A Breed Standard is a ‘blue print’ for the ‘ideal’ dog of a breed. Judges must judge to the breed standard and breeders must strive to breed as close to it as possible. In my opinion, if the breed in the show ring deviates markedly from the breed standard breeders should look for mates to CORRECT deviations from the standard.
It does not seem right to me to to change the standard to fit the dogs being produced!!!!
A good judge must know what he is looking for, and, most importantly, how to look for it. In any breed ‘type’ must always be considered. This ‘type’ consists of the breed characteristics and the breed features. Temperament is very important and so is soundness. A sound dog must be able to stand and move correctly for its breed and be free from any disabilities. In addition beauty, balance, symmetry and style all go towards producing an outstanding show dog. Good condition will add an extra sparkle to the qualities a judge is seeking. Judges have a tremendous responsibility to the breeds they accept to judge, since serious faults can creep into a breed if judges ignore them instead of penalising them, and such judging can lead to an undesirable alteration in type.
Good examples of outlines
Since it is the Standard that people are striving to interpret it stands to reason that a Standard should be clear, concise and explicit – but not too rigid. With all Standards some difficulties are experienced, the choice of descriptive words is limited and it may thus be difficult to convey a particular ‘point’. Quality and type can be seen differently through different eyes; the word ‘sound’ is often misunderstood, with few breeders and judges being able to agree about what it is and there is the perennial argument about which comes first – soundness and presentation or type.
It is interesting, however, that regardless of the wording of the Breed Standard, a good dog shines out above the others and generally good judges tend to put up the same outstanding dogs.
The most recent rewrites of the Standards in this country caused a great deal of debate, and there will assuredly be criticism of these until the next ones are produced! Following are my interpretations of the most recently reprinted Breed Standard for the Bedlington Terrier. In fundamentals the oldest and most recent breed standards for Bedlingtons are very similar, but as the breed has changed a little through refinement of the breed over the 150 years or so since the first standard was produced, so the Standard has been slightly altered in content, and it is hoped clarified. Some older standards appear at the end of this discussion
THE BREED STANDARD.
General Standard points.
Actual quotations from the Breed Standard are given in italics.
General : “A graceful, lithe, muscular dog, with no signs of either weakness or coarseness.”
Multi Ch.Dalip Lord of the Rings
Appearance : “Whole head pear or wedge shaped, and expression in repose mild and gentle”.
Characteristics : “Spirited and game, full of confidence, an intelligent companion with strong sporting instincts.”
Temperament : “Good tempered, having an affectionate nature, dignified, not shy or nervous. Mild in repose but full of courage when roused.”
APPEARANCE.The word ‘lathy’ is often used of the Bedlington, some think this may have come from the plasterers lath, a thin strip of wood used as a support; and the word may have been chosen to convey ‘give’ without softness. Our lovely old farmhouse has lath and plaster lined walls, thin strips of wood covered in plaster. Lathy is used to convey the lean muscle and great suppleness which make it possible for the dog to twist and turn, whether it is underground or chasing at speed. The quality is due structurally to the flat sides, which give room for the elbows to work; a medium length back, suppleness of loin and flat bone.
The Bedlington should, when viewed from the side, appear poised on the ground and not placed statically in it, this is one ‘fault’ some tend to have, i.e.; they appear to stand in the ground rather than poised on it.
The long arched neck, stifles bent to give correct ground coverage without exaggerated angulation, together with the correct stance, give the impression which is desired in the breed – of composed but contained speed and power;
COATS AND PIGMENTATION
Standard for coat: “Very distinctive. Thick and linty, standing well out from the skin, but not wiry. A distinct tendency to twist, particularly on the head and face.”
Standard for Colour : “Blue, liver or sandy with or without tan. Darker pigment to be encouraged. Blues and blue and tans must have black noses; liver and sandies must have brown noses.”
blue liver I believe the close up of the liver coat on the right shows an excellent thickness (more difficult to achieve in a liver coat) stands out from the skin and has the correct slight twist. This coat also has the correct “feel” to it.
