Record keeping

Record Keeping Like writing critiques, keeping records is a chore but it is nevertheless a vitally important task however disagreeable you find it. The only thing worse is being offered an opportunity to give tickets and having to scrabble through dozens of catalogues in a panic to get the information. This is not only frustrating but leads to mistakes - and in the early stages of your judging career it is quite likely that your name will be selected for scrutiny and the accuracy of your records checked in detail.

When you complete a Questionnaire you sign that your submission is accurate so it is worth spending a little time getting the process right from the beginning. The first thing to remember is that you need to keep and file copies of all catalogues and judging books. This is because the Kennel Club does not permanently keep copies of catalogues so if your judging CV is called into question you are required to provide all the relevant documents. If there are any inaccuracies you will not only be turned down but you could be banned from judging.

Information technology enables you to complete and update records relatively easily but for specialist judges the number of their appointments are relatively few and so a simple hard copy list is all that is required.

The use of a spreadsheet and its ability to sort files in a flash make record keeping a great deal easier: you can add judging appointments in date order but quickly isolate and print out appointments for a particular breed when you want them.

Errors and Omissions Excepted If you only judge occasionally, a handwritten list is fine but it still needs to be kept up-to-date and, I emphasise once again, accurate. I am not very good at accuracy (if anything is sent out by me that is right all the way through you can assume it is a forgery) so when I fill in a questionnaire I always put E&OE on every page (this is old administration speak for ‘Errors and Omission Excepted) and I was told on very good authority that the first time I did this the Judges Committee were extremely irritated by it. Nevertheless it meant that if I made a genuine mistake (and it is unbelievably easy to do even with the simple calculations required for the numbers of dogs entered, the total entries and absentees) I have not signed my life and career away!

Creating your hard copy Judges Record In my view it is sensible to have the right number of columns in the order required by the Kennel Club Questionnaire (although the questionnaires do change occasionally as different or more information is required). If you are going along the ‘hard copy’ route you need two A4 notebooks. Those that have punched holes on the left-hand side for inserting into files are best because as your record grows you can separate the breed lists off and put them in a folder in alphabetical order.

The first notebook is to list separately each of the breeds that you judge and the second for an amalgamated list which will include all your judging appointments.

In the breed notebook the columns should be headed with:  the name of the society holding the show,  the name of the breed council or club supporting the entry at a general show if that is relevant

    

the date of the show the type of show (limited, open or championship) the number of classes of the breed actually judged (if five classes are scheduled and three of the classes are empty those classes do not count) the number of dogs entered (so you exclude any entries in other classes from the same dog) and then the number of dogs actually present and judged.

Begin a new page for each breed so if your first appointment is for Abyssinian Hoghounds your first page will be for that breed. Your next breed might be Paraguayan Cattle Dogs so you start a new page for them.

You could also have separate pages for Varieties, NSC, stakes classes, groups and BIS appointments. The KC does not ask for these in Questionnaires at the moment but if the numbers entered in breed classes change it may be necessary for the Judge Sub-committee to take variety appointment into consideration. It was in 1995 that the specific number of dogs judges became a requirement so those of us who began our judging careers before that time do not have a record of ‘dogs actually present and judged’ so the numbers of dogs present have to be estimated- take the average number of dogs present from appointments after 1995.

As you fill in the first book you also complete the second. This is for ‘Part three’ of the questionnaire and this list can be in date order starting from your first appointment and working through to your last. The headings in this notebook are:  the name of the society holding show  the date of the show  the type of show,  the breed judged (you have to list each variety separately so that if it is a mixed class of Chihuahuas or Dachshunds you assume that the coats/sizes are separate so they have their own line)  the number of classes  the actual number of dogs present and judged.

The KC questionnaire only asks for six from this list but my advice is that you have a complete list from the very beginning of your judging career because the Kennel Club and the Judges subcommittee might well change their mind in the future If you are only interested in judging Abyssinian Hoghounds and perhaps one or two other breeds then this system is simple and straightforward and can be easily referred to if you are ever asked to fill in a KC Questionnaire.

Computers, spreadsheets and the cloud Almost everyone these days has access to a computer and there is no doubt that using a spreadsheet such as Excel provides a convenient structure for those who’s judging career encompasses several breeds. You only need the one list because it can be easily sorted by date or breed order: you can print off the whole thing if necessary or cut and paste the relevant extract you need when it comes to filling a Questionnaire. And once you have it on a computer file you can turn it into a PDF

and post it online so that anyone can see your complete record. (To see what it should look like, you can access mine by going onto my Profile Page at www.ijudgedogs.co.uk and clicking ‘Here’ underneath Judging Record on the Judge Information page – it is not up to date – it is just a demonstration).

Using the cloud I would suggest that if you wish to keep a Judging Record it is sensible to keep it in cyberspace using Google Sheets – it’s free! You have to have a Google account but this is quick and easy to set up: just go to https://accounts.google.com/signup?hl=en and complete the form. This lets you access many Google applications but the important one for this purpose is Sheets.

Sheets is a spreadsheet that works very much like Microsoft Excel and it can be accessed from anywhere in the world so long as there is a Wi-Fi connection.

I have set up a Judges Record spreadsheet for you and if you click on this link it will take you to it.

What you need to do is to make a copy from the ‘File’ menu and paste it into your own Google Sheet account. When you have finished you can easily manipulate the data and also create a link which you can add into your Profile Page on iJD should you so wish. If you click on to the ‘Share’ button you can make it available for anyone to see if you so wish.

Record everything!

These days you also have to keep records of any seminars and any other educational events you attend. Include the date and the name of the club which hosted and have a folder in which to keep any certificates you were awarded whether they be of attendance or success in an examination. In theory, the Kennel Club have a record of your attendance and/or passing the various stages of the ‘Requirements of a dog show judge’ but do not rely on it. Make sure that you keep those records safely including your stewarding record.

I hope that those who think that becoming a championship show judges easy are beginning to realise that even the record-keeping requires a good deal of dedication and that is quite apart from the many miles travelled time taken to gain practical experience of judging.