Mission:

To Standardize and Promote Fair and Equitable Placement of Contestants in Professional Dog Grooming Competitions, Agreed Upon and Accepted by a Panel of Three or More IJA Judges

 

Founders:

Established in 1998 by Vivian and John Nash, world known pet industry speakers, grooming competition judges and owners of the Nash Academy, the dog grooming school with an international reputation for excellence in the art of training bathers, groomers and stylists.

 

It was the quest for a panel system of judging, a system for training judges, including continued educational programs, and the need to standardize judging and ring procedures, that motivated two industry icons, Vivian and John Nash, to create the International Judges Association for Dog Grooming Competition. 

 

The International Judges Association for Dog Grooming Competitions offers a Professional Division and a Pet Lovers Division to create a place for everyone in the IJA Competition Arena. 

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The Professional Division is designed  to score, rank, evaluate and qualify  stylists around the world to compete in state, regional, national and world competitions. Competitors receive a score, certification title and rank of a Level 1 Novice, Level 2 Master, Level 3 Expert or Level 4 Specialists in coat type categories. 

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The Pet Lovers Division mimics the Professional Division with the same policies and procedures and is designed for local organizations to utilize the IJA to oversee their contests. The Pet Lovers Division is designed to create an environment to encourage all pet lovers to experience the thrill of competing with man's best friend.