THE LINTY COAT is a feature which is difficult to define. Some believe the word applies to surgical lint – which could account for some of the ‘bad’ over soft fluffy coats which are a problem in the breed! ‘Linty’ is more likely to be from; ‘Lint- raw cotton ready for bailing’. At the time the word was first used most terriers had harsh coats, dense and weather resisting and resistant to attempts at combing whereas the Bedlington coat was not so harsh and more open. The word linty was perhaps an attempt to describe this difference. The Bedlington and the Dandy Dinmont share their origin, and one feature still similar is their coat. It should not be harsh, but neither should it be soft. It should be dense, twisty and should stand off from the skin.
Colour is a difficult issue, for in many cases coat pigmentation is not all it should be and the intensity of the colour fades a bit in the winter while bitches become much darker round about their seasons.. The standard speaks of “darker pigment to be encouraged”, but this is under “Colour” not COAT colour…many Bedlingtons which have pale body coats nevertheless have GOOD PIGMENTATION, good dark noses, skin etc. Also, some called “livers” are actually sandies which are paler and have paler eyes, noses and skin.
The Standard calls for a pale topknot, but makes no mention of pale leg furnishings. ‘White’ leg furnishings are a product of breeding for the show ring, and some authorities on the breed feel that this development has been associated with the deterioration in pigmentation and texture of the coat. Very dark coloured dogs often have little in the way of leg furnishings and dark colour over much of the legs. A very long time ago the Standard was amended to accommodate the lighter colours being produced because Bedlingtons have silvering genes, diluting genes and so on. If a dog has all the genes leading to “paled coats” it will have a pale coat! However, the SKIN pigmentation may still be good. White poodles, for example, have black skin.
Liver used to be quite common, but whether by accident, or as a deliberate breeding policy, blue became the predominant colour of ‘quality Bedlingtons’ for many years. Interestingly many people report that livers have a different type of personality than blues, with the livers being generally more fun loving and demanding of attention and the blues more independent and ‘sophisticated’. Give me a liver as a companion anytime. I love them, they ARE more demanding of affection, they DO have a sense of humour and are little rascals at getting their own way, but they are generally harder to win with.
Geneticists claim that repeated matings of blue to liver (in other breeds) produces ‘apricot’, some of the paler, beige dogs may be ‘apricot’ and not ‘liver’ or sandy, but this is only speculation. Little has been done on Bedlington coat colour, but a ‘silvering’ gene and a diluting gene are thought to be involved in the change from puppyhood to adult; whether ‘black to blue’ or ‘chocolate to liver’.
Coat pigmentation varies in intensity throughout the dogs life, the causes of this are not yet understood.
Left-Chocolate puppies have good coloured Liver coats when adult.
Right-Coffee coloured puppies grow up much paler (Sandy)
(New born puppies are not unlike small moles! Sad tales are told of litters being discarded by inexperienced breeders, who have thought the bitch must have been ‘got’ by a local mutt of doubtful parentage. The blues are a black shade when born, the livers a very dark brown, which persists for some weeks. The first signs of the silvered, diluted coat starts to show as light “roots”. There are often white patches on the chest and the paws are sometimes white, making the pups appear somewhat like mongrel puppies rather than small Bedlingtons. When an adult Bedlington is injured the coat first grows back in as the puppy colour and may take months to start growing as the adult colour again).
The Kennel Club forbids any artificial colouring of coats. I once overheard a well known Bedlington “personality” telling a newcomer to the breed to rump off her dogs coat then apply Benzyl benzoate to the skin. This substance can chemically burn the skin a little, sufficient to cause some puppy coloured hair to grow in as the coat grows. In my opinion this is a terrible practice!! Additionally, I am led to understand that the substance is no longer sold in chemist shops as it is believed to be carcinogenic. Surely this is a practice carried out to alter the colour and texture of the coat too!!!
Guard hairs are so few in some coats that new owners have been known to enquire if these should be plucked out, which says much about the state of coats in some bloodlines. Without a good scattering of guard hairs through the coat the correct ‘feel’ is not there, but neither should the coat have many guard hairs leading to a more familiar type of terrier coat. Coats almost exclusively of guard hairs are WRONG for this breed.
TYPE
Type varies, and always has done, but much of this is in the presentation rather than in construction. The Bedlington has distinctive differences, which set it apart from other terriers and because of this some judges penalise things such as correct fronts and perfect hare-feet, while admiring things like short backs. Judges who are unfamiliar with the breed often insist on parting the front feet, after you have set up your exhibit nicely on the judging table, in the belief that the front legs should be parallel.
