Ever wish you could know exactly what the judge was thinking? Well now you can. Heaven's Hills will be interviewing all kinds of judges monthly and asking them what their biggest "beef" is with handlers in the show ring. Some of their answers may surprise you. Be sure to keep track of their responses and the next time you need a "Q", the judge won't have a beef with you!
Bob Withers AKC Rally Judge
"Judge's Beef"
with Bob Withers
by Hopey Bissett
I caught up with Rally Judge Bob Withers at IPOC’s November agility trial while he was patiently waiting for his 11 year old Sheltie to finish her water break in the back of the car. Being a relaxed, low key kind of guy, he agreed to do my little interview right then in spite of the fact that he was showing in about an hour.
Hopey: Okay Bob, you know the question. What’s your biggest beef in the Rally ring? You know, the thing that makes you go, ‘Ugh, no.’?
Bob: I guess if I were gonna really have anything at all…hmmm. There seems to be an attitude among handlers in general that, ‘ I don’t have to train to show in rally, I can just walk in the ring.’ You know, I tell all my students, ‘ There are 48 signs in Rally and you can miss any one of them!’ .
Hopey: I thought it was a different number. Is it really 48?
Bob: Yes, remember, you have START and FINISH in there too. There are 48 things that handler needs to know how to do before they get there.
Hopey: So what is the first tattle tale sign that tells you a handler does not know how to do those 48 things? What’s the dead give away?
Bob: I see that during the walk through. If I see them incorrectly performing a station before the class has started when there’s no pressure on them, nothing, just the walk through, that’s my first indication. Or sometimes I see a person walk up to the sign and just stand there and stare at it for a long time, I know they don’t know what to do.
Hopey: And when you see this glassy-eyed, blank stare happening what do you do?
Bob: I walk up to them and ask, ‘Can I help you to understand what this sign means?’ I try to give everybody an even start, so at the beginning of the class there’s an equal footing.
Hopey: What’s the thing you most love to see in the Rally ring? The thing that makes you go, ‘Wow, this is gonna be good’ and makes you happy to judge them?
Bob: When I see a team that has a brisk, correct performance of the exercises, then I’m happy.
Hopey: Well, we’ll try to make you happy. Thanks for your time Bob. Good luck in the trial today.
As I left Bob to finish watering his Sheltie before his Noice JWW class, his words were ringing in my ears just a bit. Yes, my students are prepared and know how to execute all the signs before entering the ring. It was the “brisk” word that I knew I could improve on with some of my students. To increase speed of the response in training, remember, there is a direct correlation between the value and speed
of the reward, and the value and speed of the performance.
So for those of you venturing in to Bob’s Rally ring, take heed, better yet, TAKE A CLASS! As for the “brisk” part, well for those of you in my class, bring those favorite toys, crank up the quickness with the praise and yummy treats and MOVE!
