Looking Around With Lee – Hiring Judges Who Are Nice

by Lee Canalizo

I WANT TO HIRE JUDGES THAT ARE NICE TO THE EXHIBITORS AND JUDGE THE DOGS! This phrase was said by a person that hires judges for their show.

Well, guess what folks… judges want to judge exhibitors who are nice to them and who evaluate their own dogs, honestly.

There seems to be an ongoing, albeit almost subliminal, feud going on with the exhibitors and the judging community! The animosity is almost palpable at times. This is not a dynamic that is healthy for our sport. I’ve been a judge for forty-five years and I can tell you there has always been an “us and them” mentality to a certain degree, but it was never like it is today!

There are many reasons for what is happening today, and fodder for many articles, I’m sure. For the most part, there is no longer respect for the knowledgeable “elders” in the dog show world. This was something that was very evident just a short two or three decades ago. If you wanted to know about a specific breed, you asked an expert who had dedicated their life to it. If you wanted to know if your dog was something special, you showed it to the experts in that breed. As a judge, today, exhibitors think you are either crooked, stupid, or strictly a handler judge! As an exhibitor who wants equality in the ring, it’s your job to present your dog in the same “ready to win” condition and training as the dreaded Professional handler! P.S. – This also means it is mature enough to win. The good handlers do their homework. They know what the judge bred, showed and/or prefers in a breed, and they bring it to them. If they lose, they act like professionals and don’t make excuses!

Breeder-exhibitors have the upper hand (in my opinion) when they are showing their very best. This means the best type and best condition. They also have knowledge of their breed and know when their dog is ready for the win! There seems to be a lack of these qualities in the complainers!

As far as the judges, like anything else, there are the good, the bad and the ugly! It’s a huge task for AKC to weed through and approve the best possible judges, but it is necessary for the health of the dog show world! There is lots of blame to go around here!

Admittedly, the quality of some of the new judge recruits is not outstanding! Referring back to the opening line: Exhibitors, do you prefer a smiling, good natured, know-nothing that can’t translate a breed standard to a living and breathing animal to a more serious, talented/artistic, grounded judge who appreciates the fact that his job is to evaluate breeding stock? One who realizes what he/she does in the ring directly reflects whether a breed rises or falls. I’m sorry to say… “ Some “ of us judges are far more aware of that fact than many of the people showing the dogs.

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Posted by Alex on Mar 4 2021. 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.