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May 8, 2011, 0900 EST
1. My first question for you is how did you first become interested in being a dog fancier and what fascinated you about
it?
My family never had dogs. I bought a Standard Poodle and fortunately I had read a book about Poodles. I knew I liked Mrs. Putnam’s Standard
Poodles as far as their type was concerned. I bought a Poodle from an ad in the New York Times, paid $125.00 for her and Mrs. Clark finished
her for me. Then we had bred her and she had 3 champions, one of them was a group winner from the classes and that is how I got interested.
2. What advice would you give someone today starting to show dogs?
The biggest problem with people that show dogs today is they don’t read, they don’t know the issue of their breed. They don’t know what the
dog's parents looks like. If you are going to participate in something, how can you know if you don’t know what the past looked like or the
present looks like. How can you tell what the future will look like, people just don’t read, they look at pictures in a magazine, that is just my
personal opinion. I feel very strongly about this, nobody reads, maybe because they can’t.
3. When and why did you decide to become a judge?
Well, when I retired from handling and knew I could no longer do it physically or emotionally and was too taxing and hard to find people that are
willing to work in a kennel, it just seemed like the natural progression of things to do. I mean it just seemed like one follows the other and that’s
how I became interested. Unfortunately I have never been somebody that had to devote my whole life to just dogs. I have other interests and
that’s why I am not an all breed judge plus the fact I have no desire to be. I like to judge the breeds I like and that’s it.
4. I know that you judge quite a few breeds, don’t you?
I have the entire Toy Group, Non-Sporting group, Terrier Group and Hound Group plus some Sporting and Working breeds. I have also judged
Corgis as well, I feel real comfortable with them because I have shown Corgis, and it’s kind of natural.
5. When you first see the dogs come into the ring and you look down the line, what do you look for immediately, that
catches your eye?
The thing for me is balance and proportion for the specific breed, it is 50% breed type. If they don’t look like their breed standing still, I am
never going to like them moving. That’s why I feel these judges who make their decisions on the down and back, I think well, they are not doing
the breed a great service because breed type is the most important thing and the hardest thing to understand. I look for balance and
proportion, that is the way I make my cut, the ones that look like their breed standing still that have the correct length of body, height of leg and
balance of bone to their size, that is what I look for.
6. What do you rely on more, your physical examination or visually looking at the dog?
If I can’t look at them, I almost like to be able to pick them mentally as they come in the ring. I think these dogs for me, it’s like I did PCA once,
this wonderful woman came from Australia, and I said lady, you have to move, I can’t mark the rest of the dogs coming in because I could not
stop looking at her dog. I gave her dog WD and BOW and came very close to giving it the breed, and for me it was a beautiful type. I think type
should be the most important thing there is. That is why we are getting all these generic dogs because everybody expects, I mean should a
Bulldog move like a Poodle, should an Afghan move like a Dachshund, the movement is different and that is what you have to judge. All the
dogs can’t move the same way but that is what we are getting, we are getting generic dogs in this country. A level top line is not a sloping top
line, you can make it sloping, you can make it look incorrect if you want to, but it is not correct and that’s what we are getting a lot of.
7. When it comes down to it, what makes you decide which dog you select in the ring that day?
The one that I feel comes closest to being the ideal for its standard. That’s why I like when I have been invited to judge the Dalmatian Club, they
always say well Mr. Sabella you got the most votes you can pick what you want. I always pick the bitches because I know the bitches will appeal
to me, they will be uniform and I like that, for me that is very important and it also makes my job a lot easier.
8. What do you think makes a great show dog?
Well, if they have the correct proportion for their breed naturally, and if they think they are great in their head. See the thing is when you judge
dogs you are judging an andiment creature that could be having an off day. I mean I have seen dogs that I have absolutely flipped for on a
given day and they look terrible because they are not into it that day. Dogs are just like people they have their moments but if you have a dog
that is great type and thinks it is a movie star, it will usually turn out to be a top winning dog. As Bea Godsol use to say, and she was one of my
favorites “all dogs have faults, the great ones carry them well” and that is the reality of the situation. If all people would remember that. I love to
read books by Raymond Oppenheimer, he talks about judging good and bad and he says I won’t mention bad judging except for one case,
because I was responsible for it. His first breeding assignment, he made a decision based on the fault of a dog and he said I put down one of
the greatest bitches that ever lived to a bitch that had none of her faults but none of her virtues as later was proven. See if you judge by faults
rather than virtue, it never works out, never.
9. Could you comment about the old age discussion about a “Group Dog” vs. a “Breed Dog”?
A breed dog is a dog in my opinion that comes closest to being the correct type at make and shape. A group dog could have none of those
qualities but could be an extrovert show dog and I think that is what most people mean, it does not make sense to me, but it does to somebody.
