Experienced Dog Show People

BlackPuppy

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#1
I am starting the process of organizing my club's first unsanctioned match.

I have been browsing the National Specialty websites for other breeds and wonder if any of you guys can answer my questions.

First, what is a "sweepstakes"? It seems to usually involve puppies.

Second, what kind of prizes are these clubs buying for the winners that cost $100-$300? (I think we will only be providing the nicest rosettes we can afford.)

Third, if we sponser a "gift" for the highest scoring dog of our breed in Obedience, what kind of gifts are those usually?

And

Are any of these awards ever cash?

Thank, all. You can tell I don't show in conformation. ;)
 

MisssAshby

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#2
I'm fairly new to the sport, but hopefully this will help --

* Sweepstakes - special classes held in conjunction with Specialty shows and some others, for 6 to 18 month old puppies and young adults; not a regular class, does not have a "winners" class, no points are awarded for competition.

* In a match I believe that the gifts awarded are items that have been donated. In actual competition there are cash rewards and my understanding is that they take the cash left over from entry fees and divide that to the winners. The value being the highest for first and decreasing with each lower rank.

Maybe Sizzle can chime in since she knows this stuff like the back of her hand. :)
 

Shai

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#4
From my experience with Flatcoats

Sweepstakes -- as MisssAshby said, there are no points associated with Sweepstakes classes (toward a CH or GCH) -- it's mostly for bragging rights. Sweepstakes classes are only offered for breed club specialties and supported entries because the sponsoring club brings in a separate judge who is considered very knowledgeable of the breed -- often a long-time and well-respected breeder, but not always.

There are different class options. Puppy Sweeps, as you mentions, which is divided 6-9 months, 9-12 months, and 12-18 months. Winners of each class compete against each other for best puppy.

There are also Veteran Sweeps, which in Flatcoats is 7-9 yrs, 9-11 yrs, and 11+ yrs. Again the winners of each class compete for best Veteran. The bonus with Veteran Sweeps is that they also allow s/n'd dogs. So a dog who had to be spayed or neutered for whatever reason but who is show quality can see how they stack up against other dogs and to help prove quality in the lines for their breeding relatives.

In Flatcoats we also have Working Sweeps, which is limited to dogs with working (field) titles of a minimum level.

Prizes

Prizes vary by show. They can be donated or purchased by the club. At the last supported entry I attended, there were bags of dog cookies (value: $10) for class winners, nice Nearly Naked Neckwear collars for Sweepstakes winners (Best Puppy Dog, Best Puppy Bitch, Best Vet Dog, Best Vet Bitch) and higher class honors like WD/WB. Then Select Dog/Select Bitch got those plus I think glass Flatcoat decorations. And BOB/BOS got all that plus some toys and a nice dog bed. SD on up also got cash.

High scoring Obe dog got a prize equivalent to the Select Dog/Bitch -- treats, collar, glass Flatcoat.

This was just a supported entry. National Specialties have more extravagant prizes. I think one year they handed out custom stained glass Flatcoat pieces in addition to other prizes.
 

Aleron

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#5
One of the clubs I looked at was for the Belgian Tervuren. If you look on the 2012 National Specialty Trophy page, the BOB trophy is $300! That must be some trophy, perhaps a silver bowl.

http://www.abtc2012.com/TrophySponsorship.php
Nationals are sort of different events from regular shows. They are the big event of the year for that breed and the trophies, ribbons and prizes tend to reflect that.

For a match, I've seen donated prizes given for Group/BIS most often. Have also seen Zanies toys from Petedge for class prizes and a gift basket made for the bigger prizes.

Cherry won two Best in Matches as a youngster. The first was held by the local training club and we won a handtied fleece blanket in the club's colors with the Club's name, Best In Match and the year embroidered on one corner. The second one we won a big gift basket with all kinds of toys, treats and dog stuff. Plus ribbons of course.
 

BlackPuppy

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#6
Thank you all. That is very helpful information.

On Saturday I'm going to a show where special prizes are given to the highest scoring Laekenois in OB and RO. I only entered Rally, but I will see what the gift is for that show, too.
 

MicksMom

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#7
...Third, if we sponser a "gift" for the highest scoring dog of our breed in Obedience, what kind of gifts are those usually?
...
Prizes I've seen offered in Obedience/Rally have been stuffed toys (usually those have been given to 1st-4th place winners), a canister of dog treats, little bags of dog treats, leashes, crate pads, bowls, etc. I've also seen prizes for highest scoring dogs of given breeds listed as etched glasses, coasters, etc with the breed on it.

...Are any of these awards ever cash?...
I saw money listed as prizes recently. The amount for 1st place was almost the same as the entry fee.
 

BlackPuppy

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#8
Yeah, people always ask me if I make money showing my dogs in obedience. I always laugh. But, once I got a $10 gift certificate to my club's store for getting first place at a trial. They were trying different ways to improve attendence.
 

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