Judge Research Sheet

Every serious exhibitor does some version of judge research before a show. Most of it lives in a Facebook thread, a text to a mentor, or a mental note that fades by ring time. The result is research that never gets recorded, observations that never get compared across shows, and a gut sense about a judge you cannot reconstruct when you're entering 6 months later.

The Judge Research Sheet makes the research a repeatable step. One sheet per judge. Fill in what you learn before the show. Add ringside observations the day of. Pull it back out the next time the judge shows up on a premium list.

What the document does:

Five sections give a complete picture of any judge. Who they are and what you're entering. What other exhibitors say about their tendencies. What you observed in earlier classes before your ring time. A 1 to 5 tendency scale across 4 key axes. And your own post-research assessment of whether this judge is a good fit for your entry.

What is included:

• Section A: Judge identification capturing judge name, registry, approved breeds or sports, show name, date, and your class entry
• Section B: Pre-show research with structured prompts for what other exhibitors say about priorities, movement vs. structure preference, known cut patterns, and sources consulted
• Section C: Ringside observations table for watching earlier classes before your own ring time, capturing what you saw and what the placements told you
• Section D: Tendencies at a glance, a 1 to 5 rating scale across 4 axes covering movement vs. structure, breed type vs. athletic balance, judging style, and handler influence
• Section E: Your post-research assessment of fit, what you'll adjust in your presentation, and whether you would show under this judge again

Format and how it works:

Includes a Word document. Print one sheet per judge before the show. Fill in the research sections in the days leading up to the event. Bring the sheet to the show and add ringside observations before your class. File completed sheets by judge name so you build a research database over time.

Why this version is different:

The tendency scales and the ringside observation table are what separate this from a generic note-taking form. The scale forces you to commit to a position instead of carrying a vague impression. The observation table is built around watching earlier classes before your own ring time, which is the single most useful thing an exhibitor can do at a show and the thing most people skip when they're distracted by their own dog.

Who this is for:

For exhibitors who want to show up prepared instead of reactive. Especially useful for breeders running multiple dogs under a full calendar of judges who need a consistent way to capture and reuse research. Pairs with the Show Season Planner, which holds the judge column for each event, and the Ring Notes and Critique Sheet, which captures what actually happened after you left the ring.

Buy this document on its own, or pair it with the rest of the Show and Trial Operations Kit at the kit price.

Get the research sheet.