BETWEEN THE LINES
More on Critiques
I
And of course judging would be slower and more expenhave been writing a lot about critiques recently. Judging
sive, but critiques would only be offered at specific shows or
by the reaction from readers, I need to write more. The
in certain classes, and the extra fee that I’m sure exhibitors
written critiques that the conformation judges dictate
BO
are willing to pay would easily finance the costs. (Entry fees
for each exhibit in the ring at FCI shows in Europe are exBENGTSON
at FCI shows in Europe are considerably higher than ours, but
tremely popular in some quarters but considered a waste of
they still have much bigger shows than we do!)
paper by others.
Then there is what’s apparently the most insurmountaIt was my original contention that these written “word picble problem — a stumbling block that I had not foreseen
tures” from the judge’s mouth could be a saving grace for dog
at all. American dog show exhibitors,
shows in the US and help attract badly
it was said, would simply not be able
needed fresh blood to the dog fancy. If
to accept having their dogs criticized
we don’t do anything and entry figures
Written critiques
in print by a judge, however expertly.
continue to plummet, dog shows as
that conformation
Anything less than 100 percent positive
we know them may become extinct in
judges dictate ...
remarks would be considered a mortal
the US sooner than we think. We need
insult. That surprised me a lot. Have we
more people getting involved in showat FCI shows are
become so emotional about our pets
ing dogs, and to achieve that end, we
extremely popular.
that we can’t accept that they may not
need to figure out how to attract them
be absolutely perfect in terms of conto “our world.” Because critiques are
formation? (The judge won’t comment
obviously appreciated in the countries
on the dog’s character, as long as it doesn’t bite or shy away
where they are obligatory, and because dog shows are so big
from examination.)
in those countries — where showing dogs really is a sort of
Does it matter so much to us that our dogs have perfect
“family sport” in a way they are not over here — it would
conformation? Are we so different from exhibitors overseas,
seem natural to follow their lead in this respect.
where they nod and agree when the judge tells them their
dogs’ faults? Have dog people become much more sensitive
All the Reasons Why Not
than exhibitors of other domestic animals, where the exhibiThe reaction to my suggestion that critiques might be a good
tor has to accept sometimes quite severe verbal critiques from
idea at AKC shows was mostly negative at first. Critiques
the judge, expressed for everyone to hear during judging?
wouldn’t have anything to teach those of us who consider ourWould it help if we referred to the critiques as “descriptions”
selves experts, and anyway, one critique would probably conor “assessments” instead, so it didn’t sound so … well, critical?
tradict another. Most judges wouldn’t know enough to have an
opinion, and even those who did would not be able to express
themselves clearly. The critiques would take a lot of time for
There Is a Desire for Critiques
judges to dictate, so they wouldn’t be able to take on
When I posted a question on my Facebook page about whethas many dogs per day as they do now — which in
er dog people would be interested in getting critiques, the return means that more judges wou ld be needed
sponse, in spite of the above, was almost universally positive.
PERCENT OF
for each event, making it even more expen[We also asked this question on the Dogs in Review Facebook
DOGS IN REVIEW FACEBOOK
sive to put on a show than it is now.
page, and 72 percent of respondents said they did want criFANS WHO WANT CRITIQUES:
To all this, my response is that trying
tiques. — Eds.] Here are some of the comments I received:
anything is better than nothing because
we quite obviously have little to lose. If
“Yes, I want to know the judge’s opinion of my dog.”
we think a judge is qualified enough for us
to show under him or her, surely we must
“This would be a huge improvement in so many ways.”
be willing to listen to that judge’s reasons for
“I really can’t believe that they don’t do it yet!”
a placement. Yes, some critiques would state the
“I’ve said for a long time that written critiques would be
opposite of others, but so what? That just teaches us,
a first but major step to reviving our sport.”
if we didn’t know it before, that judges don’t always agree.
Sure, some judges would be better at expressing themselves
than others — just as some of them are already better than
others in different areas of the judging process.
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