Head & Skull : “Skull narrow but deep and rounded; covered with profuse silky topknot which should be nearly white. Jaws long and tapering. There must be no ‘stop’, the line from occiput to nose end straight and unbroken. Well filled up beneath eye. Close fitting lips without flew. Nostrils large and well defined.”
Eyes : “Small bright and deep set. Ideal eyes have the appearance of being triangular. Blues have a dark eye, blue and tans have a lighter eye with amber lights, livers and sandies a light hazel eye.”
Ears : “Moderate sized, filbert shaped, set on low, and hanging flat to the cheek. Thin and velvety in texture, covered with short fine hair with fringe of whitish silky hair at tip.”
Mouth : “Teeth large and strong, scissor bite i.e. upper teeth closely overlapping the lower teeth and set square to the jaws.”
Neck : “Long and tapering, deep base with no tendency to throatiness. Springs well up from shoulders and head carried rather high.”
THE HEAD
Causes some headaches (ouch!) There is disagreement about ‘how long is long’, for instance, and one result of this is that some trim the head with an exaggerated bump extending well behind the ears at the back of the head. This is referred to by a number of uncomplimentary phrases such as, ‘The rooster comb effect’, ‘the space-helmet’, or (from my husband) ‘like Alien’. Whatever it is called it masks the ‘dome’ of the skull and can make the neck appear ‘ewe’ and is hence to be avoided, even if it does help the ‘ jaw to appear long’.
Some pictures of early dogs appear to show a slight stop, but this apparent stop may have been produced merely by hair having been plucked from the foreface…or may have been just plain bad “art”!!!
Did they really look like this?
The description of the expression refers only to a dog at rest, or very calm. Sometimes this is described as ‘ an expression of extreme boredom’ – a very appropriate description. When alerted ( and little is required to do this, try picking up the car keys as quietly as you can!) the expression is full of terrier spirit and alertness. Bedlingtons have the rather disconcerting habit of staring directly into ones eyes for quite long periods, with a very open, questioning expression on their faces. It is almost as if they are trying to get inside one the better to understand this ‘leader’ figure – perhaps they haven’t thought to consult the Psychology books so don’t know they aren’t supposed to hold eye contact unless being ‘dominant’ at the time!
EYES.
These should be triangular NOT almond shaped (See American Standard), neither should they be round and almost black buttons – this type of eye belongs to other terriers, not the Bedlingtons.
EARS.
The ears should be filbert shaped. A rare but serious fault is for ears to be too small, such ears are usually high set on and look like little tassels and the double fold at the back is missing. Ears may also be too big and thick. A thick leathery ear is a common fault and somewhat ugly. The ears should be fine and feel more or less like chamois leather – soft and thin.
High set ears are often associated with thick cartilage and overdeveloped ear muscles. The ears stick out and the dog, when alert, flies his ears spoiling the expression. The ears must hang close to the cheek. Mrs. Olive Stones once commented, “Then we get the judge who whistles, tosses things like keys etc., what does he want – that the dog should fly his ears?!”
MOUTH.
It is useful that the present Standard defines ‘scissor bite’, for the term ‘teeth level’ can be misinterpreted. A working terrier with incisors meeting edge to edge would suffer pain if it missed the target and snapped on thin air.
Forequarters : Forelegs straight, wider apart at chest than at feet. Pasterns long and sloping without weakness. Shoulders flat and sloping.
FOREQUARTERS –
THE HORSE SHOE FRONT The Bedlington front is unique amongst terriers and the phrase ‘horse shoe front’ is used by some. This term refers to the fact that the legs are wider apart at the top than at the bottom. If the skin is gently pulled back from the chest from behind the neck then the controversial horse shoe shape at the top can be better seen. Without this shape there would not be enough heart room in the chest. Were the legs constructed differently, and attached in a different way at the sloping shoulders, then he would not have his characteristic action. Judges who insist on parting the dogs feet to make the front look more like that of the Wire Fox Terrier also often penalise movement which is in fact correct for a Bedlington.
