Dog Show

[Nyyti]

Could you tell me a little bit of dog shows in U.S.A? I have allso showdogs but i live in Finland and we have different rules in here.
Why you have a professional handler? I have always showed my dogs by myself. One of my dogs is Finnish Champion and Luto would be too if she had (i don't speak english wery well.. how could i explain this??) obedience test (??)
I allso groom them myself.

 

[moe]

I show my own dogs and handle them, I would like to think they get what they get for what they are not because of who was handling them, I love handling my dogs, and am proud to say my ***** got Best ***** in Breed at Crufts last year, great feeling I must admit.

This is after her win at Crufts. not a great picture I'm afraid

Mo

 

[MizRight]

Could you tell me a little bit of dog shows in U.S.A? I have allso showdogs but i live in Finland and we have different rules in here.
Why you have a professional handler? I have always showed my dogs by myself. One of my dogs is Finnish Champion and Luto would be too if she had (i don't speak english wery well.. how could i explain this??) obedience test (??)
I allso groom them myself.

Our Ridgeback Whiskey has only been showing since the beginning of May so my experience is quite limited, but we have a terrific handler who does an amazing job with him and so we've learned quite a bit just cheering him on from ring side. I'm not sure how it works in Finland, but here in the US, we started Whiskey by sending him to "show camp" with his handler where they got to know each other and she trained him on how to act in the ring. Whiskey was away from home two or three times, for about a week each. Since show camp, he's competed in five shows (each spanning over several days of competition). We usually take him to the shows ourselves and watch from the sidelines (camcorder and digital camera in hand!), unless the show is too far to drive - in which case Whiskey goes on the road with our handler. He's already won 8 of the 15 points he needs to win his AKC Champions title. In the AKC, six of the 15 points required for the title must be from "majors," and each major must be awarded by a different judge. We're keeping our fingers crossed for this weekend and next as he's competing in a couple majors over the next two weeks!





Although I would LOVE to learn how to handle Whiskey myself, for now I'm content to watch and learn from our handler Mary. There are many positives about having a professional handler (although there are I'm sure even more positives to handling yourself if you can). I read a great discussion in a book on showing just recently. Here's an exerpt:

The US has become the nation of professional handlers. Most champions these days are presented by professional handlers, and 90% of the dogs winning Best in Show every weekend have a professional paid suit on the human end of the leash... Are professional handlers bad for the sport of dog showing? The answer is a resounding yes AND no. Professional handlers in the US (and Canada, too) have elevated the playing field, making competition even steeper and the quality of presentation and grooming superior to anywhere else in the world... The best professional handlers make a career of conditioning, grooming and presenting dogs and they know their business well. Many of these professionals have been "in dogs" for their whole lives, having begun as Junior Handlers and raised by parents who also are breeders, exhibitors and/or judges. We should not underplay the expertise required of these individuals. Proper care, presentation and conditioning require 24-7 commitment and hard work as well as knowledge and education.







Dog owners interested in showing their dogs have to compete with these professionals in the ring, thus requiring owner/exhibitor to learn more about showing dogs and become as competent as possible. To finish a Champion in an AKC show, much less campaign one, costs thousands of dollars, and who can compete with owners who are paying high prices on a weekly basis to have their dog professionally exhibited. It could be disheartening to newcomers unless one is completely motivated to excel in the sport...

-From "Showing Your Dog" by Juliette Cunliffe




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Anyway, as I said earlier, I would love to learn how to show and might even enroll myself in a handling class when I have a bit more time, but for now, we feel very fortunate to have Mary our handler working with Whiskey and are completely satisfied with clutching our camcorders and cameras from the sidelines, waiting with baited breath for that blue ribbon!

 

[ShepherdGirl123]

I show German Shepherds!









No Handlers ever touch my beauties!

 

[ShepherdGirl123]

I sometimes show Cardigan Welsh Corgis or Pugs but usually GSDs!

 

[showpug]

I agree, I could never put a handler on my dogs, but I got into showing dogs for the sole purpose of being involved and accepting the challenge of handling and training my own dogs. A handler can finish almost any dog, crappy quality or not, but when an owner/handler finsishes a dog, you know the dog is a good representation of the breed. On the other hand, some people buy a dog from a reputable breeder and the trade-off is that the breeder may show the dog...in this case, the owner was never interested in showing in the first place, they were just interested in buying a good quality dog, therefor I can understand the desire to use a handler. All of my dogs will always be owner handled to the championships, but that is just me and my preference

 

[showpug]

In the AKC, six of the 15 points required for the title must be from "majors," and each major must be awarded by a different judge.


A little note on the statement above about the point system....there are 15 points that are earned that make a champion. It is not 6 points that have to come from majors....you have to have at least two 3 point majors which = 6 points....although, you can also can aquire your total points from three 5 point majors which = 15 points or two 4 point majors etc. There are so many different combinations that can make a dog a champion. Majors are wins that = 3 points or more. When it is less than 3 points, the win is considered a "minor" Major and minor wins are determined by the number of dogs in the same breed that you beat in the competition. Usually, minor wins are very easy to take and that is why some people have dogs that "minor out" where they can accumulate all their minor points, but have trouble getting their majors....on the other hand, there are dogs that win with a weekend of 3 majors and they are done Just depends on the competition, the dog, and luck!!

