Fig. 4: Very Nice Ear and Eye
Fig. 3: Very Nice Head and Eye
“THERE IS A SAYING THAT THE EYES ARE THE WINDOW INTO THE SOUL. This is certainly true with dogs.”
are desirable, but our standard is one of the few that allows for the rims not to be pigmented when the coat around the eye is white. Th e ears are to be small and V shaped, with the ear tip extending no fur- ther than the corner of the eye; however, longer ears are becoming much more com- mon in the breed. Th e combination of both the round eye and the longer ear on a Parson will start to remind you of another breed altogether, since there are several Terrier standards that ask for a round or circular eye. (See figures 3 and 4.)
Th e second part of the table exam which can be di ffi cult is spanning. Parson Rus- sells, Border Terriers, and the Russell Ter- rier are the only three Terrier breeds that require spanning as per their breed stan- dard. Spanning is a very important part of the judging process for the Parson Russell. For Parson Russell breeders, it is always very disappointing when a judge fails to span or does it in a half-hearted man- ner—as if to signify that it means little in their judging process. Th e dog cannot be correctly judged without this procedure.
With that said, if you are going to judge Parsons and you are uncomfortable with spanning, then practice and learn how to span properly until you feel very secure in your ability. Th ere are several ways to span a Parson. Some judges ask to have the dog turned sideways on the table, and then the judge comes from behind the dog to span them. However, I much prefer that the dog is moved to the rear of the table, while the judge walks to the back of the table and spans the dog, still facing forward, from
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