Page 166 - ShowSight - October 2019

CONFORMATION DOG SHOW JUDGES
PART 1 — WHAT DO WE WANT?
BY DR. ANDREA BRADFORD
The ongoing discussion about the quality of judging seems to range far and wide. The approval system is too hard, too easy, changes too often, and does not do a good job of giving us the quality of judging that we
want. What do we actually want of our conformation judges?
We want a judge who judges according to the Standard. We want someone who has an intimate knowledge of the breed and what the breeders are struggling to overcome. We want a judge who will just judge the dogs and not pay any attention to the handler. We want a judge who is always polite and friendly to the exhibitors. We want a judge who is serious about identifying the best breeding stock for our breed. We want a judge who will reward the best dog, even if it misbehaves or is not groomed as well as other dogs. We want a judge who will pay attention to good grooming and pre- sentation. We want a judge who will know the nuances of how the different groups, and breeds within those groups, are different, to avoid moving toward the generic show dog. We want a judge to be knowledgeable about structure and function, and to reward good movement. We want good dog people to become judges. We want to recognize what judges are looking for so that we can bring the right dogs to the judge that will appreciate the virtues of those dogs. We want to give new judges a chance, especially when no one knows what they will like. We want judges who do not fault judge. We
want judges who do not miss serious faults or disqualifications.
164 • ShowSight Magazine, october 2019