Learning Across Breeds And Borders

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76 – August, 2024

By Wayne Cavanaugh

Can judges become experts in breeds they’ll rarely see? Why does the number of dogs we see matter to judging? Why does a judging approval system depend on where you live? And how are those seemingly disparate issues related?

Learning about Breeds You’ll Rarely See

If it seems like more breeds are being recognized lately, it’s because they are. In the past 20 years, a whopping 52 new breeds were added–enough breeds to fill two group rings. Few of those breeds have caught on, especially in entry numbers. Check any judging program and you’ll find that they are represented by zero entries at a typical dog show; when they have at least 4 entries, don’t be surprised if they are littermates with one owner. And that the next time you judge them, it’s the same four littermates. Owners and breeders of these breeds are dedicated and passionate and deserve judges who are fully versed on their breeds. But how can judges learn about a breed without seeing enough of them? While AKC has minimum population requirements, those numbers include dogs that are far too young and far too old to show or breed. And therein lies the dilemma.

Seminars, mentors, and judge’s education materials are wonderful and essential tools. Long-term, however, they are no match for repeatedly seeing good-sized classes of good dogs. Regularly seeing and comparing dogs in numbers is essential for on-the-job training. If we are honest about it, OJT is the most underappreciated judge’s education experience. You weren’t a very good driver when you paid the fees and passed the tests to drive a car–the same is true for judging.

Take, for example, a dedicated judge who happens to live in a country where, for years, they’ve only seen two or three Irish Setters entered in one place. Is it their fault when they stumble when thrown into a ring at a large AKC show and are expected to sort 25 Irish setters? Practice may not always make perfect, but it sure helps! Of course, we have some excellent visiting judges, many of who happen to have had the chance to grow by judging larger breed entries at AKC shows over the years. It is nobody’s fault and there are always exceptions. However, for AKC judges trying to hone their skills on a low-entry breed, or visiting judges who haven’t had the opportunity to see large breed entries in any breed in their home country, the challenge to grow and learn is real.

Visiting Judges

Click here to read the complete article
76 – August, 2024

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Posted by AnthonyA on Sep 5 2024. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.