Page 116 - Aussie Magazine no1, 2023

An Interview with a judge

Sometimes though the exhibitor is more nervous
than the dog. Shaking hands, chaotic grabbing
of the dog’s mouth, lips, constantly jerking
the leash, etc. I will ask an exhibitor to
slow down and be more gentle – they
might be unaware what they are doing
to the dog. No wonder a young dog
starts feeling uneasy.

Please tell us about your judges’
career, which countries you have
judged in and any highlights.
I am a relatively new judge and have
judged in 10 countries so far: Latvia,
Estonia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic,
Germany, Italy, France, Israel, Poland,
and Finland. Soon after I qualified, the
pandemic started and many plans got
disrupted. My highlight of the year 2022
was judging at the Finnish Winner Shows in
Helsinki, in December. That is the largest and
most prestigious conformation show in my region,
in 2022 the entries were about 17 thousand, over
the 3 show days. This year I am very much looking
forward to judging some National Specialties in This is my passion, my free time, my chance to
Europe. impact someone’s life for the better. We all will be
better off when treating fellow breeders, fanciers
What is your most memorable experience as a with kindness and respect. It has been immensely
judge? rewarding to be involved in the Australian
There are many. I love Specialty Shows, as there is Shepherd breed.
more time to interact and exhibitors may want to
stay and chat after the show. I love that there are We are now in a new situation where breeders
more Puppies and Veterans at Specialty Shows. of purebred dogs, and thus our whole hobby, is
I love the camaraderie and positive energy of vilified and disliked by part of society. This is a
people who share an interest in our Breed. difficult time to be a breeder. We breeders must
therefore make sure we do not tear each other
Did you ever have a mentor? Are you mentoring down from the inside. We should not have to
new aspiring judges? compete with each other as to who breeds less.
Yes, informally I had (and have still) several
mentors, in the Australian Shepherd breed and in I am not formally mentoring new judges yet, but
other breeds also. They are people I look up to, informally have helped when people reach out
and they may not at the moment intend to teach to me.
me anything. People who lead by example. People
who talk about things that matter, in dogs and in What characteristics make a good judge in your
life. For me, increasingly, kindness and a positive opinion?
energy are important factors. I am a “glass is A good judge should have an eye for a dog and
half full” kind of person. I do not want to spend have a good feel for a dog, in the way that they
much time with persons who are overwhelmingly approach and interact. A good judge should
negative or cynical. Life is just too short for that. understand breed type and essence. Form follows

116 | A Worldwide Magazine for the Aussie • Issue 1/2023