Of course, if you would feel uncomfortable then don't go, but I would suggest you perhaps ask her how she would feel about it, tell her you don't expect any favours and will not enter if she would rather you did not.

As others have said, there's no rule against going under the owner/breeder of your dogs' sire as long as they didn't breed your dog.

As for showing under your firends, I think it all depends on the breed to be honest. In a numerically small breed, if you don't enter under your friends or anyone connected with your dog you might miss three or four out of the 8 sets of tickets on offer a year.

I never have a problem with my friends entering under me or vice versa. One of my very best friends brought their dog under me this year and got a fourth. My other best friend in the breed I have exhibited under three times and only ever got a Reserve ticket at most. Friendship stays outside the ring when you're judging or exhibiting.

Debs

If you're not comfortable with it don't do it, but have you considered letting someone else handle your dog for you, that way it would be a bit more anonymous.

Yes, agree with Debs and Pita. There's nothing wrong with entering under friends or judges closely associated with your dog (except the breeder or previous owner of course).

I too have shown and judged in numerically small breeds and we need all the entries we can get. It should be presumed that the judge will place according to merit and not be influenced by breeding or owner ....... of course not all judges are totally honest but I think the majority are.

I would never question her integrity, I think it would be more that I would be even more nervous than I usually would and be mortified if I didnt do the boy justice!

I would love to get someone else to handle him, is there a 'professional handlers' register out there anywhere )

its not anono if the judge sees the dogs that have entered affix, she still knows the dog, I would say if it wasn't allowed they'd take better care of who judges what so no judge sees their offspring in the ring.

Not quite sure what you mean...

If you mean the judge sees the name of the dogs before they judge, they don't. Judges do not see a catalogue until after all their classes are over.

Debs

I know people who show who would jump at the chance and show before the sires owner.

In breeds of small numbers there will always be dogs under you who if not bred from one of your dogs will be related, just as you will know all or most the dogs who have entered. It makes no difference, once you start judging you are concentrating so hard you don't have time to consider who the dog is only how you think he matches up to the standard.

Think the problem is not with the exhibitor but the judge who owns the sire, they may not be aware in the ring but once they have finished judging people will criticize if they did not place the dog from their lines saying they don’t like what they are producing. If they do place people will say, well only to be expected their dog did sire it. So for the judge it is a case of you are condemned if you do and condemned if you don’t.

Let's face it, there will always be exhibitors who will look for any reason, however small, to slate a judge if they don't win. Placing a dog (or not placing one) that's related to one they own will be one reason - but if it's not that it'll be something else You have to have a very thick skin when you step into the center of the ring.

Debs