o'cockaigne

The following article is translated from the “Deutsches Windhundzuchtbuch” Band XXVII with inscriptions from the years 1974-1975. The book was published in 1976 and the article was written by the then President of the DWZRV and judge, Karl-Heinz Nause.

The article was taken from my heart and I hope that both the exhibitors and the judges will take it to heart.

Qualifications and their effects on the breed – responsibility of the judges.

If you decided to read up on this story and get over the opening paragraphs I can assure you we are going to cover a topic with highest brisance and importance.

This concerns everyone handling with the entity of cynology: the exhibitors, the breeders and of course the judges.

Looking carefully at a dog show or better „breeding show“ you will notice an over assessment of the dogs in most of the rings and in nearly all the breeds. The percentage of the qualifications „Excellent“ and „Very Good“ is excessive and unrealistic. The qualifications „Good“ or „Sufficient“ are awarded rarely.

I said in most of the breeds. Some of them didn’t join the inflation of the qualifications. The DWZRV is not one of these laudably exceptions.

Who watches the boards in the rings and notices that out of 20 entries 18 entries with the qualification „Excellent“ and two entries with the qualification „Very Good“, or not unusually 20 entries with the qualification „Excellent“, the impartial observer will come to the decision that something is wrong.
Let me be frank – our breed shows are getting ridiculous.

It’s not a symbol of quality if a judge is going to be an „Excellent“ distributor based on fear of the displeasure of the exhibitors or not being invited next time.

I can already hear the protests of picking up extreme examples only. And it’s true, I picked up the excesses just to reveal my concern.
You can take my word for it that these examples are not that rare. Even not always as stark as I described it but the trend is the same. The possibility is given that the quality of one class is absolutely outstanding and all of the dogs deserve an „Excellent“. And, if so, all these dogs should get this qualification. But this case should be the big exception and not going to get standard.

Let us have a look at the direct meaning of our qualifications:

„Sufficient“ means
A dog embodies the attributes of its breed in a sufficiënt form.
Its allowed to show some deficits.

„Good“ means
All attributes of the breed are embodied in a good form. A few deficiënties will be accepted.
This means already to express a compliment by declaring the dog as a good representative of its breed.

„Very Good“ means
Its a big compliment. Only small unessential deficiencies are allowed to be in esse to justify this score.

„Excellent“ means
The dog has to embody the attributes of its breed in an outstanding and perfect form.

The gait is very important for hounds and its meaning in the assessment has a major importance.

For sure the entity is a part of the breed standard and therefore an adequate influence at the assessment. It is above all things to emphasize this because often the entity is not regarded sufficiently.
Deficiencies of the gait and the entity must be part of the qualification!

If you consider the qualifications from these points of view you will agree that there has been a rising inflation since the last few years. The exhibitors boost this trend by being offended in case of getting an „Very Good“. Actually they should be happy of being owner of a very good dog. This attitude makes the objective assessment difficult for the judge. After all judges are only humans. Its absolute not easy to bring up the necessary hardness.

The qualifications have a major importance for the breed. Every judge must be aware of his responsibility he make with his assessment. The development of the breeds is in the judges hands. Certainly the dogs with the highest qualifications or titles are getting used for breeding. If judges are inclined to award too high qualifications only and these dogs are used for breeding because of their over assessment, their deficiencies will be inherited and multiplied by a multitude of descendants.

Because our breeding rules prescribe the score „Very Good“ as requirement for the approval and thereby for the breeding permission,  there is already a certain decision about the approval at the show. The judges should be aware of this!

At the presentation of the dog to the approval the judge has the difficult job to decide: shall the presented dog be admitted to the breed? Yes or No! He will have a hard time telling the owner that his dog is unworthy for the breed. Especially if this dog got „Very Good“ from another judge.
The much more critical assessment of a dog in regard to its breeding suitability can make such a decision necessary. Therefore the judge should not shrink from such a decision if he is aware of his responsibility for the breeds.
The amount of bloodlines at most of the hounds makes it possible to use the best assessed dogs only.

Particularly at the approval the entity of the dog should get the necessary importance.

Every judge should refuse the approval of a dog if it shows several deficits at once. The judge should pay particular attention to the dog wich was refused the approval by an other judge already.
The basis for this, however, is that the refusal is getting noted on the backside of the pedigree.

Although I mentioned the facts very relentlessly I am no detractor who only wants to know it better. As judge I also went with this trend. But if we want to turn back the screw and get back to real qualifications, all of us, judges, breeders, exhibitors, should be contend to accept a supposed strength.

When a „Very Good“ gives us a pleasure we have the right standpoint. A faithfully „Very Good“ should be a major pleasure for the breeder and the owner than a „Excellent“ with three, four or even more deficiencies in the judges report.

Let’s hope that we find back to this right attitude. For the benefit of our beloved sighthounds!