# showing ??????



## lizzyjo (Jan 6, 2011)

I have been approached by a akc judge and a trainer about showing Ruger. He didnt come from show lines , he came from workers. I think he is a really pretty and almost freakish , in my opionion , large. He got his cgc last week and the judge wanted to show him in a puppy show. I have no intentions of showing him or breeding him. I dont have any pics now , but I think it is a waste of time and money. On the other hand if he "could" get some award should I do it????


----------



## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

no, there is no award except a ribbon and an ego stroke. take it from someone whose family has been there done that, for many, many years. you are absolutely right, it's a waste of time and money. (imho, arrived at from lots of experience). obedience or agility might be a different story.


----------



## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Have to say I disagree with Katieliz as far as ANY training and events out with my dog being a 'waste of time'. Any excuse to show off my pups is well worth it! It's a blast to do something new, with my pup, and if we win even better! Great brag for the breeder too... 

I like to try out all the different venues and then decide what's best for me (course it's agility). But we've done herding, and tracking, obedience, therapy dog, and even played with a Sch club for a day! Loved it all...


----------



## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

the judge wanted to show him? Or the judge wanted you to show him.
AKC licensed judges can't show anyone elses dogs but their own. 
If you want to show him in conformation, learn how to stack him and gait him properly and have fun.


----------



## vomlittlehaus (Aug 24, 2010)

If you want to do something dog related, with your dog, go for it.


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I think the CGC evaluator may not be an actual breed judge, or a puppy show, is really a puppy match and you can pretty much do anything in a match -- it is not for points. Why not go for it, it could be really fun.


----------



## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

puppy matches are a blast, good experience for both dog and handler. I love taking babies to matches.


----------



## selzer (May 7, 2005)

I like them two, I got a BOB at a match with Heidi, second in group. You do not have to pay an arm and a leg either. You sign up the day of the show, so if your bitch is in heat or out of coat or something, you just don't go. It is a good time, people are still happy with you if you win at matches...


----------



## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

I have gotten four Best In Matches, lots of groups placings.Sure is fun. I won't take my pointed dogs to matches though, so have nobody to show right now in matches.
:-(

I love to judge matches, especially with puppies. Watching the babies learning to trot and stand and be examined and then getting lots of puppy kisses just makes me smile. you can have so much fun, and its relaxing too. I get to judge the local fair dog show/4-h show. I give a "handling,training" clinic before the fair to help the kids and adults , I love doing that.


----------



## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Go for it! Conformation showing can be a lot of fun! Esp. if you don't take the results all that seriously - just enjoy the time in and around the ring. It is really fun to watch all the "show" folks who live and die with a judges subjective opinion of their dog relative to the other dogs in the ring.

Plus you get to watch all the "double handlers" racing around the outside of the ring without fear of life and limb (yours or theirs) in an effort to make their dog look good!


----------



## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

yes, puppy matches were always kind of fun, like a big picnic and not nearly as political. if you are showing owner-handled, in conformation classes at an akc show, either an all breed or specialty show (but especially at a specialty show), it will be a waste of time and money. if you don't have a professional handler and place at all it will usually be because there are less than four dogs in the class. there are so many more worthwhile things you can do together with your dog.

i understand that shepherd entries in all akc shows are way down, and it's not only because of the economy. people are really fed up with the politics. the parent club has had a really difficult time in the past few years with internal squabbles, with membership being critically down there as well.

so many people are showing in ukc (??) shows because owner handled dogs, and dogs that aren't so extreme, fare better there (don't know this to be a fact, that organization is after my time and i have no experience there).

performance events are a different story, there at least (usually), the dog can be fairly judged by what it does or does not do.


