Biewer Terrier Breed Magazine features information, expert articles, and stunning photos from AKC judges, breeders, and owners..
TERRIER BIEWER
Let’s Talk Breed Education!
Page 1 of 3
S TANDARD OF THE B IEWER T ERRIER General Appearance - The Biewer Terrier is an elegant, longhaired, uniquely colored toy terrier with a breed signature ponytail. The coat parts down the middle, hanging straight and evenly on both sides of the body as though a comb has been used to part it. The back is level, with height at withers being equal to height at the croup. Although the outline of the dog gives the appearance of a square, the body length is slightly longer than the overall height. The tail is set high and carried well arched over the body, covered with a long luxurious plume. The Biewer Terrier has a lighthearted whimsical, childlike attitude. Although mischievous at times, they are obedient and make a loyal companion. Size, Proportion, Substance — Size - Height at the withers is the same as the height at the croup, measuring 7 to 11 inches, with weight being 4 to 8 pounds. Proportion - Length of body from prosternum to ischium is longer than over all height, making the dog off square although square is acceptable. Substance - Body is fine to medium boned with a level top line. Serious fault - Over 8 pounds. Head – Expression - Is more human than that of a dog, being bright and intelligent. Eyes - Are medium sized and may be round or almond shaped with a crisp, clear countenance. Iris – as dark as possible. Ears - Are small, upright, V shaped, moderately wide set and covered with hair except the tips being shaved. They are set to the back of the skull and the base is level with the eyes. Skull - Slightly rounded. Stop - Moderate. Muzzle - One-third the length of the head. Eye rims, Nose, and Lips - Completely black. Bite - Level or scissor bite. Teeth - Straight and even. Serious fault - Incomplete pigment on the eye rims, nose, and lip; ears not standing erect. Disqualifications - Blue eye(s); Brown or liver pigmentation of the eye rims, nose, and lips. Neck, Topline and Body – Neck - Moderate in length, free from throatiness. Topline - Level. Body - length is slightly longer than the overall height although square is acceptable . Chest - Comes to the elbows with a good width. Ribs- Moderately sprung. Underline - Slightly tucked up. Back - Level topline. Loin - Well developed and strong. Tail - Set high when in movement carried well arched over the body in a graceful sickle curve, covered with a long luxurious plume. Plume lies to either side of the body. Length of tailbone must go to the stifles or longer. When reposed, the tail may be relaxed. A kink in the tail is not to be faulted. Serious faults - Roach or rounded back; high in the front or rear. Forequarters - Forelegs should be straight, elbows neither in nor out. Angulation - Moderate. Shoulders are nicely laid back to allow for good reach and freedom of movement. Elbows - Set close to the body. Legs - Straight when viewed from the front are muscular and covered with hair. Pasterns - Up and straight. Dewclaws - May be removed but not required. Feet - Round. Toes - Well arched covered with hair which may be trimmed not to impede movement or trimmed to show the shape of the foot. Pads - Black and/or flesh. Nails - Black and/or white. Disqualification - Brown or liver pigmentation of the pads. Hindquarters - In balance with the forequarters. Angulation - Rear to match front. Legs - Hind legs are straight when viewed from behind, muscular and covered with hair. Stifle - Slightly bent when viewed from the side. Hocks - Straight when viewed from behind, pointing neither in
Page 2 of 3
nor out. Dewclaws - May be removed but not required. Feet - Round. Toes - Well arched covered with hair which may be trimmed not to impede movement or trimmed to show the shape of the foot. Pads - Black and/or flesh. Nails - Black and/or white. Disqualification - Brown or liver pigmentation of the pads. Coat - Long and flowing with a soft silky texture. Hair is straight without an undercoat, hanging close to the ground if not touching. Coat maybe trimmed to floor length for ease of movement. Head fall is tied up into a single ponytail on top of the head, hanging loose. Puppy ponytails may be placed a little lower on the head as to gather the short hairs. A bow is used for adornment; no topknots or rollovers. Feet are trimmed for a neat, clean appearance. Trim around anus. Head falls that display topknots or roll overs common to other breeds shall be so severely penalized as to be eliminated from competition . Color - The Biewer Terrier is a uniquely colored toy terrier. Head Coloring - Blue/Black, Gold/Tan and White in good symmetry. Any combination of the following two colors, (Blue/Black and Gold/ Tan); (Gold/Tan and White) in good symmetry is acceptable. Body Coloring - Hair on back is blue/black and white. Amounts of each color are of personal preference with no dominating patterns. No amount of tan hair may be found on the back, belly, chest, legs or feet. A small amount of tan hair may be found around the anus. Chest, Stomach, Legs and Tip of the Tail - White. The white from the chest should come up the neck to cover the chin. Legs are to be white from the elbows and stifles to the feet. Disqualification – any other color or combination of colors other than those that are listed. Gait - The Biewer Terrier moves with confidence and pride. Movement should be graceful, smooth and straightforward without being stilted or hackneyed. When viewed from the side the top line remains level, he gives an impression of rapid movement, size considered. Hind legs should track in line with the front legs, going neither inside nor outside. Tail must be up when in movement. Serious Fault - Hackneyed gait in adults. Temperament - Intelligent, loyal and very devoted to their human family. They have a fun loving, childlike attitude that makes them a great companion for all ages. They quickly make friends with animals of any origin.
