JUDGING SURVEY: BY BOOK OR LOOK RESPONSES

Responses were 76% exhibitors but only 24% were judges. Kudos to those judges who were secure enough in their knowledge to go on record to help the sport.

Do you feel that judging has changed over the last 2 years? If so, let us know. Send a quotable comment (50 words or less) on how you perceive the art of judging dogs today.

Click to visit the original Judging Survey By The Book Or Look? The questions were: Are you a Judge? or an Exhibitor? (see stats above)

For how long?  What is you primary breed and group?

Years in dogs; under 20 = 15% / 21-30 = 52% / 31-40 = 17% / 41-50+ = 16%

Groups? Working 43% / Non-Sporting 17% / Herding 16% / Hound 10% / Toy 9% / Terrier 5%

Are you judging by your mental picture of this breed from a decade ago or how it looks today?  Does your answer mean the breed has improved even though the standard has not changed?

48% say judge to Breed Standard, 29% judge by previous looks, 19% judge by new look and style, 4% by movement.

62% said the breeds are NOT improving / 38% said YES.

Do you believe Judges are doing a good job adjudicating according to the breed standard? What about breeders?

71% say Judges are NOT doing a good job / 62% said breeders are NOT doing a good job

What advice would you give breeders today regarding the standard?  What advice would you give handlers regarding presentation?

Majority of advice to the breeders is to follow the breed standard and the majority of advice to handlers is to NOT over-groom the dogs

Here are some selected responses:

Pat Hastings has been an Judge for 27 years, primary breed: Doberman Pinscher and her primary group is Working, Herding, Non Sporting, Terriers, Toys

Do you judge by previous look or new look? The Standard. Few Standards have changed, only the dogs have changed

Has the breed improved? NO Are judges doing a good job? NO Are breeders doing a good job? NO

What advice to breeders? The standard should be their bible. The standard is what allows them to do the job for which they were created and that ability is what dictates breed type.

What advice to handlers? Read the Standard of each and every dog you show and do your best to groom it and present it according to the standard and also do what you can to help educate your owners and clients.

Sandra Walker has been an Judge for 28 years, primary breed: Papillon and her primary group is Toy

Do you judge by previous look or new look? the standard

Has the breed improved? NO Are judges doing a good job? NO Are breeders doing a good job? NO

What advice to breeders? Read the AKC standard and learn it. Breed to it, not to win.

What advice to handlers? Stop sculpting and back blowing the coats and clipping muzzles.

Sharon Weston has been an Judge for 20 years, primary breed: Alaskan Malamute and her primary group is Working

Do you judge by previous look or new look? Today

Has the breed improved? YES Are judges doing a good job? YES Are breeders doing a good job? NO

What advice to breeders? Read the standard and understand what it means. Study the breed with mentors and other breeders. Learn to prioritize what the most important characteristics are and what shortcomings can be excused in an otherwise excellent example of the breed.

What advice to handlers? Present the breed concentrating on what the breed standard considers the most important characteristics such as correct movement, not just fast.

Fred Lanting has been an Judge for 45 years, primary breed: German Shepherd Dog and his primary group is All-breed UKC; 5 AKC (in 3 groups)

Do you judge by previous look or new look? I combine the founder's concept with the 1955-65 era's best, with today's closest approximations to the Standard.

Has the breed improved? NO Are judges doing a good job? NO Are breeders doing a good job? YES

What advice to breeders? Answers to #3 should be: "Some are; not enough, though". Breeders: read the history and Standard, and politely discuss the breed with old-timer specialists.

What advice to handlers? At some point, a good judge will want to see the dog standing and moving naturally, not hand-posed, nor running like lightning.

Geraldine Shastid has been an Judge for 26 years, primary breed: Bullmastiff and her primary group is Working

Do you judge by previous look or new look? I am judging from the standard as it was revised in 1992. I was chair of that committee.

Has the breed improved? YES Are judges doing a good job? YES Are breeders doing a good job? YES

What advice to breeders? Points of the standard that help define the breed and differentiate it from other related or somewhat similar breeds are extremely important. Pay attention to proportion, the finer points to of the head description. Stay to the middle of the road rather than extremes in either direction. Moderate is a key word in the standard.

