In a sport with so many event options and so much choice, are people today still engaged in getting a critique of their dogs’ conformation? Are exhibitors even open to the judge’s interpretation, which might not be the same as their own? Are we (judges included) open to criticism?
When an exhibitor recently told me after placing 4th in a class of three (THANK YOU, ANNE HIER!), “I only entered for the experience, I don’t need your opinion.” and took to social media afterwards, it showed me how the exhibitor’s ability to judge me and my ability to judge the situation are two very different things. I learned that some exhibitors are not at the dog show to learn, they may actually be there to dock dive! The exchange, though somewhat startling, has me wondering, “Are we distracted from the original intent of dog shows, and are people today receptive to the adjudication process—and getting constructive feedback?”
As a practice, the whole exercise of judging dogs is based on providing and receiving feedback. For me, and probably for many like me, the process begins with what happens at home; the prep work, the research, the training, the conditioning, and the historical referencing that you do as a breeder to learn your breed. All of these activities happen at home. So, the act of entering a dog show and preparing for a dog show sets you up for someone to evaluate, criticize, or reward your breeding program.
For many who enter their dogs in dog shows, Conformation is only a part of their day. When I was showing as a much younger person, we only had Conformation and Obedience events going on—and very few people were doing both and rarely with the same dog. You would enter your “obedience” Golden in the trial and your “show” Golden in the all-breed show. Although the activity of Conformation itself hasn’t changed over the years, what has changed for us is the addition of many other activities on the same day at the same show site. I believe that this has diluted the weight of the Conformation experience to a certain degree. Today’s exhibitor might think, “So what, my dog came in second. I have to go to Dock Diving anyway…” After all, the opinion of the day’s Breed judge doesn’t affect that dog’s ability to jump and splash.
At dog shows, we get used to winning and losing, and we behave accordingly. Most exhibitors will take the ribbon awarded and say THANK YOU and move on. Some are silent and snatch a ribbon and move on, others grab and go. All should take the award graciously, say thanks, and head to the ring gate. (Not always easy.) Most breed exhibitors stay till the end of judging to watch how the breed is concluded before leaving ringside. However, we have seen a decline in this over the past several years. More recently, the judgement process is questioned by those who are unhappy with the results. These days, instead of taking a third-place ribbon and watching the rest of the judging, exhibitors may throw the ribbon down at ringside and oftentimes flee the area. They are quickly disengaged in the adjudication process and miss the educational opportunity it may afford.
I have always been interested in the exchange of interpretations on a breed, when done with a cool head. I am not interested in, nor would I entertain, an angry exhibitor who is not open to the process of the judge’s perspective. Generally, those people end up going to “rate the judge” on Facebook to get their opinions out. So be it!
Many of the behaviors we see in the ring today would never have been seen 20, 30, 40 years ago. Are exhibitors today respectful of the adjudication process? I wonder if dog shows have become little more than a celebration of winners only. But are they still places where we as breeders can learn through our losses? Losing is a part of learning. You can lose and learn. You can lose and learn a behavior; how to deal with a loss, how to celebrate another person’s victory, how to support a fellow breeder, how to say my dog is not as good as it could be. You can even learn as much from a bad judge as you can from a good judge. You can learn that the person judging might not share your perspective. And by losing, you can lose and learn to separate the personal from the opinion. You might disagree (and that’s okay), but the problem comes with a closed-off mentality to the process; when you’re not interested or engaged in following a judge’s process. Judges are the guide for the event, even if only for a short three minutes.
I once had an encounter as an exhibitor where the judge, more than once and with two different breeds, asked me to improve my handling skills. I was in the Bred-By class with both examples. I was doing my best to present them, trust me! She looked at me and asked, “Can’t you get him to do XYZ? Can you move him faster? Can you try this?” I finally said, “I’m a breeder, not a handler” and went Reserve with both exhibits. I left disappointed, but I learned. I learned that these dogs weren’t ready for this judge. I learned that this judge required a dog presented more professionally, that this judge was more interested in the polished presentation of the professionally handled dog than my untrained bred-by dog. I learned what to bring her the next time. I also learned I should have hired someone else to show them to her! I left feeling her missed opportunity to see beyond my handling abilities, or lack thereof. For me, as a judge, I love a diamond in the ruff, and often assume judges can find them.
For breeders, so much has changed with the judging process today. We used to “save” dogs for specific shows, but I don’t know if anybody actually saves dogs for anybody anymore. We just go to dog shows now when we can and where we can, and show to whoever is judging, whereas before, we would hold on to certain dogs for Montgomery, hold on to some for the National, hold on to others for Spaniel Club. But now, we just want to get the dog finished. And because there are so many shows today, so many available possibilities, the mentality to save a dog for a particular show may be lost on 80-90 percent of today’s exhibitors.
