Wesley’s big eyes, large head and long, curved body don’t just make this Dandie Dinmont Terrier adorable to look at, these are in fact some of the features contributing to his 2016 win as Best of Breed at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. And Amy Judge, Wesley’s owner, is now the first junior level handler to bring home a Best of Breed title for a Dandie Dinmont Terrier.
Discovering an adoration for Dandie Dinmonts
For Amy, a Ferndale High School student, getting to this point in the competition meant a lot of hard work, dedication and passion; a passion that began when Amy went to a dog show in Monroe with her brother. Here, she came face to face with her first Dandie Dinmont, and it was love at first sight.
Looking for a second dog to get, the family found out about a breeder in Canada who coincidently turned out to own the mother of the dog Amy met in Monroe. After a year of waiting, she got her first puppy — Davey, followed by Wesley — a gift from dog breeder and close family friend, Miriam Couto — five years later after Davey passed away from a battle with Lymphoma.
At this time, Amy became interested in showing and competition. Her interest led her to attend shows with her mom, Janice, where she could begin to observe and feel involved.
“When I was 9, I did my first show,” Amy says. “I just walked in and signed up the day of.”
While the Canadian show at Tradex Center in Abbotsford was a bold initial start, junior handling competitions focus more on the presenter of the dog and how polished he or she can appear while getting the pup to perform the way the handler wants it to.
Amy felt her first show wasn’t quite the impression she wanted to portray and made a decision to become involved in classes where she could learn the training required for smooth leadership with her dog as well as obtain feedback for her own presentation skills — a valuable gift considering feedback is not a component of being judged in competition settings. Winners are announced, but not given suggestions on how they could have done better.
Cultivating her skills as a handler
Shortly after her first show, Amy began attending classes at the Lower Mainland Junior Kennel Club in Cloverdale, Canada. Once a week she met with other juniors, ages 9 to 18, to learn more about dog training. Here Amy learned about showing her own dog as well as practicing with the dogs of other juniors. The instructor, Wayne J Davidson, would provide judging examples in addition to feedback. Training the dogs involved the use of treats and voice commands with clear intention.
In addition to dog training, a lot also goes into grooming. Once a week, wiry guard hairs are pulled out — a process that sounds painful but is not, as evidenced by the way Wesley lays on his side for the experience.
Part of the regular grooming process, great care must be taken when trimming the furnishings — the long mustache and eyebrows these terriers are known for sporting. This is an activity that is more like a work of art than an exact technique.
In addition to all of this, Wesley also needs to be kept clean, which proves to be a challenge at times in the wet and sometimes muddy Pacific Northwest.
Getting to Westminster
In order to land Wesley a spot at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York, Amy had to achieve seven best junior showmanship wins in one year to qualify. This turned into a dedicated 51 competitions that Amy participated in. Once her seven wins were achieved, Amy — and Wesley — were prepared to compete in New York.
While in New York, Amy participated in the Best of Breed show — her win successfully placed her as the first junior to achieve Best of Breed for a Dandie Dinmont Terrier. A rare win for a rare breed.
Though Amy confessedly hasn’t yet seen the “Princess Bride,” it’s hard to not see a resemblance between him and his on-screen namesake.
The handsome gentleman’s terrier who loves to willingly perform to his owner’s wishes while keeping his bold and daring breed traits is described by Amy as “cuddly, clingy, playful and always happy.” Their relationship reads familiarly like an owner of a well-loved pet, with Wesley riding on the passenger seat in Amy’s truck, getting the run of the house, sleeping on the bed, and going on road trips and walks wherever Amy goes — from Custer to New York and back with a Best of Breed title in tow.
