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What
Makes a Mini Mighty? Not
size. * Not weight.
Especially not fat! Mrs.
Winkie Mackay-Smith put it this way
“Too
many Standards should be called Bullweilers. Size must be considered whether judging Standards or Miniatures.
One must be able to tell them apart. And there must be more than head and color separating the
Bull Terrier from some Working breeds.”
Male
or female, the Mini-Bull should be strongly built, an agile,
superbly conditioned athlete. Muscle
mass is inherited, as is that short tail, neat ears, and substantial bone.
A Mini with no muscle is absolutely untypical, therefore, lacking in
type. 
While
size separates the Standard and Mini-Bull Terrier, there are other
distinguishing features known and accepted by breeders.
The Mini, still carrying the hot blood of small terriers, is likely to
have a bit more fire, and be slightly more active,
and energetic. When awake that is. Like Ch. Becca, they do sleep soundly and it is this characteristic position
that some laughingly believe accounts for the strangely shaped head!
The
MBT greets life with unfettered exuberance and if his joy in being the center of
attention causes him to be a little “over the top” you will only smile
knowing he will wink at you as you approach the table. When considering the Mini-Bull, you should be as delighted by the
experience as he is!
Examination is
on the table. Glen and Jean Fancy
go over the dog before checking the mouth. More judges might adopt this procedure as it allows you to go over a dog
that welcomes the attention rather than one who has already resisted the
process.
The bite is quickly done as there is no need to count and many exhibitors
will feel it an intrusion to check molars.
You can only judge based on the standard but at the time it was written,
the breed did not have today’s head, therefore crowded incisors, inset
canines, and missing teeth were not at issue. As was pointed out in the Evolution Of Judging, you may find
opportunity to mention that you would not fault a somewhat longer but less
extreme head because this is a breed that needs its teeth….
Size is
difficult to maintain and many of the best Minis could swing the wicket by an
inch. Standards have improved head
type but you will often weigh virtue against a size fault.
Proportion
and Substance. Mini’s may be downright bullish or terrier elegant but substance is
paramount. Most feel that the ideal
is right in the middle, as is perfectly defined by the name. The well-muscled square “Quarter Horse body" is
extremely important. The dog is Ch. Greystone White On White, top
Specialty Winner and Sire. Biff is an outstanding example of head, eye and
ear placement, topline (including arch over loin) proportion and substance.
Head
should be long. As heads
improve, many are “blocked and chopped,” i.e., the foreface has become
shortened in an exaggerated curve, which in some dogs, could be seen as coarse.
It should be strong and deep with underjaw deep and well defined. The
head is egg shaped and filled  completely
up for a reason. Hard for an opponent to grasp, solid unbreakable bone, it is
a battering ram filled with teeth! It is
not only the males that excel in head. The bitch (left) is Ch. Grayoak
Harvetta Wallbanger. Note the high eye placement, neat ears, broad smooth egg
shaped skull, and wonderful expression.
The profile should curve gently downward.
The standard says “gently” so fault the “too cranked”
profile which can result in a “parrot jaw” wherein the lower jaw recedes,
pushed back and dominated by the
exaggerated foreface. The
while dog in profile is Ch. O'BJ Master Of Disaster. The oval
outline (left, front view) is not marred by bulging cheeks or
hollows under the eyes. You may
have to adjust your eye to the unusual proportion of a head that is not equally
balanced but is instead longer from the tip of the nose to the eyes as
shown in the profile view. Both head studies show small ears set well back
on the head, strong deep lower jaw, and good eye shape and size.
Expression.
The smallish dark eyes can be hard to read but there should be no doubt that
this dog is alive! Keen,
determined, and intelligent, ready to take on any challenge.
You know the eyes are well sunken to prevent injury in a fight,
and the piercing glint, rarely seen in the friendly show
ring setting is something not to be forgotten. This dog is all about function. He
is an unexcelled fighting machine and vermin exterminator.
The small, thin ears are disposable.
Sorry but it’s true. Like
the eyes, they are placed high up on the dog’s head for a
good reason – less likely to be grabbed. 
The young bitch (left) has excellent head proportion and expression, small ears,
strong neck of proper length, and lovely color..
The smallish dark eyes can be hard to read but there should be no doubt that
this dog is alive! Keen,
determined, and intelligent, ready to take on any challenge.
You know the eyes are well sunken to prevent injury in a fight,
and the piercing glint, rarely seen in the friendly show
ring setting is something not to be forgotten. This dog is all about function. He
is an unexcelled fighting machine and vermin exterminator.
The small, thin ears are disposable.