What advice to handlers? Bullmastiffs should be shown at a moderate speed, not raced around the ring.

Diane Jacobsen has been an Exhibitor for 57 years, primary breed: Rhodesian Ridgeback and her primary group is Hound

Do you judge by previous look or new look? From the words in the Standard which might put it more than a decade ago

Has the breed improved? NO Are judges doing a good job? NO Are breeders doing a good job? NO

What advice to breeders? Learn what the Standards means not what is popular and winning.

What advice to handlers? Learn the faults of your dog and show accordingly. Do not exhibit dogs that are not of the best quality just because a handler can win with them. Showy is not a virtue if it is not accompanied by soundness and correct breed type.

Sandy Davis has been an Exhibitor for 45 years, primary breed: West Highland White Terrier and her primary group is Terrier

Do you judge by previous look or new look? I attempt to judge based on my interpretations of the Breed Standard, which does include temperament. I do believe that we should look to the Breed Standard first to understand the animal we are judging. Many judges do not understand basic structure or movement.

Has the breed improved? NO Are judges doing a good job? NO Are breeders doing a good job? YES

What advice to breeders? Try to understand what those words mean, many people do not understand what the terminology really means when they evaluate their dogs and their potential as breeding or show prospects.

What advice to handlers? Try not to overdo the dogs grooming. Many breeds, including my WHWT, have developed exaggerated outlines or features not included in the Breed Standard.

Robin Miller has been an Exhibitor for 26 years, primary breed: Kuvasz and her primary group is Working

Do you judge by previous look or new look? From a decade ago

Has the breed improved? NO Are judges doing a good job? NO Are breeders doing a good job? NO

What advice to breeders? Pay attention to the coat description and also the head proportions.

What advice to handlers? Stop overgrooming and scissoring/sculpting. The breed is supposed to have a beautiful double coat with a distinct pattern of distribution, not clipped short and sculpted. Stop racing the dogs around the ring.

Cindy Knox has been an Exhibitor for 40 years, primary breed: Boxer, French Bulldog and her primary group is Working & Non-Sporting

Do you judge by previous look or new look? Mostly for a decade ago or more

Has the breed improved? NO Are judges doing a good job? YES Are breeders doing a good job? YES

What advice to breeders? Learn the standard and be prepared apply that to your breeding program without regard to the current "flavor of the day" stud dog. Don't breed just to breed.

What advice to handlers? Please, please stop taking gas dogs..... it does not help you, the breed or the sport. Just because you CAN finish a dog does not mean that you should.

Jane McCarthy has been an Exhibitor for 5 years, primary breed: Rottweiler and her primary group is Working

Do you judge by previous look or new look? a decade ago

Has the breed improved? NO Are judges doing a good job? NO Are breeders doing a good job? NO

What advice to breeders? Stop trying to shorten the length of the muzzle on a working breed.

What advice to handlers? None

Barbara Andrews has been an Exhibitor for 51 years, primary breed: Toy Fox Terrier and her primary group is Working

Do you judge by previous look or new look? as described in the breed standard

Has the breed improved? YES Are judges doing a good job? YES Are breeders doing a good job? NO

What advice to breeders? If you don't like it, join the parent club and change it.

What advice to handlers? Show the breed according to its purpose. If it is a toy, let it be adorable, if a mastiff, staunch and calm, if an akita, above-it-all, etc...

Susan Bass has been an Exhibitor for 28 years, primary breed: Beauceron and her primary group is Herding

Do you judge by previous look or new look? Old French style, without heaviness, level back, able to jump a 8' wall, correct head w parallel planes.

Has the breed improved? NO Are judges doing a good job? NO Are breeders doing a good job? YES

What advice to breeders? Bigger is not better, over done bone causes injuries to this active breed, longer lower leg bone causes the dog to have its hocks behind its rear. Beware of popular sires. Not all judges have had education in our breed. Breed to the correct height and weight ranges. Socialize your dogs. This is a head and movement breed.

What advice to handlers? The dog is supposed to be presented NATURAL. Trimming hair on ears and whiskers. Your stacking masks faults and this lie does not benefit the breeds future progeny. When you win with these cover-ups it does not benefit our breed.

