Setting standards through education.

Breed Watch - a tool aimed at dog show judges and exhibitors to highlight and tackle any current concerns in a breed

Kennel Club Training Board
The Kennel Club Training Board oversees the Kennel Club’s Judges Training Programme with the following remit from the General Committee:

To establish a framework for the training of:

• Judges (breed specialists and multi breed), Club officials, show organisers, Ring stewards.
• To encourage and maintain high standards of judging with particular reference to the soundness, health and well being of the dog.
• To encourage and maintain high standards of ring stewarding and show organisation.
• To provide educational guidance for judges, stewards and show organisers.
• To work closely with those organising training seminars.
• To recommend the accreditation of and to oversee the work of the Kennel Club Accredited Trainers.

Judge's training programme
The Kennel Club’s training programme for dog show judges has been introduced to meet several needs;

• to maintain and improve the quality of Kennel Club shows
• to retain existing exhibitors/competitors and to attract new exhibitors/competitors
• to ensure that judges have the correct levels of knowledge and experience for the breeds they are to judge
• to reinforce the importance of health and welfare of breeds in the minds of judges whilst judging
• to give exhibitors/competitors confidence in their judge
• to underpin the value of awards gained at Kennel Club licensed shows, particularly the Kennel Club Challenge Certificate and Champion dog award.

The training programme focuses in the main, on first time Challenge Certificate judges.  The Kennel Club encourages all its registered clubs and societies to take part in the judges training programmes to safeguard the quality and standards of their respective breed or activity.

Code of best practice for judges
A code of best practice has been introduced and included in the Kennel Club’s Guide to Judges for all canine activities setting out the Kennel Club’s expected standard for judges regarding integrity, impartiality, age, health issues as well as standards of canine health and welfare. 

Code of best practice for Judges (incorp. Guide for Judges and Ring Stewards)

Breed Shows

First time Challenge Certificate Judges
The Kennel Club requires the following mandatory requirements to have been achieved prior to a person being nominated to award with Challenge Certificates for the very first time.  These new judges are required to:

• attend a Seminar on Regulations and Judging Procedures and pass an exam delivered by an approved Kennel Club Accredited Trainer for Regulations and Judging Procedures.  The syllabus is based on Kennel Club Judges Regulations and the Kennel Club Guide for Judges.
• attend a Seminar on Conformation and Movement of a Dog delivered by an approved Kennel Club Accredited Trainer for Conformation and Movement.  The syllabus is based on the Kennel Club Conformation and Movement Video.
• Pass the Point of the Dog Assessment conducted by specially trained Conformation and Movement Accredited Trainer. 

SR12 Points of the Dog Assessment Candidate Form

• To have stewarded at 12 shows

Established Challenge Certificate Judges - Judges' Development Programme
The Kennel Club has also introduced a training programme for established Challenge Certificate Judges.  Attendance at seminars under this programme is not mandatory, but is encouraged, and there are eligibility criteria in order to attend these seminars.

• a development programme of seminars introduced to educate judges who have been approved for three breeds with CCs within a group to further their knowledge of other breeds in the same group.  These seminars are organised by registered group societies or other approved groups and run to a code of best practice.

• Judges who have received a credit pass for a particular breed are exempt from having to qualify to judge the same breed at open shows and will be given extra consideration by the Kennel Club’s Judges Sub-Committee should they be nominated to judge this same breed with Challenge Certificates.

Judges' Development Programme Code of Best Practice

Evaluation of judges whilst judging
All judges are evaluated by established judges for the relevant breed on their first Challenge Certificate appointment for each new breed.  Unless they have been approved through the A2 judges list approval scheme.

Registered Breed Clubs/Councils responsibilities

• All registered breed clubs/councils are required to undertake breed specific training and to progress judges for their own breed by carefully managing their own lists of judges.
• Each club or council is required to set reasonable criteria covering the number of dogs judged and years of experience - for open shows and for potential championship show judges to meet (different criteria for the different categories of show).  This criteria is based on the Kennel Club’s Advisory Criteria for Breed Club Judges Lists.

JD24 Advisory Criteria for Breed Club Judges Lists

• To organise on a regular basis Breed Specific Seminars, run to the Kennel Club’s Code of Best Practice.

Kennel Club Code of Best Practice for Breed Club Seminars

• Clubs are also requested to nominate suitable individuals to the Kennel Club as potential Challenge Certificate judges.  These individuals must have complied with the club’s stated criteria and have been assessed by three established CC judges for the breed.  Further detailed information is available from the Kennel Club’s Judges Department.

Judge's training programme for Working Trial, Obedience, Agility, Heelwork to Music, Bloodhound Trial and Field Trial Judges
The Kennel Club has now established Judges Training Programmes for all the above-mentioned working disciplines.  In most disciplines the attendance at and passing of examinations is mandatory before being approved to judge at championship shows and/or trials.  The seminars are presented by experienced judges who have been assessed for their ability to properly deliver the seminar syllabus.  In most of these disciplines there are now additional seminars on the practical elements of judging at these events.

• Judges' Section - Agility
• Judges' Section - Bloodhound Trials
• Judges' Section - Field Trials
• Judges' Section - Heelwork to Music
• Judge's Section - Obedience
• Judges' Section - Working Trials

Kennel Club accredited trainers and presenters
All the judges training programme seminars are conducted by Kennel Club Accredited Trainers (or Presenters) each of whom are experienced judges in their own right and have been assessed on their ability to deliver a lecture on their given subject.

List of Kennel Club Accredited Trainers (Show)

Seminars for all
As well as catering for those who judge at Kennel Club licensed events, the Kennel Club has developed a number of seminars (see brochure below) which are focused on those who take part in or organize dog shows.  These seminars are also presented by accredited trainers and are advertised in the Kennel Gazette.

Education and Training prospectus

Anyone who is holding an exhibiting–related seminar this year is invited to email the details to the Kennel Club’s Canine Activities (Education and Training Team) at canineactivitiesteam@thekennelclub.org.uk so that the seminar can be listed on our Training Seminars page. 

Click here to see all Training Seminars