THE BIEWER TERRIER: A BREEDER’S VIEW
by Debarah Billings
O h Wow! What kind of dog is that? Can I take a photo? How do you pronounce the name? Is it full grown? Where do they come from? These are the questions from people that meet the Biewer Terrier for the first time, as noted recently by breed- er Casey Gilbert with Karisma Biew- er Terriers inWashington State. I was asked these same questions when I started my breeding program and Windsong Biewers with the Biewer Terrier nearly 10 years ago. My very first show was in Orlando Florida in 2009 and I fell even more in love with this little unique looking dog. My life’s goal never included be- ing a dog breeder, but it turned out to be my passion. I wanted to help pro- mote this wonderful little dog in order to get AKC recognition, so I began showing at every possible venue that would allow our breed to participate. The one question we all get is “How do you pronounce the name?” Here is your answer. Beaver like the animal! The breed originated in Germany so the “w” is pronounced as a “v”. I had a great mentor and traveled to seminars taught by the leading authorities on breeding good dogs. When my first litter arrived, I was amazed at how different the color pat- terns were for each puppy. The col- ors were correct, but the black spots
were in different patterns whichmade them even more unique. I kept the best structured puppy and moved for- ward, without regard to color place- ment on the back. As our breed prepares to move for- ward into Miscellaneous in July of 2019, breeders should be breeding toward the Biewer Terrier Standard with emphasis on health, structure, and temperament being the prior- ity. Biewer Terrier puppies can have a color fault such as a small amount of tan on a leg where the black meets the white, or black can sometimes run down the entire leg. Maybe the back doesn’t have any black or blue at all with a perfectly colored head with wonderful structure or perhaps the body has a perfect black saddle and great conformation, but the head color is very light. Some haveminimal tan spots on the toes. What would you choose if a litter has all these different color faults, but one puppy that has your ideal color has a high rear or roach back? I always choose structure over color and as our breed moves forward, I see the color becoming more uniform. Tammy Ryker with Strudl Haus Biewer Terriers says the breed causes so much excitement both to the public and fellow dog show enthusiasts! She gets inquiries fromCairn, Basset, and Chihuahua breeders. She plans her
first litter soon and is busy getting the health testing completed. The Biewer Terrier Breed panel includes DM, PLL, PRA, and Uric Acid. Patellas and Eye Certification with OFA are recommended by the Par- ent Club in order to receive a CHIC number. Several breeders are also do- ing Genetic Diversity testing which is another tool in selecting for a more diverse gene pool, but should never be the only tool utilized in planning your breeding pairs. Gayle Pruett started with the breed around 2004 and was a Yorkshire Terrier and Shih Tzu breeder before finding our breed. She also suggests not only the Genetic health testing but a Super Chem-Cast Blood panel before breeding.
28 • T op N otch T oys , J anuary 2019
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