Who has owned/showed Show dogs?

[Celtic Hill Farm]

OH! OH!!!

My dressage trainer is also my dog trainer. And the trainer she works with i think has some show dog experience, or at least would know some reputable people for me to work with. And also my English teacher had champion Wimeraniers (how ever you spell it) and an aid shows goldens! just a tid bit i wanted to share!!!

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Basically all the breeds that I'm "interested" in are based on there looks only. I'm going to go back, make a list of breeds that i like, then go back and read about them, and narrow down what i would like as a breed...

 

[mininik]

i know, i did not purchase either with even the slightest intent of doing more with them then cudding and sharing my time with

.

At the risk of sounding redundant, you could still do dog sports with those two.

 

[Leeana]

Nope - Just don't see either of them fitting into that category. One is scared of his own shadow and anything that moves, like leaves..wind..... the other would rather lay on the couch soaking up the sun all day long ...

Its a hard ..hard life

For some reason i just do not see either of these two feeling very athletic anything soon...the word "lazy" comes to mind ..

 

[mininik]

If you think they can, they can. And if you think they can't, you're right.

 

[Celtic Hill Farm]

Okay!, so last night i flipped threw my dog books and wrote down the dog breeds that i might be interested in (15 total). Then i went to bed!!! i woke up this morning and read through the dog book and "crossed" out the dog breeds that i was no longer interested in (now I'm down to 13). So then i pulled out my lap top and went on the AKC website and read about the breeds, and crossed out the other ones that either weren't a recognized breed, or i was no longer interested in so now i'm down to 9 breeds...

X Greyhound

X Whippet

3. Gordon Setter

4. Pointer

5. Weimeraner

6. Scottish terrier

7. Alaskan Malamute

8. Burmese mountain dog

9. American Fox hound

If you guys have any experience/knowledge about any of these breeds weather they are good or bad, i would really like to hear about it. I'm also going to talk to my teacher and see if she is going to any shows soon and maybe i could go with her to see what it's all about, I'm also going to see if there is any shows around her soon that i could go to, because i know that my aunt would go with me if i wanted to go. I'm also going to talk to my (Dog/horse) trainer to se if she knows of anyone that has show dogs that maybe i could talk to.

 

[hunterridgefarm]

all i can say is be very carefull

i was almost taken for a lot of money from a trainer that wanted to sell me a 4 year old bitch and a 8 year old male. and after taliking to some trainers that have showed against this person they did tell me about her. which i raise the cattle dogs. my first one was not a show dog nor was he reg. he was my son dog. but he could hold a horse for me. the bitch that i have here is a show dog and done great in the show ring. and i did get her from a trainer out of fl ( thanks kelly )

and in 3 weeks KURPAS CAPTIAN CODY will be home. which i love the breed that i have and would not change for the world. when i first wanted to get another male i did have to look hard. at all the trainers.

if might even come arcoss some that will tell you that you will have to have your dog fixed if you are not going to show it. i ran into that a lot. and they have their reasons for that. the dog might not be good to produce pups from. a good breeder will tell you ever thing from the health of the dog to the test that they have done. dont just jump into it with out doing your home work first. which it has taken me about a year to be able to get a pup. you might even find that the price will be kind of high trust me i could of got a nice show horse for the price i paid for CODY and he is only 5 weeks old.if you get one out of state tell them that you dont want to pay alot for the shipping and to do it cod so they dont go mvp that is where the price for shipping jumps up. and you get to pay the airport for shipping. the peson that i was going to those 2 from was going to charge me $ 500.00 to ship both and after doing some checking it was only like 150.00 *2 to ship both.. just do your home work

 

[Celtic Hill Farm]

ok, thanks for all of your guy's imput!!

I have another question,

How do you decide weather to get a bitch or a dog? what are the pro/cons?

 

[anoki]

Well the biggest con for a bitch is dealing with the mess when they are in season as they 'bleed' for roughly 2 weeks. Otherwise it is dealing with their mood swings....though not as 'bad' as a moody mare, if you have more than one female dog around they can get quite 'snarky' with each other. Depending on temeperaments and where they are in their cycles of course.

I've always been a female dog person...don't know why, it's just what we always had growing up. So that was what I started with (though my first Cardigan was almost a blue male).

For a dog, it would be lifting it's leg on everything (though my girls tend to mark as well), and putting up with them when there is a really nice smelling girl in the vicinity.

~kathryn

I forgot to mention, if you go on the AKC site, click on the Events tab near the top of the screen, then click on Event & Awards Search.

That will bring up a map and you can select which states you would like to search, what type of shows you want to search for, and what time range. So you can search what shows will be close to you and when they are running.

 

[Celtic Hill Farm]

What would make the most sense? or dose it boil down to personal preference?

 

[bcody]

I think you need to go and be around different breeds to get a feel for how they would fit with you. There are a few indoor agility trials in CT over the winter where you can see the dog, and watch them out and move. I would not pick a breed that you have not been around.

