would for a Doberman. A simple raising of the lips to check the bite and to check for pre-molars will su ffi ce. I do not penal- ize a missing pre-molar or two, but I do think that any missing incisors are a much more serious fault. Th e full front grouping of teeth are an integral part of the grabbing and holding of vermin, which is the breed’s primary function. Manchesters use their ears as a major indicator of their mood; therefore, we can- not expect to always see the true ears shape and carriage on the table. Of course, the judge will note that the Toys ears must be naturally erect and set well up on the head. Any other ear on the Toy disquali- fies. Th e Standard’s ears are naturally erect, button, or cropped, with no preference among them. Th e last check point for the head should be done from the side. Equal length of skull and muzzle with a slight stop and parallel lines of both should be found. Th e judge should now move to the side and run a hand down over the neck, check- ing for a nice arch that blends smoothly into well laid back shoulders. Any abrupt angle here would indicate a steep shoulder angle, which could adversely a ff ect the appearance of neck length and, of course, will certainly a ff ect the front movement, as mentioned. Th e coat should be short, dense, glossy, but not soft. We check to see that the forelegs are well under the brisket. Next, the length of the shoulder blade and the upper arm should be measured. Th is can be accom- plished by placing one finger (right hand) on the highest point of the shoulder blade and one finger each (left hand) on the point of shoulder and the elbow. Th ese two bones should be equal in length. Next, both hands will be gently smoothed over the ribs, checking to find a good spring of ribs that flatten in the lower end. At this point, elbows should be checked for tightness to the chest. Th e ribs should extend well back. A well arched tuck up should be evident starting at the deep brisket. Although the breed should be slightly longer than tall, the length should never be in the loin. Th e standard calls for a topline that rises slightly over the loin. Th is is a feature that, I believe, is best judged on the floor. Tail set and length can be checked now. Th e judge should check for a sloping croup. We don’t want to see a Fox Terrier tail set high on a level croup. Th e tail, which should be well coated, is
now checked for length. Th e tip should not go beyond the hocks. Tail carriage should be judged on the floor. Stifles are now checked for adequate angulation. From the rear, the judge now checks for well muscled thighs and well let down hocks that turn neither in nor out. Th ighs should also be well coated. Rear feet should also be cat like, but the middle toes are not longer as are the front toes. As there is a lengthy section on color in our standard, correct color and markings must be checked by the judge. Th is is cer- tainly best done during the table examina- tion. All of the tan markings should be a rich mahogany tan. All markings should be well defined with no bleeding of black into tan. Any color other than black and tan disqualifies. Th e judge will check for the following markings: t Head: A small tan spot over each eye and on each check. Th e muzzle is tanned to the nose. Tan extends under the throat, ending in the shape of the letter “V”. t Chest: Tan spots, called “rosettes” on each side of the chest, above the front legs. t Front Legs: Black “thumbprint” patch on the front at the pastern. A distinct island of black is best. Black “pencil mark” lines run on the top of each toe. t Rear Legs: Black “pencil marks” as in front. Tan running up inside to stifle joint. t Rear: Tan under tail and on the vent. t Th e judge must know that white on any part of the coat is a serious fault and becomes a DQ if the white forms a patch of ½ " or more. All of the above features are checked by the judge during the table examination. It must be done quickly, as the judge is expected to complete the total judging of each dog in no more than two and one half minutes. We judges strive to be expedient, while all encompassing. After the table examination it’s back on the ground with a final trot around the ring to confirm what our hands and eyes have found. Manchesters are not a Terrier that should be sparred. Th ey should, however, be alert and keenly aware of their sur- roundings. Th ey may be brought out into the center of the ring to re-kindle aware- ness, but they will not go into sparring
mode. Remember that Manchesters are discerning. Don’t expect them to jump up and give you a big greeting on the down and back movement. Th ey will instead give you a serious visual examination upon their return.
BIO Rodney Herner lives in Bechtelsville, PA. He has been an AKC approved judge since 1993. He currently is approved to judge all Toy Breeds and Toy Group, all Ter- rier Breeds and Terrier Group and 11 Non-
Sporting breeds and Best in Show. His original breed is Toy Manchester Terriers. Rodney bred his first champion in 1958. Since then, he has finished over 60 champions under the kennel name Renreh, including many Toy Group, Best in Show, and National Specialty Winners. Ch. Ren- reh Lorelei of Charmaron, bred by Rodney and owned by Charles A.T. O’Neill and Mari-Beth O’Neill, remains the only Toy Manchester to have won the Toy Group at Westminster. She was also a multi-Best in Show winner. Rodney served the American Manchester Terrier Club as President and is currently the Judges Education Chairman for the AMTC. He served as President of the Delaware Val- ley Toy Dog Fanciers Association and cur- rently holds a position on the Board of Direc- tors and serve as Show Chairman. He is also a member of Morris and Essex Kennel Club where he serves on the show committee and is editor of the Morris and Essex Newsletter . Rodney is also a member of the American Dog Show Judges Inc. and the Dog Judges Association of America. After ceasing breeding and showing eight years ago, Rodney now devotes his time to judging and attending Nationals and breed seminars. He lives with his wife of 43 years, Marilyn, and kids (besides their 37-yr.-old son, who does not live at home) including two Toy Manchester Terriers, a Doberman Pin- scher and a Smooth Fox Terrier. Although he has managed to stick to short-haired breeds at home, as a professional dog groomer of almost 50 years, he has a long background of working with all types of dog coats. Rodney can be contacted via email at renreh@comcast.net.
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