If you are lucky enough to be a reader of ShowSight Magazine you are already familiar with Peter Belmont Jr. Peter began writing sometime ago when he was still an active Junior Handler and now continues to pen his introspective thoughts through these same eyes. His article "World Class Etiquette", under his byline of "In My Opinion" in the April 2010 issue struck a chord with me.
The most difficult judging assignment that I have ever had was 35 juniors at the ASCA National Specialty. Every dog was presented in condition, groomed to the nines, sans tons of grooming product, clean teeth, and trimmed nails. All of which you might expect to see in our AKC breed ring, right?
The juniors themselves were clean and well groomed, not a single cheek-hugging or crotch exposing skirt, or plunging neckline on the girls to be seen and the boys were all neatly attired. Each concentrated on presenting the BEST in their exhibit. No one tried to block another dog, run up on someone or do any of the things that we see everyday in the ring. They tried to win using the skills they had been taught and working with their dog to its' best advantage.
So what does this have to do with Peters' article?
Peters' article is on the issue of Good Sportsmanship, which has recently become a hot topic. It is an article that I truly wish every exhibitor and owner could read.
I bring up the issue of the owner for good reason. Recently, while observing a breed with a long-time breeder for a "mentoring" experience our discussion was joined by another long-time breeder-handler who had been standing beside us. I noted that one dog really stood out in the class, but that I personally dreaded ever being in the ring with the handler because the handler were always rude and difficult to show against, often employing any number of nasty tricks such as running up on your dog or deliberately stepping on you or your dog.
The lady was amazed that the two of us had brought this up! First she was pleased because she was the breeder/owner of the dog we had selected (and which the AKC judge selected as well), and then she was distressed because she was the mentor and employer of the handler we had just discussed. As we said our good-byes she assured us that this handler was in fact a very nice person and was probably unaware of the antisocial behavior and that she would have a long discussion concerning this before the next show.
On another note, have you ever stood outside the ring and said or heard someone else say "that judge put up that awful crippled dog that should have been neutered at birth" or some variation on the same theme? Sure you have, we all have done it! Why? Perhaps out of disappointment or because we didn't stop to think before we spoke? Everyone goes into the ring with the same hope and expectations. We all want to win or we wouldn't spend the hours and money that we do on our hobby. However, we must remember that this "hobby" of canine exhibition is also our "sport".
If you do "Catch and Release" competitive Bass fishing you follow certain rules of good sportsmanship spelled out in the rulebook. The same can be said for Field Hunting competitors. You and I could go on forever with these examples, but back to the topic.
Every type of competition has some published rule of good sportsmanship. In fact, so do we! AKC, UKC, and other registries have printed "Rules of Sportsmanship" that everyone of us should read and follow, but more than that we have the Rule of Good Manners that we should have learned somewhere along the way in our busy lives.
Everyone should be happy with his or her win. They paid their entry fee and deserve the win. Badmouthing a judging decision says that the dog that won and possibly the breeder and/or owner is undeserving. Give the winner their moment in the limelight. Discuss the poor judging with yourself or your closest confidants on the way home if you must vent, or be a true sport and "man up"; admit that it just wasn't your day. In the future, you can vote with your checkbook. If you don't agree with this judges' opinion of the dogs, don't enter the next show. If you want to go to "support the entry" with your out-of-condition, ungroomed dog, then do so with a smile on your face and good will in your heart. That is one element of Good Sportsmanship.
Ever wonder why going to the dog show isn't fun any more? Think about this. You work like crazy packing the car, making arrangements for the everyday house, children, and dogs that are staying at home, prepare your clothes, groom your dogs, make travel arrangements (this is making me tired just thinking about it) arrive at the showground's in plenty of time to re-groom the dogs, walk into the ring, walk out of the ring, pack up all of your necessary stuff and leave the showground's so that you can be ready to do it all over again the next day.
What ever happened to the time when Millie told you about going to weight pull competition and who they saw there or Harold describing his first try with a three dog team, or little Timmie talking about taking the family veteran into the ring as a Junior? Didn't we care about these people and what they were doing with their dogs?
I remember a dinner for Lorna Demidoff that I had the good fortunate to attend. At that dinner Lorna discussed the travails of adapting to her new team and her classroom. Nary a word about the judges who had recognized or dumped her exhibits; she said nothing about her recent champions or triumphs with her breeding program. Everyone was enthralled with her attitude and enjoyed the discussion. We left that dinner happy that we had the honor of meeting her and were all equally pleased with our choice of breed.
Do you know if the person standing or sitting next to you has a mother dying of cancer, a child who is an honor student, or if they live alone? Part of this hobby should be that we enjoy the company of the exhibitors through our common bond, but that we have the opportunity to get to know them as people and enjoy that part of their personalities that pleases us. I am always amazed at how excited and happy novices to the breed are to talk with us old-timers, and I love to introduce myself and hear about their dogs and where they came from.
There is a difference in conduct at the ARBA and ASCA shows! I see most everyone taking the time to express congratulations and good-will for the winners. I see groups of breeders set up next to each other so that they can talk about their dogs and the goings on of their daily lives.
Maybe if we returned to the days of matches, weight pulls, practice sled-races with potlucks we could learn to know our competition and make good sportsmanship easier to practice? After all-"to know me is to love me", and that goes for warts and all.
Do you have a better idea how to promote Sportsmanship within the breed? Share it with your club. Try new things at your local shows and matches, Regionals, and the National Specialty. Don't let "Win at all costs" become the focus of the event. Work hard for that Sportsman of the Year honor in your own life.
Sportsmanship is the glue that bonds this fancy. Let's get to it.
