TAKE A LOOK AT THE IRISH TERRIER TYPE
By Hans E. Gruettner Emsmuehle Kennel
L
et me start with: there is a saying, “To know Paddy is to love him”. Dogdom has many breeds but only one Irish Ter- rier. Here is a dog full of blar- ney, fire and the ability to
charm you out of a house and home. His loyalty only ends, with the breaking of a great heart. Here is a dog that has inspired writers such as Jack London the author of Jerry of the Islands . All dogs possess the ability to listen to your tales of woe, but the Irish Terrier is quite capable of understanding and talk- ing back. Is this too much to ask of a dog? Not of an Irish Terrier, for in this heart beats an old soul. The Type Type is not only the shape of the head or the ear carriage or the colour or shape of the eyes. Type is more. We need to look at the length of neck and back, the structure and colour of coat, the way the head will turn in balance when the dog moves, how the dog shows himself in the show ring and the temperament expecially within the family home and with children. But what is the correct type? Th is is so much more di ffi cult to describe. Tor this it is helpful to look back at the history of the breed. Study old pic- tures and sculptures, look at the origins of the standard, proportioning this to the time it was written bearing in mind the kind of work the breed was bred for at that time. Talking about type, it should always be remembered in the words of the late Mr. Gerry Sweeney (Teltown Kennels, Ireland): “If you lose the type you lose the breed”. For this article the focus will be on the expression of the Irish Terrier, the notorious “D’hurty look”. It is the most important point for correct type.
Far too many Irish have lost nowadays the right look and at their angriest only look mildly angry. Once you have seen the D’hurty look it is never forgotten. It is a trademark of the Irish and should be guarded carefully. When judging and examining Irish Terriers over the world experience has shown how important it is to look for the following essential points in the standard. Th e length of the foreface approximate- ly equals the length from the hardly vis- ible stop to occiput. Any deviation and the head will lose all proportion resembling “Pinocchio”. Th e under jaw must be strong with no sign of weakness. It should have good width otherwise this could create
problems for correct teeth placement. No slackness between the cheeks and foreface. Th e area under the eyes must be well filled. Skull must be falt, contracted or bumpy heads are unacceptable. Th e head should resemble a cigar box. Heads that are too fine and small are definitely wrong. Th e nose must be black as it is written in the standard. Th ere is no other colour. Th e eyes should never be close together as in the Wire Fox Terrier. Th ey should be set moderately apart looking straightfor- ward. Th e triangular shape as found in the Bull Terrier is wrong, the correct form is more between almond shaped and round. Th e colour shold never be dark black as this will not allow for any expression of the 4 )08 4 *()5 . "(";*/& 4 &15&.#&3 t
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