The announcer was headquartered in this ring and was easily understood with the excellent public address system. There were twenty-five smaller rings on both sides of the main tent. Back to Top Judging and Handling Exhibitors seated nearby told me that most judges are breeders, but there also are some all-arounders. This is a typical judging procedure. The handlers and dogs enter the ring and the judge walks around to evaluate them.
Handlers stack their dogs either direction and some dogs end up face to face.
I saw some handlers, mostly with large Gundogs, use extremely long chain collars that slip down to the chest when the dog is stacked. Also, each dog is examined individually, with smaller dogs put on a table. The judge asks the handler to do a triangle gaiting pattern. Most handlers made a rounded, sweeping triangle. Since most classes are large, the judge usually short-lists, which means pulling dogs for a cut.