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Linda L. Robey shares insights on judging at the AKC National Championship, highlighting Belgian and rare breeds with exceptional quality.
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Linda L. Robey: It is an honor to be invited to judge this great event. It is also exciting because I knew I was going to have some terrific dogs to judge. The best of the best come to Orlando to these shows.
Linda L. Robey: My assignment was Belgian Laekenois (11), Belgian Malinois (25), Belgian Sheepdogs (24), Belgian Tervuren (16), Cardigan Welsh Corgis (39), Icelandic Sheepdogs (10), Mudik (36), Swedish Vallhunds (11). I wanted to give the number because they were great entries in breeds you don’t often see in big numbers. Indicates how many people love these shows and want to participate.
You are going to see the words “amazing,” “excellent,” and “beautiful,” etc., in my comments. These were some of the best entries at an all-breed show that I’ve seen in years. I was so happy the AKC let us have a good number of Award of Excellence placements. They were needed with these entries. The Belgian Breeds are my breeds, so I was thrilled with the entries. My Breed winners in all four had beautiful breed type along with proper movement. That continued down through the Award of Excellence winners. I love to see great examples of the breeds.
The Cardigan Welsh Corgi entry was large. I loved the fact that with this large an entry the Specials were amazing. They had proper proportions, which is important in this breed. There were many very good examples of correct heads and ears, and many good examples of correct side gait for the breed. Icelandic Sheepdogs were very good. All had proper body proportions and lovely heads and expressions. Correct movement in the entries also.
In Mudik, the entry was one of the largest I’ve judged. Excellent depth of quality in the exhibits. My Breed winner was eight years old and you would never have guessed it. I had five Awards of Excellence in this breed, and I really needed them. Wonderful to see such a great entry at this show.
The Swedish Valhund entry was the best I have seen in years. Beautiful breed type, excellent proportions, and wonderful, correct movement. My BOB, BOS, Select, and AOE were all outstanding examples of the breed. Again, so nice to see this depth of quality in a low entry breed. The Mudi and Swedish Vallhund are on the low entry breed list. It was wonderful to see such quality entries in these breeds.
Linda L. Robey: My 2024 show year was cut a bit short this year. I had my knee replaced in June and had some complications, so I was not judging from June until mid-October. I was so thrilled that it was good enough from me to judge the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin. I’m looking forward to 2025. With the depth of quality I observed at the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin, I think 2025 is looking pretty good.
American Kennel Club (AKC)
The AKC has released the judging panel for the 2026 AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin in Orlando this December.
