ADDAMO ASKS....
AKC Judges:
Are You Part of the Problem?
Are You willing to be Part of the Solution?
It used to be
that the purpose of dog shows was to showcase your best breeding stock. In my
opinion those days are mostly a thing of the past. It seems that shows today
have become so political and so money oriented that the dogs themselves have
gotten lost in the shuffle. Sadly, the dogs are often stripped of their dignity
by the “win at any cost” tactics put upon them. With that said, I believe it is
reasonable for all exhibitors entered at a dog show to have the expectation that
their entry will get an equal and unbiased assessment by the judge based on
their breed standard. An exhibitor has the right to expect that their entry has
an equal chance of going Best of Breed whether their entry is a class dog (that
includes 6-9 puppy!) or a Special. The AKC Judges Guide tells judges they
should, “Always judge dogs solely on the basis of their condition as they are
presented in the ring on show day.” (emphasis AKC). The judge is
responsible for judging each dog by the breed’s standard. (emphasis mine)
In most cases, entry fees are
the same for all dogs entered. (Some clubs will give price breaks to puppies
and bred by). The judging guide does not state that if there are price breaks
for certain classes that those entries receive less consideration and are not
eligible for Best of Breed. In fact, no where does the guide state that the
Winner’s Dog/Bitch shall receive less consideration for the award of Best of
Breed.
In theory, since a dog show
judge’s duty is to select the best representative of the breeds exhibited to
them, you would expect a dog show to be an equal opportunity sport. You would
expect that every exhibitor should feel confident that they are getting a fair
shake, but are they? With the above facts in mind:
Are you a judge who, if you
disagree with a breed standard, will not hesitate to award your personal
preference, even in some cases when your preference is a fault?
Just two examples are:
1. having a preference
for a specific color and never putting up other equally allowed colors.
2. ignoring the breed standard
for minimum/maximum heights
If you answer “yes”. You are
part of the problem.
Judges should be professional
and their personal preferences should be set aside. The breed standard is the
rule not a guideline. If the standard states that there is no color preference,
what right does a judge have to assert their preference for color? It is unfair
to the exhibitors that have paid their money for equal assessment.
Judges should not penalize
dogs for size when the size of the dog is in standard. Statements like, “I
prefer them bigger” (who cares?) is fine as long as the “bigger” is equal or
better and preferably In the standard. Too often, that is not the case.
For example, if a Samoyed looks to be the same size as an American Eskimo, that
probably means that you have a Samoyed bitch at the bottom of the standard. The
bottom for Samoyed bitches is 19” and the top for the American Eskimo male is 19”. Both are
correct, neither should be penalized just because you dislike one end of the
standard more than the other. In the case of the Samoyed, a judge will often
put up a dog or bitch out of standard, (on the big end) or a dog of lesser
quality rather than reward the more correct dog that looks like an “American
Eskimo”. This is not judging a breed by its standard and it hurts the breed
when judges insert their personal preferences.
Are you a judge who believes you have the right to interfere with a dog owner’s
right to decide what is best for their dog by withholding the award the dog
deserves? In other words you have a dog/bitch that should win BOB, but
you have decided that the dog is too young, too old, the owner too novice, etc.,
etc. to go to the group?
If yes, you are part of the
problem.
Judges are to judge dogs in
their ring based on their standard. Whatever might happen in the Group should
not be of any concern of the breed judge. The breed judge is supposed to award
BOB to the best dog. That is what exhibitors expect and that is what they
pay for. Exhibitor’s do not need nor want judges denying their dogs the
award they deserve due to the judge’s personal speculations on who is ready for
the Group ring. A judge who does this interferes with the dog owner’s right to
make their own decisions regarding their dog. Judges who do not just
judge dogs, but insert their personal feelings as to who might look
better in the Group actually change the outcome because the Group judge is
deprived of actually judging the best dogs.
Are you a judge that knows or has strong suspicions that a dog has been groomed
illegally and you ignore it? Examples might be wigs in poodles or over
trimming in the Golden Retriever and Pomeranian, etc.
If yes, you
are part of the problem
Judges have
the obligation to investigate any suspicions they may have. The AKC guidelines
state, “In reviewing a
class, avoid excessive rearranging of a dog's coat, whistling, gesturing or
baiting. However, do not hesitate to feel out a suspected fault beneath a
highly groomed coat.” Over grooming has become epidemic. Almost everything
in a breed ring today is “sculpted”. A friend of mine recently relayed a phone
called she received from a friend of hers who is a Field Rep. The Field Rep.
asked, “what the %&*#@ is going on with Newfoundlands? She was very angry and
said, “They all look like cookie cutters in the ring!!” Frankly, I don’t know
why breeders and handlers make more work for themselves on dogs that should be
shown in a clean, groomed and natural state. If judges would not reward this,
it would not continue.
Are you a
judge that faults a dog based on your speculation of what the dogs height, bite,
or color might be later?
If yes, you
are part of the problem
The Guideline
states,
“Give absolutely no consideration to what a dog's quality may be at some future
time, or what a dog's condition might have been were it not for some disease or
accident” Enough said.
Are you a
judge who, regardless of the quality of competition, always puts up the ranked
dog even though it may not be the best on that day?
If yes, you
are part of the problem
Please stop
it. This common practice is a total disservice to exhibitors and to the sport
of purebred dogs!
I have heard
some lame excuses for this. One is they do it out of respect for the dog’s show
record. They do it because of all the money spent on advertising. IF
there is a better dog, please do the ethical thing and award that dog what it
deserves on that day. That is a judge’s duty.
Are you a
judge that will not put up a dog unless it “asks” for it?
If yes, you
are part of the problem.
Not all breeds
are the bubbly, crowd pleasing, free stacking stars that “ask” for it. Several
standards state that the breed is reserved/conservative with strangers or when
out of their territory. (Judges are strangers!) Some of those breeds are
Rottweilers, Kuvaszok, Samoyeds, Clumber Spaniels, Bernese Mountain Dogs, Caanan
Dogs and Anatolian Shepherds. The Rottweiler standard specifically warns judges
not to penalize dogs that are aloof or reserved, “as this reflects the accepted
character of the breed.” The Mastiff standard states, “Judges should also beware
of putting a premium on showiness.” If there have been a few dogs in one of
these breeds that were exceptions to the standard’s description, that is all it
is, an exception and the rest of the breed should not be judged and compared to
the “exceptions”. Since the “exceptions” are not displaying the typical
character/demeanor as described in the “breed standard” some might consider that
in itself a fault. Judges should be mindful of the breed standards and the
descriptions of character and temperament. Frankly, I’m tired of hearing,
“well, it is a ‘show”. Unfortunately, it is that kind of thinking
that has turned the purpose and priorities of dog shows (including the character
and temperament of some breeds) up side down. As an experienced breeder, who
would select the dog that simply has to “ask for it” over the dog that has the
best overall qualities of
 the dog you’re looking to breed to? Not all breeds
are going to “ask” for it, but are still exquisite representatives of their
breed and should be appreciated and rewarded when they deserve it. That is a
judge’s duty.
If you
answered “NO” to the above questions, most of us probably already know who you
are and appreciate your dedication to our breeds and more importantly to our
breed standards. It takes an honorable and ethical person to set aside personal
feelings and reward the exhibitor what they deserve on that day.
Gini Addamo
symphonysams@earthlink.net
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