Highlights:

· Coat

· Colour

· Head

· Neck

· Forequarters

· Hindquarters

· Gait

· Presentation

     This is a particular area where we feel the breed is in trouble. "Thick and linty" can be applied to almost any coat put in front of you. However, it behoves the breeder/exhibitor/judge to seek out an example of the correct coat. Once I asked a long-time breeder/judge to explain to me what the standard is trying to describe, the reply was, "it is only possible to appreciate this quality when you put your hands on the ideal example." Some years later I finally met an ideal example and realized then how few dogs there are that have the required coats.

     It seems many have read the standard and saw the word "thick" and decided that was it. Not so! We are also told the coat should be "linty," "crisp to the touch," "but not wiry," and, "a distinctive mixture of hard and soft hair standing well out from the skin."

     Why is the correct coat a rarity? In my opinion it is because the more common and incorrect coat (soft, thick, lacking enough guard hairs and usually stark white) is preferred by today's exhibitors who would rather win than present a correct dog, and by judges who would rather put up the flashy looking dog as it would be the popular thing to do (or simply don't know our breed well enough). The soft white coat is very easy to trim to a very glamorous and flashy finish but this should not be the route taken by the true fancier.

     Justification for the correct coat texture: Think about the origin and purpose of the breed. We have here a coalminer's dog able to do the work of all terriers, which is why he was developed in the first place. It is difficult for me to think of the average coalminer sitting down to brush his dog out, bathe it and pluck its ear hair on a regular basis! Rather, they had dogs with coats that would resist matting, shed dirt and not grow mounds of fluff in the ear canals. They had no use for "as much leg furnishings as possible" or soft coat that would get sopping wet in a drizzle and remain so for hours unless a blow dryer was taken to it.

     Faults often seen: Soft coats lacking enough guard hairs to give a crisp, springy texture. These coats are usually white (another fault). Why? Perhaps it is because this coat type is very easy to trim to an even and glamorous finish and meets which success under those who are easily impressed with flash and glamour rather than correct breed type.

     The choice is simple to the dedicated fancier. To get judges to be more educated and to give them something to work with, we must all endeavour to present to them, proper examples.

     The proper coat texture is easily felt when you put your hands on the dog. The guard hairs are plentiful, harder and should feel like little pin pricks on the palm of your hand. This type of coat rarely mats, sheds dirt almost instantly and interestingly enough, seems to never accumulate in any great quantity in the ear canal. No plucking needed!