The foregoing description is of the ideal Biewer Terrier. Any deviation from the above described dog must be penalized to the extent of the deviation.
Serious Faults - Over 8 pounds; Incomplete pigment on the eye rims, nose, and lips; ears not standing erect; Roach or rounded back; high in front or rear; Hackneyed gait in adults.
Eliminating Faults - Head falls that display topknots or roll overs common to other breeds.
Disqualifications - Blue eye(s); Brown or liver pigmentation of the eye rims, nose, lips and pads. Any other color or combination of colors other than those that are listed.
Page 3 of 3
Effective July 3, 2019
Judging the Biewer Terrier
BY MYRNA TORRES AND GAYLE PRUETT
I t is with great excitement that the Biewer Terrier will be join- ing the AKC fully-recognized breeds on January 01, 2021. It is incredible that this beautiful little dog, which was relatively unknow just a few years back, is now featured in movies, tele- vision, magazines, and product ads. Fortunately for the breed, the parent club, Biewer Terrier Club of America, has developed a very thorough and comprehensive Judges Education Program. With perseverance, we hope to get the breed off to a good start in the show ring and, hopefully, avoid any future conflicts on how to judge and show our breed. BIEWER TERRIER STANDARD GENERAL APPEARANCE The Biewer Terrier is an elegant, longhaired, uniquely colored toy terrier with a breed signature ponytail. The coat parts down the middle, hanging straight and evenly on both sides of the body as though a comb has been used to part it. The back is level, with height at the withers being equal to height at the croup. Although the outline of the dog gives the appearance of a square, the body length is slightly longer than the overall height. The tail is set high and carried well arched over the body, covered with a long luxuri- ous plume. The Biewer Terrier has a lighthearted whimsical, child- like attitude. Although mischievous at times, they are obedient and make a loyal companion. SIZE, PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE Height —at the withers is the same as the height at the croup, measuring 7 to 11 inches. Weight —is between 4 to 8 lbs. Pro- portion —Length of body from prosternum to ischium is longer than over all height, making the dog off square although square is acceptable. Substance —The body is fine to medium boned with a level topline.
Serious Fault —Over 8 lbs.
