Question: “We all know there are good sports and bad sports that show dogs. What is the best way to deal with someone exhibiting unsportsmanlike behavior?Some examples are behaviors in the ring like running up on your dog and when you ask them to stop, they smart mouth back something negative about your dog. Or muttering something negative about your dog loud enough to be heard by the judge to put your dog in a bad light if they think you have the better chance of winning."

I am truly disappointed that this question has to be asked. I have always thought of this community as being special and above the social mores – or lack thereof - shown by the general public today, but perhaps that shows my naiveté. Poor sportsmanship has no place in our community. That being said, I would not recommend handling this issue the way I might have as a much younger man.

I believe most judges – if they see this type of behavior in their ring – would put a stop to it. I know if I saw this happening in my ring, I would make sure the offender would quickly understand that this will not be allowed, and if I saw it a second time, the offender would be told to leave the ring, and I would report the situation to the AKC Representative.

And that is exactly what I would advise you to do. Here are some AKC guidelines for you to follow:

If you’re at an event and experience something you feel is prejudicial conduct, youshould immediately talk with the event officials. You may be requested to make a formal written complaint at that time. The incident will then immediately be investigated by the event committee while witnesses are still at the show.

The event committee at an AKC event has the full authority to act on any issue of misconduct on behalf of the AKC. They will investigate any incidents of misconduct, interview witnesses, and conduct a hearing. There, they listen to witness testimony, plus testimony from the accused, then vote on if the accused should be suspended. Regardless of the outcome of the hearing, all information will be sent directly to the AKC.

Do not hesitate to do this, because poor sportsmanship has no place in our dog show community. We all want to win, and we all are proud of our dogs, but fair competition on a level playing field is what we should expect. If you think the handler is running up on you innocently, because he is simply moving his dog much faster, you certainly may ask the judge if you can move to the end of the line. Most judges will be ok with this.

Taking it a step further, I am greatly disappointed in the poor sportsmanship and outright nastiness shown by those who choose to flex their internet muscles by demeaning judges and other exhibitors online. I wish the AKC would pay more attention to this. Honest, fair competitors don’t resort to this cowardice.

Everyone should pay attention to this:

https://images.akc.org/pdf/AKC_code_of_sportsmanship.pdf

Good luck to all of you. Enjoy your dogs and your time in the ring.