WHAT MAKES A CESKY TERRIER A CESKY TERRIER?
The longer loin of the Cesky facilitates their hunting, acting as a loaded spring, aiding balance as well as agile turning. A short- backed, nearly square dog is highly undesirable as is a Cesky that is high in the rear. A Cesky that is high in the rear has the potential to damage itself by placing added pressure on its front end. The square Cesky does not have the “spring” in the loin that is a much- needed attribute to function well in the field. There is a certain grace in a well-formed Cesky that presents an elegant yet strong head that flows into the neck, and a neck that has a slightly forward arch that sits smoothly and almost fluidly and gracefully into firm, well-muscled shoulders. The head should look elegant and not be coarse, thick or heavy in appearance. It should also be rectangular in shape. A ewe neck is highly undesirable as is a coarse, cloddy, short neck or a thickly loaded neck. The shoul- der blade muscles are structurally superior to withstand the force exerted on it while engaged in performing its intended purpose of dispatching game. The front paws are larger and well-padded, again, for pursuit underground. The hindquarters are built larger and are very mus- cular for extracting prey from dens or burrows. They should not, however, possess the breadth nor the width of the Scottish Ter- rier or the Sealyham. (See Diagram A., Hana’s Book.) The teeth, especially the canines, are seriously hunting-oriented and they hide a cavernous jaw that speaks of a hunting Terrier bigger than the Cesky. Additional anatomical inspection reveals more about the concept of form following function. The Cesky is, above all, long,
Cesky Gait
Side of Cesky Showing Coat
low, and lean yet well-muscled. Its rib cage when felt with the palm of your hand is more elliptical than barrel-shaped. Think again of a burrow-oriented hunting dog capable of fieldwork whose main area of expertise is the Danube River basin of the Czech Republic. Right down to the coat, the Cesky Terrier is a hunting Terrier. The fall over the eyes, the furnishings, and the other details of the coat are burrow- and field-oriented. They function as protection. The coat should be silky, smooth, and with a slight wave, though never curly as in a Kerry or Wheaten Terrier. A cottony, wooly coat is highly undesirable, as it is prone to collecting debris and retain- ing a great deal of moisture. The intent of the cut of the coat is to emphasize a well-muscled, yet elegant, hunting dog. The hair of the topline may be slightly wavy, but it should not be more than one-half inch as stated in the Standard. The furnishings of the lower portion of the dog serve as protection in the field and should be of firm texture and fine, with a slight wave. As stated in the AKC Standard, the coat of the head, lower portion of the neck, shoul- ders, thighs, rump, and tail is “quite short” but blended smoothly into the topline. When born, Ceskys are either black or brown. Those born black mature into dogs that range in varying shades of grey from charcoal to platinum gray. Those born brown mature into dogs that are chocolate to tan. Frantisek Horak, the person who gave birth to the ideal of the Cesky, was, for a while, enamored of the Scottish Terrier. He spent a number of years believing that the Scotty was his ideal hunting dog for the Danube River Basin—and it was almost his ideal dog. The problem was, the Scotties that he owned and bred spent more time scrapping with one another while hunting than they did actu- ally hunting. A friend who understood his dilemma recommended he look at the Sealyham. Horak saw advantages to both breeds and wondered if a breeding might bring him the dog he sought. He spent well over a decade researching the concept, studying both breeds, and finally, four years after the conclusion of World War II, he conducted the breeding. Some years after that, he sought and obtained FCI approval for this new breed.
Head, Neck, and Shoulder-Set
Cesky Running at a Wild Pig
222 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, MARCH 2022
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