THE HEAD Expression —Is more human than that of a dog, being bright and intelligent. Eyes —Are medium-sized and may be round or almond- shaped with a crisp, clear countenance. Iris —as dark as possible. Ears —Are small, upright, V-shaped, moderately wide-set and covered with hair except the tips being shaved. They are set to the back of the skull and the base is level with the eyes. Skull —Slightly rounded. Stop —Moderate. Muzzle —One-third the length of the head. Eye rims, Nose, and Lips —Completely black. Bite —Level or scissor bite. Teeth —Straight and even. Serious Fault(s) —Incomplete pigment on the eye rims, nose, and lip; Ears not standing erect. Disqualification —Blue eye(s); Brown or liver pigmentation of the eye rims, nose, and lips. NECK, TOPLINE AND BODY Neck —Moderate in length, free from throatiness. Topline — Level. Body —length is slightly longer than the overall height, although square is acceptable. Chest —Comes to the elbows with a good width. Ribs—Moderately sprung. Underline —Slightly tucked up. Back —Level topline. Loin —Well developed and strong. Tail—Set high, when in movement carried well arched over the body in a graceful sickle curve, covered with a long luxurious plume. The plume lies to either side of the body. The length of tail- bone must go to the stifles or longer. When reposed, the tail may be relaxed. A kink in the tail is not to be faulted. Serious Fault(s) —Roach or rounded back; high in the front or rear. FOREQUARTERS Forelegs —Should be straight, elbows neither in nor out. Angu- lation —Moderate. Shoulders —Nicely laid back to allow for good reach and freedom of movement. Elbows —Set close to the body.
222 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JANUARY 2021
JUDGING THE BIEWER TERRIER
GAIT The Biewer Terrier moves with con- fidence and pride. Movement should be graceful, smooth and straightforward, without being stilted or hackneyed. When viewed from the side the topline remains level, he gives an impression of rapid move- ment, size considered. Hind legs should track in line with the front legs, going nei- ther inside nor outside. Tail must be up when in movement. Serious Fault —Hackneyed gait in adults. TEMPERAMENT Intelligent, loyal, and very devoted to their human family. They have a fun-lov- ing, childlike attitude that makes them a great companion for all ages. They quickly make friends with animals of any origin. The foregoing description is of the ideal Biewer Terrier. Any deviation from the above-described dog must be penalized to the extent of the deviation. SERIOUS FAULTS Roach or rounded back; Hackneyed gait in adults; Incomplete pigment on the eye rims, nose, and lips; ears not standing erect; over 8 lbs. ELIMINATING FAULTS Head falls that display topknots, or roll overs common to other breeds. DISQUALIFICATIONS Blue eye(s); Brown or liver pigmentation of the eye rims, nose, lips and pads; Any other color or combination of colors other than those that are listed. Amended February 2, 2019
Legs —Straight when viewed from the front are muscular and covered with hair. Pasterns —Up and straight. Dewclaws — May be removed, but not required. Feet — Round. Toes —Well arched, covered with hair which may be trimmed not to impede movement or trimmed to show the shape of the foot. Pads —Black and/or flesh. Nails —Black and/or white. Disqualification —Brown or liver pig- mentation of the pads. HINDQUARTERS In balance with the forequarters. Angulation —Rear to match front. Legs — Hind legs are straight when viewed from behind, muscular and covered with hair. Stifle —Slightly bent when viewed from the side. Hocks —Straight when viewed from behind, pointing neither in nor out. Dew- claws —May be removed, but not required. Feet —Round. Toes —Well arched, cov- ered with hair which may be trimmed not to impede movement or trimmed to show the shape of the foot. Pads —Black and/or flesh. Nails —Black and/or white. Disqualification —Brown or liver pig- mentation of the pads. COAT Long and flowing with a soft, silky tex- ture. Hair is straight without an undercoat, hanging close to the ground if not touching. The coat maybe trimmed to floor length for ease of movement. Head fall is tied up into a single ponytail on top of the head, hanging loose. Puppy ponytails may be placed a little lower on the head as to gather the short hairs. A bow is used for adornment; no topknots or rollovers. Feet are trimmed for a neat, clean
appearance. Trim around anus. Head falls that display topknots or roll overs common to other breeds shall be so severely penalized as to be eliminated from competition. (Authors’ Note: The hair cannot be teased to make a big poof on the forehead when mak- ing a ponytail. The ponytail must be on top of the head, not in the middle of the forehead. A puppy may have the pony tail a little lower on the head to gather the hairs. This ponytail is long enough so that it should be on top of the head, not down on the forehead. If dogs enter the show ring with these faults, they are not to be put up. Our dogs are not Yorkies and we do not want them groomed like one.) COLOR The Biewer Terrier is a uniquely col- ored toy Terrier. Head Coloring —Blue/ Black, Gold/Tan and White in good sym- metry. Any combination of the following two colors: Blue/Black and Gold/Tan OR Gold/Tan and White in good symmetry is acceptable. Body Coloring —Hair on the back is blue/black and white. Amounts of each color are of personal preference with no dominating patterns. No amount of tan hair may be found on the back, belly, chest, legs or feet. A small amount of tan hair may be found around the anus. Chest, Stomach, Legs and Tip of the Tail —White. The white from the chest should come up the neck to cover the chin. Legs are to be white from the elbows and stifles to the feet. Disqualification —Any other color or combination of colors other than those that are listed. (Authors’ Note: The accepted colors for the head are listed in the standard. Black and white is not an accepted head coloring.)
