# Opinion on my little boy



## Sophia4 (Dec 14, 2008)

Hello all! Could you tell me if you think Dallas has show potential? 
From what I could measure he was right in the middle of the allowed range for height/length/weight. There was a lot of fuzzy, opinion statements in the standard (please don't take offense. I am an engineer. I like numbers). 

He is 3 years old. Is that too late to start? I call him 'little boy' because he has the personality of a little boy, although he is starting to act like an adult. Sometimes strangers say, "Him? Little?"

As a puppy the breeder said he was a show dog, and he has his papers. People are always commenting about what a handsome dog he is. So, I think I might take up dog shows as a hobby. Even if he's not a show dog, he is a loved pet. He is hard to get a photo of because he is so focused on us. That is the "hey, what interesting thing are you doing?" look. 








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## Mandalay (Apr 21, 2008)

I dont know anything about show quality...but man he is a BEAUTIFUL dog!!


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## emjworks05 (May 30, 2008)

I dont know enough to give you my opinion on if he has show potential or not, but he sure is a gorgeous boy!


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## Sophia4 (Dec 14, 2008)

Since he is looking at the camera, I searched for some 'head shots'. It takes a visiting puppy to distract him. 









The flash was a little bright in this one, but you can see his ears. In the first photo he was listening for the neighbor's dog, his buddy.


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## mkennels (Feb 12, 2008)

I think he would do good, I show in the akc and ukc rings if you can get one of him stacked that would be great but I would show him, he is very handsome,


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## Rügen (Mar 19, 2008)

I wish I could offer a real critique, but I think he's gorgeous! I love his color and his markings are beautiful! Very handsome boy.


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## Brightelf (Sep 5, 2001)

Gorgeous pigment it looks like, and nice bone on him! I don't know enough to comment beyond GORRRRGEOUS!!!


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## SunCzarina (Nov 24, 2000)

He's very handsome and has a nice bone structure. What I like to see in the ring is happiness in the work. I had a male who was east german, very dark, built like a bread truck and had a face that scared just about everyone. In the ring, he was exuberant about doing his commands and always had a smile. The judges loved him.

When you're doing OB with him, his tail should be wagging, his eyes focused on you and a little spring in his step (not jumping just merrily trotting). That makes a good show dog.


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## Sophia4 (Dec 14, 2008)

Oh good! I know I can not be unbiased, I think he hung the moon. Plus, except for the rare ugly dog, I think they are all gorgeous. 

It will be Christmas before enough people are gathered to stack him. I will follow the instructions here and post the photos. 

He is very focused on me, so that should be an advantage. 

Part of my training method might be a problem. Figuring that dog butt on floor equals dog unable to do anything bad, I trained him so that good things comes to sitting dogs. I even had strangers stop petting him when his butt lifted. Now I worry he will sit when he isn't supposed to.


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## mkennels (Feb 12, 2008)

just a little bit of work, if you are doing conformation just teach the word stand then once that is down then work on moving his feet into position.

also if you are looking into doing conformation, use a different collar and lead with him so he will learn the difference in collars for the different things you are doing, and he has to be intact to be shown


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

My first question is, is he still intact? If he's neutered he can no longer be shown in conformation (if that is what you are asking). It is never to late to start showing in any sport by the way. My old veteran didn't step into a show ring for the first time until he was SEVEN!


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## Sophia4 (Dec 14, 2008)

He is very intact. I seem to remember the vet saying everything dropped, but I haven't looked myself. They call him Romeo at the dog park because when he was a teenager he would lick the ears of any female then try to really really slowly mount them. He thought they wouldn't notice as long as he was stealthy enough. Now he is more discriminating. He is still an early warning 'in season' alert for owners of female dogs. He'll act funny before there is any other indication. 

Good to know he isn't over-the-hill. 

Different collar and lead. Will do. Probably get one before stacking. Metal or not? If not, what color would be best.


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

Depends on the dog...I use fursavers for showing mine...a gold one because he's a red sable.

Hard to say if he's good enough to show because he's not really stacked. Have you talked to his breeder about it?


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Try UKC! You can even get a TL number without having to register him, if you just want to try it out.


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## Sophia4 (Dec 14, 2008)

The last time the breeder saw him was when he was a puppy. I can't get a response from her. It is a small world, so I don't want to say anything except I probably have old contact info. Also, she thought all the puppies in that litter and the previous one were all show quality. All the adults were stunning, and all the puppies were stunning, so maybe it was true. Seems to me, though, that an occasional pet quality puppy is produced.


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## mkennels (Feb 12, 2008)

not all pups in a litter is show quality no matter how much someone would hope they are, I have used different collars if you get a rope type collar (forget the name of it) but I would get black it is like a choker but in cloth, you will need at least a 6 ft leash and soft leather is the best, no nylon or chain leashes the judges want to see the dog not collar and leash, I have used metal collars before (starts with an H but can't think of the name..lol) they are ok, I havent tried to show with a fur saver yet.

