A first for me

[Alicia Leonard]

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

 

[Rita]

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/pantyhoseand 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!

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

 

[Beach Runner]

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.

 

[Alicia Leonard]

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

 

[Beach Runner]

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

 

[DD]

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.

 

[Beach Runner]

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.

 

[Miss Kitty]

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!!!

 

[Beach Runner]

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.

 

[DD]

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!!!

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.