IMHO – An Answer from Those in the Know!

BY ELAINE LESSIG

We asked an AKC Judge, Breeder/Owner/Handler & Professional Handler the following question: Is it preferable to have the same person judge your breed and that group on the same day? Here’s what they had to say…

ELAINE LESSIG

When I judge most, or all, of the breeds within a group on a given day, I prefer to judge that group on the same day. I look upon my decision making that day to express my point of view. My knowledge of breed type as described in each standard combined with the showmanship of individual dogs on that day is clearly on display. It is the body of my work.

Certainly, a judge can hope and anticipate that a breed may have more than one candidate for Best of Breed on any given day. While my choice, naturally, suits me, that of a fellow judge might not. Think how helpful that information is to exhibitors when making future entries and for whom consistency is desirable.

DEB SHINDLE

As a breeder owner handler, I greatly prefer show giving clubs to assign the same judge for Breed and group. If you win the breed when you get to the group, it usually goes faster because the judge has already judged the dogs. When the breed judge and the group judge are different judges, the group will go slower because the judge hasn’t seen all of the dogs at the breed level. If you are unlucky enough to lose the breed under one judge and do nothing in the group under another judge, then your expectations for the rest of the circuit are greatly lowered, to the point of pos- sibly leaving. We know dogs are certainly judged differently at the breed and group level, but when you lost under a judge at either the breed or group level, there is a predictability factor that definitely affects your expectations one way or the other. Of course, I live by the Golden Rule–Another Day, Another Dog Show.

ARVIND DEBRAGANCA

As a handler, I have no issue with either the same breed judge or another day’s judge doing the Group. When I enter a weekend/circuit, it is with the knowledge that the panel is good for multiple days. The only time I have angst is when there is a favorable Best In Show judge and I may not have a chance to get there. I do believe that judges prefer to choose placements from dogs they have sent to the Group. I mean, what if they have a preference for a particular dog and it doesn’t win the Breed/Variety under a different judge? Then I could see it being a problem for them.

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Posted by Alex on Sep 15 2017. 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.