Category: Kennel Club

Dear Breed Education Coordinators and Club Secretaries,

You will doubtlessly be aware that Judges Education Programme (JEP) has sparked lots of feedback from the dog showing community. In response to this feedback, the Judges Committee recommended to the Kennel Club Board that four changes to the transition from the traditional route to the Judges Education Programme (Breed Shows) be implemented.

These adjustments address the concerns raised by our community and improve the overall experience for judges as they progress.

The Judges Education team is in the process of updating our website to reflect the following changes, which are effective immediately:

Group and Best in Show judges
Existing Group and Best in Show judges will not be required to take and pass Eye for a Dog assessment for further breed nominations via the traditional questionnaire route, within the Groups they are already approved to judge.      

Transition to JEP via traditional nominations – extended by 12 months The Kennel Club judges department will now accept nominations via the traditional questionnaire route until 31 December 2026 for shows up to 31 December 2028.

Judges progressing via a questionnaire for a breed are not required to have taken and passed Eye for a Dog while the traditional route remains open until 31 December 2026.

Grandfathering/A2 route
The cut-off date for grandfathering and A2 applications for breeds will remain 31 December 2025, as previously announced. No grandfathering or A2 applications will be accepted after this date. The previously agreed changes to Grandfathering remain in place*.      

Ongoing review
The Kennel Club Board also agreed to carry out a wider educational review of the Judges Education Programme to ensure it meets its objectives of improving judging standards for all exhibitors and meets the demand for capable judges in the future.    

Further information
More information about the Judges Education Programme can be found on our website. If you have any questions in the meantime, please contact Helen Kerfoot, Chief Canine Officer at The Kennel Club.

Visit the Kennel Club website

Judges are to note that there will be no further extensions to any JEP deadlines.

Yours faithfully,
Helen Kerfoot
Chief Canine Officer

*Grandfathering is not allowed for Groups and Best in Show (JEP criteria apply for those categories). Judges must be on at least 50% of breed clubs’ A3 lists. Judges must complete Eye for a Dog assessment for 4th or subsequent breed.

WHAT THE CHANGES ACTUALLY MEAN

The recent change to the Great Dane Stud Book Banding from “D” to “C” is fully understood as it should reduce the number of “inferior quality” exhibits obtaining their Stud Book Numbers, i.e.:- only 1st and 2nd in Open and 1st in Limit qualify for SB entry. However, with this change, comes the recommendation that the number of “hands on” (h/o) dogs required to be judged in order that a judge may be placed on the A3 List is 110, with the B List 20% of that number i.e. 22.

Until the end of 2013, Great Danes had been in Band “E” for over 20 years, with the number of h/o at 250. The B List therefore 50. The BC/Clubs had collectively agreed some years ago that the A3/B List numbers should be 200/60 respectively and the criteria reflects that. The change to Band “C” took effect in January 2014 when the recommended h/o number became 160. The B List therefore 32.

As noted above, January 2015 saw the recommended h/o reduced yet again, which effectively equates to a reduction in the experience required to be considered to award CC’s for the first time of 56%.  All in the space of 1 year!!!

Aligned to this is, that in order to judge more than 3 classes of the breed at Open Shows, a judge must be situate on a Breed Club B List. Breed Councils/ Breed Clubs will still be able to retain their current criteria, although the KC have previously recommended “that the Breed Council give due consideration in reviewing its A3 & B criteria numbers in the future.”

February 2015