A show champion is indeed an impressive sounding title, but what exactly does it mean?  How much worth is a show champion over any other dog?  Is one show's champion more important, more worthy than another show's champion?

In an ideal world, all shows are used to determine breeding stock, selecting the best of the best so that future generations of Jindo owners will still be able to appreciate the genuine Jindo instead a pale copy of what it was.   In an ideal world, an experienced and unbiased judge always selects the best dog of the show as the show champion.

Realistically though, there are some aspects of showing that will skew results away from this idyllic world.  There are no shortcuts to doing ALL the research:
 
 

Judge's preference:

It's to be expected that judges come with their own preferences about what exactly would be the ideal or best Jindo.  Even when shows utilize score sheets dividing a dog's evaluation into different parts, there is still a bit of leeway available.    What one judge might place 1st and 2nd, another judge may place 2nd and 1st.  Many onlookers, some of them experts themselves, are unruffled by this natural phenomenon.   Differences between a 1st-place quality dog and a 20th-place quality dog is another matter though.

Award System:

In settings where championships are determined by more than one judge in more than one opportunity, a judge's personal preferences  can be minimized, but in settings where championships are determined at one outing by one judge, this can lead to a bit more fluxuation.

Western shows, such as the AKC, utilize a point system where a dog must earn his championship by winning under at least three different judges in at least three different venues.   The advantage of this system is that there is less chance of one generous judge from skewing championships.

Many Korean Jindo shows, in contrast, offer a championship at one outing.  There might be a preliminary round where one judge (or group of judges) judges a dog and then a head judge makes the final determination of who becomes a champion though.  The advantage of this system is that it allows many more people, particularly many non-show career people, to showcase their dogs once and have equal opportunity to win a championship.

Age Awarding:

It takes about 2 years for a Jindo to fully develop.  Some dogs that look spectacular as youngsters might develop into not-so-great adults.  Some Korean Jindo shows will take that into account and award championships to only adults.   Others will pick champions out of any age group.  One possible drawback to the adults-only champions is that some judges would feel pressured to pick a champion no matter the quality of the adults presented to them.

Owner/Handler Bias:

There is a common complaint among show people  - "The judge was looking at the other end of the leash."

What this phrase means is that instead of looking at the dogs, the judge based his decisions on who was handling the dog.  By knowing who was handling the dog, the judge could also deduce who owned the dog.   This is usually suspected when placements are thought unreasonable and judge evades explanations on why he decided the way he did.

This complaint is universal in many circles (American, Japanese, Korean), but there's no good way to screen this from happening with Jindos.   An attempt was made in one show in 2000 to have random school children handle dogs instead of their owners; however, many of these dogs were unhappy with the switch.  (Dropped tail when standing, listless attitude.)   From personal experience, I'll add that handling another person's dog has another drawback - the intact young male dog doesn't respond to commands to decease aggression towards another dog.

Breeder Integrity:

It's assumed that dogs competing in Jindo shows are Jindos.   However, there have been accusations of people deliberately using mixes, especially Kishu mixes, to "make Jindos."   Usually, these mixes are noticed by the experts and awards are not given to them.   Sometimes, in order to educate the audience, a judge will spend time explaining what makes a particular dog a mix.

Alterations:

The Jindo is supposed to be a natural dog, but it has been said that there have been cases where a dog has been altered in order to improve his/her chances at a show.  Alterations are not genetically passed on and this runs contrary to the goal of using shows as evaluations of breeding/genetic stock.

Bribery/Corruption:

Thankfully, this is less of an issue at the higher levels of competition where there is much more scrutiny and a head judge's reputation is on the line, but it's been said that a person can bribe his dog past the preliminary judgements.

It's tempting to just brush aside the worth of all championships due to all the complications that come with shows, but I feel that would be a mistake.  Despite the shortfalls, shows and championships are one of many tools to determine how good a Jindo is.  Despite the potential for bias, shows and judges offer a much needed 2nd opinion to a breeder or owner who might be under the thrall of kennel blindness.

I, for one, would enter shows to evaluate breeding stock (if I thought I had any) and to showcase the Jindo breed to non-Koreans in the USA, but I would also remember to keep the results of the show in context.   I would value the reasoning of the judge more than the actual placement of the judge.
 

b. Listing of champions (partial list)
 
 

Please keep in mind that this is a very incomplete list of shows and show champions.

Names are translated using many of the suggestions from the director of the Korean Information Service of the Government Information Agency.  (Revised Romanization offered on the Los Angeles Cultural Center website.)  This is so translation back into Korean for pedigree tracing is the most accurate as possible.

* Bo Ho Yook Sung Sang = The translation of this award into English is rather lengthy.  Basically, this is given to dogs of either sex that will most likely give high quality offspring with exceptional form and temperment, therefore preserving the Jindo breed as a whole (much more so than champions).  Hence the rough translation: Breeder's Choice Award.

c. Well-known breeders in Korea (Very incomplete list based on one American's perspective)
 

• Jeon, Sae Woong (alt. spelling: Chun, Sae Woong):  owner/breeder of one of the largest and most famous kennels in Korea.  Known for raising white dogs originating from Bulpo, the 2nd Jindo Island Champion.  Has judge credentials among several different Jindo organizations and has judged outside of those Jindo organizations as well.   Has been willing to work with the Jindo Dog Association of America in sending his dogs to the USA.

 
• Woo, Mu Jong:  President of the KNDA.   I'm not sure how to distinguish between his personal dogs and his organization's dogs, but he is well-known for his gyupgaes.  Due to his assertive personality, he was a lightning rod for controversy in the late 1990's and a favored guest for several TV shows.    He has sent over dogs to the USA, especially offsprings of his black & tan male Sandol.  He also performs some judging duties.

 
• Yoon, Hei Bon: 2nd President of the Korea Kennel Club.  Owner/Breeder of Chung pa kennels in Korea.  Has a line based off of Bangwoolyi.  Through his influence, stud dogs such as Tyson and Balhae were sent to the USA.

(I apologize to all the other breeders in Korea.  I know there are other highly regarded breeders, but these are the ones I've heard about in the USA from several different sources for years.)
 
 




last updated 2/14/06