Wednesday, April 25, 2007
DQ Philosophy
As I work with and talk with various judges, I am learning that there is a wide spectrum of philosophies on disqualifications.
On the one end, there are judges who feel that it is their job to find every disqualification possible. To them, selecting a rabbit Best of Breed that has a disqualification, no matter how remote, is the worse thing they could do.
On the far other end of the spectrum are the judges who do a routine check of eyes, teeth, nails, genitalia, and tail, and only call disqualifications that jump out at them. They feel that their job is to judge the rabbits, not pick them apart. These judges also follow the ARBA rule to give the rabbit the benefit of the doubt.
Which philosophy is right? Well, I'd say you can make a good argument either way. I know that I personally dislike losing to a rabbit that I know has a disqualification. If I repeatedly lose to a rabbit that I know has been spayed or is DQ'd for being overweight every other show, it rankles.
On the other hand, I don't want shows to grind to a halt as every judge checks out every possible source for disqualifications. Nor do I want judges to stop giving the benefit of the doubt. And I especially don't want judges jumping the gun and DQ'ing rabbits that should not be DQ'd.
In Hollands, that especially happens with ear control when the judge has not allowed the rabbit to relax (within the time that is reasonable for the class - we know that judges can't spend all day on one rabbit). If a judge gives the rabbit the chance and the ears don't go below horizontal, then they should be DQ'd. But I think they should try both some soothing with the hands and allowing the rabbit to sit quietly in the judging coop before tossing it.
We can't control judges' philosophies on disqualifications. But we can control our own. I have to decide whether I want to push it and hope the judge doesn't find a DQ I know about or doesn't weigh my rabbit. Or perhaps I want to be super picky myself and not take anything that is even remotely suspicious. Most of us probably land somewhere between those two.
For me, I won't take a rabbit that I know is going to be overweight no matter which scale you put it on. If the rabbit is close, I might show that rabbit, knowing that my scale is not perfect and knowing the rabbit may lose weight on the trip. Of course, if my 4 lb. rabbit is DQd because the judge's scale is weighing heavy, then I just have to accept that, too.
At a recent show, I weighed the same rabbit three times on three show scales. It was 4.08, 4.09, and 4.10 (it was not a Holland).
If I have nails that slightly vary in shade, I'll probably show it. If I get one with a stark nail - the kind that looks like it's made of white plastic - then it would be culled anyway.
If teeth are so close that I have to get a second opinion on them, I'll probably cull the rabbit. For white spots on dark rabbits, I'll definitely wait for a molt to make a determination on that. Anything close to cowhocks would be culled anyway.
If a rabbit has a great body and nice head, I'll show it with some ear control - if I think there's a reasonable chance the rabbit can keep those ears down for a few seconds. If we get a judge who is following the points (rather than their own personal preferences), he or she will know that the body is 32, the head, 24, but the crown is just 8 points - the smallest component of type.
No matter what your personal DQ philosophy is, you will run into judges that don't feel that way. If you think about it, though, it's probably a good thing to have different kinds of judges. Picky judges may show you problems in your herd that you weren't aware of. More liberal judges may give your rabbit the benefit of the doubt, which you may appreciate if you don't really think there's enough of a problem for a DQ. Most DQs are judgmental in nature anyway. And most, by the way, are not protestable.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry “Home Of Grand Champions”
Precious Pet Rabbits
Affordable Web Site Design ¶ 9:36 AM
On the one end, there are judges who feel that it is their job to find every disqualification possible. To them, selecting a rabbit Best of Breed that has a disqualification, no matter how remote, is the worse thing they could do.
On the far other end of the spectrum are the judges who do a routine check of eyes, teeth, nails, genitalia, and tail, and only call disqualifications that jump out at them. They feel that their job is to judge the rabbits, not pick them apart. These judges also follow the ARBA rule to give the rabbit the benefit of the doubt.
Which philosophy is right? Well, I'd say you can make a good argument either way. I know that I personally dislike losing to a rabbit that I know has a disqualification. If I repeatedly lose to a rabbit that I know has been spayed or is DQ'd for being overweight every other show, it rankles.
On the other hand, I don't want shows to grind to a halt as every judge checks out every possible source for disqualifications. Nor do I want judges to stop giving the benefit of the doubt. And I especially don't want judges jumping the gun and DQ'ing rabbits that should not be DQ'd.
In Hollands, that especially happens with ear control when the judge has not allowed the rabbit to relax (within the time that is reasonable for the class - we know that judges can't spend all day on one rabbit). If a judge gives the rabbit the chance and the ears don't go below horizontal, then they should be DQ'd. But I think they should try both some soothing with the hands and allowing the rabbit to sit quietly in the judging coop before tossing it.
We can't control judges' philosophies on disqualifications. But we can control our own. I have to decide whether I want to push it and hope the judge doesn't find a DQ I know about or doesn't weigh my rabbit. Or perhaps I want to be super picky myself and not take anything that is even remotely suspicious. Most of us probably land somewhere between those two.
For me, I won't take a rabbit that I know is going to be overweight no matter which scale you put it on. If the rabbit is close, I might show that rabbit, knowing that my scale is not perfect and knowing the rabbit may lose weight on the trip. Of course, if my 4 lb. rabbit is DQd because the judge's scale is weighing heavy, then I just have to accept that, too.
At a recent show, I weighed the same rabbit three times on three show scales. It was 4.08, 4.09, and 4.10 (it was not a Holland).
If I have nails that slightly vary in shade, I'll probably show it. If I get one with a stark nail - the kind that looks like it's made of white plastic - then it would be culled anyway.
If teeth are so close that I have to get a second opinion on them, I'll probably cull the rabbit. For white spots on dark rabbits, I'll definitely wait for a molt to make a determination on that. Anything close to cowhocks would be culled anyway.
If a rabbit has a great body and nice head, I'll show it with some ear control - if I think there's a reasonable chance the rabbit can keep those ears down for a few seconds. If we get a judge who is following the points (rather than their own personal preferences), he or she will know that the body is 32, the head, 24, but the crown is just 8 points - the smallest component of type.
No matter what your personal DQ philosophy is, you will run into judges that don't feel that way. If you think about it, though, it's probably a good thing to have different kinds of judges. Picky judges may show you problems in your herd that you weren't aware of. More liberal judges may give your rabbit the benefit of the doubt, which you may appreciate if you don't really think there's enough of a problem for a DQ. Most DQs are judgmental in nature anyway. And most, by the way, are not protestable.
Laurie Stroupe
The Nature Trail Rabbitry “Home Of Grand Champions”
Precious Pet Rabbits
Affordable Web Site Design ¶ 9:36 AM
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There are a lot of people out there that show rabbits that have dq's and just hold their breath that the judge does not find it or will ignore it which I have seen some judges do. I know it is embrassing to have a DQ on a rabbit especially if you are not aware of it. But some people show their rabbits and have told people that this or that was done to the rabbit but they keep putting that rabbit on the table. But sooner or later they will "FEEL THE HEAT" from it.
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