All judges, as they officiate more and more, develop their own method of

judging but most will adopt a variation on the same basic theme. Once the class

assembles they will study the static picture of the dogs assembled, move the class

around the ring together and then begin their hands-on assessment of each dog

from nose to tail. They will then move the dogs and here there may be some

variation in method.

In this country the great British triangle is still favoured but personally I have

never found this to be totally satisfactory when judging the physically larger breeds.

Given the size of most of our breed rings, it is hard for dogs to really get into their

stride when negotiating a triangle as – by definition – triangles have corners. For that

reason I prefer to move a dog straight up and down (have you ever considered that

the Americans’ expression of “out and back” is actually far more accurate, unless

you happen to be judging kangaroos?!) and then get the dog moving around in a

circle which has no corners and therefore the dog has no reason to brake. At the end

of the gaiting I like to see dogs standing free, with no stacking, poking and prodding,

as when doing so the judge will be able to see the dog as nature intended and get a

much more accurate view of its construction and balance.

When I began judging I was fortunate in having many older, experienced

judges who were happy to pass on various tips and pieces of advice that have

proved invaluable and I well remember one of the famous Scandinavians telling me

“when your class first comes into the ring and the dogs set up, mentally paint them

all black and study the silhouettes.” This may sound rather trite and in self-coloured

breeds is of course superfluous, but in marked breeds where white and coloured

markings can all too easily create optical illusions, it is very helpful and helps focus

the mind on the actual shape and proportions of each individual dog.

The dog’s profile is vitally important when judging as it is the outline or

silhouette that shows us so much. Studying the profile we can see its overall

proportions, height to length, length of leg and depth of body. We can see the head

profile, length of neck, layback of shoulder, topline, tailset and angulation of both

front and rear. In free-standing breeds the initial assessment of the profile may

involve seeing the dog as it is but, in the case of breeds that are now automatically

stacked, clever handling can disguise a multitude of physical shortcomings and this

is why the assessment of movement is so crucial.

The first go-around of the class should, hopefully, immediately produce one or

more dogs that impress to such an extent that they suggest they will be “keepers” by

virtue of the way they carry themselves and the breed-specific movement they are

demonstrating. They will be the dogs that immediately catch the eye, hopefully for

their correctness rather than any “flash and dash” appeal that may actually be at

odds with breed type and accuracy. High stepping action and excessive kick-back is

not correct in many breeds even though it may have a rather superficial

attractiveness.

The hands-on examination should relay to the judge the dog’s skeletal

composition as well as its general condition and muscle tone. Discovering a short

upper arm, upright shoulders or lack of turn of stifle should suggest to the judge that

moving the dog may reveal flaws that restrict the dog’s freedom, fluidity and power

when gaiting.

The out and back movement will reveal how accurately the dog places its feet

down; the majority of breeds require a basically parallel action and it is here when

loose elbows, weak pasterns and slipping patellas are more easily detected.

However it is the action of the dog moving around at an easy trot (not many dogs

were bred to “fly” and few are seen at their best when being moved at breakneck

speed, despite the current fashion in some breeds) that will give the judge the most

information on which he can make his decision. When we see a dog moving around

in a circle, with no corners to negotiate, and the dog is in its stride, we can see so

much – head carriage, reach in front, firmness of topline, tailset and carriage, and

rear drive. When we are studying a dog moving round we see the whole picture and

can confirm its balance and proportion, and when judging it is the overall picture that

has to be paramount rather than the minutiae that can prove a fault judge’s undoing.

Of course when appraising a dog’s profile movement it is essential that we

understand what constitutes correct breed specific action. Whilst the majority of

breeds are required to have a fairly open side gait and cover the ground with ease,

some breeds for various reasons do not. Some are shorter-striding or with action that

is described as “jaunty”, “rolling”, “mincing” and the like so it is vital that judges

appreciate the difference and do not just reward generic movement in breeds that

are slightly at odds to the norm. Not all breeds should have TRAD (Tremendous

Reach And Drive for the uninitiated!).

Similarly the show ring tends sometimes to encourage a somewhat artificial

and non-functional carriage in breeds. Many breeds are required to have proud head

carriage but in others that were bred to do a specific job of work the natural head

carriage is somewhat lower and this is something that tends to pass many judges by.

Handlers do not help when they insist on “stringing” a dog and this can often put a

dog off-balance and disturb its front movement.

Another aspect of the importance of profile when making final decisions is

how dogs look in a relative sense when going around. I am mystified when judges

are faced with a large class and pull one in from one corner and place it First, then

another from somewhere else and place it Second and so on, and then simply mark

their book. To me, it is essential to place dogs in the assumed order of merit and

then see them going around collectively before making a final decision. Oftentimes

something will pull out the stops, or something might lose a topline and the running

order needs to be adjusted before the final decision is made. It is pure logic if one is

to not only judge dogs against the Breed Standard but also against the competition.

The importance of the profile when judging can never be overestimated and it

is an aspect of judging that sometimes gets neglected in the UK.

© ANDREW H. BRACE

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

permission)