. Back then nobody knew what a Tibetan Terrier was. Besides TTs we breed Lhasa Apso and American Akitas. All with the same Asian character and temperament. Little People through and through. Q: Which are your priorities when breeding. A: For me, the absolute priority is the correct breed-typical physique with the appropriate gait. Of course, a distinctive expression belongs to the breed. It is important for me to know what the breed was originally used for. Tibetan Terriers lived and still live in the Himalaya, therefor they should be built fit for function, light-footed, yet sturdy with a deep and wide chest to live in those mountains. I also love this breed because of it’s typical independent nature. If you know how to work them they will do anything for you. My TTs usually love all dogs 130
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and people even though they can be reserved to strangers according to the breed standard. Of course I value a good a coat in TTs. With the Tibetan Terrier this should always be the icing on the cake. If they have good coat quality their hair will grow no matter what - if they play in your yard or run through the forest. We try to breed TT’s that are manageable for pet people too. They need an easy coat and a wonderful temperament. Q: How many dogs do you keep in your kennel and do you co-own dogs in some other households or families? A: We have about 10 dogs at my parents house. Tibetan Terrier’s and American Akita;s aged 3month up to 15 years. We work worldwide with some exclusive ken-
nels in America, England, Russia, Poland and Finland. Q: How do you evaluate your breeds quality in your country and other countries in Europe, and Europe and rest of the world? A: Here in Germany we have three different Tibetan breeds clubs in the VDH (Our Kennel Club). Until about 15 years ago Germany was the leading country when it came to top quality Tibetan Terriers. In our eyes the quality unfortunately is lacking these days. There is now a wide range of good quality dogs in the Nordic countries. Most of the Tibetan Terriers these days are bred in England, the standard leading country. They have excellent Tibetan Terrier breeders as well.
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Q: Of which achievements in the ring are you most proud? A: I am proud of many results. I have handled many breeds to various big wins but what fills the heart the most is winning with your own dogs, your own breed and most of all your very own breeding. Leading my Mr. Grey aka “Kivi” to his two BOB wins at Crufts over 250 Tibetan Terriers entered under Breed specialists was just a dream come true. Winning BISS at the Tibetan Terrier Congress 2018 in the UK with over 250 TTs, or winning the Group at the EDS in Kiev still makes my heart skip a beat. Traveling the word and attending dog shows has brought me so much joy and proud breeder moments. Winning BOB and BOS at the World show in Mexico, last year Shanghai & the WDS in Helsinki – are just a few moments I am more than proud of as a breeder. My handling dogs also did me proud many times. The most recent win would be Runner Up in the Toy Group at Crufts this year with the Havanese “Ritmo” from Poland. We met early in the morning at Crufts for the very first time and what can I say? I think it was love at first sight. Very proud of Winning BIS at the famous Bundessieger Dortmund and Res BIS at the combined international show last year with Australian Shepherd “Scamp” . I am proud to say that I am the only European ever to win the Tibetan Terrier National in America, with a TT named “Bocce”. With my own “Nike” the TT we won best in show at Austrians KC Centenary Jubilee Show, with a Lhasa named “Dino” from the USA I won best in show all breed at the 75th Year jubilee Show of the Polish Kennel Club. Another Dog from USA “Rowan” was the first TT ever to win a best in show all breeds in Poland in 2006! With the TT “Kalifha” I won Veteran best in show at the WDS in Poland 2006. 2011 at the WDS in 132