Kathy Berrena has been an Exhibitor for 11 years, primary breed: Havanese and her primary group is BBE

Do you judge by previous look or new look? I breed to produce as close to our breed standard as I possibly can

Has the breed improved? NO Are judges doing a good job? NO Are breeders doing a good job? NO

What advice to breeders? Look to our standard and produce to that. Stop breeding just anything.

What advice to handlers? Stop over grooming our breed, against our standard.

Shelly Cunningham has been an Exhibitor for 20 years, primary breed: Schnauzers, Giant and Standard and her primary group is Working

Do you judge by previous look or new look? How they look today. I believe that fronts are better than 10 years ago, too many dogs are oversized, the standard should be used to determine the best specimen. According to the Standard, tails are to be docked.

Has the breed improved? YES Are judges doing a good job? YES Are breeders doing a good job? NO

What advice to breeders? Breed according to the Standard.

What advice to handlers? None.

Cheri Fellinger has been an Exhibitor for 40 years, primary breed: Shiba and her primary group is Non-Sporting

Do you judge by previous look or new look? Mental pic of standard AND the modern Shiba has moved in the right direction

Has the breed improved? YES Are judges doing a good job? NO Are breeders doing a good job? YES

What advice to breeders? The Shiba is getting too short in leg.

What advice to handlers? Stop trimming the coat it is obvious to other exhibitors and judges who ignore it.

Dennis Dollar has been an Exhibitor for 21 years, primary breed: Beagle and his primary group is Hound

Do you judge by previous look or new look? I judge based upon the same type I was looking for 21 years ago

Has the breed improved? NO Are judges doing a good job? NO Are breeders doing a good job? NO

What advice to breeders? Develop your concept of type and do not change with the current crop of winning dogs.

What advice to handlers? Do not over groom and do not race your dogs around the ri.

William Espander has been an Exhibitor for 26 years, primary breed: Newfoundlands / Havanese and his primary group is Working / Toy

Do you judge by previous look or new look? Today

Has the breed improved? YES Are judges doing a good job? YES Are breeders doing a good job? YES

What advice to breeders? Do not forget what the breed was developed to do.

What advice to handlers? Have fun.

Charlotte Underwood-Miller has been an Exhibitor for 8 years, primary breed: Clumbers / GSD and her primary group is Sporting / Herding

Do you judge by previous look or new look? Yes. The GSD is ruined. Clumbers are bleached and shaved

Has the breed improved? NO Are judges doing a good job? NO Are breeders doing a good job? NO

What advice to breeders? READ the breed standard!!

What advice to handlers? Don't agree to go against the standard!

Mary Tripp has been an Exhibitor for 40 years, primary breed: German Shepherd Dog and her primary group is Herding

Do you judge by previous look or new look? I am judging by the breed standard as set by the BCOA.

Has the breed improved? YES Are judges doing a good job? NO Are breeders doing a good job? YES

What advice to breeders? The visual standard needs to be brought up to date with the dogs we show today.

What advice to handlers? Just present your dog well and don’t leave the ring grumbling. I don’t win all the time either.

Laura Gilchrist has been an Exhibitor for 30 years, primary breed: Basenji and her primary group is Hound

Do you judge by previous look or new look? From the words in the Standard which might put it more than a decade ago

Has the breed improved? NO Are judges doing a good job? NO Are breeders doing a good job? NO

What advice to breeders? Watch your front end assemblies they are getting to far forward and forearms are shorter then shoulder. These should be the same length. Also watch shoulder angle they are to straight. Also watch top lines because they are not straight, I have seen many dogs with high rears and dips in the top line. Please watch bone we are getting to light in bone.

What advice to handlers? Please show you dog at the correct speed for your dog. Remember this is not a race.

Robin Russell has been an Exhibitor for 20 years, primary breed: Bulldogs and her primary group is Non-Sporting

Do you judge by previous look or new look? From the words in the Standard which might put it more than a decade ago

Has the breed improved? YES Are judges doing a good job? NO Are breeders doing a good job? NO

What advice to breeders? Please read and apply the Standard as written, not only the parts you see in your own dogs and ignore the rest if your dog doesn't display those traits.

What advice to handlers? Bulldogs are not shown like Min Pins, or Bassets, or much of anything else. Don't try to do a one size fits all approach to showing them.

Click if you missed the original Judging Survey By The Book Or Look?

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