“How often have you been told that you must look at the ‘whole’ dog – but as well know, the dog is a sum of its parts? Personally, I have found that it is best to start with the basic assumption that form follows function; and considering that function infers certain parts will be more critical than others; knowing these important parts, then putting them together, you should be able to judge each dog as it stands and moves before you.”

Introduction
 
We are all guilty of favouritism, and no more so in what we like about our dogs! Judges have been called everything from ‘head’ hunters’ to ‘movement freaks’ – but I give the benefit of the doubt and say that we simply like to see what we have been used to; it is a matter of personal preferences, as each of us read the standards differently.

Having said this it is also good however for us to set some parameters around which we can use our preferences. We need to have some basis for the preferences. This is what some people call objectivity, but I prefer to see as part of the bigger system, i.e., a model that makes up the dog world, of which the dog is one part. Once the breed is placed within dog-dom, it will be easy for us to understand where its form has followed its original function.

Every judge must know not only the original function of the dogs they judge, but also the history of that breed, both in the past, as well as recent. This can sometimes be quite difficult but it is a necessary investment. I would hope that this website, www.robertdawson.org can assist in this endeavour. It should be a forum for people who know the breeds well to provide clear information about the individual breeds, including how they are evolving in an ever changing environment.

The website should provide also an avenue for judges and exhibitors to share information about the each part of the dog. I know that there is a lot of discussion about the eye of this breed or that, but really how does the eye link to the rest of the head; this is important also.

Organization of this Section and an Invitation

This part is organized around the FCI Group and Breed categories. What I hope to build up is something like the following:

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FCI Group 1

Breed

Parts of the Breed

      Head

      Body

      Movement

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In reality, I would expect that we would also get a lot of links to other websites, where this type of information can be found. Judges and exhibitors could both provide information but also gain from the personal experiences of others.

If any judge or exhibitor has information or would like to provide their own ideas about breeds and different parts of the dog, please send them to me through the contacts page and I shall post them. I am interested in making sure that there is a free flow of ideas for each and every one of you to provide your knowledge. This part of the web will grow over time and will only be successful if people contribute links to their websites, or information that can be posted.