At its last meeting, the General Committee discussed in some detail the proposal that a KC Regulation be introduced to require judges to produce critiques after each appointment.

The Committee was aware that this matter had been the subject of a number of proposals to the Kennel Club over the last few years. It had been raised at Regional Question Times, where the overwhelming view of those present was that the Show Regulations should be amended to make it mandatory that judges produce critiques.

The Committee agreed with the general view that the writing of a critique after each judging appointment is almost universally wanted and expected by exhibitors. It also believes that it is integral to the role and responsibilities of those wishing to judge.

It is appreciated that whilst there is no guarantee that the dog press will publish a judge’s critique, it is nevertheless important for the judge to prepare that critique and then to send it to the dog press within a reasonable period of time after the appointment. In many instances, even if the dog press do not publish the report, club journals do ensure that critiques, when available, are given prominence.

The Kennel Club General Committee has therefore introduced the following Regulation with immediate effect:

F(1)22.c.
All Judges at Championship Shows and Open Breed Club Shows must produce a written critique for the first two placings in each class, and will dispatch these to at least one of the weekly United Kingdom canine journals.

In making its decision the General Committee also agreed that this mandatory requirement should be featured in forthcoming Regulations and Judging Procedure Seminars and that reference should be made to it in the Guide for Judges which includes guidance and advice on the writing of critiques.(OUR DOGS continues to produce and publish show critiques in its unique OD2 format and is ahead of the field. We are confident that judges will continue to support our aim to bring these much anticipated comments to the exhibitors as soon as possible. E-mail greatly reduces the time scale involved and we encourage its use to ensure prompt publication where possible. Ed) See OPINION July 9th.