Interpreting Breed Standards

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102 – October, 2025

By Amy Fernandez

Judging is complicated. It requires walking a fine line between two clear directives. On one side is the breed standard. That defining document is augmented by the rules (AKC Judges Guidelines and Procedures). Sounds straightforward. However, running between those guardrails is the driving force of competition. That combination theoretically leads to breed improvement. It looks great–on paper at least. In reality, weighing those elements in a fair and knowledgeable manner, oh geez, it all falls apart.

And the sport is top heavy with complaints about that issue. Whining is easy. On the other hand, there is a definite shortage of constructive ideas for course correction. It’s also somewhat discouraging to realize that kennel clubs have been tackling this issue from the start. They responded with legislation to rein in obvious violations like faking, bribery, dog switching, etc. They instituted a formal process to approve judges and, finally, required official standards for all recognized breeds. The administrative part, the objective elements–that was easy to define and enforce. But rather than solving problems, the result has been an endless maelstrom of revised standards and changing AKC policies with almost no measureable rise in consumer satisfaction.

Back in ancient times when the game was a tiny ecosystem, the entire competitive process was direct and personal. AKC officers maintained a very hands-on relationship with every aspect of shows. They knew the exhibitors and the dogs. Board members were out there at shows–watching the action and noticing potential talent. When it came to approving judges all that happened in the Star Chamber. A board member proposed a candidate and, voila, Alva Rosenberg–just a kid at the time–became a judge. This is not about greats of the past, just the fact that things could and did work prior to any formal process.

Click here to read the complete article
102 – October, 2025

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Posted by AnthonyA on Oct 12 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.