the level of the back. No rounding of the croup should be apparent. Natural bobs do appear and should be held to the same standard as a docked tail. I can think of no truer indication of temperament than the tail. It is no accident that Wired for Action appears in the title of my book on the breed. The TFT is confident to such a degree that he/she feels the equivalent of any size dog and of most humans actually. That being said, the TFT is more apt to display these traits on the floor and not the table. It is far easier to judge them free stacked on the floor than on the table. The TFT should show no reticence at any time on the floor. GG: Appearance: color, height, movement as they enter the ring then on the table, shape of head and ears. KK: The hallmark of this breed, I think, is a toyish and a terrier appearance all in one package. I first look for a well-balanced dog with a good topline and tail set that has proper markings both on the head and the body. It is a square dog in that the height and the length are equal. It’s difficult because the standard allows for a 3-inch dif- ference in size—quite a lot. DV: I always try to judge the overall dog, without getting caught up on one or two things. I will say I have to have type first and then movement. I don’t care how sound or how well they move, they have to have type. The main things I look for is squareness, and this is standing still and in movement. On the side gait I want to see good reach and drive but keeping their squareness. Also I want to see attitude. This breed should want to be in the ring and showing me their courage, be animated looking for something to get into. Then of course their level topline, again standing still and in movement. Good strong bone, deep chest, good balance in angles, and high set tail. The head is very important, as any breed, you want it to look the breed. This means (in this breed), an elegant head without coarseness. Nice round eye, erect ears, good strong muzzle and good fill under the eyes. The skull must be slightly rounded, meaning not round and “i FirsT look For a well-balanced dog wiTh a good Topline and Tail seT ThaT has PROPER MARKINGS boTh on The head and The body.”
apple headed giving it more of a Chihuahua appearance. And of coarse that beautiful predominantly solid color head, which I believe is the hallmark of the breed. 2. How has the breed changed since you became involved with it? Do you see any trends you think are moving the breed in the wrong direction? Any traits becoming exaggerated? JD: I have seen the TFT evolve from a specimen with bar- reled body, short legs and an apple head with bulging eyes to the thorough bred style of today. The TFT, as exhibited today, appears to me to be a much larger dog. Many of the TFTs exhibited in AKC shows today could not make the 7-pound weight limit of the UKC standard where every TFT is weighed before each show. Remem- ber that “Toy” is in the name of the dog. GG: From what I have seen in the ring, I think the type has been well maintained. I will measure if it looks over or under size. DV: I feel the breed has come a long way since they first joined AKC. The breed was all over the place at first with larger dogs, finer dogs and very unsound dogs. I feel the breeders have done well to work on the soundness and more typey TFTs. I have only measured out one TFT and that was shortly after they were approved, it was over the 11 ½ ". They only thing I see a lot of is some of them are too fine boned. I understand to be elegant you cannot have too coarse of a bone. But the standard also asks for strong bone, and in my opinion, you can’t have strong bone and be fine boned. I want little more bone without getting coarse. Also I would like to see deeper chest. I see a lot of dogs with no forechest, and chest not extend- ing to the elbows. 3. Is there anything TFT handlers do you wish they would not? Any grooming practices you see that bother you? JD: I ask handlers not to go to the floor to stack their entry. If you have to hold the tail up, you are in trouble. I will check the placement of feet after the dog has moved. I do not expect TFTs to be statues in the ring. I like to see some of the natural exuberance of this cocky little breed. TFTs naturally gray as they age—some earlier than oth- ers. I do not appreciate makeup on a TFT. GG: In general I do not see where a lot of powdering has been going on. I do not like clickers used in the ring. KK: One thing I do notice is that toplines are going downhill and are not straight anymore and that some are too light boned or heavy boned for the correct type and balance. DV: I wish they would train their dogs a little better on the table. I come from Min Pins so I don’t need a statue just standing there, but should be able to go over the dog, open their mouths without them wanting to jump off the table. I also like them standing on their own, on the ground. As the Min Pin they should show themselves.
t4 )08 4 *()5 . "(";*/& % &$&.#&3
Powered by FlippingBook