NOHS – One More Time
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82 – October, 2022
By Caroline Coile
Want to start an argument…(again)? Bring up why the NOHS is either a good or a bad thing. That’s what one popular judge did in a recent Canine Chronicle online interview. When asked how shows differed today from years ago, she brought up NOHS, and opined she thought it created handlers who were complacent about their abilities rather than striving to get better by competing against the pros. This, of course, caused an eruption amongst NOHS exhibitors protesting the remarks, as well as an equal number of social media posts supporting it.
Part of the problem is that we all see NOHS from different viewpoints. As a judge, she no doubt sees that it’s obvious NOHS is a sub-set of the entries in any group, and as such is unlikely to have the quality dogs or handlers seen in Regular groups. Anyone who claims otherwise is deluding themselves. And she judges–and may have to point to exhibits that aren’t ready for prime time, but who seem to think they are based on their NOHS wins. One glance in the NOHS ring and it’s also obvious there are good dogs with talented handlers, as well as poor dogs whose handlers are trying, but also dogs with handlers who, if trying, are doing a very poor job of it. It’s this latter category we seldom see in the Regular groups, and is perhaps the category that caught the judge’s attention. Because no, unless they were in single entry breeds, they would never be in the Regular groups.
Still, I think this is painting the NOHS competitors with too broad a stroke. But social media comments piled on, adding to the criticisms, calling it a “glorified match” or “adult handling.”
But is that bad? In this day when we have no matches, when few clubs offer handling classes, when we have so few opportunities for novice adult handlers to learn, NOHS does fill a niche. I wish there had been such a thing when I started out. I can’t count the number of long ribbonless drives home–before the days of Select and GCh. points–wondering why I had devoted my weekend with absolutely nothing to show for it, and wondering if maybe I should just quit. I promise you that NOHS has kept many newer exhibitors in the sport today because it gives them some reward—or at least a better chance at some reward. And no, even had there been such a thing, I am not the sort who would have been content staying at that level.
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Posted by AnthonyA
on Oct 8 2022. Filed under Current Articles, Featured.
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