Did You Know – Everyone Needs To “Do Their Part!”

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196 – May, 2025

By Michael Canalizo

In the dog show world, many place expectations on everything and anything.

A common expectation is that a Judge “comes to class prepared”. For the life of me, I always have a hard time wrapping my head around why would someone put themselves “out there”, center ring, with an obvious lack of understanding of the task at hand… and that is knowing the breed standard BEFORE they stroll in and begin to sort out the entry. I know, one passes a breed test and manages to gather the requisite number of “enriching components”–just how one chooses to enrich themselves is often varied and occasionally suspect to several observers. I do think the AKC system is well-intended to be “merit-based” and Judging Operations will do a full forensic (review) evaluation of the candidate’s application. Staff does “their part” to approve applications that meet the minimum criteria. An interview with an AKC Rep is another tool in the box used before final approval. But it should not be their responsibility to make assurances on how or if the applicant will process and implement all they (might) have absorbed in advance of submitting their application.

There is a new dynamic that “freshman” judges should be aware of. (This is my own personal analysis deduced over the many years involved in the application process.)

I guess it’s partially due to the advancements in technology and the speed of social media and live streaming. Just know that everything you do in a ring is now flashed around the world in the same amount of time it took me to type this sentence!

Click here to read the complete article
196 – May, 2025

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Posted by AnthonyA on May 18 2025. 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.