Last year, on Sunday morning, I was in bed at the hotel in New York for Westminster when the phone rang. It was Michael Canalizo. He said, “Hey, I have a favor to ask you. Would you be willing to judge the Juniors Finals at the AKC National Championship?” I already knew I was judging breeds there, but Juniors? Absolutely! Juniors is my favorite thing to judge. It truly is. I was super excited about the invitation, but I couldn’t say anything to anybody about it!
I grew up in the sport and showed in Juniors. (When I went to my first Montgomery, I was a month old!) I’ve been around so many people who have become family, including Juniors and their parents. So, while I was at Westminster, I couldn’t share the news with the people I was with. Then, when the panel came out while I was in Louisville at the Griffon National, some of the Juniors I know just gave me a look… and one Junior marched up to me and said, “Seriously? Are you kidding me? You couldn’t wait until I was out of Juniors?” I responded, “You still have to make it to the Finals!”
As I’ve said, Juniors is my favorite thing, and when I judge Juniors it is always about presenting the dog in a breed-specific manner, knowing the individual dog, and staying calm, cool, and collected. When I talk with Juniors, I ask them if they’ve watched Taffe McFadden or Andy Linton. Having been around like I have, I know correct presentation for the breeds and the great people who have shown those breeds at the top level. That is what I’m always going to reward. Though I’m not judging the dog, presenting it in a breed-specific manner is what Juniors should be about.
In Juniors, there’s a school of thought that it’s about “yes, sir” and “yes, ma’am,” but I don’t want any of that. It’s okay to say it when told to go down and back, but it shouldn’t be forced—and it shouldn’t be repeated 700 times! I don’t want the fakeness; I want them to just show their dog like they are in the Breed ring. I’ve had instances where kids have shown to me in Breed and then showed in Junior Showmanship… and it’s a completely different presentation. I tell them that Junior Showmanship is presenting your dog in a breed-specific manner, not being a showboat, over the top and staring at the judge. None of that. I don’t want to see the handler, I want to see the dog.
When I’m judging in a scenario like the AKC National Championship, I’m so in the zone. However, the weirdest part this time was that it took me by surprise when I gave instructions and I could hear my own voice. I’ve been mic’d before at The Garden and at Philadelphia, but at those shows you’re not speaking to the people in the arena—and you’re not listening to yourself! Otherwise, the energy in the arena was great. I’m sure there were lots of other Juniors up in the stands watching and cheering for the kids. They are always supportive of each other, and the Juniors in my ring in Orlando had great support.
For the kids who made it to the Finals, the Ronald H. Menaker Arena was probably not a familiar environment. Stepping into that arena is like a whole new world, and for some, I’m sure it was their first time being there. The good thing was that, with the prejudging, they didn’t have to put their dogs on the table. I didn’t need to go over the dogs in the arena because I had done that previously—to make sure the judging didn’t take a lot of time—and this allowed each Junior to show their dog in a calm and cool manner.
My eventual winner with the PBGV was so calm, cool, and collected—and she was so into her dog. They’re such an amazing team. The young girl with the Cairn Terrier in second place made my heart so happy. She just radiates joy. As a Terrier girl who had to show Terriers in Juniors a lot, I know it’s not easy. But she showed her dog in a perfectly breed-specific manner, and on a dead-loose lead. I never saw her before, but she was amazing and is so good for Terriers as they’re not a popular Juniors dog.
The third and fourth place Juniors, with Toy dogs, were again amazing. They presented their Toy Manchester and Chihuahua with nothing extra, nothing fake, and nothing phony. They just showed their dogs perfectly for their individual breed. The fact that two Toys, a Terrier, and a Hound were my placements, you’d think maybe I had been influenced by their breeds! As a judge, there are personal preferences and styles that come into play. I know that I’m always drawn to breeds that I know are difficult to show, so when somebody does that well and makes it look effortless… that speaks volumes.
When I was asked if I have any advice to offer this year’s finalists, I thought about it for a moment. When you get to this level, they all have such great qualities. I would simply say to all of them, keep doing what you’re doing. To the winner specifically, my advice would be to continue being the person you are; work hard and keep doing the things that I know you’re already doing. You are an exceptional talent.
All of the finalists have great potential as breeders too. I hope that all of them are involved in breeding dogs and learning all the things that breeders need to know. They all have something to offer their breeds, and hopefully, rising to this level of success gives them the spark to want to stick around. We need to encourage young people to want to stay involved and become those responsible breeders we need in order for the sport to continue. It doesn’t matter how well you can show dogs if you don’t know how to create them and build a breeding program.
When I was showing in Juniors, there was a young girl whose family had gotten their very first Vizsla. The girl had natural talent, and so, she started showing him. He wound up becoming a super handsome dog and he became a Group winner. She went Best Junior Handler at The Garden… but we’ve never seen her since. We need to ensure that Juniors like her get involved with the right people and stay involved, because without them, we have nothing.
