DOG SHOWS,
THE SPORT OF OPINIONS
E.
Katie Gammill
TheDogPlace Exhibition Editor /
October 2010
Learning to judge
dogs is within reach but if judges’ education gets in the way of judging, it
becomes only a sport of opinions, not champions.
The
lamp of the mind is easily snuffed out by the wind of ignorance.
Choosing ignorance over knowledge in order to win or please someone
is unacceptable. So before second guessing a judge, walk in his/her
footsteps. What if there are no outstanding choices available?
With-hold ribbons? That has repercussions. If you withhold a blue
ribbon, that dog is ineligible for further competition on that day.
IF the dog truly does NOT represent
the breed standard or you might wonder what breed if you saw it on
the street, excuse the dog for lack of merit. This situation
happens. Breeds are” dissolving” at an alarming rate. When legs
shorten, heads lengthen, coats become massive, and breed specific
movement or lack of outline is lost, one breed easily suggests
another. It is often slight nuances that determine one breed from
another and virtues must be respected.
Breeds can appear to be “too much”
or become “caricatures” due to exaggeration of breed
characteristics... Basset Hounds, Labradors, Dobermans, and short
legged breeds lend themselves to this. What if all the judge has is
overdone dogs or dogs not worthy due to lack of maturity? Judges
cannot judge on what they expect a puppy will become, they must
judge today. We cannot judge what the dog would be IF it lost 5
pounds. Some entries simply are not stellar but there they are!
Fortunately, at most shows, quality animals do surface both in Group
and the Best in Show ring.
Too many entries offer beautiful
fronts but may flaunt less than acceptable rears or top line. That
makes some judges scratch their heads when the rest of the dog is
decent. Forgiveness is the name of the game, (whoops, sport). Judges
don’t want to perpetuate a fault by awarding it, yet it happens.
Some newer breeds often have bad
rear assemblies or inferior fronts. However, they may be considered
outstanding or acceptable by a breed specialist. Owners cannot
understand why an All Breed judge does not award their dog. Any dog
that cannot walk from the water bowl to the food bowl, regardless of
the newness of the breed, is neither correct nor sound and we should
not perpetuate that. One of the giant new
breeds is often so crooked behind it is challenged to
hold up under its own weight and that gives “cause for pause”. Some
new AKC breeds improve; others deteriorate due to popularity and new
owners wanting “something different”.
Of concern to owners and even to
judges who must examine dogs they know nothing about. Before diving
into a pool of something unknown, find out if it is or is NOT
insurable. You are responsible for any action this animal takes
against property and people. Someone must board your dog when you
are gone, so good temperament and socialization is a must.
Judges may touch base with each
other. Others refer back to standards or mentors to see dogs from
another’s perspective to assist in proper prioritizing. Opinions
differ when breeds offer a variation in size, type, bone, and
outline. What one judge tolerates, another may find intolerable.
This doesn’t make one more or less of a judge, or breeder. As
William Arthur Ward says: “A pessimist complains about the wind. The
optimist expects the wind to change. The realist “adjusts the
sails”. Perhaps we are “adjusting our sails” a mite too often and
our keel drags dangerously close to the bottom.
Dedicated breeders before us weren’t
blinded by blue ribbons. They bred dogs with a purpose in mind.
Despite opinions, the welfare and ability of the dog took precedence
over all. Once the die was cast, the standard was written and
considered sacred.
These pre-determined standards were
set by men far wiser than we… for reasons we little understand
today. The livestock they farmed with, drove, and rode daily HAD to
be sound. Unsound animals ended up on the plate next to the mashed
potatoes and every part of the animal was utilized, top to bottom.
Insulated from “farm life”, many city folks think groceries have
always been wrapped and packaged. A serious ad in our local paper
confirms this: “Shame on you deer hunters! Why don’t you buy your
meat from the store where the animals aren’t hurt?”
Purchasing a Veterinary Science book
from 1896 patented by the Dept. of Agriculture in Canada, Great
Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Australia and South Africa, the
book sagely advises: IF YOU HAVE THIS, GET RID OF IT! On a humorous
note, it encourages one to use a dead cat first before attempting to
spay or neuter a live one. It addresses all animals, hooves or
fowl, fur, internal, external, mental, nerves, and physical, head to
tail.
Animal Activists and rescue people
find value in every animal, great or small, and I have no argument
with that. Being a realist, while visiting a farm in Scotland, I
asked a sheep herder what becomes of dogs that have no natural
working ability. His response was immediate. “They don’t come home!”
His dogs herd sheep daily over a thousand acres, it is his
livelihood.
Breeding and showing dogs is a sport
today but we should never forget, breeding dogs and judging their
worth was once about purpose and every dog had a purpose. As
breeders, we should present the healthiest, soundest dogs possible
for evaluation. It is still a judge’s responsibility to determine
future breeding stock.
Depending on
background, dogs are always subject to “opinions.” Those opinions
should be backed up by educational value and the breed standards.
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