Well said Malka. For me, dogs - both pedigree and mutts - are all about function and health. You could have the most beautiful, perfect breed standard in the world, but if the dog cannot do what he was bred to do, then to me it is just an empty shell. I would like to see dog shows where each dog - at least in the latter stages of each class - has to retrieve, in the case of labradors, follow a scent in the case of hounds, herd in the case of collies etc. etc.

I was shocked and appalled when the Best in Show at Crufts last year - I think it was a Shitz Tzu or Llasa Apso or something along those lines - is owned by a woman who blithely admitted that her dog is never taken out for a walk because he would get his coat dirty and tangled.

I agree with Meg and trouble's posts.
That's a very sweeping statement,I show Beagles,they are first and foremost my pets and are not restricted in anything they do just because they are show dogs,What i love most about Beagles is that they are shown very much 'as they are' in the UK,no primping and preening,overgrooming etc..the most mine might get before a show is a bath (but not always if they're clean anyway) My old girl shown once hated it so ive never shown her...no point if she doesnt have fun,whereas the others i've owned all loved it,it can be a great social day out for them (they dont have to be stuck in a crate all day) Dog shows aren't all about looks,I'm a judge now and haven't put all these hours in learning about 'prettiness and looks' it's about conformation,movement and how well put together a dog is structually, A dog needs to show that it is 'fit for fuction' and able to do the job it was oringinally intended to do,these are things we look for when placing a dog (well i certainly do)
I agree that some breeds have been taken to extremes and the primping in some is overboard but that doesnt go for all breeds and its exhibitors,Most people in my breed are extremely responsible in trying to keep the Beagle as it should be,raising money and joining forces with the AHT and other labs to enable testing for certain things to illiminate them,It was down to one person in the breed that we now have developed a test for NCCD,Some of us dont see it as a beauty contest and are concerned with maintaining and preserving our wonderful breeds by being involved in the show world

Apologies that should have read ''After the beginning of WW2 when shows were suspended, a lot of dogs were put to sleep and blood lines depleted ''.

For. . But as Tink I show Beagles.

I enjoy it very much as do my dogs. They wouldnt be shown if they didnt. I dont like the 4/5am starts but the dogs always know we're road tripping to a show if they're groomed and bathed.
Its a great social community for.me personally but it does depend on different breeds I guess.
It is about confirmation not just the handler.. makes you feel proud when you win under a foreign judge especially. But its nice to have the dog recognised on his own merit.

There are currently 210 different breeds of dog recognised by the KC , of these only 15 are designated as 'high profile' due to breeding for an exaggerated trait , so the overwhelming majority are hardly 'broken' or 'freaks'

Far from impacting detrimentally on the health of dogs it is almost exclusively the show world who routinely health test, fund research, sit on health committees, compile health and other data, import new lines and place importance on construction. My own breed club has collaborated with the Animal Health Trust to develop a test for Epilepsy , a step forward that will benefit a huge number of dogs not just pedigrees http://www.bsdaofgb.co.uk/epilepsyinthebsd.htm

Rescues are not full of ex show dogs but do have more than their fair share of high drive working collies and Springers , and in my own breed the working bred Malinois is often bred with such exaggerated prey drives that it is often unsuitable for rehoming and has to be put to sleep when no suitable homes can be found..yet where is the criticism for this type of over exaggerated breeding ?

It is the show world too that acts as an Ark for so many breeds, who else is breeding the glory of the a Borzoi, or the majesty of the Wolfhound ? .....without the show world we would no longer have the Skye Terrier, The Kerry Blue , the Glen of Imaal or the Irish Red and White , in any other species breeders of such vulnerable native breeds are supported and respected , not vilified and denigrated !.

My dogs are show dogs, they are also, well constructed, free moving, healthy ,exuberant, happy and versatile.

I do not consider that three quarters of a million pets being slaughtered in the first week of WWII are just "a lot".

Oh well I'm one of those horrible people who subject their dogs to the show ring....

Poor Figo.......

No I think there's also criticism out there for exaggerated breeding of the prey drive etc.
But it's less prevalent because it's less visible to the untrained eye. Sadly, a lot of people see these dogs as simply disobedient. I know a family with a working springer spaniel (pedigree and all) who is so stressed out constantly that he's started extreme obsessive compulsive behaviour. Now one reason for that is what's going on at home (stress, no rest, screaming kids etc) and another is that he's probably bred to be that hyperactive, more so than a show springer.

Obviously there are very good and responsible people in the show ring, but there are also a lot of people who aren't.
You probably wouldn't find those people on here though, I think they have a different connection to their dogs.
I've not only seen this in the show ring, I think anywhere where it gets really competitive. I've been to an agility training camp in Italy once and the way most people there treated their dogs was terrible. They were merely an instrument to win for them. Those are the people who would choose dogs from working lines prone to hyperactivity and high prey drive. Their border collies were nuts, but extremely fast. If they made mistakes they were shouted at at best. All that just for a trophy.. So in a different way, there are the people who show their dogs at shows to win, and only to win. Those are the people who are willing to replace a not so successful dog with a new one without batting an eye lid.
I have yet to encounter such a person on this forum!! Here, the people who show their dogs strike me as responsible dog owners and breeders who truly care about their pets.

I hope you both enjoy it Jackie
I understand you are showing a dog belonging to a breed which is new to you?
It is an excellent way to meet other owners of the same breed and to learn more about it at the same time gaining valuable information you can then pass on to others.

Good luck it is nice to win but as I am sure you already know that is only a small part of dog showing.

Thanks Meg...yes a new breed for me, it's exiting and nervous at the same time, thus breed needs a lot of perpetration ( unlike my Boxers ) so that's all new too.

My breeder is fabulous, she is on the end of the phone if I need her....( how to clip this or that) also the studs owner is following his progress to.

I often wonder why some folk come out with such throwaway comments such as been aired here...I wonder if they realy understand what it takes to show an animal.
There is one important factor when showing any animal, if they don't enjoy it, they won't do it.

My dogs live a life of much loved pets, Figo for instance has been in the sea at the weekend, in the park this morning, made a mud bath in the garden. , all the time being wet and muddy...... He is a pet and he will also be a show dog, even if some folk think I am horrible for inflicting such torture on him, he will have a much better life than many a so called pet.

There are horrible folk in the show world just as there are in all aspects of the canine world.

To lump us all together as " horrible " is a bit extreme.