Eric and Nancy Liebes

These and many other tips are taught by Eric and Nancy Liebes in their seminars: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED - Showing Your Dog to WIN! They have bred and owner handled their very diverse group of dogs to numerous Best In Show and National Specialty wins, professionally handled, are AKC judges as well as offer seminars around the country. Learn many more of their outstanding "tips and techniques" at their seminars for advanced handlers where they share their wealth of knowledge with others in a way only they can. Learn more at: http://www.bestinshow.net/learning.html or  EMAIL us your questions or comments.

"By the Standard"

A quote often heard upon leaving the show ring: “I wish he’d just judge by the standard!”

I’ve heard this quote so often I began to wonder if perhaps it isn’t as easy as it looks.  That and a recent thread on Showdogs-L prompted me to think further about our breed standards, how we use them, and the real meaning of expertise.  We depend on the standards to describe to us what is “right” in our breeds.  They are the templates for our breeding programs and they are the guidebook for our judges.  We place quite a lot of importance on them, yet how many of us have ever spent any quality time reviewing the standard for our breed and thinking about it’s true meaning?

Just for fun, pick up a standard for a breed with which you have no familiarity at all.  I realize it might be difficult because we are all dog show junkies, but maybe one of the little dogs, or hard coated terriers, or a big white fuzzy dog, or one of the new breeds that you’ve never seen (Spinoni Italiani or Plotthound)….. choose a breed you’ve never watched or have never given any thought to at all.  Then, read the standard with a pencil in hand and draw the breed as described in the standard.   Can you do it?  What does your dog look like?  Does it resemble the breed in question?

Probably not.

So how are we as breeders or judges supposed to breed and judge by those standards?  Obviously it takes more than a small piece of paper to describe the ideal example of any breed.  As in any endeavor it takes more than one source of information to make you an expert and once you start digging, you will find that it’s great fun to learn more about the other dogs who are related to your breed.

First start with the country of origin.  When and where was your breed developed?  What were the needs of the people at that time?  What was the weather like?   How did they live?  What did they do?   What did they eat?  What other breeds existed at the same time and why?  Answers to these questions might explain why your breed was the color, size, or coat texture that it is.

Then look to other countries that were developing similar breeds.  What does your breed have in common with them?  Could they have similar ancestry?  Answers to these questions could explain the relative terms used in your standard, such as moderate or medium, small or large.  For instance, bone in Great Pyrenees is described as “moderate” but in Komondors as “large”.  As we understand both breeds, they are rather equivalent in bone size.  However Pyrs were probably being compared with Saints in their historical writings and Komondors with Aftscharkas.  So what’s large to one is medium to the other.  (You say potatoes and I say potahtoes.)

As you further your understanding of associated breeds you will find some phrases in your own breed standard beginning to make more sense.  Now “moderate” will have real meaning and “balance and proportion” will conjure up a mental image, not just words.

Keep digging.  There’s lots of information out there.  Where can you get that information?  Well, books are a good start.  There are many good websites devoted to book selling, some of which offer only dog and cat books.   There are also some great web sources for old historical dog books.  The AKC breed videos have interesting information and good examples of different dogs.  Breed seminars can be found in association with national specialties and often with large dog show clusters (Astrohall, Memphis, Chicago).  I’ve learned a lot just walking up to someone at ringside and starting up a conversation.  People love to talk about their breed, and those who have 20 or more years of experience often have wonderful insights to share.

The more you learn, the more you’ll want to discover about other breeds.  At that point you can begin to call yourself a real breed expert, not just someone who has read the standard.  The standard should be only the beginning of your excellent adventure in dogs.

Here's a place to start.

http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.alibris.com/cgi-bin/texis/searcher
http://www.bibliofind.com/
http://www.bookcloseouts.com/bc/home.asp
http://www.wildadv.com/
http://www.dogandcatbooks.com/

Handling Matters

Eric and I have often been asked about our seminars. One very frequently asked question is "why did you decide to start offering them?" The answer to that question is simple. We wanted to be able to see the dogs in our ring without the interference of the handler.

We think it would surprise many exhibitors to find out that they negatively affect what the judge sees much more than they think. The tiniest misplaced hand movement or awkward body position can affect their dog's balance or overall silhouette a great deal. All too often we find ourselves wanting to take the leash away from the handler to move or stack the dogs ourselves so that we really can see the dog and not the handler. We also are amazed to hear the poorest handlers say, "Why doesn't he just judge the dogs?" We wish it were that simple.

So we asked ourselves, "What can we do to make this better?" And the answer became, design a seminar that helps the exhibitor understand exactly what the judge is looking at during each step of the in-ring experience. Once the exhibitor understands why the judge is asking for a triangle, or a free stack, then they will be better able to plan for the event and clean up their handling in the process.

Our seminars are structured for both lecture and in-ring experiences. We offer insight into the thinking and prioritizing process that judges use when evaluating a class of dogs. We also incorporate planning and feedback techniques to help the exhibitors help each other when we aren't there to give them feedback ourselves. Our theory is that once the exhibitor understands what is being asked of them, they will then be able to plan ahead exactly where they will go in the ring and how they will handle their space.

Our goal is to be able to judge an entry of well-handled dogs. A entry in which not one handler makes the mistakes which cause their dog to look unbalanced, where every handler is paying attention and following directions, and where each handler knows their breed standard well enough to be able to fairly evaluate their own dogs too. We look forward to the day when we find that, by the end of the day, not once did we think to ourselves, "Just get out of the dog's way and let me do my job!" Our goal is to judge a ring full of handlers who are aware of the judging process, who take their craft as a handler seriously, who love their dogs, and who understand that today is just one judge's opinion and that tomorrow is another day.

Clean handling, that is, handling without over exaggerated hand and arm movements or poor running style is also our goal. We enjoy realizing after placing an entry that we loved a particular dog and never even noticed the handler. What a concept!

We understand that this cannot be accomplished in just one day. That is why we give you tasks to take home with you so that you can continue to work on your skills. Our ideal student is one who comes with a friend or spouse, who attends the same shows. We teach you to work together and coach each other's performance. Everything we do is expressed in encouraging language. Just as in training dogs, negative reinforcement never works as well as positive reinforcement.

Our availability is very limited so we are not able to offer very many seminars each year, but if you are interested in learning more about holding or attending a Liebes Seminar you may contact us by email. mailto:LiebesSeminars@bestinshow.net 

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