“MANCHESTERS USE THEIR EARS AS A MAJOR INDICATOR OF THEIR MOOD; THEREFORE, WE CANNOT EXPECT TO ALWAYS SEE THE TRUE EAR SHAPE AND CARRIAGE ON THE TABLE.”
much better to let the dog loosen up a bit before the table examination. A true outline of the dog is not always apparent on the table. I never judge toplines on the table. Exactly which breed features are the judge’s eyes and hands searching for during the table examination? As the dog is set up on the table, the judge should be a distance away, taking a profile look. He/she will be looking for a slightly longer than tall silhou- ette. The judge will also check to see if the distance from withers to elbow and elbow to ground is equal. The ta- ble view of these points is more accu- rate at an outdoor show, as grass length can obscure the true proportions. From this profile view, the judge can determine whether or not the Toy or Standard is within the size range called for in the standard. If any entry appears to be oversized, the judge will call for a scale and weigh the exhibit. If the Toy is over 12 lbs., the judge will excuse the exhibit and mark his/her book weighed out/excused. This is not a disqualification, for the “oversized Toy” could be entered as a Standard in the future. If the Standard weighs over 22 lbs., the judge will mark his/ her book disqualified-weighed out. Next the judge will approach the dog from the front and check to see that the front is not too wide and that the shoulders appear well-laid-back. A convex or bulging line, seen from the front, would indicate loaded shoul- ders. The dog’s chest should be well- coated. Judges should fault a thin or sparse coat on the chest. From this view, check to see that bone is adequate, being neither too coarse nor too fine. Remember, this breed should appear ELEGANT while be- ing STURDY . Straight front legs with upright pasterns and a tight cat foot, with the two middle toes being longer, can be checked next.
Examination of the head comes next. The judge should approach the head with an outstretched hand, palm up, offering a gentle, non-menacing ges - ture. From a frontal view, the judge is looking for dark, almond-shaped eyes, a flat skull that is not too wide, and a well-filled muzzle with strong underjaw, giving a blunted wedge ap- pearance to the head. The bite is checked next and, as the standard states, either a level or scis- sors bite is correct. Although our standard calls for full dentition, I would advise all judges NOT to pry open the jaw and count teeth as you would for a Doberman Pinscher. A simple raising of the lips to check the bite and to check for premolars will suffice. I do not penalize a missing premolar or two, but I do think that any missing incisors are a much more serious fault. The full front grouping of teeth is an integral part of the grab- bing and holding of vermin, which is the breed’s primary function. Manchesters use their ears as a ma- jor indicator of their mood; therefore, we cannot expect to always see the true ear shape and carriage on the table. Of course, the judge will note that the Toy’s ears must be naturally erect and set well-up on the head. Any other ear on the Toy disqualifies. The Standards ears are naturally erect, button or cropped, with no preference among them. The last check point for the head should be done from the side. Equal length of skull and muzzle with a slight stop and parallel lines of both should be found. The judge should now move to the side and run a hand down over the neck, checking for a nice arch that blends smoothly into well-laid-back shoul- ders. Any abrupt angle here would indicate a steep shoulder angle, which could adversely affect the appearance
of neck length and, of course, will cer- tainly affect the front movement as mentioned. The coat should be short, dense, and glossy, but not soft. We check to see that the forelegs are well- under the brisket. Next, the length of the shoulder blade and the upper arm should be measured. These two bones should be equal in length. Next, both hands should be gently smoothed over the ribs, checking to find a good spring of ribs that flatten in the lower end. At this point, elbows should be checked for tightness to the chest. The ribs should extend well- back. A well-arched tuck up should be evident, starting at the deep brisket. Although the breed should be slightly longer than tall, the length should never be in the loin. The standard calls for a topline that rises slightly over the loin. This is a feature that, I believe, is best judged on the floor. Tail set and length can be checked now. The judge should check for a sloping croup. We don’t want to see a Fox Terrier tail set, high on a level croup. The tail, which should be well-coated, is now checked for length. The tip should not go be- yond the hocks. Tail carriage should be judged on the floor. Stifles are now checked for adequate angulation. From the rear, the judge now checks for well-muscled thighs and well-let- down hocks that turn neither in nor out. Thighs should also be well-coat- ed. Rear feet should also be cat-like, but the middle toes are not longer as are the front toes. As there is a lengthy section on color in our standard, correct color and markings must be checked by the judge. This is certainly best done dur- ing the table examination. All of the tan markings should be a rich mahog- any tan. All markings should be well- defined, with no bleeding of black into tan. Any color other than black and tan disqualifies.
50 • T op N otch T oys , J uly 2022
Powered by FlippingBook