GENERAL CODE OF CONDUCT

ABNA Judges must always act in a professional manner; ABNA Judges are seen as the public face of the ABNA by the people attending its shows and as such their integrity and professionalism should be beyond reproach. ABNA Judges should always keep in mind that their actions reflect upon the ABNA and its show hosts.

ABNA Judges should avoid actions that bring into question or actions that may be perceived as bringing into question, the integrity of ABNA Judges and in turn the ABNA, or give rise to any feelings of un-professionalism or impropriety among the exhibitors and spectators at ABNA events and the overall American Bulldog community, such as, being over familiar with exhibiters and spectators they may know personally while judging an event, excessive drinking, any threatening or confrontational behaviour, etc, etc.

ABNA Judges should be aware, even while not in the role of Judge, that as an ABNA Judge people may pay extra attention and give extra credence to their words. ABNA Judges should refrain from being a source of ‘gossip’ and not publically: discuss, give details or offer their opinion as ABNA Judges of dogs they have judged in the ABNA show ring.

An ABNA Judge attending an ABNA show as either, the Judge, an exhibiter or just as a spectator must never publically question the decisions or call into question the ability or integrity of another ABNA Judge.

ABNA Judges must refrain from making statements about the ABNA or ABNA events without either first, (a) stating that such statements are made as an individual and not as a Judge or (b) obtaining permission of the ABNA to make such a statement.

ABNA Judges must refrain from making statements on behalf of the ABNA without obtaining the permission of the ABNA to make such a statement.



ELIGIBILITY OF DOGS.

An ABNA Judge must not enter / or have entered by others, a dog that they themselves own / or part own, or who is owned / or part owned by a member of their family at an ABNA conformation show where they are judging, this includes dogs of the opposite type to that which they are judging and that are being judged by another Judge.

An ABNA Judge must not enter / or have entered by others, a dog that is residing at their home or who is residing at the home of a member of their family, directly before, at the time of, or will be directly following an ABNA conformation show where they are judging, this includes dogs of the opposite type to that which they are judging and that are being judged by another Judge.

An ABNA Judge must not exhibit or handle a dog owned by others at an ABNA conformation show where they are judging, this includes dogs of the opposite type to that which they are judging and that are being judged by another Judge.

An ABNA Judge must not arrange the private purchase, sale or exchange of a dog, either: directly before, at, or directly following, a show where they have judged or will be judging the dog in question.

ABNA Judges are allowed to judge dogs that they have previously owned, only after a 3 month period has passed since the dog changed registered ownership and left the Judges premises. This does not apply to puppies sold by the Judge where they are the registered owner because of being the breeder.

ABNA Judges are allowed to judge dogs they have bred, only if the dog is no longer registered in the Judges name and no longer at the Judges premises.

Should a dog appear in the ring before the Judge causing one of the above rules to be broken, the correct procedure is for the dog not to be shown, not for the Judge to step out of the ring and another Judge step in.

All dogs irrespective of their relationship to any Apprentice Judge that may be present are eligible to be shown at an ABNA show, because the Apprentice has no input into any decisions made by the Judge. The Apprentice is there only to learn from and to be evaluated by the Judge of the show.
 

ARRANGEMENTS FOR JUDGING APPOINTMENTS

An ABNA Judge is committed to judging a show once an appointment to judge has been accepted, following this acceptance a Judge may only cancel due to extreme circumstances. Any expenses relating to the Judge, incurred by the show host following the judges acceptance, must be met by the Judge should the Judge be forced to cancel, for whatever reason.

An ABNA Judge must agree with the show host, before an appointment is accepted, all expenses relating to the judging of the show. It is usual for travel and hotel costs, plus food and drink to be provided by the show host. The ABNA is a non profit organization and under no circumstances can a Judge request or accept a fee for judging a show.

An ABNA Judge cannot ask for any expenses relating to others accompanying them to a judging appointment. Should an ABNA Judge wish to be accompanied by a partner, children, friends, etc, any expenses relating to this should be provided by the Judge or the people concerned.
 

ABNA PAPERWORK

An ABNA Judge must check and sign an official ABNA ring form for every class they judge and co judge, ensuring that the ring steward has correctly noted which placements the Judge gave to which dogs.

Any ABNA Judge that becomes aware that the correct paperwork is not being used by a host of a show must make the host aware that they are not using the correct paperwork, and this fact will be reported by them to the ABNA which could results in the show results being void.

