I'm pleased you've started these threads. I'll supervise J on the young handlers thread this weekend.

I'm laughing because I feel companion dog shows are such a wonderful experience because of the mix of people and dogs. And every dog has it's moment and every owner their laugh and it is the mix of people show handlers and families that bring this about. I remember one of our earlier shows when J was beaten by show dogs in best sporting dog. (Fair enough!) BUT I nearly passed out when he won best condition and was standing in front of best in show and other placed dogs in the pedigress classes. I initially wanted to apologise but then realised that his dog did look fit had a shining coat; white teeth and clean spaniel ears and J was handling him really well. So maybe deserved.

My laugh came when one of the show dog's owners came over to congratulate him and asked me how we got our dog's coat so shiny - what shampoo did we use. I had to confess we only washed our dog in the local muddy river or down by the sea in the seaweed. And the shine either came from natural conditioners in the mud or seaweed or us spending hours brushing out all the sand and mud! We had such a good laugh and she now looks out for J and gives him tips. Later that day J won best novelty and I decided that our dog was not a gun dog but a fun dog. So what if our dog doesn't win in the pedigree as he doens't conform to breed standards -he's a fun dog and that's what it's all about ..and we take him home!

i can also my dog likes in her grate and on that day she was has i was busy in the ring she had people taking her in the ring and also for walks but she was also out of the sun in her little home which had a sun cover on she was a lot happier there i can assure you most of the people had a great day maybe one or two did not but the rest of us did

wish if there was one i could come but too far away my lhasa apso would love to show off hahahahaha jennifer saffys mum

saffys mum i agree with you there me and my little girl where at a show a couple of weeks ago and she was beaten by pet dogs i also did not stomp out of the ring but congratulated the boy standing beside me knowing it was his mum helping the judge did i say anything no it was a fun day and the boy was over the moon this did not happen once but twice and i still took the best dog home we all at the end of the day do you not think so l.o.l jennifer {saffys mum}

Hi' Clipper,
By your dogs getting top points, do I take it you are showing at every litte show, every weekend, all year. i would not like to be your doggie. all that trveling sitting in a car, 5 minutes in the ring, the rest of the day in my cage, while you run round the ring helping all those poor folk's that know nothing. Glad I am not a DOG.
visitor

Saffys Mum, congrats on a very well run show. You, Megs Mum and the rest of your committee were very well organised, kept things moving along and made sure that everyone thoroughly enjoyed the day. You also managed a whopping amount of freebies for everyone and giving all the kids entered a sweetie bag was a lovely thing to do.
I feel sorry that Westie N has chosen to voice her very negative opinions and connect them with your show. Can I ask, as I am a bit unsure, is Westie N on your committee ?? As she has spoken about "discussions at the club" and "Our Show" in previous posts. If she is, then regardless of her viewpoint on "formal showers", I would have thought that she would have been more interested in having as many dogs compete, so that the club could raise the maximum amount of money possible. I know that if she was on the committe of the club I am a member of, there would have been a vote of no confidence in her and she would most probably been asked to step down.
Anyway congrats again on a show well run, I look forward to taking part again next year.
Clipper & the furry gang.

Apparently, there are only 3 people on the comittee. And no, i'm not one of them, and I don't want to be actually.

I do feel though that these three people should've spoken with regulars of the club and those willing to help what they're thoughts were regarding the running and organising of the show. I thought that was what being a club was all about.

Regarding the use of the term 'our show', I was referring to my local show, and that of the dog club I currently attend.

With regards to talking about entering shows. I, and a few others (one of whom is on the comittee), had a chat about entering both Companion shows and official shows. She agreed with my viewpoint at the time, so forgive me if I thought she was of the same opinion!

I gave my opinions of Saturday's show, hoping the the comittee will take note and perhaps try and improve things for next year, and if other people don't like my opinions, or agree with them, that is entirely up to them.

Hi Visitor, all I will say in answer to your post about my poor hard done to dogs, being crated all day at shows, having to sit in the car and only being in the ring for 5 minutes, is this.
I invite you to come to my home any morning that I am going to a show. What you will see then is this.
On me opening the hall cupboard that contains their show bag and taking it out, they go bananas. Jumping up and down, barking and howling, tails going like a pair of windmills and both plastered up against the front door, making sure that I can't leave the house without them.
After their leads are put on, I am dragged to the car where they jostle each other to be 1st in, then when everything is stowed and we are on our way, they lie on the back seat and doze. When we arrive at the show, they are once again excited to be there and have a great time meeting their K9 and human friends. They are walked and then settled into their crates with water and cooling fans, if need be. They are happy to lie down in them and show no signs of not wanting to go in. They enjoy the ring and it has been commented on a few times, that they seem to know when they are "On Show", they tend to strutt out a bit more than usual and enjoy all the attention that the judge gives them.
Do you really think that they would have won so much and gained so many places if they were standing in the ring hating every minute of it. Between them they weigh in at just over 13st, while I am just over 9st, so I think I would have a job on my hands trying to get them out the house, far less in the ring, if they didn't want to be there.
As I say, Visitor, come to my home anytime you please, you will see happy, healthy, well socialised and eager show dogs.
The day that this changes and the dogs don't want to show, is the day I will stop. My dogs are my pets first and foremost, show dogs comes well after that.
As to me running all over the place telling folk where they are going wrong and let's face it Visitor, that is what you are implying, I don't do anything of the sort. I was very fortunate that when I started showing, I was helped a great deal by a very experienced man. he had said that when he started no-one told him anything and he had to learn the hard way. He vowed to help anyone that needed it. I was so grateful for his unending advice, that I promised myself that if I could help anyone I would. But I don't run all over a show looking for folk, usually it is when I am chatting to someone, they will start asking questions and that is when I offer my own help or take them to someone better qualified than me, that I know will offer better advice. I am not and have never tried to make out that I know it all.
I hope that your fears for my poor dogs have now been well and truely settled.
Clipper & the furry gang.

That is a matter for you to take up with them directly and privately.
Enough already !!!!!

I know who I would be banning next year if I was one of those 3 hard working committee members.