A first for me

Have you seen "Best in Show"? Kind of sums it up. Some major weird sheet.

I worked for an exposition/tradeshow management company when I was much younger. A few big dog shows were on our calendar. Let me just say that if your reading this and a dog breeder, thank you if you were one of the few good ones who didn't let their dogs pee and poop all over rental carpet and drape (and not clean it up), who didn't leave their dog hair and grooming garbage all over the place, and who didn't whore out their breeding *****es to make big bucks. I met better quality people every year at the KY state swine show.

Wow- feels good to get that off my chest after all these years.

oh, so we're talking a bunch of whackos? I can only imagine how people get obsessed.

DD - what did you like or not like?

Sounds interesting!!!

Best in Show is a great movie, only second to Waiting for Guffman. I have very mixed feelings about dog breeders. There are so many animals that need homes, and many breeders are only doing it for money, not necessarily the continuation of a pure breed. I'm very conflicted about the place were breeders and shows belong in a world so overpopulated with unwanted dogs and cats.

Love this!!!! I kinda thought it might be like that!! Thankfully for the venue, it had concrete floors. Not much carpet around. They kept paging for "clean up". I saw some major weird sheet for sure!! For instance, I saw some God awful haircuts--and they weren't on the dogs! I am so curious though.....why do those handlers clothes never fit? And why do the women handlers have to (I assume) wear suits/skirts/pantyhose:yikes:and the ugliest shoes ever? Why do they put the "treats" in their mouths (the handlers)? What's the allure of showing dogs? Is it like you said jdarg--they whore out their dogs to make $$? Is it that profitable? Do you think the dogs hate it? Do those leashes hurt? All in all, it was a crazy afternoon, but I saw some truly precious pups!

oh, so we're talking a bunch of whackos?

Ummmm...I think we might be.

Best in Show is a great movie, only second to Waiting for Guffman. I have very mixed feelings about dog breeders. There are so many animals that need homes, and many breeders are only doing it for money, not necessarily the continuation of a pure breed. I'm very conflicted about the place were breeders and shows belong in a world so overpopulated with unwanted dogs and cats.

Well said, AL. I found some of the same thoughts/questions going through my head. This is some big business evidently. Not only for the breeders, but the vendors that tag along. Haven't seen Best in Show.
Do I want to? Y'all enlighten me some more.

Have you seen "Best in Show"? Kind of sums it up. Some major weird sheet.

I worked for an exposition/tradeshow management company when I was much younger. A few big dog shows were on our calendar. Let me just say that if your reading this and a dog breeder, thank you if you were one of the few good ones who didn't let their dogs pee and poop all over rental carpet and drape (and not clean it up), who didn't leave their dog hair and grooming garbage all over the place, and who didn't whore out their breeding *****es to make big bucks. I met better quality people every year at the KY state swine show.

Wow- feels good to get that off my chest after all these years.

.
Whoa!..:shock:

DD - want me to copy and paste these questions and send them to my dog-showing friend? :lol: ..... She travels all over training and showing papillons.

I love watching the Westminster Dog Show! ... but what you guys describe sounds a bit different! ha!

.

I think there are some reputable breeders, and many, including myself like the idea of maintaining pure breeds for historical or specific purposes. Shyann, my tar and my heart is purebred as was her brother. I purchased them from the same ranch that I stabled my horse at, and their mom only had two litters before she was retired. They didn't want to breed for professional purposes, but wanted their dogs great traits to be passed down to another generation. I'm glad they did. Sarge and Shyann have been the two most intelligent dogs I have ever had the pleasure of sharing my life with. Rita may be able to fill you in on more since she has a friend that does it. I am more opposed to animals being used up and then thrown away, as many female dogs are in puppy mill situations.

And, YES, you do want to see Best in Show. It's hilarious!!!!!

.
Whoa!..:shock:

DD - want me to copy and paste these questions and send them to my dog-showing friend? :lol: ..... She travels all over training and showing papillons.

I love watching the Westminster Dog Show! ... but what you guys describe sounds a bit different! ha!

.

I love watching the Westminster too. I just got a different "view" of things today. We actually walked back where all the dogs were in their kennels. Kinda sad sorta. I just wonder if those dogs are really loved? But sure, you can forward the questions to your friend...well maybe not the one about the ugly shoes. LOL.
I do love the Papillons though...so darned cute!!