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Paris I won puppy best in Show with a French Siberian Husky and one year later best puppy in show with our home bred by Lhasa Apso “Mylo”. Q: Of which achievements in the breeding are you most proud? A: I think winning the top dog of the year award in Germany with three different bred by dogs, and that top dogs world wide carry the name “Ti La Shu”. In Germany we are the most successful breeders of Tibetan Terrier of all time. We have bred, owned and shown dogs to many World winner, European Winner champion titles, and Group and BIS awards. One of our biggest successes was winning the Top dog of the Year award 2009, 2016, 2018 and 2019 (Eukanuba World Challenge State Final in Germany) and having the opportunity to represent Germany three times at the EWC competition. In 2009 one of our very own home bred Tibetan Terriers “Multi Ch. BIS BISS WW. EW CH. Ti La Shu United Magic Colours”, represented our country in Long Beach, USA. In 2017 we had the great honour to represent our country again – this time the EWC took place at Crufts with our TT “Kivi”. 2019 the EWC took place again at Crufts and we represented our country with our Tibetan Terrier female “Chilli” Multi Ch. BIS BISS WW EW Ti La Shu Broadway Babe. At the end of 2019 we again won the
top dog of the year award with our own bred by “Peanut” Multi Ch. WW, EW,JWW, EJW Ti La Shu Hall of Fame. Unfortunately so far there is no EWC for 2020. Our “Nike” also won BIS at the prestige Bundessieger Show in Dortmund 2009, in an entry of over 6000 dogs. Our “Peanut” won res. BIS at the very same show last year. Peanut is also the youngest Tibetan Terrier of all time to win an All Breed BIS at the tender age of just 10 months in Europe at the famous Dracula Dogshow. Q: Which 3 dogs showing in recent years, not from your kennel do you most admire? A: Dogs I admire are “Bocce” - Multi Ch. Arkeden N Kiskadees Havin a Ball, bred in the USA by J. Faust. Multi Ch.Falamandus Remastered Edition aka “Kivi” bred in Finland by T. Hakamo and Tetsimi Moves like Jagger, bred in the UK by Neil Smith. Q: What do you think are the strong points and weak points in the breed today? A: A well groomed Tibetan Terrier is a wonderful dog for the show ring. However, in recent years we have found perfectly groomed Tibetan Terriers on the podium, which are not built correctly under their long hair. The breed standard is asking for sturdy, medium sized dogs. Tibetan Terriers are no “mini Afghans”. It is not only the gait that distinguishes the breeds. Breeders must pay attention to a correct physique and a breed-specific expression. I think we are losing strong under jaw and good filled strong muzzles. I also think that more and more TT’s are losing the good front angulation that we used to have back in the early days. Q: Do you think judges generally understand your breed well? A: Well, unfortunately there are some judges
who judge the Tibetan Terrier by the length of their hair only. Or the color seems to be more important than the rest of the dog. It can also happen that a judge does not know that the Tibetan Terrier may have a reverse scissor or that our wonderful breed comes in all colorsnot only black and white. I think the pedigree clubs have to do more for the specific training of their judges. Q: Which judges would you consider ‘specialist’, meaning that their understanding of the breed is deep enough that their opinion should represent a point of reference to breeders? A: For my Mum and me the absolute specialists for the Tibetan breeds are Paul Stanton and Torbjörn Skar from Sweden. These judges have accompanied us throughout our breeding and exhibition time. Both are pioneers in Tibetan Best in Show Magazine
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breeding. We would also like to include Christopfer Habig from Germany. I would also like to mention Juliette Cunliffe originally from the U.K, who has been living in Nepal for several years now and has shared her life with Lhasa Apsos. She knows the original Tibetan dogs from Tibet and the Tibetan camps in Nepal. Q: Finally, please share with all of us what makes your breed so irresistible? A: The independence and self-evidentness with which the Tibetan Terrier appears to be. On the one hand he is a clown, on the other hand he 134
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is a great buddy. The Tibetan Terrier fits in almost every living situation. Whether as a single dog or in a children’s household, as an office dog or at a show. They adapt just perfectly. For the show ring, the Tibetan Terrier has a confident appearance. If you have them convinced that showing is great, they will do it for you and they will love it. Tibetan Terriers are also a suitable dog for agility, as well as a therapy dog for retirement homes and kindergartens. They are highly intelligent. It is simply an all-rounder and is represented in all colors of the world. No two Tibetan Terriers are alike.