 

[Nyyti]

Thanks MizRight! Dog shows are not business here.. maybe that's why i don't get the idea of handlers. Well, there you have to have professional handler if you want to win? Am i right?
So many dog breeds looks so different here than America and i have just used to watch our "Finnish looking" dogs. Some breeds, i think, seems strange like english springer spaniel and german shepherd. I like more the Finnish style. I don't mean that your dogs are ugly, i just aint' used to see springer spaniel with cocker spaniel hair..
Maybe our dogs looks strange to your eyes..?

 

[showpug]

Nyyti....It is absolutley NOT correct that you have to have a pro handler to win, that is just not true at all. Many owner handlers show their dogs to their own championships and move on to greatness like the Eukanuba Tournament of Champions, Westminster etc. Pro Handlers at times can make it easier for dogs to finish quickly, but I never let a handler lay a finger on my dogs and almost all my show friends are the same way and all our dogs get their championships and it is usually before they turn 2 years old.

 

[Nyyti]

Thank you, ShowPug, for your information! I have always thought that in america every champion has a pro handler.
Is there lot of shows/year? And is there smaller dog shows?

 

[showpug]

Nyyti- There are a ton of dog shows here in the states. Some are very big and some are very small, and there are many in-between. I could show my dogs every weekend and on some weekdays if I really wanted too I choose to show about 2 weekends a month because I don't like to over do it and I like to keep it fun for my dogs. The dog shows here range from very laid back to very serious and we also have breed specialties which are shows that only certain breeds can show at. It is a lot of fun and there are a lot of fun shows to choose from. How is dog showing done where you are from?

 

[Nyyti]

Well, we have lots of shows, but maybe not as much as in states, i think now. Most of the shows are small "group-shows" and only some breeds can come. We have allso very big shows like Winner - show, where you can get Winner of a year -title.
I'm not even nearly every weekend in dog show, but it is much to me if i go 20 shows/year. I have to say, Finland is a small but long country (from head to head is over 1000 kilometers), and winter lasts almost 7 months, so i don't have an opportunity to show my dogs more..

 

[ShepherdGirl123]

Pro Handlers are stupid! Why would you want some stranger touching your dog?! I can do better than a stupid Pro Handler!

 

[showpug]

Shepherdgirl...I know what you mean, I have NEVER put a handler on one of my dogs

 

[siemens716]

Pro Handlers are stupid! Why would you want some stranger touching your dog?! I can do better than a stupid Pro Handler!

lol. we have a Pro Handler so we can whoop your butts!

 

[Renee750il]

Thank you, ShowPug, for your information! I have always thought that in america every champion has a pro handler.

Guys, correct me if I'm remembering wrong, but didn't a dog (I think it was a St. Bernard) take Best In Show at Westminster a few years ago, owned and handled by a guy who was just a regular joe - an auto body guy or something unbelievable normal like that?

 

[siemens716]

Guys, correct me if I'm remembering wrong, but didn't a dog (I think it was a St. Bernard) take Best In Show at Westminster a few years ago, owned and handled by a guy who was just a regular joe - an auto body guy or something unbelievable normal like that?

Are you thinking of the Bloodhound in the movie best in Show?

 

[Renee750il]

No, this was an actual show . . . it was one of the big ones - may have been the Philly show. I think at actually pre-dated the movie. It was a fun moment to see - the guy was just so proud of his dog but you could see that at the heart of everything, the two of them were a pair of regular guys.

 

[showpug]

Renee...what you are talking about seems very familiar. It actually happens all the time. I feel that people that breed dogs should be educated enough to know how to train and properly present their breed to a judge. To me, it is part of the whole package. I have yet to breed a litter, but someday I will and it will be with a champion that I finished, not someone else Last year at our national specialty which is one of the most major competitions one can compete in with a breed my b*tch took best puppy in show and Reserve Winner's B*itch over about 80 other b*tches. She was just a pup and we smoked many pro handlers!!! You just have to have the heart for it and put work and effort into being the best you can. You have to become one with your dog. It was a blast

 

[Renee750il]

It's been interesting to watch Shiva. Her father was an imported show dog and she's completely different from the working dogs. She always wants to stand in the middle, be in front of the camera, 'vogues' , and just wants everyone's eyes on her at all times. She's also fiercely competitive.

Her work ethic and the ojeriza, unfortunately, suffer as a result of the show line . . . She also doesn't have the overwhelming confidence that Buffy had and Kharma echoes.

But she's learning. Her herding instincts are getting sharper, and she is a good guardian and she's death on vermin, and she is getting more reserved, although she will never have the classic temperament. I think her competitive nature is goading her to learn to do the things that Kharma does without even thinking about them, and I'm working on building her self-confidence.

Shiva's given me some good insight into the psyche of the show dog - definitely a 'different breed' lol!