I think there are some reputable breeders, and many, including myself like the idea of maintaining pure breeds for historical or specific purposes. Shyann, my tar and my heart is purebred as was her brother. I purchased them from the same ranch that I stabled my horse at, and their mom only had two litters before she was retired. They didn't want to breed for professional purposes, but wanted their dogs great traits to be passed down to another generation. I'm glad they did. Sarge and Shyann have been the two most intelligent dogs I have ever had the pleasure of sharing my life with. Rita may be able to fill you in on more since she has a friend that does it. I am more opposed to animals being used up and then thrown away, as many female dogs are in puppy mill situations.

And, YES, you do want to see Best in Show. It hilarious!!!!!

I'll put it on my list!!!

When our wonderful Weimaraner Winnie died in 2005, we were overcome with grief. Every time we walk outside, we miss her because she loved running around our property, chasing squirrels, and sitting on the front porch swing with us.

We have had miniature poodles and then Winnie since we got out of grad school. When Winnie died, we realized that our days were numbered and that the next dog we had would be our last because we figured that grandbabies and doggie-babies wouldn't mix.

We have always admired standard poodles, especially after meeting two black standard poodles at Rosemary Beach from Pinafore Poodles while we were building our home in Seagrove. When Winnie died, I started a search for the most perfect black standard poodle. I liked black because they don't have the discoloration like white ones do. I researched black standards who had been contestants at the Westminster Kennel Club Show. I spoke with the top breeders of show poodles in the country. I studied the health problems of each available litter's family tree. I finally decided upon a litter and met with the owner in Atlanta. I was sold. We purchased Pepper.

She is the most perfect and beautiful and loving and smart and protective dog we've ever had in our many years of marriage. The downside is that show-quality dogs are somewhat inbred, and therefore have some genetic health problems. Once we realized how much time the show circuit would take, we had her spayed and didn't show her.

Thank God Pepper's test results from Auburn University came back negative after she had what appeared to be a seizure a few weeks ago.

If we were to ever consider another pet in the future, we'd get a rescue dog. Our daughter firmly believes in only getting pets at the Atlanta Humane Society, and I agree. Show dogs are so inbred, but rescue dogs probably have fewer health problems due to not being inbred for Westminster Kennel Club wins. And they are so much in need of loving homes.

If you want to know more abour show dogs, check out Cathy McGinnis' website at http://www.ridgewoodpoodles.com/. She is in Newnan and groomed Pepper for a while until she got so busy showing her dogs. We didn't buy from her because she specializes in white, and we wanted black. She has a huge van for carting her dogs around for shows. My brother works at Delta at the ATL airport, and he says you do not want to fly your dogs. Cathy knows this, which is why she drives her dogs to shows. Because of my job, I don't have time to drive Pepper to shows which is why we had her spayed (spaying before the first heat dramatically reduces the chance of breast cancer in dogs).

So awesome to hear that Pepper's results came back negative!!!

Love this!!!! I kinda thought it might be like that!! Thankfully for the venue, it had concrete floors. Not much carpet around. They kept paging for "clean up". I saw some major weird sheet for sure!! For instance, I saw some God awful haircuts--and they weren't on the dogs! I am so curious though.....why do those handlers clothes never fit? And why do the women handlers have to (I assume) wear suits/skirts/pantyhose:yikes:and the ugliest shoes ever? Why do they put the "treats" in their mouths (the handlers)? What's the allure of showing dogs? Is it like you said jdarg--they whore out their dogs to make $$? Is it that profitable? Do you think the dogs hate it? Do those leashes hurt? All in all, it was a crazy afternoon, but I saw some truly precious pups!

.

Here ya go! From my friend - she is really educating us!..:clap:
.

Sure! Let's see - it sounds like these questions are in regards to the conformation ring - which is where the dogs are judged by their looks and physical appearance according to a "breed standard" put together by the fanciers (show breeders) for each breed - usually by a national club for that breed. Women handlers wear skirts, hose, etc. out of courtesy to the judge - kind of like how the band kids wear "Sunday best" for Region competitions. Traditionally, the men handlers should wear a jacket & tie, also.

They put the treats in their mouth usually because there is nowhere else to put them where they can reach them quickly & not be holding them in their hands. Some keep them in a pocket. In obedience, which is what I show in, we are not allowed to bring treats into the ring with us, but when we are training, we put them in our mouths so the dogs look to our face for direction. The same is somewhat true in conformation - it gets the dog to look to the handler's face.

Showing dogs is a hobby and there is certainly NO money to be made in it. It is extremely expensive to show in conformation - you often have to hire a professional handler to have a chance to finish your dog's Championship title. There are entry fees and a lot of travel, grooming equipment and so on. When they breed for show, they pay a stud fee, then all of the veterinary fees and the price of a show quality puppy is nil compared to the other expenses, not to mention they want to place them in a home that is going to actually show the dog to get a title on it. It is all about titles...

