Why do you want to judge dogs? This is one of the first questions I ask of the

audience at my judging seminars, and it can always be relied upon to produce many

and varied answers. Some are admirable and noble in their principles, others rather

more frank, but generally the offered reasons revolve around the ability to “help”

breeds. Whilst sympathising with such a high-minded philosophy, it has to be said

that no judge is going to be able to help a breed single-handed. Faced with an entry

of mediocre, off-beat specimens, what could the best judge in the world do to “help”

that breed – other, of course, than withhold the points or Certificates if the dogs

present were so lacking in merit?

In the first instance, for a judge to be able to contribute in any way to a

breed’s advancement he must fully understand the essentials of breed type – what

makes that breed unique - and have a clear mind as to what characteristics are

“must haves” and which may be considered to be rather “cosmetic” in their

importance. It is also of great help if a judge remains sufficiently in contact with a

breed and its breeders to be able to monitor the present state of the breed.

Sometimes breeds suffer peaks and troughs where one feature begins to get

rather neglected for one reason or another, whether that be head type, shoulder

placement, toplines, rears etc. Some judges who take their job seriously may feel

inclined to be extra critical of these features when they can see that the breed is in

danger of losing some vital characteristic.

I well remember the late Anne Rogers Clark, on one of the several occasions I

interviewed her, speaking with great feeling of “the drag of a breed”, an expression I

had not heard before but then realised it was one of the now famed “Annieisms”. She

made a very valid point in that, from time to time, faults crop up in a breed that gain

something of a foothold to such an extent that they begin to “drag” the breed down.

She felt, with some justification I believe, that when judges officiate in a breed where

such a drag has become apparent they should penalise that particular fault quite

heavily. If nothing else their actions in so doing would hopefully serve as a wake-up

call to the breeders and exhibitors.

The waters can sometimes become muddied when a preponderance of

breeder-judges are active, for their closeness to - and involvement with - a given

breed may make them less aware than they could be of a gradual decline in certain

areas. It is for this reason that the all-rounder, regardless of breed, can play a

valuable role in maintaining a breed’s status quo and alerting breeders to negative

trends that may be in danger of gaining a firm foothold.

Judges may wish to help breeds when they step into the centre of the ring, but

they themselves are impotent unless they have the support of the breeders who

produce the exhibited dogs. It behoves the exhibitor to present the judge with dogs

that they genuinely feel to be of such outstanding merit as to be worthy of the title of

Champion, and not merely a passable animal which – with the support of carefully

chosen “cannon fodder” – can finish their titles and thus provide yet another

Champion for their sire or dam.

No judge can be constructively evaluated drowning in a sea of mediocrity, and

this is where I take issue with some of our judges’ training schemes. For them to

prove their worth dogs that should never be missed, and dogs that should never be

used, must confront the judges in question, though few of our entries in real life are

that clear-cut. Certainly awarding points or Certificates to a less-than-excellent

specimen could never be considered as helpful to a breed, and it is important that

judges think long and hard before they contribute to a dog becoming a Champion.

Being the best to turn up on the day does not automatically mean a dog is worthy of

carrying its title, something that some judges seem to forget.

It is always wise to look at the best of what you have and ask yourself if you

would be happy to be photographed with that dog and the resulting “win pic”

plastered over the covers of all the significant publications within the fancy.

Sometimes I believe judges do actually award Champion-making wins to dogs

whose win-pics could prove a tad embarrassing.

As long as exhibitors can trail around dog shows, finishing second-rate dogs

they will never have the incentive to breed better. When judges in numbers start

withholding points from inadequate specimens, exhibitors will soon wake up and

realise that they need to improve their stock if they wish to title them. This action

from judges may be considered controversial and arrogant but in truth it is one way

in which judges can indeed help a breed.

Sometimes judges are far too concerned with being considered out of step

with the majority and abandon the responsibility that comes with the job.

That said, others have no problem going out on a limb, and not always for the

right reasons. Judging some years ago at a Championship show in the UK, I was

mid-way through one of my classes when a huge cheer went up from the adjacent

ring, to be followed by sustained clapping and hollering of a most un-British kind. I

assumed that something very popular must have happened and went about my

business.

My breed assignment over, I met a few exhibitors in the breed from the

adjoining ring and asked what had been the cause of such unprecedented

enthusiasm, only to learn that the current top dog in the breed – a dog I greatly

admire, and I am not alone in that admiration – had been beaten by a dog who was

winning its first Challenge Certificates at six years of age. Nothing wrong with that

scenario, provided the winning dog was superior. Its age and lack of previous

success was irrelevant.

However I enquired further as to the merits of the conquering hero, only to be

told – quite bluntly – that it was obviously inferior to the dog of the moment, but that

“It was nice to see someone else win”!

Analysis of this rather macabre scenario leads us to several conclusions,

none of them wholesome.

In the first instance, there is a faction of the exhibiting community that clearly

does not believe the best dog on the day should win regardless, and that their mind-

set revolves more around everyone having a slice of the cake, the merits of their

animals being irrelevant.

Secondly it highlighted how we – and I have to say, this is a particularly British

trait – love to see “top” people have their come-uppance, and the harder they fall

from grace, the more we like it … whether Royal, politician or humble dog exhibitor.

Don’t get me wrong; the fact that a dog has a huge record behind it does not

make it unbeatable. Likewise, just because a dog has been around for five years and

not been recognised does not ipso facto make it unworthy. Two years ago I myself

awarded a first CC to a ten-year old bitch who I felt was outstanding on the day.

There could very easily have been a situation that made the judging of which I speak

perfectly acceptable – the top dog having an off day and the unknown dark horse

blossoming – but this was clearly not the case here.

Here we had a classic case of a breeder-judge whose own success in the ring

has been, to be charitable, modest. Now, blessed with the opportunity to hand out

prized Challenge Certificates he was determined to settle some old scores, demote

the reigning Golden Dog and promote someone who was even further down the

pecking order than he was. We have seen it many times before.

I saw the Top Dog, none the worse for his humiliating defeat, competing in a

Stakes class at the same show on the same day, some two hours after his shafting

in the breed ring. He was in glorious form, showing like he always does, and almost

more self-possessed than ever, almost as if trying to prove a point. And he won,

justifiably.

That evening the breed judging was the topic of discussion at our dinner table,

and one member of the company concluded “Well, at least he did his own thing”.

“Doing your own thing” is all well and good when the intentions are

honourable, but when it involves deliberately robbing an exceptional dog of its just

deserts it is inexcusable and those who choose to do so should think seriously

before ever wearing a judge’s badge again.

© ANDREW H. BRACE

(This article may not be reproduced in any form without the author’s

permission)