“FINAL NOTE: COAT TEXTURE, QUALITY, QUANTITY AND ITS COLORS ARE OF EQUAL AND PRIME IMPORTANCE, AND ANY OF THE BLUE SHADES ARE ALWAYS PREFERABLE TO BLACK.”
not as small as the Chihuahua. A key to keep in mind is the dog is a Terrier, albeit a Toy one, so instead of say- ing, “It’s only a Toy” and rewarding bad structure, poor temperament, lack of fire, bad mouths and so forth justi- fied by the mantra of “the coat is of prime importance”, a judge should have expectation of a Terrier with the sparkle, fire and working ability of one. Your adjudica- tion will do the breed a great service by challenging the breeders to present this to you. KK: To help clear up some of the problems of color the fol- lowing class by class observations may help. 6 to 9 Puppy Class: In this class you will find a great deal of difference from one puppy to another. The transition from black and tan markings of the newborn can vary greatly. Some will have very dark body coats, very sooty heads and heavy thumbprints. All of them should have the possibility of clearing; however, some will not. As you cannot see into the future, all you can do is pick the best puppy on the day. 9 to 12 & 12 to 18 Puppy Class: Most of the puppies in these classes will have progressed to showing more clearing on the head and the thumbprints should be less black. A great deal of patience is required before you can see the desired gold hair begin to grow in. However, if a puppy show signs of broken blue, the gold will generally come in. A judge does not have to search through a 12- to 18-month-old Yorkshire coat to find a “blue break”. When you have a true “blue break”, regardless of the sooty head, the head will clear. BBE, American Bred & Open Classes: The Bred By Exhibi- tor class is the most difficult class as age is not a param- eter. Many times the exhibits in this class will be much younger puppies. Therefore, be sure to ask the steward the age of the dogs. The age and coat guidelines listed above may then be applied. New judges seldom realize that a soft, densely-coated dog will generally retain this too-soft coat as an adult. Nor do they understand that the Yorkshire with the very black, shiny, silky black pat- ent leather look, rarely achieves the fully broken, even, true steel blue. The key words to remember: the coat should always be cool to the touch—no matter where you are judging.
Final Note: Coat texture, quality, quantity and its colors are of equal and prime importance, and any of the blue shades are always preferable to black. Many Judges have told me that the breed standard does not address soundness. In every breed we judge, we know each exhibit must have two testicles and they cannot be blind. This is not addressed in any standard; however, it’s a given. When Judging the Yorkshire Terrier, there should be a sound body under their beautiful coat. They should not be dismissed as a mere “lap dog” that doesn’t need four good legs. This couldn’t be further from the truth. RO: The standard calls for a tail docked to a medium length. I am seeing Yorkies being shown with natural tails. This is absolutely not correct for a Yorkie being shown in the United States of America. 7. And, for a bit of humor: What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever experienced at a dog show? CH: A few of them come to mind. Eons ago showing one of my sighthounds losing my slip as I was going round and sheepishly having to go back and pick it up. Showing one of my Toy breeds in a long button down dress and as I stood up from a kneeling position I stepped on the hem causing the whole front of the dress to unbutton; I bet the judge wasn’t expecting that view! Having a show-off Yorkie Special competing in obedience in full coat outdoors in the middle of the day, break from the long down then walk over to the table jumping up on the cooler and assumed the down position in the shade. When judging having a Sporting dog youngster get loose from his handler, rather than chasing him his handler and I both got down in the middle of the ring to allow him to come to us while he played the “almost caught me game” all while unknowingly being filmed which later appeared on Facebook. RO: I once saw a lady showing her Yorkie when her slip started sliding down farther and farther below her skirt. When it was nearly to her ankles, she discreetly stepped out of it, tossed it to somebody at ringside and kept show- ing her dog. No one batted an eye!
98 • T op N otch T oys , J anuary 2017
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