Some of the dogs on your list require lot of grooming, so you need to decide how much time you wnt to spend on that. Some of them are more active then others, another consideration for a dog that will live you for a long time. The greyound and the whippet are not going to like your cold winters, so you will have to consider that. Lots to think about!

Remember, to show in confirmtion your dog can not be fixed, so the difference is do you want to deal with male hormones or females coming into season every 6 months.

Leeanna, there are two Chinese Crestes that compete on the same agility circuit I do, they do great and look really cute out there jumping! Also, agilty is great for building confidence in dogs that have issues, even of you just train it and never compete.

 

[Jill]

Just something to throw out -- showing horses changed how I feel about them. It isn't not as good as before, but it is different. Before, they were "just" my babies and they were wonderful in all ways. Now, I still love them but I can point out what could be better in each of them. I sold some of mine from before because I wanted to make room for horses with bigger show potential. I cannot imagine deciding to sell one of my dogs -- my BABIES -- to make room for a better made dog. I think for me personally, if I got into showing dogs it would take away what makes dogs so special to me. It was a good move for me with horses, but I don't think it would be with dogs. Not sure if that makes sense, the point I'm trying to make... I just appreciate my dogs as family members and my horses, I love them, but they are also something I strive to improve. When I try to improve my dogs, it's like groom them more often or cuddle them more

 

[Celtic Hill Farm]

While doing further reserch on the greyhounds and whippets, i decied i didn't like them as much as i thought, and they look to frail. I want something that looks like it belongs on a farm.

My top three right now that i like the best are the

1. Gordon setter / Burmese mountain dog

2. American Fox hound

 

[mininik]

If you like the BerNese (whoops!), check out the Swiss Mountain Dogs. They can be spendy; the PET I groom was purchased for $3K, but he is nothing short of awesome (except his hips).

Setters are nice dogs. They are sporting dogs, so lots of GO. Why did you end up not liking the Weims? And have you looked into Vislas?

 

[Celtic Hill Farm]

Idk, They just don't spark my interest! I really like the Gordon Setter

 

[luv2ridesaddleseat]

I know the BERNESE Mountain Dog breed well. I know a few breeders very well, and have groomed many for show. They are the SWEETEST breed I have ever met! Social to people and animals as well. I love them to pieces! I could groom and work with them all day, everyday. Do I own one? nope. I hava had MANY co-ownership offers. WAY to many have hip problems and other health problems. They have a horribly short life span. Everyday after the day they turn 7 is a gift. Jeeze, I just put my Female German Shepherd Dog down at 15 years 3 months old.

The breed ring is difficult and expensive. The chances of you contacting a breeder that has never heard of you and selling you a "show puppy", that turns out to be healthy, a wonderful representive of it's breed, and competitive in the show ring is practicly zilch. If I were you, I'd at least look into a co-ownership with the breeder. Thats a way for you to learn and to "get into" the show world with the breed that you want, and you will have a mentor to teach you the ropes. I MUCH more enjoyed the obedience ring and I had a BLAST with it!! I've trained through Utility and my dogs in the obedience ring were judged on the training I had done with them and the dogs LOVED it to!!!

What ever breed you choose, it's so important to work with a knowledgeable experienced person. I hope you find someone near you as that would really be beneficial for "learning the ropes". Keep letting us know about what breeds you are looking into! You are getting tons of great information!!

 

[Celtic Hill Farm]

ohhh...hip problems? health problems??? that really curves my decision alot.

 

[mininik]

Guide to Hereditary and Congenital Diseases in Dogs

by W. Jean Dodds DVM

Published by The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights, P.O. Box 208, Davis, CA 95617-0208 First printing: August 1994

Special thanks to: W. Jean Dodds, D.V.M., Susan Hall, D.V.M., Kay Inks, and Phil Maggitti

http://www.dogbiz.com/dogbiz-genetic-disease-guide.html

(148 PUREBREDS & THEIR MOST COMMON DISEASES)

 

[Celtic Hill Farm]

so basically your saying that things can happen to all dogs and shouldn't change my decision about getting a dog, but only make me more selective in the puppy i would get?

 

[mininik]

Pretty much. Just keep researching, buy from a responsible breeder (AKC breed clubs can refer you) and know that even a genetically healthy dog can sustain an injury or be overcome with some illness that abruptly ends it's show career at any time.

 

[luv2ridesaddleseat]

Thats why you HAVE to know the breeder and see any and all paperwork pertaining to any cleearances that pertain to that breed. For instance, One of my friends that breeds Bernese, will keep the "pick" puppy from a litter and hope to use the dog for breeding in the future. She "penhips" the puppy at 6 months old, and more often than not, she says the hips aren't good enough to keep the puppy for breeding. So she'll try again with another "pick" puppy from another litter. Years ago I was researching the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel as a dog for my daughter to use for Jr. Showmanship. I learned, by talking to many breeders that 40% of the breed had a Heart valve problem that ended their lives incredibly soon. This was back in the early 90's, and hopefully the breed has improved with GOOD breeders! Ask many questions to many breeders. The good ones will give you lots of info and will love to help you!