Did You Know – Your Hands Say It All!

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122 – July, 2024

By Michael Canalizo

Let me tell you there are days when I wish Facebook would “Blow Up and Die”, but then there are fleeting moments of brilliance that crop up and grab my attention.

A recent post about a judges exam technique got many comments, and many of those comments were not cast in a positive light toward the judges. Obviously, the ability to properly provide a “Breed Specific” exam is important. For me there are different levels of how this is conveyed to those observing. When I wore an AKC Rep hat, I wanted a newer judge to show me he was “seeing” some of the finer details of a breed. Ear placement on a breed, “ringed” or “crocheted” tails present, tuck-up under a coated Sighthound, etc. Showing you can identify a breed’s unique features will be noticed (and impressed) by those with a background in the breed. All that’s fine BUT how you expose those subtle things is key.

Every breed couples identifiable breed details with those ubiquitous features that define a breed–equally. How one balances both components can have a disconnect. One of the “comments” I read was about a judge who might not have had a comfortable way of approaching a non-coated Toy breed. One hopes a judge knows by the time they reach “approved” status, and understands how to approach a delicate toy breed (a breed that unfortunately is usually given an 8 AM ring time due to it having a “no grooming” requirement.) Hey…let’s be fair…if you come from Labs, you wouldn’t be thrilled if a judge never touched a tail, felt muscle or checked for a resilient coat, would you? But you should also understand that a fragile Toy breed isn’t suited to a firm hand on them, especially when most all physical details are in plain sight.

Click here to read the complete article
122 – July, 2024

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Posted by AnthonyA on Jul 13 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.