ON JUDGING 



of cooked sheep's liver. Most dogs are very partial to it, 

 and many will lift their heads to sniff at it when no other 

 consideration will induce them to carry themselves 

 properly and to show themselves at their best, 



Be very chary of making allowances, either for want of 

 coat and condition or anything else which is not as good 

 as it might be. The exhibitor's object is to show his dog 

 to the best possible advantage. If he enters into 

 competition with animals better conditioned than his own 

 he does so entirely at his own risk. You are there to 

 judge the animals as you find them, not to estimate what 

 they were last month or what they will be next year. 



But there are, of course, occasional exceptions to this, 

 as to every other rule. For instance, if you make two 

 dogs so very equal that you cannot decide which is the 

 better, and you find on inquiry that one is six years old 

 and the other only ten months, you will be perfectly 

 justified in placing the puppy first. Because, despite his 

 very heavy handicap, he has fairly held his own. 



Never award equal firsts or seconds or thirds. It is 

 a cheap way of getting out of a difficulty, and an 

 unsatisfactory one. One animal is always a fraction 

 better than the other, under an ideal standard. Make it 

 your business to find the fraction. 



As a final piece of advice, let me urge you to set your 

 face most sternly against any attempt at conversation in 

 the judging ring. If you enter into a discussion with one 

 of the exhibitors, you will probably create a very unsatis- 