Unlike with Conformation judging, the results in those other events are not felt as personally to the exhibitor. The results are on the dog. The only ones who are responsible for the results are the dog and the trainer. That third-party person (the judge) is irrelevant. Maybe this is why those same people think the adjudicator is irrelevant. Maybe the value of the judge’s evaluation has been diminished because the focus is really not as much on the Breed ring as it is on all the other activities on a given day. Maybe this sort of approach has lessened the value of why it is important for a dog to look, act, and be a certain way. After all, why is it important to have breed-specific qualities if your dog can still run fast in Fast CAT?
This leads to the question: Is training my Clumber Spaniel in Fast CAT really a good idea? Is this a healthy choice for him? Clumbers are not designed to go fast. I always think winning “Slowest Clumber” in Fast CAT is the real prize!!! (We call it the Turtle Award… proud breeder moment.) What about running a Cane Corso? Does having such a breed participating in performance venues really showcase the purpose of the activity? Is it wise to train dogs to a heightened prey drive? Is it appropriate to encourage a dog that we don’t want with an enhanced prey drive to learn to CHASE a lure and then go back home to the neighborhood?
While attendance in companion and performance events is up, which means the clubs are giving the public more opportunities to experience purebred dogs, I have to wonder if the result is a diminished or fractured attention to the Conformation event. This is a case of being careful what you wish for. We want exhibitors to come, we want people to stay, and we want them to be engaged in the day, and so we offer all of these opportunities to showcase their dogs. But what could be resulting is a movement toward people who are really more interested in, and more rewarded by, the other activities beyond our beloved Conformation process.
Today, we see the exhibitor hurrying out of the ring to move on to the next event, to get to Dock Diving or Fast CAT. People seem more enthralled with the victory of a good dock dive than they are with winning two points in the Breed ring. The emotional experience is different for each; the seriousness of the Breed ring versus the lightheartedness of the pool! To be clear, Dock Diving is more FUN for many, and this is understandable for multiple reasons: it’s very entertaining to watch your dog jump into a pool; there’s music; there’s laughter; there’s camaraderie; and you get to relax and be a part of the fun. Spectators love to see it and feel it and maybe even get hit with the splash! At the Conformation ring, it’s a little stiffer and the people aren’t as warm and fuzzy. Its stress-filled and the crowds really don’t understand the selection process.
Performance events are more welcoming, and thus, are growing in popularity. Full disclosure: I tried it and failed. For me, Dock Diving and Fast CAT were both miserable fails. My dogs hated it, looked at me like I was crazy, and refused to participate. The Kooiker, Bette, was the guinea pig. I felt she needed a job. (She didn’t.) First was Fast CAT. I went to the start line, took the lead off, and she looked up at me and sat. I was told to run with her, so I ran. (She didn’t.) She watched. She came, slowly. Jamie was calling at the other end. (She eventually made it there.) Although our Fast CAT debut didn’t go well, it was a better experience than Dock Diving where the man yelled at me because I was going to push Bette into the pool to retrieve the buoy. Trust me, I was a fish out of water. I couldn’t wait to get back to the show area. EPIC FAIL!
Of course, we all recognize the need to encourage the public to visit our fairgrounds and be “entertained” by all the events, but today it seems we have become more desperate! Those fairgrounds have become so expensive that we can’t afford to just have a little dog show anymore. Hence, the reason to fill the day with more for the public to see. However, with so much choice at dog shows (and so many distractions) it’s important to remember that the main charter of all-breed clubs hosting all these events is always about Conformation; to celebrate the work of breeders; to celebrate the lineage of purebred dogs; and to celebrate generations of breeders.
In presenting to parent clubs and all-breed clubs, I have a portion in my seminars on options for keeping people engaged at all-breed shows. One of my favorites is the Art Show at the Dog Show, where clubs get local schools involved to create the artwork and then they bring young people and their families to the dog shows. This is a great example of how to engage a younger audience. Let’s remember, Junior Showmanship was one of the first things added to Conformation shows (90 years ago) to engage families.
The reality is that what brings us all together—always—is the dogs. We all love dogs and we share that bond as dog lovers. This is what brings us together time and time again. But as a conservation breeder, I like the traditional framework of Conformation because that is the pure essence of AKC dog shows, which have traditionally been about performance on a breed-specific level. How do our dogs act? How do they gait? How closely do they resemble the written Breed Standard that was developed over time and then became set in stone for people to use to evaluate offspring? I like to stay focused with my eye on the prize. I don’t get too distracted, as I have found my joy in this art form and pageantry—on the original intent of dog shows. That is the Best in Show for me!