Sorry but it’s true. Like
the eyes, they are placed high up on the dog’s head for a
good reason – less likely to be grabbed. The young bitch (left) has excellent head proportion and expression, small ears,
strong neck of proper length, and lovely color.
Teeth
are
important to a fighting dog. The
way they meet is a perfect compromise between the Bulldog and the Terrier, which
is why either a level or scissor bite is correct. One no more preferred than the other.
Do not judge the Bullie mouth by other terriers any more than
you would judge it by the Bulldog standard.
Teeth should be large, strong and perfectly regular. That means no crowding or spacing that weakens the jawbone or makes
gnawing a bone difficult. The
standard does not fault missing or misaligned teeth but breeders are beginning
to acknowledge the problem. So if
you award a good bite in a head that is correct but without gross exaggeration,
you are doing the breed, and stressed breeders, a favor!
Neck, Topline
Again, the word muscular.
There may be a laugh wrinkle at the corners of the mouth but
the neck should be free from loose skin. Loose skin is a “handle” for the opponent.
You can’t lift his skin nor can you do the pinch for fat.
There will be none. The neck
should be long and arched but that
does not mean swan-like. It just
means longer than a bulldog’s neck. The
back is level but there must be a slight arch over
the loin, which incredibly, many judges fault while forgiving a
slack shoulder or the dip at the withers caused by upright
shoulders.
The pup at right shows a dip behind the withers because he is straight in
shoulder. He has nice length of head which has not yet turned but the
strong underjaw has already gone undershot. He could have more substance
and bone at this age.
 Body
should
be firmly packed with great depth. Esthetically
speaking, a long tail is a give-away to the Dalmatian influence,
as is a whippy tail. For more
practical reasons, the MBT tail is short and thick at the
root (less likely to be injured), it is set on low (protects
the sizable anus without having to be tucked) and is carried horizontally
for the same reason. The
tail tapers to a fine point just like a carrot! Puppies must be faulted for gay tail even though as when showing
dominance, it may be only temporary as in the colored bitch Aust. Ch. Erenden
Roxana, a lovely example of flash, strong head, proportion, good shoulder and
front.
should
be firmly packed with great depth. Esthetically
speaking, a long tail is a give-away to the Dalmatian influence,
as is a whippy tail. For more
practical reasons, the MBT tail is short and thick at the
root (less likely to be injured), it is set on low (protects
the sizable anus without having to be tucked) and is carried horizontally
for the same reason. The
tail tapers to a fine point just like a carrot! Puppies must be faulted for gay tail even though as when showing
dominance, it may be only temporary as in the colored bitch Aust. Ch. Erenden
Roxana, a lovely example of flash, strong head, proportion, good shoulder and
front.
Forequarters. Muscular.
Straight shoulders are a common fault so be sure to reward a very
pronounced backward slope. The forelegs should be of moderate
length and perfectly straight with strong
(unbreakable) bone but not to the point of coarseness. Bowed front legs can be a sign of dwarfism and are not found on strong
and upright pasterns. 
Hindquarters
are muscular including the inner thigh, therefore the
stance will be wide and parallel making to dog difficult to topple. Hocks are well let down and stifle is well bent
as in the import bitch Ch. Eiraght Wicked Sister at Erenden.
are muscular including the inner thigh, therefore the
stance will be wide and parallel making to dog difficult to topple. Hocks are well let down and stifle is well bent
as in the import bitch Ch. Eiraght Wicked Sister at Erenden.
Although Feet are
round and compact and have well arched toes,
the standard doesn’t tell you those knarley hard hammers come equipped with
equally thick hard, impossible to cut toenails! Only a grinder, used frequently will make Bullie
feet pretty!
Coat
looks
fine and should be glossy but is actually harsh to the touch. Again, not to afford a tooth hold, the skin should fit tightly.
Color The “commonness” of the brindle color was spurned until it
was realized that many genetic
assets were hidden in the dark pigment. Whites
tended to be deaf thus a white carrying brindle is very desirable. The backwardness of early breeders should serve as a red flag to those
who would put color, markings, dentition, or even anatomical faults above
temperament, overall breed type, and health!
White hair is pure white, not flecked with color. The colored Bullie should be predominately colored.
The pair of outstanding colored dogs below is owned by Mrs. Q. Youatt, England.
 Gait
is defined by the jaunty air that fairly shouts Mini-Bull
Terrier. The packed-up,
weight-lifter body moves compactly, cannot single track,
thus the legs should move parallel to each other.
The bulging muscle and broad chest forces the Mini to move
wide in the front. The rear
quarters do not so much “drive” as they maintain balance while affording
quick agility. Side
gait is free and easy but will not have the reach and drive
associated with a narrow-bodied breed. The
simple act of getting from one place to another is a “big adventure” for the
Mini and his care-free, confident, exuberance says “I’m the best natured
Gladiator you’ll ever meet!”