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The Terrier Front by Dr. Dan Buchwald, USA Among the specific features of conformation that help shape and define each breed or group of breeds, one comes to mind as remarkably misunderstood, and that is the Terrier Front. Often people will refer to a dog with steep shoulders as having a Terrier Front and many will just assume that the term refers to a front that lacks the proper amount of angulation. Also, many books about Terrier breeds will omit describing this very unique assembly of forequarters leaving even more room for confusion. A typical Terrier front, as we observe on long-legged terriers, is far from lacking layback of shoulders and is in no way a faulty structure. In this article, I will try to highlight the basics that create the Terrier Front. Terriers are typically hunters of vermin and often have to go into holes in the ground chasing these small animals. Along with a fearless temperament, they need a front assembly
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that is efficient for not only gaiting, but also for digging. The front assembly that the majority of long-legged Terriers tend to possess is a direct consequence of the function described above. There is always a close correlation among form and function in dog conformation, we just have to keep our attention on why and where a breed was developed and quickly the pieces will fall into place and the whole picture will make sense. The Terrier front starts with a long and strong shoulder. The layback is significant at a good 45 degrees with the horizontal. This allows for good reach and proper length of neck. Remember, if the shoulders are rotated forward, the withers become higher and the neck length is affected negatively. The upper arm of the Terrier front is unique. Unlike other conventionally built dogs, the upper arm here is slightly shorter than the shoulder. It is also turned slightly forward which
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Photo 1 • This is a proper assembly of a front of a conventionally built dog. A significant difference can be noticed in the length of upper arm, development of forechest and slant of pasterns. Notice that in order to maintain balance, the center of the shoulders still sit right above the heel pad.
limits the amount of forechest that will be visible from the side. Please notice that we used the word ‘slightly’ referring both for length and slant forward of the upper arm. In the majority of cases, the forechest is leveled with the point of shoulder, with no significant forward projection past that. A front that is shallow and has no forechest at all is not correct. Neither is the one with exuberant projection of breastbone like seen on Weimaraners and Doberman Pinschers. The functional advantage of the shorter upper arm is the strength it provides for digging. The conventional front requires a conformation that will allow for an efficient trot. A good Terrier front will allow the efficient trot and on top of that will also provide power, at expense of speed, for the specific function these dogs have in life. The concept of speed can be correlated to long bones as in the Greyhound. It
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comes with elasticity to absorb the shock from each step as the dog gallops. Please keep this in mind as we progress with this article. The shorter upper arm will allow the muscles of the front assembly to vigorously dig the ground. Again, as in any system with levers, shorter bones are linked to power just as long bones are linked to speed. The legs of these terriers are straight and have very little slant to their pasterns when seen from the side. Viewed from the front, they are straight columns and the toes do not turn in or out. Let’s focus on the pasterns a little more. The structure of the pasterns is such that allows flexibility and shock absorption in order to prevent stress on the bones and joints of the forequarters. Unlike the Greyhound who has huge pounding of the front legs as he gallops at high speeds, our terriers are more focused on digging the ground. Terriers don’t need long pasterns and they don’t need a great amount of slant in those pasterns either. Terrier pasterns are short, because like the upper arm, they allow leverage with strength for digging. Terrier pasterns are upright or close to that because of a fundamental concept of balance: The paw of the front leg of the dog will tend to be positioned right under the center of the length of the shoulders. It may sound hard to follow but the illustration above will help make this concept clear. Dogs with shorter upper arms tend, as a rule, to have more upright pasterns. Dogs with extremely short upper arms will have a tendency to knuckle over. If you see a dog knuckling over, I suggest a closer examination of the length of upper arm to see the likely source of the problem. A front that is so specialized and devoted to strength will also produce a form of movement that is equally unique.
Photo 2 • This is a very good sample of the correct TERRIER FRONT. Notice the long shoulders slanting at 45 degrees with the horizontal, the slightly shorter upper arm with a slight slant forward. Also notice the line from the center of the shoulder projecting downward and reaching the heel pad.
being different than what we discussed in this article. The Bull Terrier has far more developed spring of ribs and significantly more forechest than the other long- legged counterparts in the group. Also, short-legged Terriers tend to have proportionally more spring of ribs and therefore, a tendency for more forechest. The Terrier group is a very unique one. To master its details and peculiarities one must devote plenty of careful objective observation and study. Combine with that the fact that many Terriers require a meticulous approach to coat care and presentation and it becomes rather easy to understand why some of the most knowledgeable dog people there are come from Terriers.
