Welsh Terrier Breed Magazine - Showsight

JUDGING THE WELSH TERRIER

WELSH TERRIER BREED STANDARD: GENERAL APPEARANCE

teeth are large and strong, set in powerful, vise-like jaws. Please note that our standard calls for a black nose—regardless of the season! In order to correctly judge the Welsh Terrier head, you should always use your hand to determine the “full-ness” of the muzzle. Don’t let head furnishings mislead you into thinking the dog has the strength required—feel it! The Welsh standard also calls for complete dentition. It doesn’t require you to count teeth, as in a Dober- man or Rottweiler, but please check the entire mouth for missing teeth and fault accordingly. Keep in mind that the Terrier does his job with his mouth. NECK, TOPLINE, BODY The neck is of moderate length and thickness, slightly arched and sloping gracefully into the shoulders. The throat is clean with no excess of skin. The neck is never to appear swan-like or stuffy. Like every other description in the Welsh Standard, it is moderate and never out of balance with the entire char- acter of the dog. The topline is level. It should not slope and the withers should always be the high point. The root of the tail should NEV- ER appear to be higher than the withers. One of the major problems of the breed is the appearance of running down hill. In judging, I consider this to be one of the most serious faults and one that you will encounter on a regular basis. The body shows good substance and is well ribbed up. There is good depth of bris- ket and moderate width of chest. The loin is strong and moderately short. The tail is docked to a length approximately level (on an imaginary line) with the occiput, to complete the square image of the whole dog. The root of the tail is set well up on the back. It is carried upright. The dog should be viewed from both the side and from above to determine the breadth and depth of the body. The body and length of leg should each contribute equal amounts to the total height of the dog. That is the Welsh Terrier should nei- ther be long or short on leg. When viewed from above, the animal should never appear to lack rib or be over- done. Dogs which are over-done in body will appear to be short on leg when viewed from the side. Among the most objection- able faults I find in a terrier is a low set tail (when the standard calls for a well set tail). In addition, I like to see a fairly straight tail that does not bounce as the dog moves. When a dog is in an excited state, I do not

narrow head. Neither a short-legged bitch or a tall and lanky dog should be rewarded as they lack correct breed type. You may also find a short-legged dog and a tall and lanky bitch. HEAD The entire head is rectangular. The eyes are small, dark brown and almond- shaped, well set in the skull. They are placed fairly far apart. The size, shape, color and position of the eyes give the steady, confident but alert expression that is typical of the Welsh Terrier. The ears are V-shaped, small, but not too thin. The fold is just above the topline of the skull. The ears are carried forward close to the cheek with the tips falling to, or toward, the outside corners of the eyes when the dog is at rest. The ears move slightly up and forward when at attention. Skull—The foreface is strong with powerful, punish- ing jaws. It is only slightly narrower than the backskull. There is a slight stop. The backskull is of equal length to the foreface. They are on parallel planes in profile. The backskull is smooth and flat (not domed) between the ears. There are no wrinkles between the ears. The cheeks are flat and clean (not bulging). The Welsh Terrier head should never be confused with that of an Airedale Terrier, Fox Terrier or Lakeland Terrier. Think of the correct balance as being a series of halves. The skull is ½ the length of the head, the muzzle is ½ the length of the head and the width of the backskull is ½ of its length. Like everything else about the Welsh Terrier, you have a moderate head, not exaggerated in length, width or refinement. The placement of the eyes (fairly far apart) imparts the strength which is required by our standard. A cor- rectly balanced skull with eyes set too close together will result in a foreign expression as will eyes that are not set in the skull. A large, light, or combination of these traits resulting in a “prominent” eye are faults which are unacceptable to me. The ear leather of the Welsh is heavier than that of the Fox Terrier. The muzzle is one-half the length of the entire head from tip of nose to occiput. The foreface in front of the eyes is well made up. The furnishings on the foreface are trimmed to complete without exag- geration the total rectangular outline. The muzzle is strong and squared off, never snipy. The nose is black and squared off. The lips are black and tight. A scissors bite is preferred, but a level bite is acceptable. Either one has complete dentition. The

The Welsh Terrier is a sturdy, compact, rugged dog of medium size with a coarse wire-textured coat. The legs, underbody and head are tan; the jacket black (or occasionally grizzle). The tail is docked to length meant to complete the image of a “square dog” approximately as high as he is long. The movement is a terrier trot typi- cal of the long-legged terrier. It is effort- less, with good reach and drive. The Welsh Terrier is friendly, outgoing to people and other dogs, showing spirit and courage. The “Welsh Terrier expression” comes from the set, color, and position of the eyes combined with the use of the ears. As any class of dogs enters the ring, the primary chore is to discern which dog exhibits those qualities that define breed type. The first thing to understand are the general qualities that define a Welsh Ter- rier. They are WIRE-COATED, BLACK and TAN, SQUARE, SOLID, STURDY AND CONFIDENT. Like most breeds, the operative word in the standard is MODERATE. The Welsh has a “work- ing dog” appearance, however, they should never be coarse, short-legged or unattract- ive. Although the Welsh Terrier is less likely to start a squabble than some other terriers, they should not back down from a confrontation and once challenged will be just as likely to finish any fight. The stan- dard describes the color of the furnishings and head as being tan. They should be a rich tan—or what we more commonly would probably considered to be brown. The black or grizzle jacket are equally acceptable. The eyes are set wide apart, squarely in the head. SIZE, PROPORTION, SUBSTANCE Males are about 15 inches at the with- ers, with an acceptable range between 15 and 15.12. Bitches may be proportion- ally smaller. Twenty pounds is considered an average weight, varying a few pounds depending on the height of the dog and the density of bone. Both dog and bitch appear solid and of good substance. The range in size of dogs and bitches which are being exhibited should be of concern to both breeders and judges. On the small end you have many bitches which are lacking in bone and body and whose legs are not long enough to give them the appearance of a square dog. On the large size, you have dogs exceeding 16” which may appear to be puppy Airedales and lack spring of rib and have a long and somewhat

212 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, AUGUST 2021

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