I would have to agree with this point to an extent. I think this is also a generalization. I am a newbie. I purchased my foundation bitch and first ever show dog in August of last year. I have taken every bit of advice from all my mentors and probably driven them nuts with questions along the way! I have done classes, road work, kept her at a great weight, etc. They even got me hooked up with this list. I should mention that my girl has won her class in 6 of 8 shows entered. I would have to assume I'm doing something right (that and I have an awesome dog!!). In fact, besides my mentors, most everyone I've met ringside have been awesome! From reading some of the other posts though, I guess I should consider myself very lucky. Tina Illusion GSDs Helen Franklin <helen@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote: All breeders have had people tell them they want to show but then sometime down the line, socker comes first. The handling classes necessary to train the young dogs is just too far away and what's wrong with a few table scraps. The dog is way overweight and try as hard as you will, asking them to see the last rib just doesn't work. How many new people are willing to put their house pet in a run to encourage double handling? How many couch potato dogs make good show dogs? How many know how to properly road work? House pets often do not show well...that is a fact. How many breeders tell their new people that? There is so much more to learn then just the basics. Helen ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2006. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - URL temporarily deleted due to AOL issues ============================================================================ --------------------------------- Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. PC-to-Phone calls for ridiculously low rates. --------------------------------- Blab-away for as little as 1¢/min. Make PC-to-Phone Calls using Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2006. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - URL temporarily deleted due to AOL issues ============================================================================