Well angulated shoulders Sloping pasterns and deep brisket
SHOULDER ANGULATION. A Bedlington needs good angulation both front and back to allow for high speed galloping and also to allow the dog to fold down to weave its way through underground tunnels when hunting. Additionally good front angulation is necessary to allow the feet to be far enough back for the mouth to be forward to confront the fox in its lair.
Correct head carriage and length of neck are important parts of the general picture, as is the set to the SHOULDERS. The shoulders must slope, and should not meet over the backbone – at least two finger widths should separate the two shoulder blades, otherwise how could the Bedlington dig? When trimming care must be taken not to make the dog appear ‘straight in shoulder’.
MOVEMENT.
The construction of the front leads to a single tracking action, which is what some judges misinterpret as incorrect movement. The Bedlington has a ‘mincing gate’ and a ‘Bedlington roll’. Some think that these descriptions contradict one another and ask whether the ‘mincing gate’ is meant to encourage Hackney Action. The true mincing action occurs when the dog is moving at a slow pace, ON A SLACK LEAD IN THE RING, with the head held high and the mood one of readiness for whatever comes along. A Bedlington which does Hackney does so because of constructional faults and is most UNDESIRABLE. When the dog is in full stride and moving with some purpose the head drops forwards, the legs reach out and there is a slight rolling movement. Hence action in the ring varies, often with the speed of the other end of the lead, and judges should be aware of this. When judges complain that ‘ The dog was crossing its front feet’ this is SOMETIMES so, but more often it is because they are unaware of how the fairly close movement of the front legs should look, and other peculiarities of the Bedlington’s action. When a Bedlington gallops it is a truly wonderful sight to behold … and may also be very alarming when one sees ones prize show specimen disappearing in hot pursuit of a hare! Tremendous zest is put into galloping with the whole body, with the hind legs being brought forward on either side of the ears, as in Whippets and Greyhounds. Obviously the legs must be long for him to gallop like this, but they should not be so long as to be not easily snatched away from the snapping jaws of prey!
Body : Muscular and markedly flexible. Chest deep and fairly broad. Flat ribbed, deep through brisket which reaches to elbow. Back has natural arch over loin creating a definite tuck-up of underline. Body slightly greater in length than height.
Hindquarters : Muscular and of moderate length, arched loin with curved topline immediately above loins. Hind legs have the appearance of being longer than the forelegs. The hocks strong and well let down, turning neither in nor out.
The Standard speaks of the hind legs appearing longer than the front legs, this is associated with the correct positioning of the back curvature which should be at its highest over the loin. A true roached back is often a deformity in other breeds, this being one reason why the word has been dropped from the Standard. The amended statement is ‘Arched loin with curved topline immediately above the loins’, which wording also goes some way towards allowing the incorrect ‘Camel backs’ and ‘Wheel backs’ to be more readily recognisable as wrong.
Some Incorrect toplines
At one time there were many camel backs, there are still a few about but nothing like as many. A camel back is recognised by the topline having its high point just behind the withers and falling then steadily away, in a more or less straight line to the root of the tail. The biggest topline fault currently is STRAIGHT toplines, this is in danger of becoming so common judges begin to think a totally flat back on the move even at slow paces is OK, it is not in my book. All Bedlingtons with proper backs will flatten out more the faster they move, but flat at slow paces means they are not holding their topline on the move.
A ‘wheel back’ takes the form of a curve, often very exaggerated, extending from the withers to the tail root. The exaggerated arching of the back produced by the way modern dogs are sometimes set up in the ring may lead less experienced observers to the opinion that the less curved, correctly positioned arch is too flat a topline.
An alarming development of recent years is a pronounced point in the spine midway between head and tail, surely a spinal deformity which limits suppleness of movement. Some dogs have a right angle where the neck meets the body, this destroys the flowing curvature so essential to this breed.
I believe there should be a continuous graceful flowing set of curves from the nose to the tail, acute angles do not have any place on a Bedlington
BODY.
The Standard mentions ‘flat ribbed’, but this should not be taken to mean that the chest should not have any width, side to side, or the dog would have no room in its chest for heart and lungs. The ‘fault’ associated with this is for a dog to be ‘barrel chested’ – this refers to a bulge, rounded in cross section, occurring just behind the shoulders.