ABNA Judges must refuse to use any ‘critique’ forms given to them by the show host if the name of the dog is visible on these forms, also they should advise ring stewards never to use the dogs names, only the numbers issued when calling dogs to the ring. It is against ABNA rules for Judges to be made aware of the names of the dogs they are judging.
 

PERSONS ALLOWED IN THE RING

ABNA Judges should ensure that the ring is not over crowded, and nothing in the ring will interfere with their ability to fairly judge the dogs. The maximum number of people allowed in the ring is four, these being the Judge, an apprentice (where applicable), a ring steward and an interpreter (where applicable). It is preferable to combine these jobs where possible, such as an apprentice also fulfilling the role of ring steward and also interpreter if needed, or using a ring steward who could act as interpreter where one is needed.

The Judge must also ensure that the ring steward and interpreter (where applicable) are not too close that they interfere with the fair judging of the dog and are only close enough to do their intended roles.
 

CODE OF CONDUCT FOR ABNA JUDGING

ABNA Judges must strictly follow all ABNA rules and procedures at all times and must immediately report any breeches of these rules and procedure by themselves or by others to the ABNA. Any queries regarding the correct procedure or what they should do in a certain situation should be addressed with the ABNA. Any queries arising whilst judging or whilst at an ABNA show should be addressed with an ABNA Representative in attendance at the show.

An ABNA Judge must judge the complete classes for the type they are to judge, including the judging of the Best Overall, Working and Champion classes, and cannot step out of the ring, having another Judge step in except in extreme circumstances such as illness, family emergencies, etc which forces them to leave the event..

An ABNA Judge must judge to the ABNA standard and not their own personal preference. A Judge can only fault a dog to the extent that the standard allows and must ignore any personal dislikes of a particular fault if this is not in line with the standard.

ABNA Judges must give due attention and fair consideration to all dogs in the ring; the judge must equally examine and evaluate the type, structure, temperament and movement of all dogs in the ring before making their decision.

An ABNA Judge should never enquire as to the breeding of any dog they are judging or are about to judge, and should pointedly ignore any comments from an inexperienced handler relating to the breeding of their dog and politely point out that it is against ABNA rules for a Judge to be informed of, or enquire as to the breeding of a dog being judged.
Obviously there will be instances where a Judge does know the breeding of or is familiar with dogs they must judge, this or any other knowledge they may have about a particular dog must never have any bearing on their evaluation or on any decision they make. Judges must only judge on what they see in the ring on the particular day they are judging.

ABNA Judges must not, in the case of very serious or disqualifying faults, openly inform the other handlers in the class that any serious or disqualifying faults are present in a particular dog; these faults should only be discussed with the handler of the dog in question.

An ABNA Judge should never enquire if a dog has any working qualifications, except in the Working Conformation class as this is the only class where this information may have any bearing on their evaluation of the dogs in the class. No preference can be shown by the Judge for a particular avenue of working qualification; all dogs fulfilling the criteria to enter this class must be judged equally.

In the classes where both types and sexes are present: Best Overall, Champion and Working classes, Judges must judge both types and sexes against their respective standards without any preference being given towards a particular type or sex.

ABNA Judges may give basic advice and helpful hints to an inexperienced handler to enable them to show their dog better only if this information is given to the class and spectators as a whole. Judges should ensure any advice is limited to the very basics and is being given only to allow them to fairly evaluate the dog.

ABNA Judges should always give a full, thorough and honest critique to each handler of their dog explaining both the positive and negative aspects; this should always be done in a professional and polite manner. Even with the poorest examples, while still remaining totally honest, the Judge should try to mention some positive aspects.

ABNA Judges are free, at their discretion and only at the end of the show where no more judging is to take place, to give any advice, help and demonstration to an inexperienced handler to enable them to better handle their dogs in future competition.
 

EXPLANATIONS OF JUDGING DECISIONS

An ABNA Judge that is asked to explain a decision should do so only at the end of the show. They may only do so at the end of a class as long as this causes no disruption to the smooth running of the show classes. Any explanation given by the Judge of their decision must be done in a professional manner; the Judge should refrain from discussing other dogs in the class, and keep any explanation of their decision relating only to the handler in questions dog.

