A new era in dog show judging!
ABBA judges pledge to maintain fairness, objectivity and integrity and are accountable to you, the ABBA membership
ABBA judges serve the American Bully Breed community and our mission is to deserve and live up to the trust and confidence the membership places in us as well as our own strict ethical and quality standards.
While every registry has its own set of standards and methods for evaluating breeding stock, a deficiency of oversight, review or grievance procedures has eroded the trust and respect for conformation show judges in all registries.
The founders of ABBA share the frustrations of exhibitors who have experienced unfair or inconsistent judging decisions and were without any options for relief or resolution.
So the ABBA is committed to crafting a solution to these troubling and persistent issues. We believe that this problem may stem from the lack of required continuing education/proficiency policies coupled with the lack of peer review and formal grievance procedures.
These deficiencies have given rise to the conception that the judging community is immune to criticism or critique no matter how accurate or necessary. This in turn has hampered the growth of the sport by turning off would be converts who insist on fair play in their sports and hobbies.
Responsibility does not lie solely with the judges. The sanctioning organizations who bestowed the judging designations failed to provide protections for exhibitors from capricious judging decisions by creating guidelines and policies that include policies for failure to adhere to the code of ethics, objectivity and proficiency. Equally needed are proactive measures such as ongoing judge support, guidance and encouragement which might preclude many of these issues.
ABBA believes that accepting and evaluating constructive judging feedback is invaluable to ensuring fair, consistent and unbiased judging
Become an ABBA Judge
Judges will selected on the basis of previous confomation or performance showing success and breeding experience. Judges will be thoroughly educated on the American Bully breed, the ABBA breed standard for the American Bully (and all breeds recognized), the mechanics and health implications of conformation characteristics as well as breeding, training and conditioning practices.
Criteria for Conformation Judges (all judging licenses are issued based on a case by case review and approval process)
- Should have bred at least 3 generations* of dogs (any breed); American Bullies or APBT or AmStaffs preferred but not necessary
- Should have produced and shown at least one champion (any breed) or have experience showing successfully in more than one registry**
- Judges must attend a minimum of one ABBA judges training seminar on the ABBA breed standard, canine anatomy, judging procedures and sportsmanship and/or apprentice under 2 different ABBA judges
- Willing to perform other educational duties outside of judging including offering or participating in classes/trainings at shows or elsewhere
- Must agree to comply with a code of Ethics and Conduct for both in and out of the ring (Code of Conduct to be prepared by Judging Committee and adopted by the BOD)
* Other skills or experience may be accepted in lieu of 3 generations of breeding
** This can be waived on a case by case basis depending on the depth of knowledge & experience of the candidate
Of all the skills and abilities, the most important qualification to be an ABBA judge is INGRITY, HONESTY AND COURTESY.
If you meet these criteria (by any combination of skills or experiences that you would like considered), OR you believe that you shortly will meet the criteria and would like to submit an application, please download, print and complete the application in full and email it to abbadogs@cox.net or mail it to:
ABBA
ATTN: JUDGES APPLICATION
P.O. Box 814
El Cajon, CA 92022
The ABBA will coordinate judging peer review sessions (to be held at least once a year) where ABBA judges will meet to review and discuss judging decisions as well as feedback received with the goal of ensuring that ABBA judges provide the highest caliber of show judging ethics and quality while also ensuring that the goals of the registry for the breed standards are being accurately communicated to the membership.
Judges will be sworn in and will pledge to serve as objective, unbiased and professional evaluators of the American Bully Breeders Association breed standard for the purpose of identifying dogs who best meet the standard and can therefore be deemed suitable breeding stock. Further, ABBA judges will pledge to serve the ABBA community by sharing the benefit of their knowledge, experience and expertise and also as breed ambassadors and ambassadors of ABBA to the general public.
ABBA encourages its judges to provide articles, internet discussions, online radio interviews and seminars at ABBA events so that our members can access the wealth of information and knowledge.
The ABBA Judges are open to discuss their decisions as time permits. This should not be considered the opportunity to debate the judges decision but an opportunity to learn first hand how your dogs conformation or performance was evaluated providing exhibitors with opportunities to improve. Rude, offensive, hostile or threatening behavior will not be tolerated and may result in disciplinary penalties including loss of the dog’s show placement or banning from the registry.
This exercise is also intended to provide our Judges and staff with invaluable opportunities for learning as well as meaningful ways to ensure that the events are being judged fairly, objectively and to the breed standard.
If, after your discussion with a judge, a member still has questions or wants to provide feedback (good or bad), comments or requests for additional clarification may be made through the ABBA at abbadogs@cox.net.
ABBA judges and staff serve the American Bully Breed community and our mission is to deserve and live up to the trust and confidence the membership places in us as well as our own strict ethical and quality standards.
