According to "Rules, Policies and Guidelines for Conformation Dog Show Judges:" "Examine every dog in the same objective, breed-specific manner even if a poor specimen may clearly be out of the ribbons. Approach dogs calmly. Examine each with a gentle but sure touch and no sudden, surprising moves. A thorough and complete breed-specific examination does not include excessive touching beyond feeling for breed-specific characteristics and specific points of reference. Touch and examine only as much as is necessary to complete a thorough, breed-specific examination, but touch no more." Further stated: "Excuse any dog that will not stand for examination; mark the judge’s book “Excused, unable to examine;” and initial the notation." I would have been VERY upset if that were my dog. NO ONE has ANY right to correct, negatively nor positively, another's dog, unless, of course, there was a real danger to itself or others and it's handler was incapacitated somehow. Judges are there to judge, not to train. If the judge couldn't examine the dog, he/she had the option of excusing the dog, or, as I have seen many judges do even with dogs of such poor temperament and/or training (experience) that they COULDN'T be examined, place them at the end of the line. It isn't rocket science!!! I agree with you, Gina. This is totally unacceptable behavior in any judge. But, some judges believe that they are more equal than others!!! :-) :-) Paula, 261 days and counting ---------- Original Message ---------- Date: Sat, 23 Jan 2010 11:35:04 -0800 (PST) From: Royal T Shepherds <gina@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> Subject: Re: Judges behavior in the ring Sitting ringside at a dog show today, a few of us were shocked to see a judge slap/tap a dog on the nose and say, "Naughty dog" because he was putting up a fuss over having his teeth examined. I find this unacceptable and have never seen a judge do this before. Anyone else? This was a person who returned (after many years) to showing again, and it was their dog's first show. What a great welcome back. Gina ROYAL T SHEPHERDS http://www.royaltshepherds.com Home of: Ch Covy Tucker Hill v Royal T's Edsel,CD,NA,CGC,HIC,OFA h/e/t/c ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2009. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ ============================================================================