Temperament is
full of fire and courageous. He fears nothing. A dog
that shakes on the table or cringes on the floor does not deserve to be seen in
the Bull Terrier ring! The Bullie
is amenable to discipline and it’s a good thing for
he’s just like a little boy caught with a 
frog in his pocket, apologetic
and promising to never be bad again! The pup to the right has
remarkable head, type, and substance but the front is weak and turned out at
this age.
Faults are judged in exact proportion to its degree.
A significant statement. Award for virtue and fault only to the
degree he departs from the ideal. A
slightly undershot bite is only a slight fault because a level bite is
correct. A large ear on an
otherwise correct head is only a slight fault compared to narrow body, weak
quarters, or fine bone, all of which interfere with function. The
mature Ch. "Casper" (below) is an outstanding example of proportion,
outline, neck, and head.
POINTS
TO CONSIDER: Diane
Foote is a member of the Bull Terrier Club Of America JEC and
 judges breeds in
two Groups. She makes many good
points in a December 1999 Dog News article, explaining the confusion judges
often experience, having been told the Bull Terrier is a head breed. Diane explains “the BT is first of all a Terrier.
It is not just a head.” She
then brings up something we all need to consider “Lately I have noticed some
lovely arched profiles, but the overall head is lacking in depth and width.
An extremely arched over head, while pleasing to the eye, without the
proper width and depth is totally incorrect.”
Ms.
Foote calls attention to the fact that exhibitors do not usually stay for Group
where they can gain the experience and objectivity of All-rounders. She is quite right in describing the effort people must make to bring a
judge an entry of six dogs and that is equally true for Mini-Bull owners.
Encouraging both exhibitors and judges, she says “If while you’re
judging the Terrier Group, you happen to notice that the Standard Bull Terrier
has stayed to show in the Group ring, perhaps you could give that animal
consideration for one of the placements.” You can see her smile as she adds “…don’t just assume that Terriers
are short and fuzzy. And even if
you don’t place that particular Bull Terrier, be aware that you are witnessing
the beginning of a new way of thinking for the BT breeder/owner, that Bull
Terriers can and must compete in the Group Ring at an all-breed dog show.”
Diane suggest the following point scale “to help clarify
the importance of different aspects of our Standard.”
Head
(not just profile) = 20 Mouth
= 10 General Appearance
= 20 Movement = 15
Neck & Shoulders = 10
Body & Topline = 10
Legs & Feet = 5
Coat = 5 Tail Set
= 5
She
says “….the head, mouth, and general appearance of the Bull Terrier comprise
half of the total points. This
seems appropriate since type must always come first. You will notice that the mouth is worth half the points of the head, so
if there is a good head with a correct mouth, that would count for almost 1/3 of
the total dog.”
Speaking
for all of us, I must say that she’s right. It is very discouraging to be routinely disregarded in Group.
It is a thrill to see a judge’s eyes light up when he or she notices a
good quality Bullie, but then we feel like “what’s the use?” when a
slightly undershot mouth causes them to mentally dismiss. If we continue to show
just to each other, we fear the breed will become ever more vulnerable to
extremism. In order to win under
most breeder-judges, must we let the mouths go in favor of exaggerated heads?
Conversely, to be successful in the Group ring, must bone and substance
be put aside for a narrow dog that single-tracks?
 As
long as judges hold the ribbons, what choice do we have?
Some of us have chosen to just keep our Bullie as a pet and find another
breed to show. Remember what we learned in Evolution? This breed, as much as any, and more than most, is balancing
on the brink of becoming a very Rare Breed – again.
We
ask you to help us. Don’t forgive
that which interferes with health or function and don’t award things that may
be correct in some other terrier but are anathema to the Bull Terrier.
POINTS
TO REMEMBER
Profile
is not flat but has a slight arch over loin. Think “egghead” or “football.”
Eyes and expression are wicked yet full of sparkling good humor.
Movement is jaunty, almost a cocky swagger, tries to single track but
can’t.... Attitude is fearless,
ready for anything, including trotting happily around the ring. Loves people, never met a stranger. Absolutely positively never shy! Ears
small, neat, thin, placed high. Tail
is a short little “carrot” carried horizontally.
The
Mini-Bull is a utilitarian, indestructible four-wheel drive SUV. There is nothing about him that is not designed with purpose.
He is among the most good natured, jocular dogs you will ever encounter.
After all, when you look like a Mini-Bull, you have to have a sense of humor!
On
behalf of all who appreciate “a little bull”
THANK
YOU for coming.THANK
YOU for caring!
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