Adjusting to Reality

From the archives of The Canine Chronicle, July, 2013

By Dr. Gareth Morgan-Jones

On occasion it seems useful and salutary to reflect upon the state of our sport as it relates to how we act in relation to one another, how we go about the business of practicing respect, how we view the central role of sportsmanship in all of the various activities which we undertake. What beneficial effect this might have is anyone’s guess but one never quite knows, especially among newer comers into our midst. And perhaps even some old-timers might welcome a cognitive refresher in this area. It certainly always seems worthwhile to put some thoughts and sentiments regarding this into words. Within the context of liberty and the pursuit of happiness, how do we accommodate our personal aspirations and egos whilst considering the interests and welfare of others? How do we keep such matters in appropriate balance? How do our values and ethics impact upon our collective behavior? Is the whole ethos of our sport as healthy today as it might ideally be? Are we each fully contributing, in our own individual way, to its continued well-being? Are the defining characteristics, sentiments, morality and guiding beliefs of a similar nature, at present, to what they have traditionally been or are we seeing a drift away from that which is honorable and noble? In the cauldron of complexity that is human nature how well or otherwise are we individually able to maintain high-mindedness, kindness of spirit and compassion, those human qualities which involve being sensitive to the feelings of others? Do we always possess sufficient sympathetic consciousness to understand the position of our fellow participants, whatever their role? How does the inherent character of competitiveness challenge our ability to look at our circumstance rationally and responsibly? In the hustle and bustle of the arena, how effective are we at keeping to those intrinsic principles and codes of conduct by which sportsmanship is defined? Are we able to meet the requirements that allow us to exemplify that which is expected of us? Oh, so many searching questions!

As has been suggested previously a number of times (when one has been writing monthly articles for well over twenty years, this tends to happen) the single area where the subject of sportsmanship is at its most critical is surely in the relationship between exhibitors and judges and amongst themselves. These interactions define who we are and what we are all about. A certain mutual accountability and responsibility comes into play. A willingness and obligation to accept a particular premise becomes paramount and dictates how we should behave. There is something assumed and taken for granted here. This is where the respect and comprehension factors impact the most. Ideally, there is an act or action of grasping with the intellect involved here and a certain detachment from emotion may be required. A capacity for fully understanding comes into play, as does an ability to adjust to reality. We have all heard things said about the need and importance for sportsmen to be able and willing to accept, with equanimity and the right disposition, decisions that come their way as to the merits or demerits of their exhibits. Sometimes this is easier said than done! To achieve this a certain appreciation of how evaluative decisions in this regard are reached becomes imperative. In all of this the capacity to make every experience intelligible is obviously central and the power of comprehending is obviously pivotal. This may need some tolerance, patience and forbearance. Quite obviously every exhibitor owes it to himself or herself, as well as to the judge, to look upon the process of evaluating breeding stock in the proper light. By the same token, every judge owes everyone who has entered a dog under him or her an honest appraisal, unencumbered by all the vagaries and idiosyncrasies of human nature.

Where are you going with this, you might certainly well ask. Let’s start here: it should be perfectly obvious that it is very important for exhibitors to possess an understanding of all that is involved in the judging process. Otherwise all hell might occasionally break loose (and does) for reasons that may not be always be fully legitimate. Let us face it, reactions may not always be appropriate to a situation when it comes to winning or losing. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat are, after all, not always elements that are easily contained, especially when raw emotion is allowed to enter into the equation. But without an appropriate appreciation of all that goes into decision-making, things can get highly irrational. Without such there can be very little respect exercised and this is where sportsmanship problems often arise. Full recognition that there will almost always be certain intangibles and variables in play, including subjectivity and the practice of personal preferences, is a good starting point. All this comes with the territory and surely has to be understood and accommodated in order to keep one’s equanimity. We are not dealing here with that which is corporeal. Nothing is exactly set in stone in this regard! An opinion as to relative quality is asked for and delivered. Nothing more and nothing less. A not-unreasonable assumption has to made that each judge will be a true sportsman or sportswoman and will make their decisions based solely on their determination of the respective merits of the exhibits in competition. A certain measure of integrity has to be expected. A judge may do his or her own thing, so to speak, but as long as the methodology is characterized by honesty, an exhibitor should surely have no complaint. A truthful appraisal is being sought and given: as I say, no more, no less. There will be room for disagreement but there should be no lack of respect for that which has been undertaken, for the process. There is a subtle shade of meaning here!

The message must be: don’t blame the process through lack of comprehension and understanding. There is, after all, no exact science involved! Decisions might be simple and rather straightforward to make, on the other hand they might not. It all depends, it varies. When an exhibitor fails to achieve that which is aimed at in the ring, it is always tempting to find reasons or speculate as to cause. It then becomes something of a guessing game. Nothing particularly wrong with this providing he or she rationalizes the situation with some measure of objectivity. There is always a need to remain level-headed when confronted with a not-to-one’s-liking result or situation. No real use automatically assuming that the judge involved lacked integrity, or practiced unacceptable partiality, or was downright dishonest; all of which might amount to more or less the same thing. In some instances this might well be the case but then again it might not. If apparent lack of competency becomes an issue, the exhibitor has the option of not entering under said individual again. What is important, obviously, is that a reasonably accurate determination be made as to why. Trouble is, in all of this an appearance of something can be readily imagined and may not necessarily be based on reality. There may be a very real danger of getting it wrong. Let me hasten to add that the purpose herein is not to make an attempt at protecting judges but rather to advocate some caution. So let us once again run through some of what is involved in the judging process for newcomers and those among us who have a hard time struggling with their emotions every time they fail to realize their ambitions in the show ring. It is sometimes perfectly apparent that some exhibitors, particularly novices, have never given adequate thought to how judging decisions are made. When someone asks a judge a question such as ‘what didn’t you like about my dog?’ you know something is amiss. There is obviously a disconnect between the context in which a decision was made and what goes on in the mind of the dissatisfied individual.

Everyone should, on occasion, be reminded that in judging there are inevitably a whole lot of variables and should adjust their thinking to accommodate this fact. No way of avoiding this. Judges come at their task with different backgrounds, degrees of preparedness and experience, and hence comfort levels. They have to interpret the dictates of standards, they have to make a series of trade-offs, they have to practice a certain connoisseurship, all within a relatively brief window of time. There is a gathering of information by visual observation and physical examination. Then there comes the mental processing of that which is gleaned. This involves the weighing of relative importance, the balancing of pluses and minuses, of virtues and shortcomings. Quite obviously this requires some cerebral dexterity and not everyone is necessarily equally adept at this task. Added to this there are the instinct, intuition and emotion factors. There is also the aesthetic content and dimension. Sportsmen exhibitors need to be aware of all of these various elements. This enables them to view things is proper context. There will always be perfectly legitimate differences of opinion among judges. Witness the results of back-to-back shows! By the very nature of that which is undertaken, subjective weighing of the relative significance of one characteristic or other invariably enters the picture. However knowledgeably and honestly reached the decisions are, there will therefore always be discrepancies. This is an inherent feature of this activity. Recognizing this and comprehending what’s involved is hence very important, as is the need to equitably adjust to the reality of each situation. Enjoying the sport, win or lose, depends upon it. It also makes possible the exercise of respect and recognition of the merit of one’s competition. Winning surely should not be the only thing that motivates participation. Unsportsmanlike behavior is not something that contributes to the well-being of our sport.

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