{"id":217,"date":"2025-08-01T11:54:00","date_gmt":"2025-08-01T11:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldkennel.net\/?page_id=217"},"modified":"2025-11-06T14:43:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-06T14:43:00","slug":"judges","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/eng.worldkennel.net\/?page_id=217","title":{"rendered":"JUDGES"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

JUDGES<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Provisions<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only qualified judges are permitted to judge at World Kennel Group events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judges and candidates must be known for their honesty, integrity, impartiality, and knowledge of the sport and breeds they are applying to judge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All judges and candidates must adhere to the World Kennel Group Code of Ethics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All judges must adhere to the World Kennel Group Rules and Regulations for each event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All judges and candidates must be capable of performing the functions necessary to evaluate dogs in accordance with the World Kennel Group rules for the given event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When assessing suitability for judging, consideration may be given to, among other things, physical agility and flexibility, physical endurance, good eyesight, the ability to complete necessary judging paperwork, the ability to express oneself orally and in writing, and other abilities necessary for judging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All judges must be members of the World Kennel Group in good standing and hold a judging certificate. Conformation Judges<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Candidate Requirements \u2013 New Candidates<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Candidates must be at least 21 years of age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Candidates must have at least three years of documented experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judges with extensive experience may act as mentors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Candidates must have substantial experience working with the breed(s) for which they are applying, as well as documented experience in the sport (breeding, show participation, club membership, official positions, etc.).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judges may not mentor more than five candidate judges in a calendar year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For the purposes of these regulations, a mentor is defined as an experienced and trustworthy consultant on breed standards, ring procedures, and all matters related to the judge’s professional duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judging Qualifications<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judging qualifications require knowledge of canine anatomy, physiology, and animal psychology, breed standards, genetics, and training methods, as well as practical experience in showing and judging animals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To obtain this qualification, one must complete training, pass an exam, and receive recognition in the appropriate category.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judging categories are divided by skill level into national and international and by specialization, such as evaluating conformation, working qualities, or specific breeds\/breed groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginning judges typically hold the title of trainee judge and specialize in one or more breeds. A national category is awarded after passing a breed-specific exam.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Advancement from a national to an international category is achieved through internships and practical training, participation in shows, and breed evaluation. Advancing to an international category requires at least three years of internship at international shows and at least five judged national shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Judges are expected and encouraged to participate in an independent professional development program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honorary Judge Policy<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WKG member clubs have the right to invite judges who are not registered with the WKG but who possess extensive knowledge and experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honorary judges must be familiar with the WKG rules and standards for judging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honorary judges are permitted to judge official events in accordance with the rules applicable to the given event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Code of Ethics for Judges<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Judges and trainees must comply with the Statutes, rules, and regulations established by the World Kennel Group member organization, as well as all WKG rules and regulations related to the event they judge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Judges and trainees must be known for their honesty, integrity, impartiality, and knowledge of the sports and breeds they judge or aspire to judge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Judges are highly respected. By accepting invitations to judge, whether in their own country or abroad, judges act as advocates for the World Kennel Group standards, rules, and regulations. Their behavior must reflect their authority, and their actions must be impeccable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Judges must recognize that education is an integral part of judging and must maintain a continuing education program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Judges must be aware of all relevant rules, regulations, and standards pertaining to the events and breeds they judge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Judges must be impartial toward each dog they judge and award it a placement appropriate to the standard of the event and the level of competition in the class, regardless of the dog’s history, advertising, friendship, or any other considerations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Judges must treat all exhibitors with courtesy, respect, and dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2022 Judges must remember that even when not judging, their behavior should reflect their standing within the World Kennel Group.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

JUDGES General Provisions Only qualified judges are permitted to judge at World Kennel Group events. Judges and candidates must be known for their honesty, integrity, impartiality, and knowledge of the sport and breeds they are applying to judge. All judges and candidates must adhere to the World Kennel Group Code of Ethics. All judges must […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-217","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eng.worldkennel.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/217","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eng.worldkennel.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eng.worldkennel.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eng.worldkennel.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eng.worldkennel.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=217"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/eng.worldkennel.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/217\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":283,"href":"https:\/\/eng.worldkennel.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/217\/revisions\/283"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eng.worldkennel.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=217"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}