PASTERNS,
These should slope but appear strong. On the subject of pasterns – the phrase ‘Hocks strong and well let down, turning neither in nor out’ is technically incorrect, though the meaning is recognised. The word ‘HOCK’ here has been used as if synonymous with ‘rear pastern’. ‘Hock’ here means the whole of the area from the point of the hock to the heel pad, but the hock is REALLY the actual area of the joint – a comparatively small area with the point of the hock at the top.
Feet : “Long hare feet with thick and well closed up pads.”
Tail : “Moderate length, thick at the root, tapering to a point and gracefully curved. Should be set on low, and never carried over the back.”
THOSE TAILS!!!
Tails should reach to the hocks, many these days do not.
A current problem in the UK is the emergence of too high set tails, some are carried sticking absolutely straight out at topline level, making the dog look like a Pointer!!!! Others carry the tail above the top line and it often gets higher as the dog moves round the ring. Talk of it being just because the dog is “dominant”, an “alpha dog”, “exuberant” and the rest do not change the fact that many modern show dogs have WRONG tail sets..the tail is set on too high.
A too high set tail cannot rest in the graceful scimitar shaped curve required by the standard since the beginnings of Bedlingtons. The owners can be heard telling the dog to “get your tail down”…if the tail is set on right this would not be necessary as the tail follows in a graceful extension of the curve over the hip girdle. Too high set tails tell one the dog either has an incorrect slope of the hip girdle, or a too short back or both. The legs cannot therefore be set into the hip girdle at the right angle, hence the entire rear assembly and the REAR MOVEMENT must of necessity be WRONG and STIFLE joints are straightened.
L and R Taller than long..the wrong way round! 
Too straight back legs
ANGULATION
There has recently been talk of “over angulated” Bedlingtons. There are a few whose back legs are so long they sort of “fold up” under the dog when it stands, there are also others where the back legs and/or shoulders are very straight which is equally wrong. A Bedlington needs good angulation to negotiate tight spaces. TOO STRAIGHT back legs are wrong for a galloping breed. I am alarmed at talk of changing the breed standard to accommodate the overly straight back legs of today. interestingly, those with dogs with too straight legs try to convince non-breed specialists and breed people alike that straightish legs are OK..not in my book!
over angulated
Size : “Height about sixteen inches at the withers. This allows for slight variation below in the case of a bitch and above in the case of a dog. Weight should be between eighteen and twenty-three pounds.”
Size always has varied and probably always will vary but today there are some very, very small bitches, fourteen or less inches and some very, very big dogs at least 18 inches at the withers. Judges give these CCs so there is no incentive to breed for breed standard size. I have many dogs and bitches spot on breed standard, Ch Honeymist Art Tatum, for instance, is sixteen and a half inches at the withers, measured with a proper measure. In the ring he sometimes looks like a small dog next to all the bigger ones, and some judges seem to go for the “norm” in the class. It is easy to measure from fingertips to elbow on ones arm and use this to check on ones “eye” for the actual size.
FAULTS “Any departure from the foregoing points should be considered a fault and the seriousness with which the fault should be regarded should be in exact proportion to its degree.”
We are always told not to fault judge, but when an exhibit is presented for one to judge which has glaring faults I defy anyone to totally ignore these and ONLY look at the good points. Ignoring bad tails in a couple of animals a few years ago has led to there being many bad tails today, ignoring bad mouths can lead to the fault being passed on to many offspring, poor movement, flat backs, all can be passed on. It is surely a judges duty to the breed they are judging to pick animals which most closely fit the breed standard and do not have glaring faults. I was taught never to judge one dog to another, but each is to be compared to the breed standard and assessed on this alone. I was taught the danger of comparing dogs one is judging to the one you have shown yourself which has had the most success. I was taught to leave personal prejudice at the ring side. I was taught the danger of favouring friends. All of us have a duty to try our best to judge fairly and without fear or favour, otherwise a breed can quickly degenerate and lose important breed type, conformation and movement features.
“NB Male animals should have apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum.”
AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB – VARIATIONS TO BRITISH STANDARD.
Mouth : Lower canines clasp outer surface of upper gum just in front of upper canines. Upper premolars and molars lie outside those of lower jaw.
Eyes : Almond shaped; no tendency to tear or water. Eye rims black in the blue, and blue and tans, and brown in all other solid colours.
