MOVEMENT IS PART OF TYPE, NOT A SEPARATE QUALITY
section to the Standard, which was approved in 1938. An additional hallmark in the breed is the hard and weather-resistant coat. The “Toto dog” oozes with type based on these elements. If you’re a breeder, you must understand what the hallmarks are in order to breed for them, and if you’re a breeder/exhibitor or a breeder/owner handler, you can’t present your dog to its best if you don’t understand how it’s supposed to move. When you pres- ent the breed according to its standard, it allows that standard to come alive in your dog. The standing dog can be stellar, but it is static and motionless. It is only after the dog holds and enhances his own essence in motion that we understand how the his- tory, the function, and the temperament of a breed come alive.
MOVEMENT AS A HALLMARK Let’s look at the Cairn Terrier Stan- dard to see why hallmarks matter. This is a working Terrier breed that is described in the General Appearance section as “…an active, game, hardy, small work- ing terrier of the short-legged class; very free in its movements…” with a “…hard, weather-resisting coat; head shorter and wider than any other terrier…” which is a bold statement when compared to the West Highland White Terrier! The statement “very free in its move- ments” is upheld under the Condition section of the Standard where it states that the Cairn “should move freely and easily on a loose lead…” which tells the reader that the reach and drive is evalu- ated on a loose lead. There is NO Gait
“THE STANDING DOG CAN BE STELLAR, BUT IT IS STATIC AND MOTIONLESS.
IT IS ONLY AFTER THE DOG HOLDS AND ENHANCES HIS OWN ESSENCE IN MOTION THAT WE UNDERSTAND HOW THE HISTORY, THE FUNCTION, AND THE TEMPERAMENT OF A BREED COME ALIVE.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Ms. Lee Whittier has been involved in the sport of purebred dogs for over three decades. Her involvement began as owner, exhibitor, and subsequently, a breeder of Rottweilers. She has also owned and exhibited numerous breeds in three Groups, currently Tibetan Terriers. Lee began judging in 2000, and then took a hiatus for several years to work for The American Kennel Club as an Executive Field Representative. She returned to judging in 2011, and currently judges the Working, Terrier, Toy, and Non-Sporting Groups, eleven Hounds breeds, six Sporting breeds, Bouvier des Flandres, and Best In Show. She has judged throughout the US as well as internationally. Lee is a standing member of Dog Fanciers of Oregon, the American Rottweiler Club, and the Tibetan Terrier Club of America. She is Show Chair for Vancouver Kennel Club and the Terrier Association of Oregon’s January show with Rose City Classic. In addition to judging, Lee Whittier has developed the Dog Show Mentor program, exclusively for owner handlers. This is an online program where owner handlers of all stages and levels learn to develop an individual, strategic approach to showing dogs. She also travels to speak to owner handlers all over the world.
248 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 2021
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