It was a great pleasure to have judged this outstanding handsome young red and white newcomer to the show ring, which already has substantial merit despite his young age (10½ months). A super typey upstanding puppy dog that exudes both power and style throughout, with correct body proportions and who shows himself off to best advantage.  Nice enough head with good fill of moderate length with developed under jaw. Well shaped and placed eye and the ears are set on top of the head. He has a perfect scissors bite with large teeth and correctly placed canines. He has a lovely powerful long neck, leading into well laid shoulders and a straight front with good feet and ample bone and overall substance. He is short backed for his size and has good spring of rib with a tight fitting skin and in hard condition. His hindquarters are well angulated and muscled, but carry his tail a bit too high on the move. He moves fairly well both coming and going, with enough drive, and very importantly, his top line holds true during movement. I would have liked to see a bit more curve on the head and to be hyper- critical, the elbows could be a tad tighter, however in my opinion, both of these slight blemishes should improve with maturity.  A lovely Bull Terrier with a very bright future that was in good show condition on the day and handled well.

Another powerful white youngster (junior class) that has lots of substance, bone and power for his age, who will undoubtedly improve even further with maturity. A different type of dog than the winner, but still displaying lots of quality, combined with true Bull Terrier type. He has a strong head with enough fill and good length of foreface but could do with a stronger under jaw. Correct mouth. Dark eyes with a tri-colour patch over each eye. Ears placed a bit on the side of the head that could be a little stronger, but he is capable of holding them erect when required to do so. Although he has a shortish neck, it merges smoothly into a correct and strong top line and front piece. He has a deep chest and straight front with ample quality bone from top of leg running into the foot. Very good spring of rib and well angulated and muscled stifles and hindquarters. He moves fairly well both coming and going with sufficient drive. I would have liked to see a bit more pigmentation on the nose as well as more animation and a tad shorter back, otherwise a good honest substantial dog with time on his side to mature even more. Not disgraced in any way by the winner.

Black brindle and white bitch (Open Class) that is not yet fully mature, despite her age. She has a very attractive head, sweeping profile and ample fill with good length of muzzle and a well developed under jaw. Dark well shaped eyes that could be a little better placed higher up on the scull. Ears small and thin and placed on top of the head. She has a mouth fault, level bite with tight canines.  She has adequate bone and an honest straight front, but still needs a bit more overall maturity and spring of rib. Her top line is good and her hindquarters well angulated. Her movement in all directions is very good, striding out well in front and wide and parallel in the rear with ample drive.

A classy balanced little white bitch (Minor Puppy Class) that is still a baby of 8 months old. She has a pretty head that is long and strong with a gentle curve from the top of the scull to the tip of the nose, not overdone in any way and feminine with good fill under the eyes and a well developed under jaw. Mouth is perfect in all respects and she has a well developed strong under jaw and a black nose. Small dark eyes set on high with a lovely keen expression. Small, well placed erect ears on top of the head. Good bone and ample substance for her age. She still has a lot of growing to do and with maturity should enhance her overall quality and style that is already present at this young age. She has a sound top line and well angulated hind quarters. Still a bit loose on the move, however, this is to be expected from a puppy of her age. She was handled very well by her owner and she is a very good prospect for the future.

GENERAL REMARKS

On the day, the depth of quality in the dogs shown at this event far surpassed those of the bitches; however, this might not hold true for the quality of the breeding material in the region, as such beautiful dogs cannot be bred out of mediocre stock. The youngsters seemed to dominate the show ring, which is a good sign for the future and a compliment to the breeders.  

There were some very good movers on the day, and long since I have judged a show with as many outstanding true movers, from the five final contenders for this award, the one that was crowned as the Best Mover On Show, was Mr J Slabbert’s CHARLIE OF SUNRAIGE shown in the Open Dog class. 

As a last comment, I would like to caution breeders to be more aware of the tight/in-standing canine problem, generally evident in our breed at large at this moment in time, as a number of dogs and bitches shown on the day displayed this fault.

Nico du Preez      
Bellators Bull Terriers