Royal Federal Canine Club National cynological association

Dog Shows

Complete WDF judging procedure

Category
Judging procedures

I. PREPARATION OF THE JUDGE BEFORE THE START OF JUDGING

1. Ring allocation

  • Each judge is assigned a delimited ring, of a size appropriate to the breed and the number of dogs.
  • The surface must be:
    • level
    • mown grass / earth / other non-slip material
    • prohibited: gravel, rubble, sloped surfaces (Art.24)
  • The WDF delegate inspects the rings before the start of the event.

2. Receipt of documents

The judge receives from the organisers:

  • the official WDF judging sheets, printed in Italian (for Italian judges) or an official WDF language (for foreign judges).
  • These sheets are to be completed for each dog: grade, placement, and possibly CAJC/CAC/CACIB. (Art.25)

3. Ring assistance

The following may be appointed in the ring:

  • 1–2 ring marshals who:
    • gather the dogs by class
    • check for absentees
    • record the judge’s opinion
    • complete the qualification booklets
    • report any errors to the WDF delegate (Art.25)
  • The marshal ensuring communication with the foreign judge must know an official WDF language.

II. CONDUCT OF JUDGING BY CLASS

1. Order of entry into the ring

  • Exhibitors wear a visible catalogue number. (Art.18)
  • The dogs enter in the order established by the organisers, strictly observed.

2. Verification of access to the ring

Only the following may enter the ring:

  • the WDF delegate
  • the judge + the ring marshals + auxiliary staff
  • the competitors called
  • aspirant judges approved by the WDF (Art.26)

Any dog that does not present itself when called forfeits the right to be judged.

III. THE ACTUAL JUDGING PROCESS

For each competitor, the judge carries out the following:

1. Individual morphological evaluation

The judge examines the dog against the official WDF breed standard (Art.2, Art.23):

  • general appearance (size, proportions, harmony)
  • dentition
  • eyes, ears
  • structure, topline
  • tail (docked / undocked – permitted without discrimination)
  • movement
  • expression, temperament
  • physical condition

2. Evaluation of documents / identification

Upon request, judges may require:

  • reading of the microchip
  • measurements (cynometer, measuring tape) (Art.26)

3. Determination of the grade

The judge awards one of the official grades (Art.27):

  • EXCELLENT (EXC.)
  • VERY GOOD (V.G.)
  • GOOD (G.)
  • DISQUALIFIED (DSQ.)
  • NOT JUDGEABLE (N.J.)

The Baby / Puppy classes receive only:

  • Very Promising
  • Promising
  • Quite Promising

4. Recording the judge’s report

The judge writes the official observations:

  • strengths
  • weaknesses
  • justification of the grade

These are handed over to the secretariat (Art.26).

IV. PLACEMENT WITHIN THE CLASS

After grading, the judge makes the placement of the top 3 (Art.28):

  • only dogs with at least Very Good may be placed.

V. AWARDING OF SPECIFIC TITLES

The judge may award, at their own discretion, the following titles:

1. CAJC (Art.8)

  • 1 male + 1 female from the Very Young / Young classes
  • only if they have obtained 1 Excellent

2. CAC (Art.9)

  • 1 male + 1 female from the groups: Intermediate, Open, Working, Winner, Champions
  • only to dogs with 1 Excellent

3. CACIB (Art.10)

  • only at international shows
  • only if the dog has received CAC

VI. “PLAY-OFF” TYPE COMPETITIONS

1. Play-off for Best of Breed Junior (JBOB)

(Art.11) Very Young + Young classes → duel for JBOB.

2. Play-off for BOB

Two direct comparisons:

  1. Intermediate + Open + Working
  2. Winner + Champions + Foreign Champions Each winner → advances to BIS.

3. Best Breed Representative (BBR)

(Art.12) Comparison of the three BOB winners of the categories.

VII. COMPETITIONS IN THE RING OF HONOUR

Judged by a dedicated judge (Art.32):

  • Best in Show Puppies
  • Best in Show Junior
  • Best in Show Adult
  • Best in Show Champions
  • Best in Show Veterans
  • Best in Show Couples
  • Best in Show Breeding Groups
  • optionally Best in Group, Junior Handler, etc.

VIII. CONCLUSION OF JUDGING

1. Handover of documents

At the end of judging, the judge hands over:

  • all completed sheets
  • the completed qualification booklets (via the marshal)

2. Impossibility of subsequent modification

After the documents are handed over to the secretariat, the judge may NO LONGER modify anything:

  • grades
  • placements
  • CAJC / CAC / CACIB titles (Art.29)

IX. SPECIAL SITUATIONS

1. Suspension of judging

If there is:

  • shouting, double calls, irregular behaviour → the judge stops judging and requests the intervention of the WDF delegate. (Art.17)

2. Ineligible dogs / refusal of judging

The judge may refuse to judge:

  • sick dogs
  • mutilated dogs
  • under-age dogs
  • bitches in season (delegate’s decision)
  • dogs with eliminating faults (DSQ) (Art.16)

3. “Not Judgeable” dogs

When the dog:

  • does not allow itself to be examined
  • jumps, runs away, cannot be evaluated
  • shows signs of interventions (Art.27)

X. ROLE OF THE WDF DELEGATE

The WDF delegate has absolute authority over:

  • modifying the class of a dog with incorrect data
  • suspending a competitor
  • halting judging in case of irregularities
  • collecting the booklets in case of DSQ
  • resolving disputes (Art.6, 16, 17, 34, 36)

THE PROCEDURE, SHORT SUMMARY (CHECKLIST FOR JUDGES)

1. Before judging

✔ I check the ring + receive forms ✔ I have the marshals in position ✔ I receive the official list of dogs

2. During judging

✔ I call the class → I check attendance ✔ I examine the dog → I record the report ✔ I award a grade ✔ I establish the placement of the top 3 ✔ I award CAJC / CAC / CACIB if applicable ✔ I send the dogs to the play-off

3. After judging

✔ I hand over the forms ❌ I can NO LONGER modify ANYTHING