226 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JANUARY 2021
Developing the Biewer Terrier BY MYRNA TORRES AND GAYLE PRUETT
I am compelled to write this paper because there seems to be so much confusion about our wonderful Biewer Terrier’s coloring and conformation. What should be used for breeding and what should we put in the show ring? Is this bite accept- able? Are these ears ok? How big is too big? Is there enough black/blue on the back and face? Is that tail curled over the back enough? These are just some of the questions being asked. I am constantly told that “so and so” should not breed their dog because it is ugly or it’s too big or too small or it doesn’t have enough black/blue on it or the ears are too big, the hair is bad, etc... First of all, that old saying, “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder” holds true with breeding also. I may think a dog is beautiful and you may think it is ugly. Who is right? I’ll tell you who, BOTH. That’s why we have a Biewer Terrier Breed Standard, a description of the dog that we should be breeding towards. I would like to start out by saying that this is a new breed and it is nowhere near per- fection. Big ears can create two significant problems; not only in size, but they may also have poor placement. They will either sit low, which makes them stick out to the sides of the head, or they will be wide-set and they will stick out diagonally. This will take more time and effort to correct, so make sure you breed with dogs that have accurate ear set and size. Bites create a major challenge when trying to correct. I personally will not breed a dog with a bad bite as it usually takes a few generations to correct. If you do pursue this task, make sure you check the lines behind the mate as far back as possible to ensure that all dogs have had a solid, correct bite. If the dog is HIGHLY exceptional in every other area, I may make an allowance and just make sure that any offspring with bad bites go into pet homes. An undershot/overshot bite can skip a generation and pop up in the next one; this is the reason to check as many generations as possible. At this time, blue eye(s), brown or liver pigmentation of the eye rims, nose, lips, and pads, and any other color or combination of colors other than those listed are the only disqualifications. Otherwise, all dogs may be shown. However, many would be better off just being used in a breeding program—and not in the show ring—or sitting in a lap of luxury. Acquiring dogs that completely fit the standard is going to take a while, so do not take offense when another breeder tells you that your dog needs more color, the ears are too big, the body or legs are long, and so on. Do not try to fix all the problems at once either. You may have to work on conformation first and, when you have accomplished this, move onto the next issue that you may have with your dogs. I personally worked on my conformation first, then my ears, and then the coloring. I have my black staying black, with plenty of coloring on the backs, and am now working on getting more brown in the face. The reason I worked on conformation first was that it is the hardest to get perfect. Coloring can change in one breeding, so I saved it for the last. Don’t get me wrong, I worked on the other issues also, but concentrated on one thing at a time. Just remember, we have a new breed and it is going to take time to get the Biewer Terrier to the perfect state, figuratively speaking, as no matter how long you breed there will never be a perfect dog. Established breeds have gone through many changes and standards before achieving the look they have today. Keep an open mind and look for people to work with to establish a good, solid breeding program.
“Established breeds have gone through many changes and standards before achieving the look they have today.”
228 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JANUARY 2021
Welcome Biewer Terriers TO THE TOY GROUP 2021!
