I wanted to write an article on Labrador Specialty Sweeps with some of the reasons why I believe you don’t want to enter unless you have thoroughly thought it out. Let me try to explain my problems with Sweeps and maybe if you know my history with it you won’t take it so personal as a judge because quite frankly it’s not a personal shot at you as a Sweeps judge. I also want to clarify this is not in response to a particular show but an article thats been in the works for several years and has just now come to publish. No hurt feelings please.
1) The new 18-24 class. It’s a ridiculous class to add. It’s called Puppy Sweeps not Puppy Sweeps and one adult class. I mean how the hell does a 6-month-old puppy compete with a 24-month-old dog. Those heads are fully developed at 24 months of age. You may be able to knock off an 18-month-old puppy because the head isn’t quite there yet, but it’s very difficult to defeat a 24-month-old, full-grown dog with a 6-month- old puppy. The new age limits are a big reason I won’t be entering Sweeps so much anymore. It’s just not a fair battle and it’s a lot to ask a judge to compare a 6-month-old puppy to a 24-month-old adult dog.
2) I ask myself why would I enter a Sweepstakes Class with inexperienced judges? Speaking frankly, 90 percent aren’t as good a breeder as me. It’s that simple. I really only want to show my dogs to breeders that I feel are equal or better breeders than I am. I don’t care what breeders who are not as accomplished as myself think about my dogs. If their opinions were worth a pile of beans, then they would be successful breeders. 90 percent of sweeps judges can’t hold a candle to what we have accomplished through the years and it’s just that factual and simple. Sweeps judges are generally below average to average breeders that got the assignment based on someone they know within the inner workings of the particular club they are judging for—hardly a qualification to judge Labradors at the highest levels. Not always the case, but the majority of the time that is the situation.
3) I have a long history of corrupt and undesirable behavior from Sweeps judges at the top levels. Twice now it has come down to our dog and another at Potomac (largest most prestigious Labrador Specialty in the world) and three times at the LRC National it has come down to the last two dogs. All five times we have lost to AKC breeder judges. That’s no accident. Maybe once or twice they get the better of us, but not five times on the big stage.
Those are just at the big shows with National attention. The same scenario has played out a half dozen other times at local specialties. It’s clearly a tradeoff for some future points down the road. I’m not playing that game and I’m not going put myself or my dog through it anymore.
4) It costs more money. I’m hardly the guy that’s counting pennies at a dog show. But, it costs more money to enter Sweeps and if you have to hire a handler it costs even more money. The payoff isn’t much whether you win or lose. You can’t win any points, so it’s really just for bragging rights.
5) Lets face it, when you are inexperienced at judging and you dont have the confidence of a seasoned judge, you make mistakes. Its a natural human reaction when someone is taken by the moment that they go with what is familiar to them. This leads to picking faces. Not intentionally but it just happens. I am not there to train a judge how to judge and I am certainly not going to be the guinea pig for their mistakes.
In closing, I’m not saying I would never enter Sweeps. On a very rare occasion if I respect you as a breeder judge I will enter. Win or lose I’m almost always happy with the outcome and thoroughly enjoy myself but that’s because I respect you as a breeder and I respect your opinion on Labradors.
Now, there could be other reasons why somebody might want to enter Sweeps. Maybe they want to get a little more experience for their puppy and the results don’t matter. That’s a good reason and I can respect that trend of thought. It’s not how I operate, but I get it.
When thinking about entering Sweeps, think long and hard about the qualifications of that judge on a particular day. Are they trustworthy? Does the judge have an extra close relationship with another exhibitor entered? Has one of the exhibitors used the judges stud dogs with good success in the past or vice versa? Does the Show Chair or the judging committee members that did the hiring of the judge have a puppy in Sweeps? Is the judge a successful breeder that has multiple champions and Specialty wins under their belt?
As with anything in dog shows, none of this really matters. It’s all opinions and subjective. Favoritism, corruption and point trading are far and wide within the sport. You ultimately have to be happy with what you are breeding and what is in your back yard because that’s really all that matters in this game.
Oct 22
