Question for you show/ obedience / agility people

[Garth]

I was wondering if there are any judges out there who might be influenced by some of the comments & photos that are posted not just on this site but all the other dog / show forums out there.

I'm not insinuating anything here because (A) I gave up shows over 20 years ago & (B) I don't live in America or Canada anyway but do you think it's possible that say if a show judge was reading someones posts on a forum & knew the true identity of that person and / or their dogs, do you think that would have any impact in the ring?. IE: if a judge read a comment they didn't agree with, would they hold that against the owner on show day?. The reverse could also be said. :suspious:

I just think it's an interesting question given the widespread use of the net these days. Surely judges read these forums & participate in them?. I think it would be naive to think they wouldn't. When I was showing, there was a lot of sour grapes & accusations that the judge was judging the wrong end of the leash when some people lost which is one of the reasons why I gave up showing along with my dogs health problems at the time.

Opinions?.

[kaytris]

I doubt that agility judges would be influenced (agility, like obedience, has very little 'subjective' judging).

[Baloo317]

I think there's much more politics in conformation than anything else, personally. Although the obedience world does have it's fair share.

I don't know about forum influence though....

[brody]

I would think that like anywhere else if you were rude and snarky about a judge they might look really hard at you and your dogs - because they'd be paying attention to you

while agility is technically pretty objective I have seen a NUMBER of very subjective calls - mainly around contacts (some around refusal planes as well tho)

I believe in treating people the way I'd want to be treated - nice judges or nasty judges - no point in getting looked at any harder than anybody else

[lcspt]

I am friends with a number of rally/obedience judges (I show with them and show under them) and I can say they have judged me fairly along with my friends.

I don't think they pay much attentions to lists but will respond to incorrect information given about their judging.

[3TailsWaggin]

Personally I don't think that many judges hang around and read forums.

I have found, myself, that judges that I know personally tend to be MUCH harder on me than if they didn't know me. I try not to show under judges that know me for that reason. They know what me and my dog are capable of and they really tick off points with that pencil when we aren't cutting it like we should.

I'm talking obedience here.

I do agree that there is much more political stuff going on in the conformation rings.

[nwlabs]

I do agree that there is much more political stuff going on in the conformation rings.

The majority of judges in the conformation ring judge the dogs and not the wrong end of the lead. YES, there are a few that go the political route, but they are far between and I actually do show in conformation so I have seen both in action.

Don't kid yourself, it happens in obedience as well. I have seen political things happen in the obedience ring....200's given to "some" while the same performance gets a 198 to an unknown. I am not in that arena as often as I once was, mainly because alot of the "B" folks are a little too tightly wound for me.

I'm just sayin'..............

[Canyon Labradors]

Honestly, never ran into a judge on one of these pet forums. Now there are several breeder forums I see a few on.

I am also think one would really have to annoy a judge on a board for them to remember you and your dog so vividly that it would make a difference in showing. Heck, with the best intentions, I still forget names left and right, and I'd probably have a hard time picking out someone's dog in a line up, and I'm not that old yet (40s). And no offense, but many judges are older than me.

I think for the most part, most judges are fair in their assignments.

[imported_gabbys mom]

Personally I don't think that many judges hang around and read forums.

I know a lot of judges read and post on the Front and Finish list serve and on the Rally list serve.

[patm]

I think that what we all need to remember is that the internet has made the world a very small place. I am on an obedience and rally yahoo group and there are several judges on those lists that actively participate and who knows how many that might just take a gander now and then. And then there are your fellow training members that you keep forgetting, lurk on it , but never post. (must remember to watch any stories that I might tell about training class!) Most of the judges probably woulnd't recognize me yet, as I don't show that much, and they aren't supposed to be looking at the catalogue, but I'm sure that they know a lot of the "good dogs" and expect them to do well.I really think that at the small shows that I go to, the judges probably just judge each individual performance as accurately at they can - but they are human too , and might miss something that other people saw. But I'll go back to my original statement and remind everyone the you never know who might see something on a forum - it might even be something that someone else cut and pasted on another forum ( I hear this happens ) A person on my obedience list once said to not post anything that you might not want someone else using against you in the future.