Resolutions Concerning Judging

Character

In the judging of the Japanese dog, the dog must be evaluated regarding its character the whole time it is in the ring, not just during the individual judging. Ring attitude, sounds the dog makes, etc., should all be noted.

About Judging Bite, Missing Teeth, and the Inside of the Mouth

Irregular bite, missing teeth, tongue spots, etc., should have a large influence on the appraisal, and this examination should be conducted strictly. Dogs that resist the examination even with the assistance of the breeder and/or handler are inconsistent with what is given in the standard (spirited boldness with a good nature). A large demerit mark should be given to this problem, even beyond the points taken for bites, number of teeth, and the tongue spots, because the problem shows that the dog lacks the true nature or the bad side of the true nature of Japanese dogs.

About the Use of Comparison in Higher Judgment

Comparison judging maintains a distance of an invariable fixed amount between two dogs, and the judge conducts the comparison judging from the natural stance taken by those dogs. [Trans note: this subsection refers to a face-off between two dogs, similar to terrier sparring] Comparison judging should not be done under conditions where: the dogs are brought closer together than necessary, take an aggressive posture or unfriendly attitude, or are forced to behave under misconceived character. [Trans note: when sparring, maintain a good distance so that the dogs will not feel forced to behave in an unattractive, overly dog aggressive manner.]

About the "Excellent" Evaluation

The "Excellent" evaluation, following the policy at the time of the decision, should be awarded with care.

Note: The "Excellent" evaluation of prior days corresponds to the awards for each size dog in the national shows of the present time. Carefully selecting dogs as close as possible to the "Excellent" of prior days is acting to retain the merit of the correct "Excellent" evaluation.

About the Judging of the Young Dog Class

1. As stated in the standard, the dog that does not have full body height is not awarded the "Excellent" evaluation.
2. Softness of the coat is authorized when it is unavoidable due to the season. Coat color is judged the same as for other ages.
3. Facial features are judged the same as for other ages.

Evaluation Criteria of the Very Young Dog Class and the Names of the Awards

The dogs in the very young dog class are those who are in the process of great development. This judgment (carefully considering particularly the time since birth) is on the situation on the day of judging, regarding the combination of quality, structure, body type, state of development, management of raising, etc. "Very Young Excellent" should be a dog that is exceptionally good. A dog that is evaluated as "Very Young Good" should be the next step down in quality. "Very Young Passable" is the worst of the three. A dog that does not have the quality of the Japanese dog should be disqualified.

The Establishment of Sex Distinctions

In the standard it says there should be a distinct difference between males and females. A judgment on the influence of upbringing is reflected in a correct evaluation following the standard on sex distinctions.

About Demerit Marks and What Is Permitted

1. A dog having a characteristic that is stipulated as a demerit mark is not awarded the "Excellent" evaluation.
2. It is a stipulation that the "Excellent" evaluation can be awarded to a dog with a characteristic that has been stipulated as permitted. If others get the same ranking without the permission stipulation, then the ranking is not ideal.
3. As for evaluation less than "Very Good", pertaining to the items specified as demerit marks, the demerit mark stipulation should be applied depending on whether the fault is large or small.

About Unfair Actions

Use of unfair practices such as lying about the age of the dog, or artificial alterations in regard to fur color, missing teeth, bite, monochordism, tongue spots, etc., is not allowed. As for this, a prize won is rescinded when circumstances of alteration are realized later on.

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Reformatted and reprinted by permission of Lynda Birmantas, USA