Bull Terrier Judges Critiques

2005 MAJOR TROPHY SHOW JUDGES REPORT -
Mr Nico Botha

It was indeed an honour to be invited to judge the Major Trophy Show again. Thank you to the organizing Committee for a fantastic show, well organized and an event equal to any international Bull Terrier Show. Many thanks, and my compliments to my co-judges Lorraine Louw and Peet Oosthuizen. It was only a pleasure to officiate with you.

There were a number of dogs and bitches that really stood out miles above the rest, and this was most heartening to see. My opinions are my own and do not reflect in any way on the decisions of my co-judges. It was an event that again showed quite a diversity of types, virtues and some instances, alarming faults. I feel that I should comment on this because it is the event where all the top dogs have qualified to be present, but worries me to some extent, that certain dogs, in my opinion, should not have qualified. This, however, is a personal observation, and one that might never be certified because of qualification at All Breed events.

I list below the personal assessment of the Bull Terriers that I selected in the various classes I judged.

SABTC CANDLESTICKS TROPHY FOR BEST IMPORTED DOG -
No 1: Grossgarly Commando of Lorderon [Imp UK]
Big strong white, with good round bone. Strong head with a deep muzzle and small eye. Left ear
soft. Good straight front and decent hindquarters. A good mover both front and rear, good drive
viewed from the side. A dog that has something to offer the breed.

ORMANDY VASE FOR SA BRED DOGS UNDER TWO YEARS -
No 5: Avonjul Astronomer Royal
Quality white with a beautiful head, curved and fitted. Erect ears and small dark eye. A square
dog with a good straight front and decent hindquarters. Good topline, but needed a bit more oomph
and power. Moved well in front. But not too good behind. Needs to mature and should be much
better, given time.

ORMANDY JUG TROPHY FOR SA BRED DOGS OVER TWO YEARS -
No 19: Ch Denerad Mr Ice of Realzista
Big upstanding white with a decent head. Small eye and good ears. A well balanced, square dog with
a good straight front, decent hindquarters and moved true both ways, (when he settled down). Good
topline.

COLOURED DOG -
No 12: Ch Riberts Cold Duck
A lovely square, compact and well balanced tri-colour. Good clean head, could have a bit more
curve. Good teeth and erect ears. Short back with a good topline. Moved true front and rear. Good
front and hindquarters.

ORMANDY VASE TROPHY FOR SA BRED BITCHES UNDER TWO YEARS -
No 33: Dajamani Valnico of Bellators
Quality white with a beautiful curved and filled head. Good ears and a small dark eye. Well laid back
shoulders with a super front, lovely hindquarters. Moved well front and back (in spite of indifferent
handling). A really beautiful Bull Terrier.

ORMANDY JUG TROPHY FOR SA BRED BITCHES OVER TWO YEARS -
No 43: Ch Lubjan Blanc De Blanc of Delvino
A beautiful white bitch. Well balanced, good reach of neck and well laid back shoulders. Decent head
but could have more curve. Super topline, good front and lovely hindquarters. Moved well both ways
and showed like a dream.

BEST COLOURED BITCH -
No 36: Riberts River Rose
Lovely strong, well balanced red. Strong, well filled head with upright ears. Teeth not quite right.
Good round bone with a beautiful straight front, good feet and lovely hindquarters. Moved well both
ways. Very good topline.

BEST COLOURED BULL TERRIER -
No 12: Ch Riberts Cold Duck
A lovely tri-colour dog. Showed beautifully and well deserved winner in this class.

BEST MOVER -
No 16: Ch Bullrage Franceskow of Klapnel
Beautifully proportioned red dog with a superb topline. Moved like a dream both front and rear, with
plenty of drive.

DOG OF THE YEAR -
No 4: Ch & Ch (UK) Neverland Housemaster [Imp UK]
Won on his better substance, superb curved and filled head, in spite of lacking in hindquarters.

BITCH OF THE YEAR AND SUPREME BULL TERRIER -
No 33: Dajamani Valnico of Bellators
An outstanding winner. Superior in overall quality, better movement, strong head, superb topline,
good front and hindquarters - and overall balance. My congratulations to breeder and owner. Well
done!

COMMENTS -
A few specimens had bad feet, splayed toes or "hare's feet" which I feel is bad in Bull Terriers. Bull Terriers should have tight toes and stand "on their toes" instead of between or behind them. Some had "high" hindquarters with bad toplines and very upright shoulders - not desirable and resulting in very short stuffy necks. Hindquarters need more power and drive, with a lot more muscle. A Bull Terrier without strong hindquarters cannot stand his ground in a "fight" - even if we don't fight them. Narrow under jaws are another problem creeping into the breed. The broad, strong under jaws of past generations seems to be disappearing. Please let's not lose it. We need to retain this virtue in our breed. Somehow the current breeders have forgotten about this very valuable virtue in our breed.