Judging
This section covers some important considerations when judging dogs. It explains exactly what a dog judge is, the various qualifications and how they get recognized. It also explains why judges look for and how they sort out their winners, particularly within the different breeds. There is also a special in-depth section on judging a terrier.
A dog judge must have a license issued by the Kennel Club in their country of residence. These licenses are issued to those who have undergone training and/or examinations to ensure they have knowledge of all the individual breeds' unique characteristics. Each Kennel Club has its own system of granting licenses to dog judges. Often this consists of a training scheme and/or a series of lectures or seminars plus an examination scheme which may be theoretical, practical or a combination of both.
Whether you are a breeder, a judge, an interested owner or a dog enthusiast it is most important to develop what we call in dog jargon, an ‘eye for a dog’. Then you can truly appreciate a dog that contains all the essentials contained within its Breed Standard but and at the same time, is of top quality. But how do you recognize this top quality in a dog?
For the sake of the preservation of all pure breeds it is most important that the correct breed type for each breed is recognised and appreciated by all interested parties to distinguish it from the generic dog. It is also highly desirable that these parties have an 'Eye for a Dog'.
When Breed Standards are quite specific concerning height and/or weight parameters, the size of the dog becomes fundamental to the whole picture of correct breed type. So, it never ceases to amaze me to observe how many breeds drift away from the height and weight parameters dictated to by their respective Breed Standards. Imagine a Chihuahua weighing ten kilos (22 pounds) or a Great Dane standing but 40 cm (16 inches) tall! Ridiculous as that may seem, perhaps we should ask ourselves how big or small each breed can be before the size of a particular dog in itself, interferes with correct breed type[1].