“THE BORDER IS THE ONLY TERRIER THAT has a loose and thick fitting skin...”
judge should be looking for shoulders that are smooth and relatively narrow. Th e space between the legs should not be narrower than that of the Fox Terrier— “approximately 3" or 3 fingers” and no larger than 4" (approximately four fingers). Th e Border’s legs should be straight and not turned in or out. He should not be loaded in shoulders which would interferes with is going to ground. Looking at the head itself, there should be very little stop with proportions of 2 to 1 from the occiput to stop with the muz- zle one-third to tip. It is moderately broad and flat with plenty of width between the eyes and the ears. A slight, moder- ately broad slope at the stop rather than a pronounce indentation. Th e muzzle is short and well filled. Th e ears should be in proportion to the head, v-shaped and moderately thick with dark ears preferred. (Some judges cover the ears when exam- ining the head to get a better view of an otter like head.) Th e ear breaks below the level of skull and should be in proportion to the head. Th e Border’s eyes are dark and mod- erate in size with fill under the eyes. Its strong masseter muscles gave the Border a cheeky appearance. Too short a muzzle will produce bulging eye, á la the Brussels Gri ff on. Th e Border’s nose is black and of a good size. Th e Border’s teeth have a scis- sors bite with no deviation allowed, large for the size of the dog. Th e Border Terrier neck is well set on and long enough to allow the freedom of head movement. Th e Border Terrier shoulder blades are long and well laid back with the length of the shoulder blade and upper arm being approximately equal and converging at the withers. Th e space between the forelegs is equal at the elbows and at the feet. Th e length and angulation of the shoulder and upper arm results in the legs being set further back and under the withers rather than as in the Fox Terrier—giving the Border a somewhat chesty look when viewed from
the side. Unlike the Fox Terrier and other fancy terrier breeds, the Border has a somewhat strait underline. To properly evaluate terrier’ ability to go to ground, it must be spannable. To span a terrier a judge must place his hands behind the elbows, raising only the front from the table, compressing the chest gently. Ideally, his thumbs should meet at the spine and his fingers should meet under the terrier. Dr. Pope called the Border the “the smallest tall, long-legged terrier”. Th is was necessary for his working in the border between England and Scotland in order to be able to keep up with the horse and the hounds over rough ground. A short- legged, over-sprung, wide, deep chested Border would not be able to do the work he was bred to do. Border dogs should weigh 13-15 ½ pounds, bitches, 11 ½ -14 pounds in hardworking condition. It is rare now, in the era of couch potatoes and expensive dog foods, to find a Border in the hard working condition previously seen in the working terriers in the Border country. Proportions should be the height at the withers is slightly greater than the distance from the withers to the base of the tail, by about 1"-1 ½ ". Th e same rough terrain and climate requires a double coat for protection on the job. Th e tweedy broken coat is preferred. A lack of undercoat must be faulted. Th e coat should be hard and wiry. Th ere must be evidence of a double coat. If there is no evi- dence, it must be assumed it does not exist. Borders should never be overly trimmed to resemble other breeds. Excessive grooming should be penalized. A useful tool for the working Border is his tail, shaped like a carrot, thick at base and tapering to a point. It is often used by the huntsman to pull the Border out of the fox- hole. Ideally it comes o ff the back at a forty- five degree angle, but upright, or level carriage, is also acceptable, but never over the back. Th e topline of the Border is not men- tioned in the standard. Th e original drafts of the standard spoke about a slight rise
over the loin. Th e drafters, fearing that judges would exaggerate this phrase. Th e prohibition of a dip behind the withers was the only comment put in the standard about the topline. Th e Border is the only terrier that has a loose and thick fitting skin (hide or pelt). Th is is crucial because it protects the dog from injury inflicted by his quarry, other dogs or underbrush. Th e judge should not hesitate to grasp a handful of skin in back of the shoulders and lift it. Th e Border’s rear is muscular, thighs long, stifles well bent and hocks well let down. Rear angulation should be compli- mentary to that of the front. Th e Border Terrier coat can come in red, grizzle and tan, blue and tan and wheaten. None are preferred as function is not a ff ected, however altering coat color and trimming with scissors are not appro- priate for a working terrier. BIOS Ruth Ann Naun is a specialist judge of Border Terriers since 1992. She has judged the national specialty twice and the breed at CC level in Britain twice as well. She is the long time delegate of the Border Terrier Club of America to the AKC. Bob Naun, her husband, died in late 2011, was a Terrier Group judge, and had held posts in the parent club includ- ing president for fifteen years, and club historian. He had also judged the breed national twice and was the first American to award CCs in their breed in Britain. Th eir Oldstone prefix has been a presence in the breed since the early 1970s.
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