How Breeder-Judge Partnerships
Separate Gene Pools in Favor of the Better Dogs
By
Dr. Carmen L. Battaglia
| This article has
been reproduced with the kind permission of Dr. Carmen
L. Battaglia for the CFBA, the CIDBT, and their students
of Dog Behaviour & Training |
When it comes to solving problems, two heads are better than
one. A synergy is produced each time there are interactions that
involve the sharing and exchanging of ideas. When breeders and
judges gather to discuss their common interests they create this
synergy through their combined talents, energies and knowledge.
The effectiveness of these efforts, when directed at problem
solving, is legendary. Historically, there have been many breeder
and judges groups that have relied on these activities to promote
knowledge about the sport in order to solve breed problems. They
have accomplished both through a little noticed effort that calls
for agreement on the interpretation and implementation of breed
standards. For example, most breeders pay close attention
to the dogs that win. They also notice what these dogs produce,
or fail to produce. This is one of the key mechanisms that
allows them to identity the better breeding animals, their best
offspring and the pedigrees that produced them. It is no secret
that the winners will be bred more often then the losers. This
explains why so many of the better pedigrees include the names
of popular stud dogs and champions. It also demonstrates
that the time they invest in these efforts is well spent. This
scenario, when repeated, improves the dogs owned by the successful
breeders.
Judges and their associations play an important role in the
process of making breed improvements because their meetings produce
a synergy that is beneficial to the breeding of the better dogs.
When enough judges select the same dog as their winner, that
dog becomes popular and the breeders begin to use it in their
breeding program. Experienced judges understand this phenomena
and make their judgements and evaluations accordingly. This is
why interpreting the breed standard goes beyond using the wicket
and scales, withholding, excusing and disqualifying dogs whose
traits drift from the standard. It also goes hand in hand with
finding dogs that come closest to the standard. Those who
manage their assignments with these ideas in mind become known
as judges who are interested in promoting the well- being of
the breeds they judge. Judges have a special responsibility to
the breeders as they sort through the potential breeding stock
in their ring. I can recall listening to a group of breeder-judges
arguing about the best way to eliminate missing teeth. In this
case the breed standard called for full dentition. Unfortunately,
many of the better dogs often were found to have missing teeth.
After several meetings, the judges agreed to not let any dog
win the points if it had missing teeth unless no other dog of
merit was entered. Ten years later, what had been a serious problem
in the breed became only a memory.
A common mistake that is sometimes made by both the judges and
the breeders is to place undue emphasis on one trait. Those who
do soon learn that in time the overall quality of the pups being
produced will begin to drift toward the breed average and these
offspring will begin to show all of the variations found in their
breed.
History shows that there are many ways to make improvements and
correct faults in a breed. Some breed clubs have joined together
with their judges in order to focus on specific areas that need
correction or improvement. How they go about developing
these relationships usually depends on the importance they give
to their problems. For example, sound temperament is a required
trait in every breed and it is a characteristic that always merits
attention. To this end, some parent clubs have initiated their
own breeder-judge partnerships in order to improve and support
this important trait. One club has developed an "in-ring
temperament test" for use at all-breed and specialty shows. Others
are developing special temperament tests for use at their trials
or at free-standing events.
The AKC has also added emphasis to this trait by directing its
judges to excuse or disqualify dogs whose temperament is undesirable.
But what is acceptable in one country can be unacceptable in
another. For example, in many European and Latin American countries,
the Brazilian national dog called the Fila Brasileiro often times
intrigues spectators because of its size and temperament. It
ranges from 90 to 100 pounds and stands 24-29 inches in height.
Filas are thought to have come from a combination of breeds.
The interpretation given its breed standard suggests that aggression
towards strangers and other dogs is not uncommon. One of its
valued characteristics is to have skin so supple and loose that
it can make a complete turn within its skin and attack a predator
or human who attempts to hold or restrain it. The Filas
are popular because of their fearlessness, which is coveted by
owners looking for personal or property protection as well as
loyalty and affection. It is not popular in the United
States, Canada and elsewhere because of these breed characteristics.