The dogs usually love it in conformation because, unfortunately, it is the only time they get any attention. The rest of their lives are usually spent in a crate or a kennel. The leashes do not hurt - they are put high on their necks to keep their heads up.

There are a lot of big egos in dog shows - it is very much like the people that breed & own race horses, with the exception of gambling. My dogs live a much different life than conformation dogs - as you can tell - they go everywhere with us and are very well behaved and trained. I enjoy working with them & they thrive from it!

Take care!

Dee Ann

So awesome to hear that Pepper's results came back negative!!!

Hopefully it was just an anomaly like an ear infection after being groomed which can cause a vestibular (imbalance) disorder. Thanks so much for your concern.

I understand. Shyann coughs, and I get up to check on her.

.

Here ya go! From my friend - she is really educating us!..:clap:
.

Yes, the expense of showing dogs is why Pepper was co-owned by a breeder in Seattle and a breeder in Florida before we bought her. The handler for Pepper's siblings and cousins charges a lot of money. Transporting dogs to shows is expensive (like I said, my brother doesn't advise flying a dog unless it's a last resort). I was not aware of the show-dog circuit until after we bought Pepper. We have no regrets. She is just our beautiful, sweet baby, and she doesn't have to deal with the show ciircuit.

BTW I don't get why the female dog handlers are expected to wear those frumpy suits with pantyhose and flats. Weird. Tim shows Pepper's family. He wears a suit and no pantyhose.:lol:

Wow. Thanks BR and Rita. Y'all answered most of my questions...except about the fugly shoes. LOL. I understand the shoes, it would be hard to run in heels, huh? I hate hearing that the dogs spend most of their time in crates. Hate it.

Wow. Thanks BR and Rita. Y'all answered most of my questions...except about the fugly shoes. LOL. I understand the shoes, it would be hard to run in heels, huh? I hate hearing that the dogs spend most of their time in crates. Hate it.

Show poodles have thick, curly hair which tends to mat. The easiest remedy for that is cutting out the mats. But then they won't win shows. So there are all sorts of techniques for keeping a standard poodle in a show cut, yet avoiding matting. http://www.ridgewoodpoodles.com/wrapping_and_banding_show_coats.htm

Also big poodles are very rough and frisky when playing. So to keep their coats in shape before a show, they have to be contained because getting out mats is very time consuming. I'm sure it's the same for other big breeds.

I personally don't have the patience for that. I am not trying to sell Westminster-quality puppies, so we had Pepper spayed. All we wanted at the time we purchased Pepper was a beautiful black standard poodle. We got that.

Thankfully the tests came in normal for her "fainting" episode two weeks ago which I attributed to inbreeding of show dogs. Hope that was just an anomaly. We'll wait and see.

We love you, Pepper.

1. Molly is a show dog reject....(BR will love this, she is from champion stock.) I found this out when I took her to be spayed. The vet handed me a card for a doggy dentist and told me to go call, asap. Her canines were all out of whack and she ended up in.....(are you ready?) BRACES! Yep, brackets and colored rubber bands!
2. I love this thread...so educational!
3. Best of Show is great, but my all time fav is Waiting for Guffman.
4. DD...maybe they wear those fugly shoes so they don't attract any attention away from the dogs. Wait a minute...sounds like you may be looking at the fugly shoes more than the dogs!!! :lol:

Well, Miss K, you remember that Pepper had a bite disorder as a puppy (as mentioned in her family tree at poodlehealthregistry.org), but thankfully when her teeth grew in they miraculously straightened out properly, so she didn't have to go through the braces like Molly did.

1. Molly is a show dog reject....(BR will love this, she is from champion stock.) I found this out when I took her to be spayed. The vet handed me a card for a doggy dentist and told me to go call, asap. Her canines were all out of whack and she ended up in.....(are you ready?) BRACES! Yep, brackets and colored rubber bands!
2. I love this thread...so educational!
3. Best of Show is great, but my all time fav is Waiting for Guffman.
4. DD...maybe they wear those fugly shoes so they don't attract any attention away from the dogs. Wait a minute...sounds like you may be looking at the fugly shoes more than the dogs!!! :lol:

1. I remember Molly's braces. God luv her.
2. It IS educational!! I told my friend yesterday it was like entering a whole other world I never knew existed.
3. I'll watch both movies.
4. Yes, I was fascinated by the shoes I'll admit. There were a couple of handlers that were well dressed and coordinated, but for the most part, it looked like they just threw on some flats from Payless. I was also intrigued that those suits/skirts were also for the most part 2 sizes too small. On the women AND men. But, I'm over it now. That will remain a mystery.