Bulldogsworld.com presents
We welcome Judge Chris Neilson to the site for some "ask a judge questions". Chris is a licensed all breed judge and a Bulldog Breeder..
Among his accomplishments and under the kennel prefix Comepatabull Bulldogs, he has shown, bred and handled bulldogs to #1 in Canada,
1991,1992,1997,1998,1999,2000,2006.
He is also the President of The Confederation Bulldog Club in Ontario as well as President of The Ontario Breeders Association. He has agreed to generously offer to this site views for you all and can offer two opinions to bulldoggers, one as an all breed judge, and one as a Bulldog breeder judge. Chris has judged The New Jersey Bulldog Specialty, The Forth Worth Bulldog Club Specialty, all breed shows in Dallas, Bloomsburg, PA, Lansing, Michigan, Wisconsin, every province in Canada except Newfoundland, Australia including a Bulldog Specialty, and China. So please feel free to ask any serious question you may have. So ask your question as it relates to showing and a judges point of view.
Please feel free to click here and ask your question for the Judge to answer. You will remain fully Anonymous. Check back at a later date to see if your question is posted.
Volume 6 - August 2007
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Question:
Is the best time to breed a bitch after her show career is over, or does breeding while showing take away from her looks and over all build.
A:
There is nothing wrong with showing a bitch after she has had a litter. I do however advise that you give her a chance to recover from her pregnancy. It is common for a bitch to blow coat after having babies. Recovery time is important so that she can be shown at her best. Personnally when judging bitches I do not mind at all when it is obvious that a bitch has had babies in the past. In fact I think it is an attribute and obviously proves she is a good brood bitch.
QUESTION:
How does one become a Judge?
A:
Every country has different qualifications. I will speak for Canada. In our system, before beginning
you must prove to the Canadian Kennel Club that you have been breeding for over 10 years
have shown at least 3 dogs to their championships. You must be a member in good standing with CKC for a minimum of 10 years. You must ring steward for shows to gain experience you must judge at 'sanction' matches a minimum amount of times you must judge sweepstakes matches
you have to write a test on the anatomy of dogs and dog show rules once completed the above requirements, you are able to accept your first 'permit' assignment. In the U.S. this is called 'provisional'. you will be observed during this assignment and every other 'permit' assignment along the way. you will be required to write additional tests on breeds you are applying to judge.
QUESTION:
Would it be a better system to have 2 or 3 judges combine a score to award a major.
A:
I don't think so. The idea of majors is a very sound one. It obviously makes it much more difficult to attain a championship, which is very important and makes the Ch. more meaningful.
At any show, time is a factor and to have a dog judged by extra people would obviously add extra time to the show making it very hard to schedule. I don't think it would be practical.
QUESTION:
What is the most Bulldogs ever in a single show to be judged.
A:
The most I have seen at a show was at the Nationals in the U.S. where there are normally about 450 entered. I have had the pleasure of judging over 100 on several occasions at specialties.
QUESTION:
Why do people show their dogs? What do they win?
A:
The main purpose of a dog show is to 'show your breeding stock'. this was the original purpose of dog shows. However, through the years dog shows have been turned into competitions, some very fierce
at times. Purposes for exhibitiors to show range: attaining a championship to placing their dog high
in the standings. Dog shows are the only proving ground we have to compare our dogs.
Chris Neilson
'Bulldogs are my love, not my living'
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