10. What are the qualities of the best handlers in the ring, what impresses you?
The qualities of a good handler is that they are really a handler not a dog walker. They present their dog in the correct physical condition and
there is a definite rapport. All great handlers have manners, they are not babies. They accept your decision like a grown up, those to me would
be great handlers, but we are losing that. I mean how many people do you think there are in the United States that are capable of showing a
terrier, very few, and you think at one time those were the most popular breeds, so it is all very interesting and I think it is changing. I don’t think
it is changing for the bad but that’s life.
11. What advice can you give a novice coming into your show ring?
Read, read, read, read, and learn about your breed before you even take on trying to raise a good one.
12. What advice can you give a so called expert coming into your show ring?
I don’t think an expert needs advice, I think that is why they are called experts. For me a connoisseur is an expert, and a connoisseur is
somebody that can look at something, whether it be a table, a horse or a dog and know if it is correct or not, that is a connoisseur. I think that is
what you are talking about. People that think they’re great when they’re not, well what can you do, that’s life.
13. Do you have any advice to breeders regarding improving the quality of their breeding programs today?
I do, but you don’t have enough time nor do I.
14. What do you enjoy most about judging?
I enjoy being with the dogs and it is always a test for myself because I love the concept, it’s a challenge, and I love when I have done a good
job. I know when I have done a bad job, and anybody that tells you they don’t have bad days is either a liar or doesn’t know what they are
talking about.
15. What is your most memorable moment in the dog show world?
My most memorable moment was when I finished my first dog.
16. What is your most disappointing moment in the dog show world?
To have a dog that I knew had greatness in it, but that I was incapable of really showing and I think that happens to all of us.
17. I want to thank you again for this interview, do you have any closing remarks or maybe something you would like to
say about showing dogs today that I haven’t asked about?
The only advice that I can give and I really mean this sincerely. I first went to Europe and they changed the clip for Poodles, you can trim a
Poodle to look like a Kerry Blue or that puppy trim. The reason was for less work. I said, can you imagine going into the ring and deciding that
an Airedale which has to be hand stripped is too much work, so you are going to do it with a clipper which is not going to make his coat look right
or correct. When you trim a Poodle like a Kerry Blue, you cover the foot up, people are very strange. What you can’t see, you can very quickly
forget and I think that is what goes on. I think that you know if a breed is too much work for you, or more than what you are willing to do. I say
get another breed but don’t change what is important. Trimming a Poodle is historical, it’s not just something somebody made up. It’s become a
lot of work because we have made it a lot of work. We want these dogs with these profuse coats and these big long top knots none of which
they need. This is what happens and I say this is incorrect because you see the Poodle foot is very important. If you cover it with hair,
eventually you can forget about it because it won’t be important, it won’t be staring you in the face.
1. My first question for you is how did you first become interested in being a dog fancier and what fascinated you about
it?
My family never had dogs. I bought a Standard Poodle and fortunately I had read a book about Poodles. I knew I liked Mrs. Putnam’s Standard
Poodles as far as their type was concerned. I bought a Poodle from an ad in the New York Times, paid $125.00 for her and Mrs. Clark finished
her for me. Then we had bred her and she had 3 champions, one of them was a group winner from the classes and that is how I got interested.
2. What advice would you give someone today starting to show dogs?
The biggest problem with people that show dogs today is they don’t read, they don’t know the issue of their breed. They don’t know what the
dog's parents looks like. If you are going to participate in something, how can you know if you don’t know what the past looked like or the
present looks like. How can you tell what the future will look like, people just don’t read, they look at pictures in a magazine, that is just my
personal opinion. I feel very strongly about this, nobody reads, maybe because they can’t.
3. When and why did you decide to become a judge?
Well, when I retired from handling and knew I could no longer do it physically or emotionally and was too taxing and hard to find people that are
willing to work in a kennel, it just seemed like the natural progression of things to do. I mean it just seemed like one follows the other and that’s
how I became interested. Unfortunately I have never been somebody that had to devote my whole life to just dogs. I have other interests and
that’s why I am not an all breed judge plus the fact I have no desire to be. I like to judge the breeds I like and that’s it.
4. I know that you judge quite a few breeds, don’t you?
I have the entire Toy Group, Non-Sporting group, Terrier Group and Hound Group plus some Sporting and Working breeds. I have also judged
Corgis as well, I feel real comfortable with them because I have shown Corgis, and it’s kind of natural.
5. When you first see the dogs come into the ring and you look down the line, what do you look for immediately, that
catches your eye?
The thing for me is balance and proportion for the specific breed, it is 50% breed type. If they don’t look like their breed standing still, I am
never going to like them moving. That’s why I feel these judges who make their decisions on the down and back, I think well, they are not doing
the breed a great service because breed type is the most important thing and the hardest thing to understand. I look for balance and
proportion, that is the way I make my cut, the ones that look like their breed standing still that have the correct length of body, height of leg and
balance of bone to their size, that is what I look for.