Don’t expect extreme elasticity from a terrier gait (as opposed to a German Shepherd), instead expect a sense of power and determination. Also remember that the trot of a conventionally built dog, when seen coming and going, will show a clear tendency for the legs to converge towards the center as the speed increases. Terriers, because of their build and powerful muscle tone, will show a lesser degree of that and some, like the Fox Terrier, should not converge at all, resulting in a parallel gait with a clear double tracking stride. This is a feature that is proper and expected from these dogs and should in no way be penalized in that breed. Finally, please remember that there are exceptions to the above parameters of Terrier fronts. Some Terrier breeds are very unique and don’t quite fit in our discussion, like the Bedlington Terrier for example. The Bedlington normally has its elbows wider than its feet when seen from the front. Please take the time to study the Bedlington Terrier’s front separately from the other Terriers as it is very unique to this breed only and should not be faulted for
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group
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ALISTAIRS DRESSED TO THE NINES Bearded Collie
Owned by Jan Zdaril and Pavla Machackova Judged by Bíró Zsolt (H)
group
2
group
3
GUSTAV EUROPICA VARIETAS Black Russian Terrier
Owned by Pavol Bocskoras Judged by Orcsik István (SRB)
HARD ROCK MUSIC OF NEW DEAL Yorkshire Terrier
Owned by Radvánszky Katalin Judged by Lokodi Csaba Zsolt (RO)
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LÁSKA VITORAZ Miniature Dachshund Wire-haired Owned by Ing. Jan Busta Judged by dr. Tesics György (H)
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5
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D`INKA ESPIPENA ZUMAQ Perro sin pelo del peru miniature Owned by Jelena Gerster Judged by Denis Kuzelj (SLO)
BJÖRG GINGER ARTE CASSARI Rhodesian Ridgeback
Owned by Sabina Vojtasova Judged by Kardos Vilmos (H)
group
7
group
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FAIRRAY GIVE ME FIVE English Setter
Owned by Pálocska Henriett Judged by Cristian Stefanescu (RO)
IL’MILMO DE LUXE TANGO Lagotto Romagnolo
Owned by Tóthné Barcsi Anett Judged by Vojislav Al Daghistani (SRB)
group
9
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BIS
CHANEL COCO VALENTINA Miniature Poodle Black
Owned by Enzsölné Kozár Marianna Judged by Gróf Szilvia (H)
GUSTAV EUROPICA VARIETAS Greyhound
Owned by Palocska Henriett
1. FAIRRAY GIVE ME English Setter
FIVE
Owned by Palocska Henriett Judged by Vladimir Piskay (SK)
2. GUSTAV
EUROPICA VARIETAS Greyhound
Owned by Palocska Henriett 3. GUSTAV
EUROPICA VARIETAS
Black Russian Terrier
Owned by Pavol Bocskoras
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1
group
2
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LUDAS MATYI EZREDES Puli
Owned by dr Papp Judit Rensta and Olsh Gabor Judged by Szabo Sandor
PODO BLACK RAINBOW Newfoundland
Owned by Maroti Gabor Judged by Vojislav Al Daghistani (SRB)
I.NARDAI HURRIKAN RISING STAR American Staffordshire Terrier
Owned by Antal Attila Judged by Dr. Balogh Zsuzsanna (H)
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MINI GOLF VEKNI Miniature Dachshund Short-haired Owned by Hegedus Laszlo Judged by Lokodi Csaba Zsolt (RO)
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5
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D`INKA ESPIPENA ZUMAQ Perro sin pelo del peru miniature Owned by Jelena Gerster Judged by Denis Kuzelj (SLO)
BJÖRG GINGER ARTE CASSARI Rhodesian Ridgeback
Owned by Sabina Vojtasova Judged by Kardos Vilmos (H)
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7
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FAIRRAY GIVE ME FIVE English Setter
Owned by Palocska Henriett Judged by Cristian Stefanescu (RO)
ATHÉNÉ FROM NORTH LAND OF HUNGARY English Cocker Spaniel
Owned by Szlabej Marta Judged by Kardos Vilmos (H)
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9
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BIS
PIEDMONT’S BEWITCHED Standard Poodle White
Owned by Barrie Drewitt-Barlow Judged by Rafal First (PL)
LUNNAJA RADUGA GIPNOZ Borzoi
Owned by Berzene Laskai Andrea Judged by Lokodi Csaba Zsolt
1. PIEDMONT’S
BEWITCHED
Standard Poodle White
Owned by Barrie Drewitt-Barlow Judged by Christian Stefanescu (RO)
2. FAIRRAY GIVE ME English Setter
FIVE
Owned by Palocska Henriett
3. ALISTAIRS
DRESSED TO THE NINES Bearded Collie
Owned by Jan Zdaril and Pavla Machackov