Judges touching dogs...

[quote=Astibus]I have not seen a judge yet attempting to touch Shars in the ring.....but I don't know, if they are officially "exempt". Not a good idea to try though. :lol: Dan[/quote] Dogs need to behave in the ring. It shouldn't be that difficult.

here in england the judge does touch dogs-regardless of its breed. the judge will inspect its teeth and if the dog is a male will the judge will confirm by touch that the male is intact. any dog that shows aggression to or bites a judge it and its owner will be banned from being shown permanently. i agree with this. if the dog is so poorly trained and a threat to the judge-it should not be in the show ring in the first place.

In the FCI championships held in Puerto Rico in November, the judges did not touch the Filas. The male that won was an AMAZING animal!!! Very serious, and beautiful! ALV

I don't think it's realistic to lump all dog shows together. To compare the AKC or dogs that shown at Krofts(?) with dogs that show in A.R.B.A. (Rare breeds) or a German Seger shows isn't fair to the temperment portion of those breeds standards. I've shown in both AKC, UKC, Breed Clubs, ARBA and Seger shows and IMHO no judge should ever open any dog's mouth no matter what breed it is. No dog with any bit of spirit tolerates it very well adding to the stress. Not only is a stranger(Judge) sticking thier hands on the dogs muzzle they have the scent of dozens of dog on thier hands. There is also the possibility of spredding disease. I do feel that a friendly stranger should be able to touch the dog's body whith the handler controling the head and assuring the dog that it is acceptible. These are after all dogs that are compaions to human and not wild animals.

[quote=mason] i agree with this. if the dog is so poorly trained and a threat to the judge-it should not be in the show ring in the first place.[/quote] I do agree that dogs should be socialized and the owners should be able to control them. No dog in the ring should be a blatant serious liability to anyone under normal show circumstances. However, it shouldn't be looked over that some judges simply don't know how to act around certain types of dogs. My female CO has been quite well socialized and she has been judged hands-on. When this happens, however it's purely toleration. There have been a couple instances where the judge approached her strangely, had weird body language, etc. and she decided she wouldn't have ANYTHING to do with them.

[quote=Xamen13] There have been a couple instances where the judge approached her strangely, had weird body language, etc. and she decided she wouldn't have ANYTHING to do with them.[/quote] Kris - I've seen this from Judges that SHOULD know better. Judges that own the very breed they are judging and still set them off. I'm not for "dumbing down" any dog, if a dog should be sharp to be true to the standard then so be it. However, a sharp dog can have the confidence to allow a non-threating human approach.

[quote=Platz]I do feel that a friendly stranger should be able to touch the dog's body whith the handler controling the head and assuring the dog that it is acceptible. [/quote] [blockquote]I'm not for "dumbing down" any dog, if a dog should be sharp to be true to the standard then so be it. However, a sharp dog can have the confidence to allow a non-threating human approach.[/blockquote] I generally agree. However, the key is to socialize said "sharp dog" so that they will defer to the handler and at the very least tolerate the judge. Also, the handler needs to know their dog and how to read them. For the dogs that have sharper temperaments and are generally fairly well behaved in the ring (like my CO bitch), it can very much be a conflict of interests. All the new smells, the tension in the air, the constant hustle and bustle around the ring and the toleration of many new and strange people and dogs constantly being around and in close proximity DOES wear on them. Dasha has done very well most of the times we've taken her to shows, however she does clearly have a cut-off point where she decides she is done tolerating and doesn't want anything more to do with the situation. Luckily we've done enough socializing and can read her well enough so that instead of just snapping and lashing out she will give warning signs and we can take whatever action is needed. There have been times where we've opted out of doing the last part of a couple shows because we didn't want to push her to that breaking point. In fact, Frank, weren't you were one of the ones who was helping with a similar situation with the "human sentry wall" around the Sars at the Premier last summer?

"In fact, Frank, weren't you were one of the ones who was helping with a similar situation with the "human sentry wall" around the Sars at the Premier last summer?" :lol: :lol: :lol: Yes, and I give Dan & his dogs a lot of credit. All things concidered they handled the stress very well. You are very correct it really does depend on the handler & the realationship with the dog. Not unlike doing bite woprk the dog must trust the handler enough to understand the handler won't put him in danger. Also, a good handler will not be afraid to excuse themselfs from the ring if the dog is so stressed out that it could be a danger. At least in some rings it is understood that the breed shown is to have "spirit" and judges don't discriminate on that point. Back in the earily 90's in the eairly days of A.R.B.A I was forutnate to see a lot of dogs that had recently arrived in the states and were still very true to thier origans. I remember that the outdoor shows were a lot easier on the sharper breeds.