The Kennel Club has stated it believes that 'Mentoring' is an important element in the development of judges' expertise. There are two facets of Mentoring - those of increasing candidates' understanding of breeds and those developing their skills and confidence in the judging process. For the prposes of the database we have designated them 'Breed Mentor' and 'General Mentor.
The iJD Mentor Database is composed of individuals who believe their expertise is sufficient for them to provide helpful and useful information for judges new to judging or who feel they would benefit from more detailed knowledge of breeds.
The database also provides the facility for those appointed by their breeds to keep their own breed database and organise mentors to also place their details on the site
The database is not monitored but mentors are asked to provide details of their experience alllowing potential users to assess their level of expertise.
Most mentors are pleased to freely help potentioal judges but the Kennel Club has indciated that they are not against those who charge a fee or expenses - so if applying to a mentor please ensure the the arrangements are clear.
There is an article on 'Mentoring - advantages and pitfalls', accessible from our 'Links' tab on the home page.
