The Breeder/Owner Handler | Robin Gates

Interview with The Breeder/Owner Handler: Robin Gates

1. How were you first introduced to the sport of purebred dogs? To your breed?

Robin Gates: I used to watch Westminster on TV every year when I was in elementary school and junior high. I would peruse the “D” Encyclopedia and look at all of the different breeds of dogs. The sleek terriers always caught my eye. In 1994, I was ready for my first show dog. I found a picture of a beautiful Standard Manchester Terrier in an ad and I was smitten. I contacted the breeders, Bill and Jo Ann Emrick, and Jazz was mine. I never knew where it would lead but I am so glad that I did.

2. How many years in dogs? How many as an Owner Handler? As a Breeder?

Robin Gates: This year is 30 years in purebred dogs. I have always been an owner handler, but I consider my breeder journey to have begun 15.5 years ago when I obtained my first stud dog. The matriarch of our programs came not long after and Sagacity Manchester Terriers was born.

3. Do you attend show handling classes? Have you attended in-person handling seminars?

Robin Gates: Since I live in the Dallas, Texas, area, we have several options for handling classes. I have attended classes with Verjean Lunenschloss for over 15 years, but I also go to classes across the Metroplex. We are really lucky to have so many choices for working with new puppies, fine-tuning adults, or socializing dogs. I have also attended a few handling and breeder seminars in our area and really enjoy hearing different perspectives and methodologies.

4. Have you found virtual learning tools to be helpful? Videos? Websites? Social Media? AKC Canine College?

Robin Gates: It is very beneficial to have different online options for researching handling, training, and raising dogs. We are really fortunate to have many options for furthering our education and introducing new ways to prepare our dogs and ourselves for the ring.

5. Do you compete in the National Owner-Handled Series? Are rankings important to you?

Robin Gates: I have exhibited in NOHS since the very first year of the competition. I take great pride in being an owner handler who tries to show my dogs to their very best. To me, the biggest compliment is when someone thinks I am a professional handler.

I do love the idea of being ranked in NOHS and being invited to the NOHS Finals every year. I have yet to attend a regional NOHS event, but that is one of my next goals.

6. How important is the Bred-By Class to you? How important are Specialties?

Robin Gates: All of the dogs I show myself are finished from the Bred-By class. It is extremely important that I finish all of my dogs from that class. I am so glad there are Puppy and Adult Bred-By classes now so that I can show multiple dogs in Bred-By at the same time. Specialties hold even more weight, in my eyes, because this is a focused competition against the breed I adore. It is many of the best in the country coming together to compete in one arena. Showing and breeding a rarer breed means we often have no competition at the shows unless there is a Specialty. This makes them even more valuable when trying to find majors.

7. Is it a challenge to compete with your breed as a Breeder/Owner Handler?

Robin Gates: Manchester Terriers are about 80 percent owner-handled in both varieties, and a breeder/owner handler can excel in competition. They are actually a breed that loves their people and prefers to be with their owner, so it is a perfect match for a successful partnership.

8. Who have been your mentor(s) as an Owner Handler? As a Breeder?

Robin Gates: I consider anyone I compete against at any level a mentor because I observe how they handle their dogs and master their display of the dog. The trainers I have worked with always leave me with something to work on and think about, which makes me a better handler. As a breeder, there are so many mentors in Manchesters who have influenced my breeding decisions. Jo Ann Emrick (Wilane) gave me the opportunity to own several of my Manchesters in the early years and provided me with the start in the breed. Marla Zoz (Ambrick) and Judy & Gary Anderson (Oasis) trusted me with my first brood bitch, which kicked off my breeding program. Since then, I glean information from every breeder I talk to and work with. We all can learn something from each other.

9. How important is the Breeder/Owner Handler to the future of the sport? To your breed?

Robin Gates: Breeders are really the only ones who can keep Manchester Terriers going because ours is such a rare breed. It is the breeders who are boots on the ground for breeding, educating the public, and getting Manchesters front and center for the general public to learn more about them.

10. What advice would you give to Owner Handlers who are thinking of breeding their dog(s)?

Robin Gates: Find knowledgeable and helpful people in your breed and in other breeds to provide guidance before you make breeding plans. There is so much to prepare for and understand about being a breeder. You are bringing lives into the world that you owe a lifetime of responsibility to ensure they go to good homes and stay safe. I am very thankful that I spent years showing before I ever considered breeding because it gave me a chance to prepare for my future litters.

11. What are your goals as a Breeder/Owner Handler? Is there a victory that has eluded you?

Robin Gates: My number one goal is to continue to bring the next generation of Manchesters into the world and into the ring so that more people can see them in public. I would love to win a National Specialty one day, but I have been in the ribbons many times and I am thankful for any of the recognition I receive at that level. I also earned an All-Breed RBIS as a breeder/owner handler and I hope to one day earn a BIS. I was injured in early October and have been out of the ring for over a month. I am looking forward to attending the Royal Canin AKC National Championship because it will also be the AMTC National the same week in Orlando.

12. Is there a funny story that you can share about your experiences as a Breeder/Owner Handler?

Robin Gates: One thing that comes to mind is the time we showed in two states in one weekend while in the Northeast. There was an all-breed show in Virginia and a specialty show in Maryland. We showed Bostons in the morning in Maryland, then I drove to Virginia to show my Manchester in Breed. I drove back to Maryland to show in the second specialty show and then headed out to show in the Terrier Group in Virginia. The problem was that I had left all of my grooming and show supplies with my friends in Maryland. The all-breed show I was headed to was a smaller show and had no vendors. I found an exhibitor who gave me a show lead and I wiped my Manchester down with some paper towels from the bathroom. Of course, we did not show well. The judge asked me what happened because my girl and I were a strong team. At that point, all I could do was laugh.