6. What do you rely on more, your physical examination or visually looking at the dog?
If I can’t look at them, I almost like to be able to pick them mentally as they come in the ring. I think these dogs for me, it’s like I did PCA once,
this wonderful woman came from Australia, and I said lady, you have to move, I can’t mark the rest of the dogs coming in because I could not
stop looking at her dog. I gave her dog WD and BOW and came very close to giving it the breed, and for me it was a beautiful type. I think type
should be the most important thing there is. That is why we are getting all these generic dogs because everybody expects, I mean should a
Bulldog move like a Poodle, should an Afghan move like a Dachshund, the movement is different and that is what you have to judge. All the
dogs can’t move the same way but that is what we are getting, we are getting generic dogs in this country. A level top line is not a sloping top
line, you can make it sloping, you can make it look incorrect if you want to, but it is not correct and that’s what we are getting a lot of.
7. When it comes down to it, what makes you decide which dog you select in the ring that day?
The one that I feel comes closest to being the ideal for its standard. That’s why I like when I have been invited to judge the Dalmatian Club, they
always say well Mr. Sabella you got the most votes you can pick what you want. I always pick the bitches because I know the bitches will appeal
to me, they will be uniform and I like that, for me that is very important and it also makes my job a lot easier.
8. What do you think makes a great show dog?
Well, if they have the correct proportion for their breed naturally, and if they think they are great in their head. See the thing is when you judge
dogs you are judging an andiment creature that could be having an off day. I mean I have seen dogs that I have absolutely flipped for on a
given day and they look terrible because they are not into it that day. Dogs are just like people they have their moments but if you have a dog
that is great type and thinks it is a movie star, it will usually turn out to be a top winning dog. As Bea Godsol use to say, and she was one of my
favorites “all dogs have faults, the great ones carry them well” and that is the reality of the situation. If all people would remember that. I love to
read books by Raymond Oppenheimer, he talks about judging good and bad and he says I won’t mention bad judging except for one case,
because I was responsible for it. His first breeding assignment, he made a decision based on the fault of a dog and he said I put down one of
the greatest bitches that ever lived to a bitch that had none of her faults but none of her virtues as later was proven. See if you judge by faults
rather than virtue, it never works out, never.
9. Could you comment about the old age discussion about a “Group Dog” vs. a “Breed Dog”?
A breed dog is a dog in my opinion that comes closest to being the correct type at make and shape. A group dog could have none of those
qualities but could be an extrovert show dog and I think that is what most people mean, it does not make sense to me, but it does to somebody.
10. What are the qualities of the best handlers in the ring, what impresses you?
The qualities of a good handler is that they are really a handler not a dog walker. They present their dog in the correct physical condition and
there is a definite rapport. All great handlers have manners, they are not babies. They accept your decision like a grown up, those to me would
be great handlers, but we are losing that. I mean how many people do you think there are in the United States that are capable of showing a
terrier, very few, and you think at one time those were the most popular breeds, so it is all very interesting and I think it is changing. I don’t think
it is changing for the bad but that’s life.
11. What advice can you give a novice coming into your show ring?
Read, read, read, read, and learn about your breed before you even take on trying to raise a good one.
12. What advice can you give a so called expert coming into your show ring?
I don’t think an expert needs advice, I think that is why they are called experts. For me a connoisseur is an expert, and a connoisseur is
somebody that can look at something, whether it be a table, a horse or a dog and know if it is correct or not, that is a connoisseur. I think that is
what you are talking about. People that think they’re great when they’re not, well what can you do, that’s life.
13. Do you have any advice to breeders regarding improving the quality of their breeding programs today?
I do, but you don’t have enough time nor do I.
14. What do you enjoy most about judging?
I enjoy being with the dogs and it is always a test for myself because I love the concept, it’s a challenge, and I love when I have done a good
job. I know when I have done a bad job, and anybody that tells you they don’t have bad days is either a liar or doesn’t know what they are
talking about.
15. What is your most memorable moment in the dog show world?
My most memorable moment was when I finished my first dog.
16. What is your most disappointing moment in the dog show world?
To have a dog that I knew had greatness in it, but that I was incapable of really showing and I think that happens to all of us.
17. I want to thank you again for this interview, do you have any closing remarks or maybe something you would like to
say about showing dogs today that I haven’t asked about?
The only advice that I can give and I really mean this sincerely. I first went to Europe and they changed the clip for Poodles, you can trim a
Poodle to look like a Kerry Blue or that puppy trim. The reason was for less work. I said, can you imagine going into the ring and deciding that
an Airedale which has to be hand stripped is too much work, so you are going to do it with a clipper which is not going to make his coat look right
or correct. When you trim a Poodle like a Kerry Blue, you cover the foot up, people are very strange. What you can’t see, you can very quickly
forget and I think that is what goes on. I think that you know if a breed is too much work for you, or more than what you are willing to do. I say
get another breed but don’t change what is important. Trimming a Poodle is historical, it’s not just something somebody made up. It’s become a
lot of work because we have made it a lot of work. We want these dogs with these profuse coats and these big long top knots none of which
they need. This is what happens and I say this is incorrect because you see the Poodle foot is very important. If you cover it with hair,
eventually you can forget about it because it won’t be important, it won’t be staring you in the face.