UKC shows is a great place to start if you do a TL number and like it you will have to pay $28 to get a permant number (my advice is to just go ahead and get the permant number to save money) the ukc site has a list of shows by month and state, plus you can print of the single reg. form fill it out send in a copy of akc pedigree and papers with $28 and there you go


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## Sophia4 (Dec 14, 2008)

Well, shoot. UKC isn't having a show nearby, and that really sounded like the type for me. There is an AKC show in Fort Worth in March. 

From reading here, I understand that there are UKC-look dogs and AKC-look dogs. Could someone tell me which one he is? 

To me, his bone structure looks like the AKC type dog, and that was the standard I compared him to as best as I could. On the other hand, the breeder mentioned East German style. That they preferred lots of black. I used to do a lot of business in Germany, and he looks like several of the dogs I saw there. So, maybe he is not the American style.


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## Sophia4 (Dec 14, 2008)

Well, I think I figured it out for myself. His breeder is under "American-bred" dogs, so I think that means he more AKC standard.


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## Fransheska (Sep 11, 2008)

he is a nice looking dog







but not all pups in the litter coulve been show quality, breeders really cant tell when they are that young

he has the cutest ears and i love his big feet 

try stacking him and sent some to your breeder/and post some here


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## Sophia4 (Dec 14, 2008)

When his ears first popped up, they looked like Radar dishes, and the elderly Akita also in the house had the normal looking ears. Now his ears look normal, and I think "look at those tiny ears" when I look at photos of the Akita.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Sophia4Well, shoot. UKC isn't having a show nearby, and that really sounded like the type for me. There is an AKC show in Fort Worth in March.
> 
> From reading here, I understand that there are UKC-look dogs and AKC-look dogs. Could someone tell me which one he is?
> 
> To me, his bone structure looks like the AKC type dog, and that was the standard I compared him to as best as I could. On the other hand, the breeder mentioned East German style. That they preferred lots of black. I used to do a lot of business in Germany, and he looks like several of the dogs I saw there. So, maybe he is not the American style.


The farther you go in the AKC, the more extreme the dogs seem to look. The specialities seem to be the most exaggerated, there are some successful German/American crosses and more moderate American lines.

Pretty extreme but typical American show line, very successful dog










In the UKC you will find ALL types including whites and long coats. My Nikon was bred in Germany and in his puppy class was a very extreme version of an American line dog. There were also other German show dogs, American line show dogs, and some working line dogs, a Czech sable dog. My Kenya is west German working lines and she is a UKC champion. This weekend my breeder championed a dog she imported from Germany, a German show line.

Nikon (back) and the American line puppy









O'stara a German dog who got several ribbons and her CH this weekend









My Kenya, working lines, UKC champion and nearly Grand Champion but is spayed









Czech dog in the ring last year, and a longer coated dog in the foreground









So....lots of variety. Type doesn't really help or hurt your chances unless you have a judge who strongly prefers one over the other.


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

The only issue I have with UKC is an honest issue of quality. There are dogs with championships there that very obviously shouldn't have them. And I'm not talking about some of the working dogs and what not, but there are some VERY obvious pets, and I wondered how they got points, because they weren't correct for any line of GSD (or Pug, or Sheltie, etc)



> Quote:not all pups in a litter is show quality no matter how much someone would hope they are


I must disagree here. It happens, it's just rare. A friend of mine has a Doberman that whelped 6 puppies almost two years....everybody has finished or is almost finished except one...a bitch that was spayed not because she went pet quality, but because the owners "Didn't want to deal with it."


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## Sophia4 (Dec 14, 2008)

I love the photos! Especially the puppy ones. Makes me want to pet their cheeks. I wish there was a UKC coming up. I got in touch with a nice lady who is local and in the local GSD club. Yeah! 

My hope is that he is not just show worthy, but good enough to shine even with an untrained handler (me).


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Jackie maybe it's b/c sometimes no one else shows up? Not exactly sure how the points work but my friends Harrier finished her CH this weekend and she was the only Harrier there, plus there are two hound groups so even in group there were 2-3 dogs total.

To me the UKC conformation titles aren't worth a whole lot, I would never look at that and give it weight as far as breeding quality, I view it more like a temperament title. I like it as a training and socialization activity. Lots of dogs, people, noise...and the dog needs to be physically handled and remain under control. It will be good practice for Nikon. Also if I wanted to I could show my dogs without being snickered at because of their type, and get some honest critique from judges about my dogs or my handling.


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

> Quote:Jackie maybe it's b/c sometimes no one else shows up?


 Then withhold a Ribbon.

I appreciate some of the GrCH dogs...some are very VERY nice. But in the "lower levels" anybody can finish a dog.

I do encourage those who wish to learn to show to enter UKC, as they do have altered classes offered, so even if your dog is spayed you can show and learn with that dog.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

I wish they would withhold more. My breeder (who I think judges UKC) mentioned that she would have withheld given some of the choices.

I don't know if they have the altered class anymore. They have the NLC stud dog/brood bitch, veterans, and altered but I haven't seen them actually offered, just the NLC novice puppy. So they are in the rules, but not really used.


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

> Originally Posted By: Sophia4
> I wish there was a UKC coming up.


http://www.ukcdogs.com/Upcoming.nsf/ByMonth/7ACEE04EF816B370852574C7004F4603?OpenDocument


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