ABNA Judges are not expected to have to explain any decision to a handler that is becoming angry, aggressive, offensive, intimidating or showing displays of bad sportsmanship. They should politely refuse to continue with any explanation until the handler is willing to act in a professional manner. In cases where a handler is simply unwilling to accept the Judge’s decision, the Judge should not become involved in a discussion or debate on a particular dog or decision. The Judge’s decision on the day is final, and a brief explanation of that decision to an interested handler is all that is required.

ABNA Judges should not be drawn into public debates regarding the judging decisions they have made or the decisions made by another ABNA Judge following a show. Any ABNA Judge being questioned regarding a decision should explain that ABNA rules do not allow him to comment, and should advise the interested party to contact the ABNA directly.

DISMISSALS FROM THE RING

Any handler found purposefully trying to cause disruption to another dog in the ring, either by allowing a dog to become aggressive causing other dogs to react, allowing a dog to get too close to another causing the other dog to react, running up too close behind another handler causing their dog to react or by any other means will be severely warned or dismissed from the ring at the Judge’s discretion.

A dog that the Judge is unable to place because they are unable to examine, because of nervousness, aggression or from being over excited, should only be dismissed from the ring if posing a danger to the Judge or others.

Handlers seen using food or other items should be issue a warning by the Judge that this is against ABNA rules and the handler will be dismissed from the ring if seen again. Excessive double handling that is disturbing other dogs in the class should also be issued with a warning that the handler will be dismissed if this continues.

A handler using excessive correction should be issued a warning that if this continues they will be dismissed from the ring. Physical punishment of a dog has no place in the show ring, a Judge seeing any evidence of this should issue a stern warning that the handler will be dismissed should this reoccur, and in extreme cases dismiss the handler directly from the ring without any warning being first issued.

Handlers, that for whatever reason that have no control over the dog they are handling, and this is creating a problem for others in the class, may be dismissed from the ring by the Judge if the handler cannot regain control or a more experienced handler able to control the dog cannot be quickly found.

Handlers displaying any form of intimidating, threatening or confrontational behaviour towards another handler should be severely warned or dismissed from the ring without warning at the Judges discretion.

ABNA CLASS PLACEMENTS

An ABNA Judge can only award one 1st, 2nd and 3rd placement per class, but a Judge is under no obligation to award either or in extreme cases any placements at all if they feel the dogs in the ring are not of sufficient merit to warrant such placements.

ABNA Judges should award any placements in descending order, first issuing 3rd place, followed by 2nd and finally 1st

Dogs found with a disqualifying fault will not be dismissed from the ring because of this fault, The Judge should inform the handler in a professional manner that this fault is a disqualification under the ABNA breed standard and is the reason their dog will not be considered for placement.

ABNA Judges must be able to examine, hands on, all dogs being shown, in the case of examining the teeth a Judge should, if requested, allow the handler to show the dogs teeth, as long as they are able to see all that they require and must be able to examine, hands on, the rest of the dog . If the Judge is unable to examine a dog, even after giving the dog a second chance, because of nervousness, aggression or from being over excited, it should not be considered for placement but should only be dismissed from the ring if posing a danger to the Judge or others.
 

ABNA RING PROCEDURE

Any ABNA Judge that becomes aware that correct ABNA procedure is not being followed by the host of a show must make the host aware that they are not following correct procedure, and this fact will be reported by them to the ABNA which could result in the show results being void.

An ABNA Judge may split a large class if they feel it may be a problem having all the dogs in the ring together. The Judge should fully evaluate and critique the first half of the class, then the Judge will instruct the ring steward to make a note of the dogs they wish to see again and the first half of the class is asked to step out of the ring. This procedure is then repeated with the second half of the class, the ring steward again taking note of the dogs the judge wishes to see again and the second half of the class is asked to step out. The dogs from both halves of the class who were made a note of are then called to the ring and the class is judged as usual.

ABNA Judges must ensure that all dogs are facing and will move in the same direction (anticlockwise) and must ensure dogs are not allowed by their handlers to face off against each other. The Judge may at their discretion move the order of dogs around to prevent this from happening.

ABNA Judges must ensure that there is enough distance when dogs are moving to ensure both safety and that each dog receives a fair chance to show itself correctly, and must prevent handlers from purposefully or inadvertently crowding the other dogs in the ring.

