Congratulations to Ley James on his "Forum" letter on "Terrier Judging" in the November, 1982 issue of "National Dog". As he inferred in his letter there are far too many judges who are guilty of aspiring to a Terrier judging licence for no other reason than to compleat their all breeds status. These judges are obviously unaware that to be a good Terrier judge, one must "feel" Terriers.

However, Mr James made a statement on which I must comment:
"....even though a Terrier may not display his temperament at every moment in the ring, it is still there". A statement such as this would have many illustrious ancestors turning in their graves. As has been pointed out to me from birth and as stated in the Fox Terrier standard. " The Terrier should be alert, quick of movement, keen of expression on the tip toe of expectation at the slightest provocation.
CHARACTER IS IMPARTED BY THE EXPRESSION OF THE EYES AND BY THE CARRIAGE OF EARS AND TAIL!

It is the later statement that sets a Terrier apart from all other breeds and if understood will allow a person to "feel" Terriers and not merely judge them mechanically. This statement must be driven into the brain of anyone involved with Fox Terriers. Let us examine it!
For a Fox Terrier to be alert and on the tip toe of expectation at the slightest provocation be must be baited, not necessarily onto the Toy or Gundog or a piece of liver, but he must be alert enough to pick up any sound or movement around the show, naturally set himself up and show to it showing a sparkle in the eye and using his ears. Unfortunately in doing this the dog may not necessarily be side on to the judge and so please do not disturb the dog from doing his best. If the judge knows enough about Terrier Character and spirit he or she will move to the best vantage point to see the Fox Terrier doing what it was bred to do - be a Terrier.

Too often we see the handler turn a dog around side on to the judge and stack him when he should have been left alone because some of our newer breed of judges think that it is the fashionable thing to do or because the handler is too inexperienced to know better. To retain the correct level of alertness and expression they must therefore be allowed to bait. I have found that when a Fox terrier is over trained he loses this alertness and when examined closely you will quite often see this "statue" with its ears back and eyes closed.
You will also find that this "trainer" (I cannot use the word "handler) is using a choke chain at the first sign of alertness (which is a terrier characteristic) the choker snaps at the dogs throat and he is set up side on to the judge with a glazed look in his eye.

The carriage of the ears and tail is a statement which must confuse many judges. If you make a number of unnatural noises such as grunts and squeaks at a Fox Terrier they will quite often put their ears back because they think you are playing. To get the correct movement of the ears something small with a natural sound should be thrown because in my experience it is the movement of a mouse or rabbit that catches the eye of the Fox Terrier, not the noise it makes although the sound of an object hitting the ground will initially catch its attention. If a judge must throw something, it should be thrown at a slight distance and not dropped at the dogs feet - whoever heard of a rabbit or fox running over a dogs feet. The ears should be small enough and well set enough to respond when the dog sees this movement and then will move to the position described in the Standard of being set high, folding at the level of the skull and dropping towards the cheek (in actual fact the "V" points to the outer corner of the eye).

The statement "carriage of the tail" is an interesting one that is obviously not understood by a lot of judges. The standard states "should be set on rather high and carried gaily". This statement coupled with the statement in Characteristics that the character is imparted by the carriage of the ears and tail is probably the most important statement in the standard after "bone and strength in a small compass".

The Fox Terrier is not a Poodle which allows for the tail to be carried at a slight angle away from the body, and it is not a breed which allows for it to be carried down between the hindlegs. In these latter cased, the dog is lacking a basic characteristic of the breed and to award a Challenge Certificate to such a specimen would be the same as awarding a Challenge to a Chow Chow that does not have a purple tongue or a Briard without double declaws on the hindquarters. Indeed I was criticized on one occasion for withholding a Challenge on a Smooth bitch whose tail was so far down that it impeded her movement. To my mind, such specimens lack the basic characteristics of a Fox Terrier - terrier temperament -, a characteristic that should be displayed wether it is raining or century heat.
Therefore it is better to withhold the Challenge than to encourage the display of such specimens.

My provocation for writing this way was that my "terrier spirit" was aroused recently when at a show on a very hot day I saw a Challenge awarded from a lineup that all had their tails down and therefore lacked the main indication of the correct temperament. This judge, who was an experienced Terrier person, should have realised that a fox does not have a day off from being chased and caught just because its hot, so a Fox terrier of the correct temperament would still be alert, on the tip-toe of expectation and look like a Terrier.

Unfortunately many of our modern day exhibitors do not remember the days of large classes at Royal Shows where handlers like my father, Bill Polley and others has their Fox Terriers on the end of a loose lead opened over their shoulder blades accentuating their lay of shoulder (not a choker, as their handlers understood how to control them.) These dogs were always alert looking around for something to show to. If they didnt have this temperament they were not shown, as judges then would have refused awards to exhibits not displaying this basic necessity.

Therefore when breeding, handling, judging or even just admiring Fox terriers please remember that it lacks the most important characteristics of the breed unless it complies to the statement The character is imparted by the expression of the eye and by the carriage of the ears and tail.


This article was taken from "The National Dog" April 1983.