Over the years, the emphasis that has been given to temperament
has changed. This is evidenced by the way in which it has been
reported. In the past, the term "dirty dozen" was a
phrase used to describe the twelve breeds that had the highest
number of dogs excused and disqualified from the ring in a calendar
year. It produced useful results by showing which breeds were
making progress and it kept the breeders and the breed clubs
on their toes. Unfortunately, the practice of publishing this
list has been discontinued. Table 1 is a more recent variation
of that idea. The data presented is in the aggregate, but it
shows the number of dogs excused and disqualified from the ring
for a sixteen-year period. It is interesting to note that
while the number of shows and entries have steadily increased
over this period, the number of dogs with bad behavior has remained
relatively flat. For example, entries increased from 1,922,267
in 2001 to 1,933,596 in 2002. These
statistics demonstrate the value of how a breeder-judge relationship
can work to make an improvement.
TABLE 1. BAD BEHAVIOR IN THE SHOW RING
Year |
2X
Excusals |
1X
Excusals |
Disqualified (attacking) |
|
1988 |
3 |
126 |
73 |
|
1989 |
5 |
124 |
85 |
|
1990 |
6 |
106 |
91 |
|
1991 |
2 |
84 |
91 |
|
1992 |
6 |
116 |
74 |
|
1993 |
4 |
107 |
71 |
|
1994 |
2 |
110 |
77 |
|
1995 |
6 |
133 |
91 |
|
1996 |
2 |
111 |
81 |
|
1997 |
2 |
140 |
82 |
|
1998 |
3 |
126 |
75 |
|
1999 |
3 |
62 |
70 |
|
2000 |
3 |
106 |
82 |
|
2001 |
2 |
100 |
83 |
|
2002 |
1 |
110 |
57 |
|
Totals |
48 |
1661 |
1183 |
There are many kinds of information that can be used to evaluate
progress. Who wins and who loses, coupled with what they produce,
continues to stand tall among the factors considered of most
importance. When information about what a breeder is able to
produce becomes available, it spreads quickly via word of mouth
and the Internet. For example, dogs that lose and those that
do not produce quality offspring quickly become known as the
dogs to avoid. While this process works, there is still
room for improvement. Another indicator that has served a useful
purpose involves the number of pups breeders sell on spay/neuter
contracts and those sold on limited registrations. Both are good
indicators of low quality. Reports about the breeders who sell
pups this way have been isolated and scattered until recently.
Table 2, focuses attention on these breeders and it shows why
there is a need for more breeder-judge partnerships. Notice the
steady upward trend over this eight-year period. Unfortunately,
the number of pups being sold on limited registrations continues
to grow along with its unintended consequences for many breeds
and their clubs.
Table 2 Limited Registrations
The data presented in Table 1 serve as a good indicator of why
more attention should be given to the education of breeders and
judges. Unfortunately, the solutions to the problem of
poor quality can not be addressed by studying charts or analyzing
tables. The solution must come from those who participate
in the sport. In this case, the decision-makers are the breeders
and the judges. As more judges and their associations begin to
partner with breed clubs more improvements can be expected. The
combined efforts of both groups, when focused at specific problems,
can help to make improvements sooner rather then later.
Many clubs have found that hosting annual meetings of their
judges and breeders during their national specialty show is an
effective way to identify, prioritize and focus on the problems
that need attention. Experience also shows that when decisions
are made about the problems to be addressed they should be widely
distributed on club websites and in their club newsletters. The
amount of success one can expect will depend on the quality of
the education programs coupled with the depth and frequency of
their occurrences.
References:
Aronson, Linda, In the spotlight", Beacon for Health,
the official Newsletter of the Bearded Collie Foundation for
Health, Vol. II, Issue 1, Feb. 2002,p.7.
Battaglia, Carmen, "Litter Evaluation and Early
Neurological Stimulation of Puppies", presented at the
North American Veterinary Conference, Orlando, Florida January
20, 2004.
Battaglia, Carmen, "Changing the Estimates", Canine
Chronicle, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2003, pg. 28.
| This article has
been reproduced with the kind permission of Dr. Carmen
L. Battaglia for the CFBA, the CIDBT, and their students
of Dog Behaviour & Training |
ABOUT THE AUTHORCarmen L Battaglia holds a Ph.D.
and Masters Degree from Florida State University. As
an AKC judge, researcher and writer, he has been a leader
in promotion of breeding better dogs and has written
many articles and several books.Dr. Battaglia is also a popular TV
and radio talk show speaker. His seminars on breeding
dogs, selecting sires and choosing puppies have been
well received by the breed clubs all over the country.
Those interested in learning more about his seminars
should contact him directly. Visit his website at http://www.breedingbetterdogs.com
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