The Judge/Breeder/Exhibitor Conundrum – Part 1

From the archives of The Canine Chronicle, September, 2005

by Gay Dunlap

Those of us who have joined the ranks of AKC Judge, following involvement in the fancy as Breeder/Exhibitor, often come under fire if we have chosen to continue in this latter role. Whereas our passion for breeding may not, of itself, be subjected to criticism, exhibiting can, and often does, cause a few hackles to rise. It may ultimately lead to condemnation, if not directly, certainly behind our backs. There is little doubt that taking part in this sport, on all levels, requires broad shoulders.

“Several months ago word got back to me that a couple of my fellow exhibitors were complaining that someone of my “stature and prominence” should not be showing.”

Several months ago word got back to me that a couple of my fellow exhibitors were complaining that someone of my “stature and prominence” should not be showing. The conversation led to a broad discussion of other judges… those who do, vis-à-vis those who do not exhibit their own dogs and the effect this has on the fancy. The person who chose to bring this topic to the table was amazed as I began to rattle off judges, many of far more prominence and stature in their respective breeds than I, who regularly exhibit. I reminded him that I had shown two bitches, one in each of the last two years, finishing both from the Bred-By Exhibitor class. Whereas both were lovely examples of my breed, one lacked the stature and the other lacked the charisma necessary for a successful career as a special. I went on to say that had either shown promise as such, it was nonetheless irrelevant since my financial resources precluded such extravagance. I added that were I to be so privileged as to win the lottery down the road and subsequently produce something deserving of a special’s career, I would consider hiring a handler. However, since this scenario would require a stroke of incredible good fortune, it was quite unlikely.

Many agree that judging at group level while personally campaigning a special, be it very competitive or even mildly so, constitutes a serious conflict of interest. There are ways of circumventing this situation, however, as we all know; there is the aforementioned hiring of a handler. Another widely used method for the exhibitor-cum-judge is to sell or lease the dog. But, what if this exhibitor/judge wants to do the honors himself? Could a judge put his license on hold for a year or for however long the dog is to be campaigned? Sabbatical leaves are quite acceptable in most fields of endeavor. Might this be a viable solution?

On more than one occasion, I have declared that if I had to give up breeding in order to judge, I would give up judging. Judges who still breed with passion and dedication tend to share this sentiment. I think none would deny that the breeder is unequivocally the backbone of our sport. And, taken further, the fact is that many of our master breeders are now judges. This is not to say that all judges are master breeders or that all master breeders are judging. Some of our finest breeders have chosen to terminate their breeding activities and have subsequently become our finest judges. Conversely, there are breeders who take that first step toward judging by applying to judge their own breed, only to find they are feeling conflicted over the decision, uncomfortable with the dual role of breeder and judge. Unwilling to give up breeding, they resign their judging status.

What about the breeder-judge (and there are many still actively breeding)? Let’s consider a possible scenario. Our hypothetical breeder-judge is invited to judge her national specialty. She also has a bitch she will be breeding several months prior to her assignment. What, if any, protocol exists that might cover the situation vis-à-vis her choice of stud dog and possibly being faced with judging him down the road? This question was posed on the internet recently. The responses were broad and ranged from “Just judge the dogs” to “Either don’t use a dog that will be shown to you or don’t judge the specialty”, to “No one you have done business with can show any dog they own to you for a period of one year.” The latter response assumes that breeding your bitch to a stud dog constitutes a business transaction.

We are dealing with an intensely gray area here and the answers to our judge’s question reflected this fact. Some felt the judge should ask that the dog not be shown to him/her. Then what? Might the stud dog owner respond by refusing to allow the bitch to be bred to their dog? Which might be more important, winning a specialty or pocketing a stud fee?

Look for part 2 on Friday, May 15, 2020

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