From The Publisher

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10 – April, 2026

By Tom Grabe

There’s an age-old adage about handlers that goes something like this: “You’re only as good as the dog on the end of your lead.” This applies to all handlers, whether professional or not; and it’s still true today.

There is so much chatter in print, on social media, and around the rings about bad judging, politics, the wrong dogs winning, etc. There is no doubt that some of it is justified. I believe the overall quality of judging is worse than it was a few decades ago. You can blame it on politics or ignorance–because it’s probably a mixture of both that has created the problems we see in the ring today.

I’ll admit, I occasionally see things in the ring that make me wonder, “What the heck just happened?” Still, I believe the better dogs win most of the time—especially over the course of a year. Others see it differently, convinced that wins go to professional handlers and prominent owner-handlers because of who they are, not what they’re showing. I disagree—and I know, because I once thought the same way.

When I first started showing dogs, I was wide-eyed and starstruck. I passed by or bumped into handlers I saw in the magazines or newspapers and, to me, it was like seeing Clint Eastwood or Jane Fonda. They were icons that I aspired to be like.

Click here to read the complete article
10 – April, 2026

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Posted by AnthonyA on Apr 4 2026. 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.