A vintage moment: Airedales sparring.
Wed, 11/03/2021 - 5:23pm

To Spar or Not to Spar?

And when is it appropriate to face off those fiery Terriers?

I will never, ever forget my first trip to Westminster, which happened many moons ago when there was still a terrier specialty at the Barracks on the Sunday.

We arrived at the terrier show a little later than planned, but what I saw when entering the hall I will never forget: A ring filled to the max with Smooth Fox Terriers handled by a bunch of handlers who had probably spent as much time planning their own outfits and suits as the preparation of their dogs. And then they were pulled into the center of the ring in groups of three facing each other. It all looked totally amazing, and something I had never seen before.

I was well aware that in a majority of European countries sparring was banned, which I with hindsight now can understand, but will return to that later.

The reason for these lines is a number of questions following what was probably my life’s most exciting judging assignment – Best in Show at Montgomery County Kennel Club, undoubtedly today the most prestigious Terrier Event in the World:

Why didn’t you spar?

The answer for me is very simple. I will happily spar dogs in breed judging where that is “allowed” or even recommended. But as I have always stressed, the picture created by a dog during sparring is not what decides my final placing.

If you have been watching dogs entering the ring that have seemingly no interest in what’s going on, you can witness a total transformation when sparring another dog. (Bitches on a regular basis do not spar as well as most males). Lazy ears raise to the correct position, expression fires up, neck arches, back shortens and tailset improves. If able to maintain all that during the remainder of the challenge, of course that will be part of the decision making, but normally the dogs revert to their more anonymous-looking selves. And the way they display themselves in response to their handlers is what my final decisions are based on.

I must admit that watching the true terrier expression on view during sparring is fabulous.

As already mentioned, I grew up in a world (including both Scandinavia and the U.K.) where sparring was considered unsafe. And rightly so.

In the U.S., this is normally handled by experienced professionals plus of course a number of skillful “amateurs.” Still, there have been occasions where injuries have happened to the extent that dogs had to be excused for lameness. I recall one incident where the top-winning dog in his breed when sparred was attacked by the sparring dog, which grabbed his front leg, eliminating him from further competition. And people in the breed all expressed they thought it was a deliberate action …

If you have ever judged in other countries, or even watched the judging at Crufts on TV, you will have observed the number of lovely dogs who could have been looking so much better in other hands. (In a funny way, I actually enjoy that everybody has a chance.) Whenever I am asked, I always say that when you judge in the U.S. the dogs are served to you on a platter. Presentation in general is at a level where you have to “find” what is wrong with them. In many other countries, the level of presentation is generally the opposite: You actually have to find the dog’s attributes. It is a totally different scenario, and if sparring were part of their procedure, it would definitely not be safe.

Actually, in some countries, even with “no sparring” breeds the lack of handling skills can be rather scary …

When I think of my days showing dogs, I remember a number of times when we showed dogs, normally bitches, who maybe lacked a bit of sparkle, but that we wanted shown prior to having a litter. (In Sweden you had to pay double registration fees if any parent was unshown.) We tried to use competitors to spark them up – which immediately made the opponent move the dog in a different direction. This was the same in the U.K.!

So what we had to concentrate on was the rapport between handler and dog. For Wires and any terrier I showed, I had a squeaky toy in each sock (as I always wanted my dogs to look down and lean forward and not look all the way up at my face, which could easily ruin their outline). And of course with our other breeds – Cockers, Norfolks, Greyhounds and Whippets –sparring was never even thought of. Even if we had a couple of feisty Norfolks who would surely have enjoyed it.

Then what is my excuse for not sparring in the group ring? Time might be one consideration. If you had time, you could add that element for all sparring breeds in an attempt to make more of a show, simply for the entertainment of the audience.

But at the show mentioned I had half and half in the final cut: breeds you spar and breeds you don’t. And it is my opinion that we should follow the “equal opportunity” policy: If dogs who are already top class reach this level at this particular show, sparring might give them an advantage over the non-sparrers.

The wonderful things here was that all the dogs that made the final cut, in themselves and in rapport with their handler as well as the entire world around them, did not need any help from other dogs. And it was a display of PROFESSIONAL handling at the highest level. Which again meant that each and every one of them had done their homework and knew what they were doing!

One year at Westminster, a ringsider who was a Scandinavian Sporting person asked me: Why do they spar all these terrier breeds? Were they really bred to fight other dogs? And if so, why don’t they spar the Bull breeds, which were used in dog fights …

If you have had a kennel – or even a home – filled with wonderful terriers, you will have dogs punished for aggression toward other dogs. We all want to live in harmony. I am very proud of the memory that we, when still in Sweden, could walk the entire kennel population loose on the property: maybe 20-plus (English) Cockers, six or seven Wires, six Norfolks, and an Airedale plus our Great Dane without any incidents. A daily and very joyful experience, which sadly ended due to, of all things, a new Cocker import …

But what I am trying to say is that if you penalize a dog at home for any hostile behavior, sparring is not really an option. What is also interesting is that two of the top-winning terriers ever in this country, both bitches, were rotten sparrers that always pulled their ears back and looked sideways as if to say: This is uncomfortable … Conversely, I could mention males like the Kerry Blue Ch. Torum Scarf Michael and the WFT Ch Galsul Excellence, which both just by entering the ring on their own would catch your attention.

What I find more exciting than anything else is watching a dog entering the ring, full of self-confidence and self-worth, taking an active interest in what’s going on around him and in total synchronization with the handler.

We keep seeing that in most other breeds. Some, like Poodles, are born show dogs (at least many of them), while other breeds may require a lot of work to make them “visible” and catch a judge’s attention. And not all breeds are supposed to display a lot of extra showmanship. But due to the quality of this country’s outstanding group of professionals, most top winners in most breeds are given the opportunity to shine.

If you want a dog or a person to look special, you have to make them feel special, which can be a challenge in both cases.

But if it works, you win!

Until next time …

 

 

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