Vicki Edwards of Sugarfoot shares her insights on Yorkshire Terriers, show puppy selection, breed trends, and the dog show community.
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Vicki Edwards
1. Thanks for asking me to offer my perspective in SHOWSIGHT. My name is Vicki Edwards and I live just outside of Atlanta, Georgia. I have been involved in dog shows for 30-plus years. I have bred Yorkshire Terriers off and on throughout those years, when I was not busy specialing some of my favorite Yorkies. My kennel name is Sugarfoot, and was named after my Grandfather. Sugarfoot was a term of endearment that my Grandmother called him.
2. Selecting show puppies is an exciting time. First, I look for an outgoing personality. I want a puppy that stands out from his littermates. The puppy that is nosey, and investigates noises and new toys or anything he finds interesting. One that will stand four-square when stopping, and can easily be hand-stacked. While I like to evaluate them while playing, I limit the time I hand-stack or lead-train while they are changing teeth. Lead-training at this point consists of letting them drag a lightweight lead while playing. By six months, I usually have a puppy that is lead-broken and will table-stack with little effort.
3. I would say that the breed overall is in pretty good condition. Nothing is perfect. From the time I began showing Yorkies, the coats have gotten better as a whole. Our Breed Standard states, “There should be no sooty or black hair intermingled with any of the tan.” I have noticed that some Yorkies are starting to get a sooty muzzle; not just a few hairs, but black. The tan, when they are totally matured, should be a clear tan. I feel breeders need to work on that.
4. First off, recently, our parent club, the Yorkshire Terrier Club of America, has become more involved in providing information through judges seminars, etc. As a club member, I must say this is so important and I am happy to see this moving in the right direction, to offer judges the info they need. Judging Yorkies can be difficult at best without a solid background of good mentoring. Given that each judge interprets the Standard as they see it, please be open to rereading the Standard before an assignment and searching the classes for what the Standard says our dogs should possess. Regarding the number of shows, I’m disappointed to see the number of shows that are lost due to clubs being dissolved for one reason or another. This is one of the most serious issues that we face.
5. This is an interesting question. Social media is used as an advertising medium that is basically very inexpensive, advertising wins that can be shared around the world by the click of a button. One problem I can see with it is photos being Photoshopped. What you see is not always what you get.
6. One of the biggest challenges that dog shows face is continuing to bring young people into the sport. While Junior Showmanship is an excellent tool for nurturing the interest, we need to find additional ways to keep the interest of new exhibitors.
7. Positive changes include the introduction of the separation of age classes for Bred-By Exhibitor. Owner-Handled, whether you care for this program or not, is gaining some respect by the clubs offering rosettes, as in the regular Groups, instead of the simple flat ribbons. And the occasional trophy for our Group wins has been greatly appreciated. The National Owner-Handled Regional Show is new for 2024, so I’m anxious to see how this program will be accepted.
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