best conditioned

[owasocourin]

How would you judge the 'best conditioned' dog at a show?

[kmc]

maybe flirtpole al the dogs, but that might take a while , or get them all on treadmills at the same time an see which lasts the distance that'l prob take awhile to . ha

[oldetyme]

simply by eye!
fitness and correct weight mass, type of muscles i.e. long muscles as apposed to bunch like muscles, clear eyes and bright radiant expression, condition of coat and lively nature.
A dog who has been over conditioned will appear jaded, while a dog who has been under conditioned may appear lethargic and a dog who has been well conditioned should be keenly alive to his surroundings and may even be a little difficult to handle, unable to stand still for any length of time!

[kmc]

good points oldtyme, how would you choose between 2 or 3 very closely matched dogs that wer hard to seperate

[oldetyme]

would be a bit like the same scenario as crufts, where there is very good dog from each group going for best in show, the judge would just be looking for the dog on the day who Say's forget the rest, this is my ring! the dog who just has that something special on the day!
it may come down to something as tight as that, the one who is just making that bit more of himself! a dog who say's "i am the greatest". an Ali of the dog world.
Of course, this would have nothing to do with type or fancy points as you would be judging for condition only. Also would be looking for a dog that has been conditioned in all departments, as it is quite possible to condition the hind quarters but not so much attention to the for-quarters or under- developed cheek muscles, back muscles or neck.ect.

[oldetyme]

Mar 18, 2010 0:22:22 GMT kmc said:

good points oldtyme, how would you choose between 2 or 3 very closely matched dogs that wer hard to seperate

hi mate, if it really was that tight that i felt i could not fairly split between 2 or 3 of them, then i would let them all share first place after all this is a specialty class, I'm sure all the winners would be happy and there wouldn't be any complaints. the other way would be to try and split them, and the other one or two may feel a little hard done by! its not quite the same as judging for type, where if you were presented with the same problem, you could simply lean towards your own preferred type. judging for fitness alone, you don't have that luxury!

[Jessica]

I think you need to feel a dog to know its true condition particularly when it comes to our breeds as some may appear well conditioned when in-fact it is genetics.
Also coat thickness can play a big part. I have a dog here that has a thick coat and until you put your hands on her you cant appreciate her condition. In my eyes a good judge will see past these things.
I think its not something you can explain.... besides all the 'text book judging' a good dog just shines.

[oldetyme]

as a matter of course, if your judging in the ring, then you would be hands on as well. its also important to go by the yardstick required! which is fitness/condition for this class. you must disregard, colour, type, fancy points, good or bad comformation, your own preferred type or anything else.

[ragingstormkennels]

I dont think you could judge a dogs condition just by eye, because I have seen a few dogs that have been starved to look conditioned, as mentioned by Jess you would have to be hands on to go over the dog, the way it behaves, the way it stands, its confidence, its coat, its eyes are all things which would be something i'd look for. A good judge I would say would look at the entire picture rather than a dog that just looks stripped down. If it were between 2-3 dogs, it would be who had the better conformation, attitude and fire and theres always one that has an overall better presence.

[oldetyme]

i didn't mean literally by eye alone, i really meant in the show ring as opposed to treadmill or flirt pole as suggested by kmc, sorry, my fault, i should have been a bit more descriptive. it is a two day event, performance is on the first day, and the second day is comformation. this particular class is best conditioned, it is not about best comformation, there are already classes for the whole package. the thread states "best conditioned". that means you can come in with any bull breed, doesn't matter if it is not championship quality as regards to type or comformation. it just needs to be the best conditioned dog on the day. that is what the judge is being asked to do, that is the yardstick that exhibitors for this class will be expecting and some will be putting in many weeks work, they, the exhibitors have a right to expect the judge to do as he or she is asked, it is not an opportunity for the said judge to go off on a jolly and do their own thing.

[ragingstormkennels]

Mar 18, 2010 21:09:41 GMT oldetyme said:

i didn't mean literally by eye alone, i really meant in the show ring as opposed to treadmill or flirt pole as suggested by kmc, sorry, my fault, i should have been a bit more descriptive. it is a two day event, performance is on the first day, and the second day is comformation. this particular class is best conditioned, it is not about best comformation, there are already classes for the whole package. the thread states "best conditioned". that means you can come in with any bull breed, doesn't matter if it is not championship quality as regards to type or comformation. it just needs to be the best conditioned dog on the day. that is what the judge is being asked to do, that is the yardstick that exhibitors for this class will be expecting and some will be putting in many weeks work, they, the exhibitors have a right to expect the judge to do as he or she is asked, it is not an opportunity for the said judge to go off on a jolly and do their own thing.

Im a little confused (although it doesnt take much lol)
Ok I get that its a question of best conditioned but its been asked how would you place 3 dogs with equally good conditioning? Hence ive stated I would then look at conformation etc.
Also, whats "it is not an opportunity for the said judge to go off on a jolly and do their own thing" not quite sure what that means.......... whos asked about a judges temperament?
is this an actual event or something?? What am I missing?

[oldetyme]

thats the point! if you are asked to pick the best conditioned dog, then that is what you should stick too, not get side-tracked. maybe I'm wrong! it depends on what is asked of the judge, if that is what is required, then all well and dandy, but if it is not and you are simply there to judge best conditioned regardless of anything else then that is what you should do. lets say i was presented with three dogs that were well conditioned and there was nothing in it, but one dog showed more vitality than the others, then that is the dog i would pick, because vitality is part of condition. I'd rather split it because a dog had a brighter expression than a dog who had a better top-line, because a bright expression is linked to condition.

[ragingstormkennels]

Ahhh I see, makes more sense now, thanks.

And what was the judge bit about........a judge gong on jolly? Ive never known a judge to be having a laugh whilst judging Haha unless youve been speaking to someone lol I hated judging, Id rather show my dogs and get pissed with my mates lol ;D

[oldetyme]

i've known plenty of judges having a laugh! ;D they must be, when you see their final placings i dont wish to sound rude, but if you hated it so much, why did you continue excepting the invitations until they dried up??? or was you just having a jolly ;D.

[ragingstormkennels]

Felt obliged Ian, I dont like to let people down, surely you know all about that lol ;D

Still havent explained what your little judges comment was all about, im sure theres smarter way of having digs lol ;D

[oldetyme]

yeah, like just taking peoples posts down for no reason when your an admin on another forum, sorry was!
Do people really except judging appointments because they feel obliged too!!!! come off it, who you trying to kid? It should be an Honor, if your asked and if it isn't, then one should politely decline the offer as I'm sure there are many more who would love to have a go.

[ragingstormkennels]

LOL Nice to see you on your high horse, you hardly have scope to talk to me about politely declining.......the same way you should have declined a bitch that you sold without consulting the breeder lmfao ;D

And you havent got a clue what went on that forum, you have trouble putting up pictures let alone understanding what went on! PMSL Tried the admin thing and the judging thing......thought id like it....didnt so f'd off. Simple! lol

Get a life Ian, trust me I dont know anyone that speaks well of you including your current dog mates lol ;D

[ragingstormkennels]

Mar 19, 2010 13:35:27 GMT oldetyme said:

i've known plenty of judges having a laugh! ;D they must be, when you see their final placings .

LOL the only reason you feel that way is because you think youre dogs should win everything........ lol

I had always been told how competitive you were and how you harassed certain people just to get a trophy, with endless amounts of calls asking for the trophy lol May wanna ask your mates about that too lol

Its pretty sad when all you have is dogs to make yourself feel worthy lol ;D

[forumpolice]

This is getting too personal please take your argument to pm. Thread locked for now.