SHORT AND SWEET— BUT LOTS TO LEARN
L ast approved by the Ameri- can Sealyham Terrier Club and the AKC in 1974, the Standard continues to guide breeders and judges in their evaluations of the breed—a dog that should be the embodi- ment of power and determination, ever keen and alert, of extraordinary substance, yet free from clumsiness. No fine boned, refined Sealy with a wary or reluctant out- look on life should be awarded in the ring. Our standard calls for the descriptive “strong” six times, and the words “power/ powerful” four times, plus the phrase “of extraordinary substance.” Th ese words leave little doubt about what you want to see. But considering the character and temperament is important too. At its best, the breed is a classic show dog as well as a loyal and entertaining member in his family. While the general opinion is that the breed is not a top candidate for obedience training, individuals have performed amazing feats in rally, agility, obedience, earth dog trials, and so forth. Judges should know that when the Sealy is a happy dog, he is very happy. Th e “devil is in the details;” we want a dog to be about 10 ½ inches at the withers. Size is more important than weight (unless the weight of the dog is a ff ected by condi- tion, or too fine bones). Similarly, a four year old dog shall not weigh the same as any one year old. An important detail for
By Karen Bay
breeders, exhibitors and judges: this is not a long dog. With the height at the shoulder at l0 ½ inches, you need to know that the same measurement applies to the length of the back—in essence a short-backed dog with the often referenced “length” coming from the brisket protruding in front with the front legs set well under the body. Additionally, you see powerful hindquarters extending beyond the tail set in the rear. When you approach a Sealyham on the table, greet him with a word or two to alert him that a hands-on encounter is about to occur. Th is initial contact may also provide a judge with an opportunity to to briefly assess temperament. Regarding details of the head, skull, cheeks, jaws and teeth, again keep in mind the words strong and powerful—no coarseness should be tolerated, but you must remember that the original pur- pose of the breed required great strength. Regarding the head, it will be “long, broad and powerful”—three descriptives that are considered very important to the breed. A large, black nose is important as a little black button of a nose does not “fit” on the head. Th e eye color is very dark, oval in shape—large, round and protrud- ing eyes are a bad fault and furthermore lead to the loss of the keen terrier expres- sion. A lack of eye rim pigmentation is not a fault—but the lack of the “mascara” takes away from the desirable terrier look.
Th e standard includes one sentence regarding head color: “lemon, tan or bad- ger markings can occur on the head and ears or the head can be all white”; many of today’s dogs carry black markings on the head. Color on the head is not a plus or a minus when considering quality and a judge should not be influenced by the “flash” the color often creates. Ears are important in the breed and, much like many of the other terriers, faulty placement or hound-type ears detract greatly from expression. It’s important to note that the fold of the ear should be level with the top of the skull. Your examination will ordinarily go from head to neck to shoulders and front legs. Check shoulder lay back, elbows (tucked in to the rib cage) and legs—with your special attention to pasterns and large compact feet. Don’t hesitate to paw through the furnishings to check for cor- rect front structure and be critical of faulty construction; (i.e., table examination should not stop at the elbows but continue down to the feet). Continuing your examination, a cor- rect body should be substantial and short- coupled, with a rounded ribcage—no slab-sided Sealy, please. Check for a level topline (not a “dip” filled in with hair). Powerful hindquarters are expected and the legs are positioned along the same track as the forelegs. Don’t be deceived by care- fully shaped and groomed furnishings—
“OUR STANDARD CALLS FOR THE DESCRIPTIVE ‘STRONG’ SIX TIMES, and the words ‘power/powerful’ four times, plus the phrase ‘of extraordinary substance’.”
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