----------



## EchoGSD (Mar 12, 2010)

I have never done conformation showing, personally, but I have traveled with and helped some friends who do conformation with thier shelties. I am active with obedience and rally, I am a certified AKC CGC Evaluator, and my dogs are all therapy certified. No one gets rich from obedience or rally events, so if you are looking for financial rewards, you will not find them in these arenas <grin>. What you will find, however, is the fun of demonstrating the combined team skills of you and your dog among a group of similar minded teams doing the same thing. I love the comaradarie that exists between the folks I have met as trials. Everyone cheers when a team does well, and everyone can commiserate when the green "qualifying score" ribbon just doesn't come with you that day. I enjoy watching the other handlers, learning how to understand my dogs and how to encourage a better performance from them, and trying to do just a little bit better than we did the last time. But the best, BEST, part is being "out there", playing and working with my dogs, and having a great time. That is NEVER a waste of time. Good Luck!!


----------



## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

and i also must qualify my posts by saying that it's been a very long time since i sat ringside, although i do keep up with the national via bobby's videos. but i spent the better part of my childhood/young adulthood ringside and spent lots of years observing the politics. it might be different now. or not.


----------



## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

I was at a show years ago in Washington and was in the ring next to shepherds. There was so much double handling going on, the judge stopped judging, stood in the middle of the ring, crossed her arms and as she was tapping her foot, she said" when you are done doing illegal double handling and all is quiet, I will continue judging" Didn't take very long for the double handlers to stop and she continued judging. Cracked me up. I was at another show and the AKC rep went into the ring, told the judge to stop allowing double handling or it would be over... the judge told everyone to stop and continued judging.
I see alot of double handling done at Specialties, but less and less at all breed AKC shows these days.Between yelling, whistles blowing, chains rattling and folks running around the ring, it is like a circus. Yet there is nothing prettier than a Shepherd that is standing in place like a statue and moving around the ring nice and calm, instead of the frantic clawing and racing.


----------



## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

Politics are still as bad if not worse. Been showing for over 25 years now, many many breeds. 
I think alot of folks are doing UKC shows because they are more mellow, much less political, and I believe no professional handlers. Dogs are shown more naturally. 
No UKC shows in my area, wish there were.


----------



## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

I'm showing my girl in conformation in Tulsa this weekend. 

She is showing against her litter sister for the first time this weekend, and I won't lie - I'd love to beat her! Her sister already has 10 points towards her championship (we have none, darn it, but my girl has only been to 3 shows).

I love going to shows. Yes it would be nice to win, but we have fun no matter what. And Carly clearly enjoys herself, and in the end, that is all that really matters.


----------



## wyominggrandma (Jan 2, 2011)

good luck and have a blast. Fingers crossed to beat sister.


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

if your dog won a ribbon does that change the waste of time and money??



lizzyjo said:


> I have no intentions of showing him or breeding him. I dont have any pics now , but I think it is a waste of time and money. On the other hand if he "could" get some award should I do it????


----------



## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

the people doing there antics on the outside of the ring
crack me up. i really like it when they run out
of breathe. 



wyominggrandma said:


> I was at a show years ago in Washington and was in the ring next to shepherds. There was so much double handling going on, the judge stopped judging, stood in the middle of the ring, crossed her arms and as she was tapping her foot, she said" when you are done doing illegal double handling and all is quiet, I will continue judging" Didn't take very long for the double handlers to stop and she continued judging. Cracked me up. I was at another show and the AKC rep went into the ring, told the judge to stop allowing double handling or it would be over... the judge told everyone to stop and continued judging.
> I see alot of double handling done at Specialties, but less and less at all breed AKC shows these days.Between yelling, whistles blowing, chains rattling and folks running around the ring, it is like a circus. Yet there is nothing prettier than a Shepherd that is standing in place like a statue and moving around the ring nice and calm, instead of the frantic clawing and racing.


----------



## katieliz (Mar 29, 2007)

nothing more beautiful than a correctly moving shepherd covering the maximum amount of ground with a minimum amount of effort. not surprised the politics are the same or worse, double handling back in the day was much more subtle tho, if it was there at all.


----------