Ears : Triangular and with rounded tips.
Feet : Dewclaws should be removed.
Coat : When in show trim must not exceed 1in on body; hair on legs is slightly longer.
Colour : In Bi-colours the tan markings are found on legs, chest , under tail, inside hindquarters and over each eye. The topknots of all adults should be lighter than the body colour. Patches of darker hair from injury are not objectionable as these are temporary.
Gait : Must not cross, weave or paddle.
SERIOUS FAULT. Dogs under 16in or over 17½in. Bitches under 15in or over 16½in
One point of disagreement found in the American Standard is the use of the term ‘almond shaped’ when referring to the eye. The Bedlington eye is not, and should not be, almond shaped. The Standard for the Poodle describes an ‘almond shaped eye’ as desirable for this breed. There is a great deal of difference between the eye of a Poodle and that of the Bedlington – the Poodle expression is totally unlike that of this terrier! The Bedlington has a less long eye with the appearance of a point about a third of the way in from the inner corner. The Bedlington has a greater variety of expression than his poodle friends.
Most of the extra inclusions in the American Standard are useful e.g.. The additional points about teeth and coat colour. One could argue that the ’17lbs’ lower weight mentioned is a little on the low side. A Bedlington should appear capable of doing a good days work and a dog so light might appear too delicate. The specification of acceptable sizes is a useful guide, for although there have been many good yet over large Bedlingtons as well as many good small ones, there is a tendency towards ‘too large’ in some lines.
The American Bedlington trim is quite different from the British-style trim. In general the hair is longer over both body and legs, the hair from the topknot being graded to much longer neck hair than found on British specimens. This trimming can lead to a cloddy looking dog and make the neck appear somewhat thicker and coarser than is desirable to us Brits.
There also is a tendency to leave a clumsy ‘bump’ in the tail.
FROM THE SHOOTING TIMES, 9th SEPTEMBER, 1882:-
‘The recently formed Bedlington Club has published its rules, together with a description of what a Bedlington Terrier should be. The latter description we append as a quick guide to breeders and judges’.
Descriptive Particulars
Skull : Narrow but deep and rounded; high at occiput, and covered with a nice silky topknot.
Jaw : Long, tapering, sharp and muscular; as little stop as possible between eyes, so as to form nearly a line from the nose-end along the joint of the skull to occiput. The lips close-fitting and no flew.
Eyes : Should be small and well sunk in the head. The blues should have a dark eye. The blue and tan ditto, with amber shade. Livers, sandies etc., a light brown eye.
Nose : Large, well angled. Blues and blue and tans should have black noses. Livers and sandies have flesh coloured.
Teeth : Level or pincer-jawed.
Ears : Moderately large well formed, flat to the cheek, thinly covered and tipped with fine silky hair. They should be filbert shaped.
Legs : Of moderate length, not wide apart, straight and square set, and with good sized feet which are rather long.
Tail : Thick at the root, tapering to a point, slightly feathered on lower side, 9 in. to 11in long, and scimitar shaped.
Neck : Neck long, deep at the base, rising well from shoulders, which should be flat
Shoulders : Should be flat.
Body : Long and well proportioned, flat ribbed, and deep, not wide in chest, slightly arched back, well ribbed up, with light quarters.
Coat : Hard, with close bottom, and not laying flat to sides.
Colour : Dark blue, blue and tan, liver, liver and tan, sandy, sandy and tan.
Height About 15 to 16 in.
General Appearance : He is a light made-up, lathy dog.
SOME JARGON USED IN REFERRING TO BEDLINGTON TERRIERS.
BALANCE. When the larger areas of the dog are in correct proportion and relationship, one with another, we can say the subject is BALANCED.
QUALITY. If the small details are in correct proportion, relationship, shape and colour, then we can say the dog has QUALITY. A dog can be balanced without having quality and can have quality in parts without overall balance.
CAMEL BACK. An incorrect formation of the topline, where the high point is too far forward, just behind the withers, with the back sloping down in a straight line to the tail root.
CAT FOOT. A round foot, a fault in this breed.
CHEEKY. When the cheek bones are too prominent or rounded.
CLODDY. Thick set, heavy build.
