IDEAL SKYES AS DESCRIBED BY NOTED BREEDERS & JUDGES courtesy of the SKYE TERRIER CLUB OF AMERICA
BY SANDRA GOOSE ALLEN S tand back from the table, look at and evaluate the profile, outline and attributes of the Skye. Look at the length of the back, topline and overall balance. Push the hair back with your hand to expose the head and eyes. The head should be long and powerful, moderate back skull tapering to a strong muzzle. There should be a slight stop. Bite that is either level or slightly overlapping. Prick or Drop are the beautiful ears of this breed. Prick ears are medium in size and placed high on the skull. Drop ears are somewhat larger and lie flat on the head. Eyes should be dark brown, medi- um in size. The nose is always black. Arched neck, the level topline and the strong, well muscled loin—the tail should be a continuation of the topline. The shoulders should be well laid back with tight placement at the elbows. You should feel the substantial and sturdy bones of the legs. The chest should be deep and broad with well-sprung ribs and depth of chest extending approxi- mately to point of elbows. The deep brisket is well filled. Straight front legs should curve slightly around the chest. The hindquarters should be well- angulated, muscular, and straight with well bent stifles and well let down hocks. Feel the texture of the coat. It should be double, hard, straight and flat. The Skye shows in all of its beauty on the ground. The legs should precede straight for- ward. The dog should have good reach in front and extension behind. He should move with head high, smooth flowing, effortless with elegance. His topline should remain firm. When the dog is coming toward you, you want to see two front legs and a pow- erful forechest. Going away, you want to see good angulation and powerful back legs traveling straight forward.
BY JUDY DAVIS In my mind’s eye, when I picture the perfect Skye, I see a dog who is, of course, long, low and level and of mod- erate size. A strong head with a perfect ear set sitting on a long arched neck that fits smoothly into well laid back shoul- ders. Perfectly level topline, whether standing or gaiting, tail held out as an elongation of the topline when moving. The look is of strength and elegance together but without coarseness. Beau- tiful long lank hard coat. A strong driv- ing rear that allows the viewer to see the pads of the rear feet. The differenc- es in the sexes should be apparent. Mas- culine dogs and feminine bitches. My ideal Skye is sound in mind and body, a pleasure to be around. BY WALTER F. GOODMAN The standard of perfection of any breed is a subjective interpretation. It is how one person pictures a breed’s writ- ten ideal. As a breeder of Skye Terriers for fifty years, I will attempt to keep this article objective. In general terms this is how I view Skye Terriers. Anna Katherine Nicholas is a good friend of Skye Terriers and the author of two fine books about the breed. She feels the key words in judging are type, balance, style, soundness, and condi- tion. “The ability to understand, rec- ognize, and evaluate these qualities is essential to judge;’ she says,and I agree with her completely. Type is breed character. It is the combination of distinguishing features which add up and make the individuality of a breed. Skye Terriers are long and low and their breed type can be abused by fanciers. Type should not be a matter of personal preference, but an adherence to desired breed characteristics as stat- ed in the Standard. There are variations in size or bone, but subsequently type should remain constant. Those Skyes
that adhere closely to the written word are obviously nearer to correct type. Balance perhaps is easier to under- stand, since there are clear dimensions involved. A correct Skye is well pro- portioned—length of head to length of neck, to length of back and tail and height. A Skye with correct proportions can look short-backed. A Skye who may be lower with a shorter neck and head, but with the same length of back as the latter dog, is unbalanced. Skyes can be too long as well as too short. Usually a properly proportioned dog stands out because of correct balance. Style becomes the next ingredient. It comes from that proper balance com- bined with showmanship and person- ality. A dog of lesser quality but with showmanship tends to conceal many of his faults. Soundness is more diffi- cult to describe. In dog show parlance, soundness refers to proper action or movement. The standard is quite spe- cific as to shoulder placement and front assembly as well as the rear quarter. It tells us what to expect as the dog moves towards you or away from you or as you view it in profile. To me a proper mov- ing Skye is not only sound but typey.
272 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , M ARCH 2017
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