Judging the Intangibles: The Spar Heard ‘Round the World

Terrier spirit at its finest! These two great Silver Grand Champions face off in the Montgomery County Kennel Club (MCKC) Group ring.
photo courtesy of Rhonda Cassidy

Judging the Intangibles: The Spar Heard ‘Round the World

Many Standards make reference to temperament or other intangible qualities of the breed they describe. Some attempt to define that quality in detail while others simply make the briefest of references and leave it to your imagination or worse, just assume that you know what they’re talking about. Nonetheless, the words are there in black and white and they should be considered if at all possible in your assessment of any given exhibit.

Norfolk Terriers, for example, specify a “perfect demon,” while Irish Terriers go a bit further and state, “It is of the utmost importance that the Irish Terrier show fire and animation.” Kerry Blue Terriers require “definite terrier style and character throughout.” Wire Fox Terriers need to be “…alert, quick of movement, keen of expression, on the tiptoe of expectation at the slightest provocation. Character is imparted by the expression of the eyes and by the carriage of ears and tails.” In the Toy Group, the Chihuahua is “Alert, projecting the ‘terrier-like’ attitudes of self importance, confidence, self reliance.” These breeds and several others give the Conformation judge the opportunity to observe these qualities by “sparring” exhibits. Some breeds, by their very nature, are not to be sparred.

The Bedlington Terrier is one of those on the “No-No List” and there is but a small clue in the Standard. “Aroused, the dog is particularly alert and full of immense energy and courage.” The American Staffordshire Terrier is equally suggestive in that “His courage is proverbial.” Both are perhaps understatements and any attempt at sparring is apt to end badly. Bull Terriers of both varieties and Miniature Bull Terriers are not sparred.

The process of sparring is seen in the terrier and toy rings and is at the discretion of the judge. Whether terrier or toy, it is most properly used when a judge has already determined which exhibits of the class are most worthy and wishes to evaluate the temperament of the finalists. When one decides to spar, you usually have a pretty good idea of what your placements are going to be but feel that it is worth the extra time to confirm and display the required temperament. For a number of reasons, time constraints among them, sparring should not be used as a process for early elimination.

Sparring is not encouraging a dog fight. It’s not even suggesting it. I like to picture two kids on a playground standing toe-to-toe calling each other names. “Yer mother wears combat boots!!!” It should never be more than that. When we hunt for rats on the streets of New York we meet up on a street corner. The dogs are on tight leads, and at that time, they do “stand up.” They’re rarin’ to go and they draw strength and support from the lead itself and their handler behind them. Unintended sparring amongst sporting terriers is a common occurrence. Once the work starts, though, there’s no more name calling and the team effort takes over. It’s no different in the show ring. There’s a time (and a process) to go toe-to-toe and then it’s back to work as usual.

It is for just that reason that sparring can be considered a two-edged sword. It’s a great tool in the hands of an experienced terrier judge and a recipe for disaster if things go wrong or if used improperly. On the one hand, you may find that your “easy winner” lacks the desired temperament (or more likely just a reluctance to spar) and therefor suffers a setback. The chosen dogs may be a bit more eager than either the judge or the handlers intended and may overstep their bounds. Either way, sparring gone wrong creates a problem. You may have to adjust your placements. Still, in the hands of accomplished terrier judges and exhibits being shown by accomplished handlers, sparring a couple of more-than-worthy competitors is the icing on the cake.

Lydia Coleman Hutchinson is a vastly experienced judge of terriers. She was honored last fall to judge the Terrier Group at Montgomery County Kennel Club, the world’s greatest terrier show. A high honor indeed and most well deserved. That show was televised by AKC.TV, which has a strange way of finding its production onto the airwaves of the commercial channels. The adoring, but uneducated public can be overly critical of that which they don’t understand. Always being the consummate judge as well as a great terrier authority, Lydia asked permission of the club to be able to spar her final choices in the ring. The answer from the club (again comprised of true terrierists) was “It’s your ring. You’re in charge. Do as you wish.” Kudos to the club, its officers, and the show chair.

Everything came together that great day in Macungie, Pennsylvania. The weather was darn near ideal, there was a large and quality-packed entry, and the show went off without a hitch. As a Sweepstakes judge, I was invited to sit in the Group ring, so I had the best seat in the house. My fellow judges included the Who’s Who of terrierdom, so the side comments alone were worth the price of admission. We waited through the preliminaries for the main event.

Now, Mrs. Hutchinson judges a lot, and while she’s her own person, many of her methods, her likes and dislikes, are pretty predictable. The first go ‘round, the individual examinations, and gaiting were pretty much classic Lydia. She made a first cut as is typical at Montgomery. There were 14 dogs in that cut because, in Lydia’s words, it was “the best Terrier Group I’ve seen in 60 years of judging.” Each of them a great representative of its breed and many of them worthy of the Group win (which is also Best in Show at Montgomery). True to her word, in front of God and country and AKC.TV, she began sparring some of her finalists; the Cairn, the Scottie, and the Westie. And then it happened. She called upon the Kerry Blue Terrier and the Irish Terrier to spar. Both these dogs were shown by very competent handlers who listened to the instructions regarding placement and movement of the dogs.

When these two dogs, the Kerry and the Irish, came together, the switches were turned on and the results were, to me, more exciting than all but one of my experiences in dogs. The perfectly groomed Kerry stood her ground with full attention while the Irish virtually lit up with fire and animation. For one brief moment they stood, each one showing its breed character and appearing ever so proud of its heritage. For that moment, it was perfect and the sight quite literally brought tears to my eyes. I wanted to stand and applaud, and certainly would have done so had I not been in the ring. Two great dogs at their very best in the most famous terrier show in the world. I’m old, but for me it was the best yet.

Now, sparring is always a momentary thing and isn’t intended to last for more than a few seconds. Think of a flash bulb illuminating a fraction of a second in time. This was no exception. Ultimately, the dogs got closer than intended and with a clap of her hands, Mrs. Hutchinson sent them back to their places. In a later conversation, she admitted that it may not have been the perfect sparring, and it did provoke some comment from viewers and those not familiar with the process. Still, it was a great moment and worthy of note. Photos now hang on my wall. I want to remember these dogs and people just as they were.

Years ago, there was another photo. That one was not intended sparring, but a little bit of name calling on the part of Ch. Galsul Excellence with Peter Green and Ttarb The Brat with Ed Dalton while Josephine Deubler looked on. Not to everyone’s liking perhaps, but true terrier temperament as set out in the Standard. It remains a great photograph, even years later. You had to know the dogs and the people. Actually, the handlers had temperaments identical to their charges.

This isn’t intended to be an article on sparring. There’s a great video of that on YouTube that you can reference for the “Hows,” “Whens,” and “Whys.” This is an article on one way to find true temperament in the dogs you judge and a way to firmly cement your placements by using the intangibles set forth in the Standard. As a handler, teaching your terrier how to spar properly might just give you the winning edge one day. If you’re a terrier fan like me, it can produce a moment of greatness frozen in time. Go for it!