The Biewer Terrier is moving into the Miscellaneous Group with AKC in July 2019. That means that the breed can be shown at any AKC sanctioned Conformation Events in the US.
We thought to give you some some basic suggestions about how to make sure, that your Biewer Terrier Puppy will qualify to be shown in the AKC ring.
So how do you pick your Show Puppy?
When you are looking for a new puppy to show, there are some basic guidelines to assist you in your search. They are all adorable, so look at how cute they are and get past that to evaluate each potential puppy both as a whole and by individual features. Depending on the age, puppies do change and go through irregular growth periods also called “monkey stage” so know what is typical for that age.
Information to gather:
- Are both parents health tested for at least patellas and eyes? If they are, and passed, then they will be listed on the OFA public Website and have a CHIC number. Ask for copies of the certificates if they are not offered.
- Are both parents DNA tested for inherited diseases? If one parent is a carrier, is the other parent clear of the same disorder? Ask for copies of the results if they are not offered.
- Have one or both of the parents been shown themselves? Have they completed titles? In what venues? If you are looking for a puppy to show in agility, you want active, athletic parents! Is this a repeat breeding? If so, how did the previous litter develop and perform.
- What is the temperament and personalities like on the parents?
Temperament and personality:
- Is the puppy confident, outgoing, active, and eager to do and see new things? Is he easily startled or frightened? If there is a startle, does he recover quickly and approach whatever it is that startled him? Is he eager to please, engage in play, and want to be near humans? Does he have a bit of an “attitude”? Is he interested in everything going on around him?
- When you look at the puppy as a whole … is he alert, bright eyed, and intelligent looking? Do his body parts flow into one another smoothly? Is his tail up? Ears erect? Does he appear to have a sturdy build that is either square or slightly longer than tall? Adult size should be between 4 and 8 pounds, so you don’t want to a very small puppy or a very large puppy. Consult the growth charts for estimated adult size based on age and weight. As he moves around, does he have a confident, flowing gait that covers ground?
Color and Markings:
- The Biewer Terrier has 2 AKC standard colors: black-white-gold and blue-white-gold . Both appear black on a young puppy. Blue colored Biewer Terriers will turn blue around 12-18 months of age and you will only see it if you trim the black hair off. The blue is a diluted shape black and it appears gray and is called “blue”.
There are other colors like Chocolate or Cream (Golddust) etc. out there, but the only color that qualifies to be shown with AKC is Black/White/Gold.
So when you pick your show puppy, makes sure it has the correct color. The Chocolate colored puppies can look ok just like standard colored puppies on some photos, depending on the light. A standard colored Biewer Pup will always have a black nose unless they are still very young, then their noses can be pink or have pink spots. - You also want a symmetrical upper face coloring. Some pups have a so called “split-face” coloring, which means that half the face above the nose is white and the other half is “tri-colored”. Your pup’s face should have a gold colored “tan point” on each eye brow area. The two cheek areas should also have some golden “tan point markings” on each side of the face and on the side of the ears. They do not have to be very big but they should be visible. As your pup’s hair grows longer, the tan markings will become more visible and very beautiful. The area around the eyes can bee black, gold or white. Keep in mind that white hair will show tear stains and require much more maintenance than a darker face coloring. Especially in the show ring, you want your pup to look clean.
The ears should not be white and the chin should always be white. There are different preferences about how much white color the Biewer Terrier can have in the face. A white muzzle or a black or golden muzzle or even a split colored muzzle, a white blaze or not white at all are all different preferences. - A Standard Biewer Terrier should always have a white chest, a white belly, a white tail tip, and all four legs should be white below the knees and elbows.
Make sure you understand basic canine anatomy. There is a lot of incorrect information out there.
Head:
- Are the ears standing erect?
- Are they small and V-shaped, with pointy tips (not round tips)? Ask the breeder to shave the tips so you can see them if this has not already been done.
- Are the eyes round or almond shaped of moderate size with a bright and intelligent expression?
- Are the eyes dark brown? Are the eye rims black? Is the nose leather solid black? Are the lips black?
- Is the muzzle about 1/3 of the length of the overall head? Is there a moderate stop?
- When you check the bite, is it a scissors or level bite? Is the head carried erect on a neck with good length?
Body:
- Is the topline level? (Puppies will sometimes grow at different rates so you may need to rely on the breeder’s photo history to determine topline).
- Is the body square or slightly longer than tall?
- Does the neck blend smoothly into the shoulder/withers?
- Do the legs blend smoothly and gracefully from the body?
- Tail should reach to or past the stifle.
Leg:
- The front legs should be straight whether viewed from the front or the side. From the front they are parallel to each other with the feet/toes pointed forward.
- The rear legs have a well bent stifle when viewed from the side and are straight and parallel to each other when viewed from the back, again with feet/toes pointed forward. Legs need to be well covered with hair. Feet are round.
Coat:
- Is his coat soft and silky? It will be a shorter puppy coat, but should have a straight texture without curl or undercoat. Is there an adequate density of hair?
- The tail hair should form a fluffy plume when he is moving around.
For the boys: Does he have two testicles descended into his scrotum?