"My question is what is an appropriate conversation to have with the judge during pictures?Is this a time when the exhibitor can or should pick the brain, so to speak, of the judge? Should an exhibitor be asking questions to clarify why he made the choices he did for his winners?What types of things would be totally inappropriate?”

 

Another interesting question, and I am glad to have the opportunity to answer. In my experience it depends entirely on the relationship the judge has with this particular exhibitor. For example, Having been an AKC approved judge for more than fifty years, it is only natural that I know many of the professional handlers and breeder-exhibitors that show to me. Most of the time, conversations during the photo-shoot have little to do with the dog. I may inquire how the family is, how old the new baby is now, or how the husband, wife, or significant other is doing. We often talk about how long it has been since we have seen each other, or a reminiscence of old times.

 

If there is a discussion about the dog, it usually goes something like this, “This is the grandson of the dog you put up in Nebraska about eight years ago. Do you remember him?” People will often refer to a previous winner that was related to this dog. To tell you the absolute honest truth, judges rarely will remember a dog that they put up five, six years ago or more. But we nod, and say how nice that is. On rare occasions, if it was a dog that we truly loved, we will remember that specific dog, but this is an anomaly. Of course, I am only speaking for myself. There may be judges who remember all the dogs they have judged. Although all dogs are special, I only truly remember those that were special to me.

 

If it is a newer exhibitor or one that I don’t know, I will always congratulate them on their win. I cannot imagine why someone who had just won would want to “pick the judges brain” at this time. All this might do is cause the judge to take another look at your dog, and maybe notice something he did not see before – something you might not want him to notice. If you want to tell the judge something about the breeding – if it is a breed that the judge is very familiar with – that would be fine. If you want to tell the judge that you are new and this win means a lot, that is very appropriate to say. Just be respectful and happy about your win, and you will leave a positive impression in the judge’s mind.

 

On the other hand, it would be completely inappropriate to speak badly about a competitor or his dog. As part of this question someone wrote, “Regarding this question, when I was frequently winning Groups with (one of my dogs) years ago, people came up to me later to say they heard handlers who had won lower group placementsthat day, speak poorly of (my dog) to the Group judge while they were having their photos taken. That hurt beyond words. Is that type of talk toleratedand/or engagedin often by the Group judges?” I will unequivocally say that I would never allow that. If a handler – or anyone – tried to talk negatively about someone else’s dog, I would cut them off, and tell that person, “All you are doing now is making me think of you in a negative light. Is that really what you want to do?” I think most judges would react like that.

 

By the way, if you are unhappy about only winning a group placement, get over yourself. Any and every win should be appreciated. If you get to the point where you are so jaded that a group placement disappoints you, go do something else with your time.

 

I hope that helps. Enjoy your dog!

 

 

Once again Thank You judge Sid Marx for giving us great answers to great questions.  For those of you who have enjoyed reading this column, you may also read his column, The Judge Marx the Spot in Dog News magazine and online at: https://www.dognews.com/sid-marx-0