ABNA Judges must ensure that all handlers have full control of their dogs at all times. A Judge may, in the event of someone being unable to control a dog they are handling and this creating a problem for others in the class, ask if a more experienced handler could take over the handling of the dog. If no one else is available to handle the dog or the changing of handlers would prove to be time consuming and hold up the class, the Judge may have no option but to dismiss the handler and dog from the ring.

ABNA Judges must not use food as a way to attract a dog’s attention in the ring, but other items such as keys, clickers, etc may be used by the Judge.

ABNA Judges must allow a dog to be shown in a pinch / prong collar unless illegal in the country of the show. Excessive correction using these or any type of collar is not allowed in the show ring.

Any Judge wearing items such as a hat or sunglasses does not have to remove them at the request of a handler because of a dog ‘not liking’ such items, but may do so at their own discretion, especially in the case of young puppies. Temperament forms part of the ABNA standard and it is a judges job to evaluate this as well as type, structure etc. A dog with the correct temperament should have no problems dealing with such day to day items as hats, sunglasses etc.

ABNA WORKING CONFORMATION CLASS

The ABNA Working Conformation Class is a class where dogs with working qualifications are evaluated relating to their conformation not to their working ability. The ABNA does not have a separate standard for this class and this class must be judged on how the dogs conform to the same ABNA breed standard used in all classes.

The Working Conformation class may contain dogs of both types and both sexes, therefore dogs in this class should be judged on how they individually fit the ABNA breed standard regarding their type and sex.

No preference can be shown by the Judge for a particular avenue of working qualification; all dogs fulfilling the criteria to enter this class must be judged equally.

The Working Conformation Class is the only class where a Judge may enquire as to what working qualifications a dog has.

The Working Conformation Class only has a 1st place winner, with no 2nd or 3rd being awarded.

 

ABNA CHAMPION CLASS

The ABNA Champion Class is a class where dogs who have achieved ABNA Champion status compete in one ring towards being awarded the title of ABNA Grand Champion. The ABNA does not have a separate standard for this class and this class must be judged on how the dogs conform to the same ABNA breed standard used in all classes.

The Champion Class may contain dogs of both types and both sexes, therefore dogs in this class should be judged on how they individually fit the ABNA breed standard regarding their type and sex.

The Champion Class only has a 1st place winner, with no 2nd or 3rd being awarded.
 

ABNA GRAND CHAMPION CONFORMATION CLASS

The ABNA issues no level of award greater than that of Grand Champion. The ABNA Grand Champion Conformation Class is a class where dogs who have achieved ABNA Grand Champion status compete in one ring for exhibition only, although a record of any wins achieved in this class are recorded within the ABNA points list. The ABNA does not have a separate standard for this class and this class must be judged on how the dogs conform to the same ABNA breed standard used in all classes.

The Grand Champion Class may contain dogs of both types and both sexes, therefore dogs in this class should be judged on how they individually fit the ABNA breed standard regarding their type and sex.

The Grand Champion Class only has a 1st place winner, with no 2nd or 3rd being awarded.
 

ABNA JUDGES APPRENTICE PROCEDURE.

ABNA Judges should confirm with the ABNA beforehand if they are asked to have an apprentice with them in the ring, as only apprentices that have already been accepted onto the ABNA’s apprentice judges program can apprentice at an ABNA show. A Judge is only able to instruct an apprentice after they have themselves judged at least three shows of each type and this has been agreed by the ABNA.

An ABNA Judge who is instructing an apprentice must ensure that the apprentice follows their instructions and does not in any way impede their ability to judge all dogs fairly. As well as just instructing an apprentice on the correct judging procedure and pointing out the faults in the dogs being shown, a Judge should question and assess the apprentices knowledge of the ABNA breed standard, their ability to handle, examine and evaluate the dogs in the ring, their ring manner and etiquette and what placements they would give and why. Judges should give a full and honest assessment of an apprentice to the ABNA upon request.

ABNA apprentices must be in the ring with the judge for all classes including the Champion and Working classes. Any apprentice who wishes to leave the ring, missing a class or classes must be advised by the Judge that this will be reported back to the ABNA and will void that particular apprenticeship.

ABNA Judges must respond promptly to inquiries from the ABNA regarding their views on any apprentice apprenticing under them, failure to do so could, at the discretion of the ABNA, result in a Judge no longer being able to instruct apprentices.
 

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