Showsight - November 2017

MY VOICE @ SHOWSIGHT DOG FANCIERS SPEAK THEIRMINDS

FROM KARIN B. ASHE I borrowed the following from a friend and I think it should be published EVERYWHERE! Reading your Standards the night before always helps to keep in mind the finer points of every breed you are to judge. FROM SARAH MURPHY, ABBAIO IBIZAN HOUNDS Dog show judges... Checking your standard WHILE JUDGING is not a sign of lack of knowledge or being unfit to judge a particular breed, to serious and educated exhibitors. At rabbit and cavy shows, the judges keep their standards books open on the table and frequently double check what it says while judging—even the most experi- enced judges! When I see a judge at a dog show walk to their table and check something in the standard, I typically gain confidence in them. How many breeders or exhibitors can recall word-for-word exactly what their standard says, without paraphrasing? Checking the standard tells me that you see something that you're unsure of and instead of just guessing or going solely on your personal preference, you want to see exactly what the architects of the breed had to say about it. It tells me that you care enough about the selections you are making and you take your role in the sport seriously. Judging purebred animals is a responsibility to be informed and educated. It is *not* a responsibility to be perfect. The standard is not only there to teach you at the beginning of the application process, it is there to guide you all throughout your assignments and to guide breeders throughout the entire cultivation and development of our lines. There is no shame in utilizing the official, approved standard at your disposal at any time.

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274 • S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , N OVEMBER 2017

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