Thinking of entering Sushi in a show! (pictures inside)

[Staceyvd]

Hey guys,

I'm very much considering signing Sushi up for a dog show, and I figured I'd put some pictures of him here for you guys to tell me if you think he would do well at one and if it's worth my time





Thanks!!

[612guy]

I say yes and even though you have probably have a lot to learn, you will never regret it. It is an addicting and rewarding hobby but also frustrating. First thing is to see if any chows are shown around you and then to find handling classes to start training both of you. I'm no expert but will share anything I know to help. I don't know how Sushi will do but you will never know unless you try.

Brutus has 7 points now and just recently returned to the ring after some time off to mature. He has done well but not many chows around here so finding others chow is the hardest part.

good luck,
612

[Cindy J]

I agree with what 612 stated. Jump in and give it a try. We are beginners, but having fun so far.

I have to share a funny story with you: Talking with some old timers (ring time experience, not age). They asked me my expectations for that particular show. I was brutally honest, which made them crack up.

I had exactly two goals for the day:
1.) For me to make it around the ring without tripping and falling on my face.
2.) For Chance to have fun..... and not stop and pee in the ring.

We met both of our goals and made many new friends that day.

Take the handler classes if you can find them. They help take a lot of the stress off by letting you know more of what to expect and how to best present your pup in the ring.

[Rory's Dad]

I agree with both 612 and Cindy. Give it a try.

Worst case scenario is you get to spend time with your Chow and believe me, its a nice bonding experience. Walking your chow through a show atmosphere and watching his superior attitude is priceless. It's a great social lesson for him regardless of your expectations.

Funny how he seems to follow the Chow look of both 612's Brutus and my own Rory. Must be the in fashion look for Chow's these days. That red with highlights and the semi-open face is super stunning...

But it's also not always the judges preference. Rory is 1 major win away from his CH, and we have been at it for a little of 2 years with him. Some of it has been numbers. Sometimes there are no other Chows to compete against. We are skipping the next 3 shows local to us just for that reason. It took us a while to make the connections to figure out what the possible entries might be. Spent a bit of time entering shows only to find out we were the only dog in the Chow entries. For us now, we only need the Major, and that makes it even harder to figure.

My advice would be to figure out what your objective for Sushi is before going any further. I have owned Chows for the past 20 years and Rory is our 1st that we have shown. We started because he was a beautiful pup and thought it would be fun. And it is., Rory won the 1st four shows he was entered in. Then the #'s dried up. We saw the work that he put into it. And it might sound funny if you havent seen it, but he lights up when in the ring. He truly seems to enjoy it. He has a bit of a 'ham' in him.

Pursuing his CH has gotten pricey, no way around that. We have had to travel further that we originally thought. We now have a female that shows as well (not as successfully), and purchased a VERY large SUV to accomodate the crates. Both are family dogs 1st and foremost, so they dont usually go to shows alone, so add in hotel costs. Add in all the brushes, the grooming table, the dog drier, crates, and grooming spritzes...you get the idea.

Not to talk you out of it, because i still do it just about every 3rd weekend or so, but sometimes when Rory comes out of a weekend with no points i analyze the cost of the ribbons he was awarded.

So, back to my original thought. Sushi is a great looking pup, and i think he would do well with some practice classes. Keep your intentions in mind. If looking to socialize your dog and meet some great people, go for it. If thinking of pursuing a CH, understand that its not an easy nor inexpensive proposition.