Sunday the brown dawgs attended the Michigan Sporting Dog Association Judge’s Education Seminar.

From the MSDA website, their objectives are:

 a)     To further the advancement of all sporting group breeds

 b)     To encourage members and breeders to accept the standards of the sporting breeds as approved by The  American Kennel Club as the only standards of excellence by which the sporting breeds are judged.

 c)     To do all in its power to protect and advance the interests of dog shows, obedience trials, agility trails and hunt tests and to encourage sportsmanlike competition at such events

 d)     To conduct sanctioned and licensed dog shows, obedience trials, agility trials, hunt tests, and any other dog-related events under the rules and regulations of The American Kennel Club.

Each June the club holds a judge’s education seminar to showcase breeds in the AKC Sporting Group for judges who are trying to qualify to judge those breeds.  Judges come from all over the country to attend this 2 day seminar.

The seminar has 4 breed sessions each day and the judges sign up for those breeds that they want to attend.  Long time breeders knowledgeable about the breed were the breed mentors.  Not all of the sporting dogs were there, but the ones that were brought many examples of their breed for the judges to examine.  The Chessie presentation on Sunday was put on by the Michigan Chesapeake Bay Retriever Club.  We had over 20 Chessies ranging in age from 10 1/2 to 5 months.

All three brown dawgs attended along with two of Thunder’s kids.  (For this post I am limiting my photos to the brown dawgs and their relatives, but all the dogs in attendance stacked, moved and were examined by the judges.  If you want to see photos of the other Chessies there check out the photos I posted on the MCBRC Events Facebook Page)

The SRR dogs were well represented.  In the Dog Group is Thunder, his son Radar and his grandson Freighter.

Thunder’s daughter (and Freighter’s Mom) Smokey was there too.

The day wasn’t all just standing around.  This seminar is an opportunity for the judges to “put their hands on” a lot of different Chessies.  As the judges were examining the dogs, the breed mentors explained what they should be looking for per the Chessie breed standard.

The judges were able to see the dogs move.

During the lunch break the MSDA put on a field demo to show the judges how each breed’s structure helps the dog do their job.  There was a retriever water demo and an upland demo.

Freighter represented the Chessies and did a nice job retrieving a simple water double.

It was a long day for both the handlers and the dogs.  The judges were impressed with the variety and quality of the Chessies.  Thanks to all who organized the day and especially to Cindy who handled Thunder so I could take pictures.

Some fun shots: