JUDGING THE NORFOLK TERRIER
By Beth Sweigart
I
have bred and owned Norfolks so long that when I fi rst started over 35 years ago they were still called drop eared Norwiches. So much has changed since then. My fi rst Norfolk was bred
I showed dogs with Peter Green while I lived on Long Island running Mrs Read’s kennel and showing mostly terriers, sporting dogs, and a lot of the newly rec- ognized Portuguese Water Dogs. When Joan died I moved to PA with Peter and the Green Team took o ff . We retired from handling in 2006 and have been judging here and abroad ever since. I am currently approved to judge all terriers, and some toy, sporting, and working breeds. I still breed Norwich, Norfolks, and A ff en- pinschers, and show occasionally. I have been honored to judge both the Norwich and Norfolk national specialties and it is about judging the Norfolk which I have been asked to write today. I think when judging any breed the fi rst thing to consider is the outline. Th e silhouette should be distinctive and immediately recognizable. Th e Nor- folk is short backed but not square. He has a slightly longer ribcage not as well sprung as his cousin the Norwich. He has short sturdy legs with good angula- tion fore and aft. He has a hard rough coat that does not appear to be trimmed or scissored. My pet peeve is a dog that has been trimmed with a very short top coat and masses of skirt and leg hair giv- ing an arti fi cial appearance. A correctly groomed Norfolk should look like his coat grew that way naturally. Norfolks should not be top and tailed but should
by John Mandeville, CH Ragedge Are You Ready, “Mu ffi n” is the Norfolk from whom all the Yarrow and Yarrow Venerie Norfolks are descended. When I fi rst had Norfolks I lived in Virginia and Labs were my main breed. It was through Labs that I met Mrs Joan Read of the famous Chidley Labradors and Norwiches. She was my fi rst client as a professional handler and my mentor till her death in 1995. Joan introduced me to John and Pam Beale who became clients and later part- ners and have been now for over 20 years. Our most famous collaboration of course was Coco, Eng Am Ch Cracknor Cause Celebre, whom I showed and Pam co owned with Stephanie Ingram and Coco’s breeder Elisabeth Matel!. Since approximately 1995 Pam and I have co-bred and owned Norfolks and lat- er Norwiches with great success. Having bred numerous Champion, Best in Show, and National Specialty winners under the Yarrow-Venerie pre fi x. We strived to breed sound typey dogs who will be great companions as well as good examples of the breed in type and structure.
stand on their own and be attentive to their handler. After initial assessment on the ground move the exhibit around the ring to see how he comports himself. Many dogs on their toes when they are standing fall apart on the move. Struc- ture and balance can be seen as a dog moves. Th is is the time to check for gen- eral soundness sometimes in a large class it is better to move 2 or3 dogs at a time to give careful consideration to each one as it goes around the ring. Th is is also the time to check topline, length of neck, tail set, and carriage. After your fi rst general assessment of the dog on the move you
“I think when judging any breed the first thing to consider is the outline. THE SILHOUETTE SHOULD BE DISTINCTIVE AND IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZABLE.”
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