On Sportsmanship

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From the archives of The Canine Chronicle, March 2013

By Dr. Gareth Morgan-Jones

The many types of interaction and collective behavior within any fraternity of individuals is always an interesting subject to discuss and what goes on among participants in the sport of purebred dogs is surely no exception. A look at the way, or ways, people approach whatever type activity they are involved with is always an useful and salutary exercise. There is, one certainly supposes, the potential, by doing so, of having some beneficial effect. This very subject is, of course, multidimensional and in order to do it justice one has to consider such things as behavioral patterns, as well an exploration of motivational forces. Not everyone’s modus operandi and procedural methodology are necessarily the same and neither are the envisaged benefits and satisfaction gained from participation. A wide diversity of human beings enter the world of pedigreed dogs, and conformation competition in particular, for a multitude of reasons, many righteous and ethically-sound; others, unfortunately, less admirable and altruistic. The fabric of our sport is, therefore, oftentimes rather complicated, made up as it is of a range of interests, values, as well as levels and intensity of involvement, all interwoven. Those who participate at any one time come from differing walks of life, with widely varying socio-economic and educational backgrounds, which is, of course, reflected in dissimilar extents and earnestness of purpose. In some ways we have here a veritable melting pot. We have those who practice a profession within the sport and then we have the amateur weekenders. As a result, the playing field isn’t exactly level, inevitably. Given all of this, it is, perhaps, rather remarkable that the sport is in as good a shape as it is.

For some, participation is merely an avocation indulged in either rather casually, or else with some seriousness of purpose. For others it is a livelihood. There is concern expressed, perhaps not surprisingly, from time to time, that this diversity of involvement does not always a harmonious situation make. That’s perfectly understandable. But yet our common interests and our collective passion for the pure-bred dog surely ameliorates whatever discomfort and dissatisfaction there may, on occasion, be. It somehow all hangs together. Although the sport attracts a range of individuals with differing values and diverse beliefs, most successfully and smoothly blend into the mix. Others, for whatever reason, have a hard time adapting and seemingly always feel a need to express discontent or grievance, in one form or another. As a result of the rather wide disparity in the backgrounds of those participating, the purebred dog fraternity is, as already suggested above, somewhat stratified. The resources brought to bear in terms of commitment, knowledge, expertise, as well as fiscal means and input, is reflected in the level, depth, nature and even permanence of involvement. All of this inevitably translates into various scenarios from the ephemeral and transient to the durable and long-term. Then you have the ‘here today gone tomorrow’ phenomenon contrasting with the ‘I’m here to stay come what may’-type situation. Understandably, when individuals nurture unrealistic expectations, problems arise for themselves and others. Frustration oftentimes can lead to people bearing grudges from a sense of thwarted ambitions. Then some desperation can so readily kick in.

Some individuals, seemingly, have difficulty understanding and accepting the fact that showing dogs in conformation competition can be somewhat akin to riding a roller coaster: it can be full of pleasant surprises, so-called highs, but, on the other hand, on occasion, it can readily provide not-so-satisfying experiences. This is in the very nature of the beast, so to speak. One of the critical challenges which each individual has to face in all of this is how to deal with and how to react to, all these possible scenarios. How does one effectively insulate oneself from some of the more unpalatable, less appetizing vicissitudes which are an inherent part of this activity? Awareness and understanding of the context, as I alluded to in my essay in last month’s issue of this magazine, is the key to equanimity, to evenness of disposition under stress. Here, of course, is where the AKC’s Code of Sportsmanship should come into play. This instrument reminds us that vigorous competition and civility are not incompatible and that true sportsmen both win and lose with grace. The one critical area in all of this, of course, is the relationship between exhibitors and judges.

For a start, there is the laudable doctrine that both sportsman judges and exhibitors are fully prepared to accept constructive criticism. This is surely worthy of praise. Moreover, sportsmen should be most willing to share honest and open appraisal of the respective strengths and weaknesses of their breeding stock. There is nothing in the Code, however, about the need for sportsmen, and exhibitors in particular, to understand the process of judging and to respect decisions rendered in regard to comparative merits of exhibits. This is something that I have written about previously. If ever there is a revision, a case can surely be made for the insertion of a clause to this effect. It might read something as follows, “Sportsmen respect the judging process and accept rendered decisions with grace and understanding.” The word respect appears in the Code twice already, upping it to three times might not be at all a bad idea. Odd actually that something of this nature was not included by whomever drafted the wording, especially given the fact that this constitutes the one sensitive and vulnerable context, the one achilles heel, so to speak, where oftentimes sportsmanship readily goes out the door. Perhaps it was felt that something along these lines might be a little too much for exhibitors to swallow. Or maybe it was an oversight. Willingness to share honest and open appraisals doesn’t quite cover it. As I have discussed before, on more than one occasion, every exhibitor owes it to himself or herself, as well as to the judge, to look upon the judging process in proper light before reaching some spurious, ill-founded conclusion as to cause and effect.

It should be perfectly clear that it is very important for exhibitors to be in possession of a rational understanding of what is involved in judging and be aware of the vagaries (including inevitable subjectivity) which surround this activity. This should allow for the tempering of reactions and make them appropriate to the circumstances. Without this there can be no respect exercised. Recognition that there are frequently unpredictable, even capricious, elements inevitably kicking in helps and is certainly a good mental-preparation starting point. A priori assumption has to be made that each judge will be a sportsman or sportswoman and will make decisions based only on the respective merits of the dogs, without consideration of any other factors (selected words from the Code). A certain level of integrity has to be expected. There is also this to consider and ponder over: a sportsman exhibitor declines to enter under a judge where it might reasonably appear that the judge’s placements could be based on something other than the merits of the dogs. Odd really that a need was felt by the AKC to put in this clause. There is surely a tacit recognition here that not all judges are necessarily ethical and honest. To automatically think, however, when one fails to succeed in the ring at the level expected, that the judge involved lacks integrity and practices partiality is something which has to be guarded against. Sometimes, of course, it is perfectly obvious when some less-than-honest activity is going on and the remedy for this is obviously to stay away from this person’s ring in the future. But be quite sure that each situation is evaluated accurately. The appearance of something can easily be imagined and may not be based on reality. Perceptions are sometimes tricky. Intuitive awareness, discernment and recognition of wrong-doing has to be handled with care and needs to be rational rather than emotional.

So sportsmen exhibitors make sure that you are on solid ground when expressing an opinion on judging. As I say, fully consider the context. Respect for the process is the starting point. This comes from awareness and understanding. Remember that there will always be differences of opinion among judges and this is surely a healthy thing. By the very nature of what is being undertaken some subjective weighing of the relative importance of one characteristic or another inevitably enters the picture. Remember that trade-offs are never easily made. However knowledgeably well-informed and honestly decisions are reached, there will be discrepancies among judges. This comes with the territory. This does not necessarily mean that one individual is highly competent and another is not. This might be the case, but then it might not. Lack of integrity is another matter altogether and a tainted decision can usually be discerned. The remedy for this is to stay away from the guilty party. Whenever an exhibitor feels dissatisfied he or she would be well-advised to think things through carefully rather than impulsively over-react. Sportsmen refuse to compromise their commitment and obligation to the sport of purebred dogs by injecting personal advantage or consideration into their decisions or behavior. This covers a lot. Then there is the part about appreciating the merit of the competition and the effort of fellow competitors. In the microcosm that is our little world of pedigreed dog connoisseurship, it is far better to exercise equanimity and respect its history, traditions and integrity than go out on a limb and be constantly critical and unsportsmanlike. The AKC Code tells us that the former is definitely preferred.

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