Odd World of Dog Shows

[Rory's Dad]

I just thought i would post a few thoughts on showing our Chows. As said many times previously, Rory is our 3rd Chow, but the 1st time we have been AKC showing.

With that in mind, we looked for a reputable breeder (which we found). They had a litter of 6 pups. One had already been sold without show/breeding rights. 2 were being withheld by the breeder as they hadnt decided which to keep for themselves for showing or breeding. So, we viewed 3 pups, all males. We spent a good deal of time with the pups and the sire. We had view of the dam, but she was still nursing, and a bit tired. Not a ton of physical differences in the pups as they were 6 weeks old (but being responsible breeders, we would not be allowed to take our pick until 8 weeks old).

Fully looking for a household dog, loyal companion, and family pet...we chose Rory. He was the biggest of the bunch, but laid back, calm, and very cuddly. That won over my girls (wife and daughter), and we selected Rory.

After getting him home, settled, into regular life...my camera happy 14 year old started photographing every move the pup made. Darn, he's cute and very typical of the Chow standard. We should show him, get his CH designation like is mom, and just explore this a bit. Thoughts of my daughter finding a new hobby were entertained...turned out to be a harder venture than 1st thought, so we looked into show handlers.

OK, so thats our background and our thinking.

Rory has shown at 5 Kennel shows to date, taken points in 3, and didnt get points in the other 2 due to lack of entries. Not a ton of other dogs showing, but essentially he is undefeated.

2 weeks ago, one of the other dog owners made a comment to our Junior Handler, she was running Rory through the ring while our main handler competed in a Group Show. Essentially, the comment was, 'i cant believe they are showing that dog'. I found it humorous that Rory took the breed that day. What i learned later was that the breeders score their dogs based on their predictions on how well the dog could show. The breeder scored Rory as 5th out of the 6 pups, and shared this with other local Chow owners.

At another earlier outting we were 'warned' about 1 of the top handlers and that people couldnt be trusted. This comment just happened to come from the same people that were shocked we were showing Rory. At the last show, that same top handler finished his dog (got CH designation) and kept him in class to allow Rory to have a dog to compete against and gain his point.

Last Saturday, our breeder came to the show. I missed the email, but they said they wanted to see Rory. They brought the littermate and a new female. The email said they brought them along to socialize them. Now, maybe i am getting a bit jaded on this whole thing, but they did watch Rory show, and then spent the next 1/2 hour trying to talk to handlers. In the end they asked for the contact info for Rory's team.

Showing dogs is still referred to as a sport, and it gets to be an expensive one. Between handling fees, entry fees, grooming costs, travel and hotels...it can be a bit crazy. Oh, and when you win a breed they take a photo and charge for the prints too. I have seen my dog show. He has developed a great rapport with his show team, and really does smile when in the ring (no, i am not crazy, i can see it). Its competitive and a bit snipey at times as well. The Chow groups tend to be small (6 entries vs. 37 Danes or 45 Pugs), so that may be some of it.

If i look out there one of these days and see Rory not enjoying it, it will be done, CH or not. We love that he has an extended family, can walk through hundreds of other dogs without a flinch of agression or fear (have ya seen a Russian Wolfhound?), and draws the oohs and ahhs of complete strangers (big ego boost for both Rory and family).

Definitely some ups and downs. Very political in spots where you would think it just doesnt belong. But thats the people, the dogs dont care.

[Cocoa]

If you haven't already you should watch the movie Best in Show, its a comedic look at the world of dog shows.

[Victory]

Cocoa beat me to it, but yep, "Best in Show" will have you rolling about how snootty some of the dog show people can be. I think it can be nearly as bad as mothers putting their young daughters into fashion/beauty shows. Some owner/breeders are living through their dogs.

[Cocoa]

Funny thing though, from what I have been told, cat show people make the people in that movie look totally sane! Apparently cat show people are off the charts nuts.

[karenmarie]

Defiantly watch the movie. Same old same old. Your breeder probably thinks they made a mistake not keeping him he looked so good and did so well I wish you much success!! Go Rory Go!!!

[Rory's Dad]

Very familiar with the movie, and i agree its so spot on.

[612guy]

Don't let others spoil the fun you guys are having. Tell your breeder to enter the shows if they think that way. That might give you enough dogs for a earn a major. Someone just told me today that if you go to the shows and don't see those weird dog show people anymore, that's because you have become one. Have you look on the AKC website, click events, then conformation,then select breed - chow chows, then states around you. It will give you the number of chow chows entered for each of the shows last year for the states you picked. That way you can plan to go to the shows that have more chows to compete against and skip the ones that had none in. Your handler probable knows this but maybe you didn't. Good luck and keep us updated.

[hayleedog]

Good job Rory and family, well done!!



The only dog show I was ever involved in was a local one called "The Ugliest Dog Contest" and no, my dog penelope didn't win but she did come in second. The winner was a 6 year old boy who entered his stuffed snoopy dog. 1st prize was a 50lb bag of dog food. LOL

Penelope was a wirey haired terrier type mixed breed who was homely enough on her own but then by brother tie dyed her fur and dressed her up as a punk rocker (this was back in the 80's so it was perfect). I still have the article the paper printed with her picture.

[Auddymay]

Someone just told me today that if you go to the shows and don't see those weird dog show people anymore, that's because you have become one.

LMAO...true, so true...Haley and I have checked out a few shows. There were apparent 'groups' of people showing, and it did remind me baby beauty pageants, in regards to the stage parents.

At my first show, I met a young man getting ready to show his dog. I told him he was a fine example, and asked about his disposition toward strangers touching him. The man said I could pet him if I wanted, but having seen all the fuss others were making over getting every hair in place, I told the man I would offer a chin scratch for luck, that I did not want to mess up his mane. I scratched his chin, and the dog did end up and take 2nd in his class. Now those are the kind of folks I root for!

[Rory's Dad]

612, we have managed to get that part down. I use AKC and InfoDog to see the prior year entries. What we are seeing now is no shows. 8 dogs entered and only 5 actually appear on show day. Odd to see in this economy people entering and forfeiting the entry fees. And its been on a pretty regular basis...go figure.

Largely in this area, its the same group of dogs, so we know ahead of time how we will do as we have already shown against them a few times. Next month, its a different set of regions for the shows, so we will see if that changes it up a bit. Since he is still showing in puppy fur, we are OK for now. He should be blowing his puppy coat soon. Figure he will show even better after that, just hoping to continue through...we'll see. The puppy fur tends to re-sit itself pretty easily, but a brush is always at hand to fix it up. Rory is a real people dog and approaches strangers almost at will. We sometimes have to seek out a quiet corner at the shows to let him separate a bit.

[612guy]

Rory's Dad,
It takes a lot longer than eveyone thinks to blow their puppy fur. Our Brutus adult fur has been coming in for at least 2 months. It started on his back a few hairs at a time. Now his back/face are really red and much longer that his puppy coat use to be. His neck, sides and rear are starting to sprout some but I'm sure it will still be months until all that puppy fur will be gone. We are surprise as are our neighbors how red he is getting.