THE VALUE OF A MENTOR
BY DEBARAH BILLINGS
A fter falling in love with this breed, I started my jour- ney with the Biewer Terrier in 2009. At that time the breed was considered a “Rare Breed.” However, we were allowed to show within a few venues that had accepted them. My goal was to learn everything possible about breeding for improvement of structure, health and longevity in this beautiful breed. This was definitely a huge undertaking as I had never bred or shown any breed. Regardless, I was determined! Now to find that perfect puppy. My breeder mentor advised me to be patient as breeders cannot guarantee how a 12-week-old puppy will mature. How does that work out for such a new passion? After contacting the few breeders in our country, I was able to get on a waitlist. I could hardly wait to receive this special puppy! After receiving her, the first task was to find a conformation class, for which I showed up with my Biewer Terrier puppy in a harness and lead. You can imagine the look on my instructor’s face! I placed my puppy on the table, prepared for her initial examina- tion, and the instructor told me, “Lovely puppy, but the first thing we need to do is to get rid of this contraption!” I quickly realized I needed more than a breeder mentor! I found by taking my Biewer Terrier puppy to weekly confor- mation classes, I had the best opportunity to introduce this puppy to the rest of the world. The instructors were kind and gave me advice, cheering me on in order to boost my confidence as well as the puppy’s! You can see that I had a lot of work ahead of me if I were to have a chance of making a difference for the breed. I was fortunate to have a great mentor for teaching me the basics of whelping. Oh, no! What had I gotten myself into? Would I even survive this necessary step? First came the list of supplies that I would need for the arrival of new puppies. My goodness! I thought the mothers could take care of everything! I became friends with the UPS driver as orders began arriving. Dental floss, hemostats, liquid blood stop, lubricant, thermometers, a nice scale for weights, goats milk, Karo syrup, tube feeding supplies? Wait! I faint at the sight of blood! Thank goodness I wouldn’t need any of these for a while. My advice if you are considering this breed is to find a great breeder mentor! I repeat, a great breeder mentor!! At this point, I joined the Breed Club. We traveled to all areas of the country to promote our first Biewer Terriers. The judges seemed to love this new breed and were complimentary. I soon met others who loved and promoted our breed. Although competing for those ribbons was surely competitive, I enjoyed developing friendships with people who appreciate the same passion for this intriguing
little dog. I asked for advice on grooming tips and was pleasantly surprised that a few fellow owners with years of experience gave rec- ommendations freely. I realized that I would soon need advice from others who were successful with drop-coats as my only goal was to show up with my dog looking as if she just came from the spa! It is a work in progress, but I couldn’t have had the successes without my grooming mentors. I enrolled in classes that teach us how to breed better dogs. I implemented this policy immediately and began keeping the best puppy to move the breed forward. (I didn’t realize the instructor did not mean I had to keep one from every litter... After a few years I had accumulated a full house!) It was at that point that I realized I needed advanced training for what “the best” actually meant. I traveled hours in order to attend seminars from leading experts on this matter. My first question for the instructor was, “Can you show me how to locate the rear angulation?” I can still see the look on his face! He must have wondered how I could be a “breeder” and not know this important part of evaluating my dog. I read many books, but I didn’t “get it” until I understood that putting hands on a dog shows so much more. Once again, I needed a different type of mentor! It was called, Evaluating a Puppy. After being accepted into the AKC FSS program, I knew that I had to face another challenge if I wanted to continue: Learning the AKC ring procedure. It was overwhelming, to say the least, but we jumped in with both feet. We began in FSS in order to learn the proper ring procedure. (A different approach than the International Style Shows.) I am sure I showed up at ringside an hour early until I figured out the listed ring time was “on time.” The point schedule in order to obtain the title of Certificate of Merit seemed impossible to achieve, since it required 15 points. After all, there was rarely ever a handful of Biewer Terriers in the ring. We needed 16 in the breed competition in order to earn five points. There were only two options for points in the breed: Best of Breed and Best Opposite. I was fortunate enough to earn several titles in our foundation and Miscellaneous Groups in preparation for breeding future Champions. After five years of preparation for the Toy Group, here we are once again learning a new way to show! Now there’s Winners Dog, Winners Bitch, Best of Breed or Best Opposite. We now start over with earning points that count toward a champion title. Having great mentors in my beginning has prepared me for the future of breeding better dogs. Now I realize that I, once again, need another mentor!
220 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, JANUARY 2021
WWW.TOPNOTCHTOYS.COM
Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9Powered by FlippingBook