COARSE. Lacking quality.
COBBY. Short in back and very compact in build. A fault in this breed.
COW HOCKED. Hocks turned in as in the stance of the cow, a fault showing weakness of the hindquarters or lack of courage.
DEWLAP. Loose skin hanging from the throat. A fault in any Terrier. Sometimes called ‘throatiness’, undesirable. However, lack of mobility of the skin is also unwanted.
DISH-FACED. Foreface shallow, scooped out under the eye and nose very slightly upturned. A fault in the Bedlington.
DOME. Skull rounded at the top, a feature of the breed, less pronounced than seen in the Cocker Spaniel.
DOWN FACE. The opposite of dish-faced, fairly common and usually seen with the sleepy eyed look so desirable in this breed.
DOWN AT PASTERN. Weak pasterns.
FEATHERING. Longer hair on legs and ears.
FELTED. Matted coat.
FILL-UP. Upper jaw below the eye, should not fall away but be strong and well developed.
FLAT-BONED. Bones of the leg in section, a Bedlington should not have round boned legs.
FLATCATCHER. An eye catching, glamorous dog of inferior quality.
FLAT SIDED. Ribs sprung, but deep and not rounded.
FLEWS. Pendulous corner of the lower lip. In the Bedlington the lips should be tight with no hint of a flew.
FLYING EARS. Ears not carried close to the cheek, falling further away when the dog points the nose high or when in a wind.
GAY TAIL. Tail carried over the back.
GOOSE RUMP. Ugly round rump.
GUARD HAIRS. Stiff hairs.
HACKNEYING. High, short stepping action. A BAD FAULT.
HARE FOOT. Long foot with well arched, strong toes. Pads thick. As in Whippets, Greyhounds and Bedlingtons.
LOADED SHOULDER. Too much muscle on the shoulder.
PLAITING. Crossing of front legs when moving. Must not be confused with the slight ROLLING action seen at certain speeds in this breed.
POUNDING. Shorter stride of front legs with hesitant, hard step, a bad fault.
RACY. Built on elegant lines to suggest ability to gallop at great speed. This is a relative term and on no account should one consider as desirable the extremely ‘racy’ build of the whippet.
REACHY. With long neck.
ROACH. Curve of the back produced by arched loins. Must not be rigid but strong and supple. Term now dropped from breed standard in favour of ‘curved topline immediately above loins’
SCIMITAR TAIL. Tail gently curved without small radial bends or sudden kinks.
SCISSORS BITE. When the edges of the upper incisors are slightly in front of, but still touching, the lower incisors.
SET ON. A term applied to (1) the junction of skull and ear lobe and (2) the junction of tail butt and rump.
SHALLOW. Applied to the head when it lacks depth, or to body when lacking in depth through the brisket.
SHELLY. Body small & light in proportions and particularly SUBSTANCE.
SHORT COUPLED. Short in loin. A fault in this breed.
SICKLE HOCKS. (I) When hocks are turned out, viewed from behind. (ii) When there is lack of angulation at the stifle but well bent hocks viewed from the side.
SINGLE TRACKING. When footprints are in line.
SLAB-SIDED. Flat sided with insufficient spring of ribs.
SNIPY. Weak, narrow, pointed foreface. Often found in breeds where there is a craze for exaggerated length of head and narrowness of skull.
STEEP SHOULDERS/ UPRIGHT SHOULDERS. Blades narrow and inclined to the vertical when viewed from the side.
STIFLE. Upper joint of the hind leg.
STILTED. Stiff action from non-flexing of the joints.
STRAIGHT IN PASTERN. Vertical pastern NOT correct in the Bedlington.
STRAIGHT IN STIFLE. Should say ‘straight AT stifle’ Fault leading to stilted action and lack of power. Bend required at stifle but not too much of.
STOP. A drop, or step, at the eye, between the skull and upper end of the foreface.
THROWING ELBOWS. Some dogs which stand correctly throw one or both elbows out when they move.
TUCKED UP. Excessive tuck up, result of exaggerated loin arch or small loin girth.
WHEEL BACK. In profile, a symmetrically curved topline from withers to root of tail with little or no suppleness. Unhealthy and undesirable.
WHIPPETY. Ultra racy build losing Terrier characteristics.
