What is mentoring?
The definition of mentoring is when someone shares their knowledge, skills, and experience with another person to help them progress. So, if you’ve shared any knowledge, skills, or experience with another person or had another person share this with you, you’ve been involved in mentoring.
In the context of the Judges Education Programme, mentoring is a learning and development experience where a Mentee is assisted by a Breed Mentor in developing breed specific skills and knowledge.
Mentoring for all!
We fully support The Kennel Club’s view as part of their Judges Education Programme (JEP) that: ‘Mentoring forms an important part of a judge’s learning to be competent to judge a breed.’ However, as a breed we have extended this and are offering informal mentoring to exhibitors, breeders and, enthusiasts who may not be going down the judging route but who want to develop their own knowledge and understanding of our breed.
We know this is no new thing and that for many years informal teaching and learning has taken place ringside. We also recognise that not everyone knows someone they can go and speak to about the breed or indeed has the confidence in doing so therefore we wanted to help open doors and are fortunate to have many people willing to give their time and share their knowledge. Therefore, we are also happy to offer informal mentoring.
Mentoring for Judges
Breed mentoring is an integral part of a person’s journey to the end goal of becoming a Judge in that particular breed. We recognise that no two journeys are the same. The Kennel Club recommend a minimum of three mentoring sessions with a year between the first one and the third one. For the experienced all-rounder or hound judge this is ideal as they already have developed their skills across other breeds and bring with them a depth of knowledge and understanding.
For those starting their judging journey with Whippets as their first breed we encourage you to see three as the minimum and will support you in having the number of sessions you feel you need. Please do have a read of The Kennel Club’s Code Of Best Practice for Mentoring and the Mentoring Form.
When I sit down with a mentee, I emphasise that we are observing just a single moment in time for that particular dog on that particular day. Many factors – such as the venue, weather, and the dog’s mood – can influence its performance. It’s important to evaluate the dog based on what we see that day, but that doesn’t mean it will perform the same way in the future.
I also remind the mentee that our perspective from ringside is limited. Unlike the judge, we don’t have the opportunity to physically assess the dog’s conditioning, examine its mouth, or get a hands-on feel.
