[ SHOWGSD-L ] Re: Thank-You For Teaching the Newbie
- From: myjoygs@xxxxxxx
- To: thekooiet@xxxxxxxxx, Showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:42:03 -0400
Very nicely written Jamie, I am not surprised though coming from you! : )Â Â Â
You should write articles in the REVIEW!!!!
Thanks for the good read on Newbies!!
-----Original Message-----
From: Jami Vander Kooi <thekooiet@xxxxxxxxx>
To: Showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Mon, Sep 21, 2009 1:36 pm
Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Thank-You For Teaching the Newbie
*Names have been changed to protect those involved. ;)
oming into the dog show world in your late 20â??s is like a flashback to the
igh school class you dreaded the most (for me, that would have been
lgebra.) Too much information results in severe cranial overload thus
ausing cold sweats, glazing over, and eventually a total-body shut
own. Sure, Iâ??m being overly dramatic, but seriously, as a newbie, it
eally hurts the brain. Terms and numbers like gait, stack, dog number
16 (what? who?), agent, angulation, and names like â??Ch.Twizzlemanâ??s
onfuse the Newbie of Winfredsue TC CDX LMNOP QRST,â?? etc are thrown
round in the assumption that itâ??s everyday table talk. People make
hese strange noises with their mouths that sound like a snake during
PR. Thereâ??s obnoxious cheering, and sometimes even occasional crying.
nd then thereâ??s the B word. Goodness gracious thereâ??s so much foul
anguage at a dog show! â??6-9 Puppy Bitches to the Ready Ring!â?? Quick
over your childrenâ??s ears! After the first mention of the poor little
emale puppies, the B word keeps flying around all af
ternoon.
I
learly remember the drive home and the aftermath of our first visit to
dog show a few years back. My middle daughter, Ashley, who was 4 at
he time, had a knack for picking up peculiar statements and mannerisms
rom other people in our life. In the 3 hour drive home, we had to
xplain to her that the B word was not okay to say around other people
utside of dog shows. We thought we had everything thoroughly explained
n 4 year old language, until we heard that sweet little child
nthusiastically recapping the day to her grandma on the cell phone,
Grandma we saw a bunch of bitches today!â??
The sights at a dog
how are as equally confusing, if not more, as the sounds. You see dogs
ollowed by a blur of a person running around square rings which is a
ewilderment in itself because weâ??ve always been taught that rings are
ound. The people following the dog are wearing dress clothes with
ennis shoes! What a fashion faux pas! They have dog brushes and combs
n strange places which include the back pants pocket, dress coat
ocket, down the back back of their pants, and once I even saw a dog
omb resting the personâ??s own ponytail. Ick.
These people then set
he dogs in this position which reminds me of movie stars being
hotographed at a premiere or a model on a runway. One foot out in
ront of the other and a slight turn to the side makes the model or
tar appear thinner; itâ??s their best pose. All the dogs must be feeling
at in the rear that
day because the front feet stay in a parallel
osition, and the back feet strike the modelesque pose. These dogs are
ery, very vogue.
And finally, we get to the most confusing
art of the show. So, I understood Winners Dog and Winners (um, here
omes the B word again!) Bitch, but when they all get together in the
innerâ??s Round, thatâ??s above and beyond my metal capacity. If the
inners Dog gets picked before the girl dog, then he is the Best of
inners, and then sheâ??s the Best Opposite, but if you throw a few dogs
n the end that have the little Ch. before there name in the catalog,
ell, that really messes everything up. Best of Breed, Best of Winners,
nd best Opposite are so confusing to the newbie. Letâ??s just stick with
he puppies, shall we? Thereâ??s only two of those that can be picked for
he titles Best Puppy and Best Opposite. Whatâ??s worse is the Reserve
inners Dog or Reserve Winners Bitch. Isnâ??t that just a nice way of
aying â??Always a Brideâ??s Maid, never a Bride?â??
Every club needs
o have a graph, pie chart, or spread sheet ready to show the newbies
ow the winning works. Personally, I prefer pie charts, but for this, a
ormal boring chart works the best. However, please make it pretty
olors as itâ??s easier for an overloaded brain to digest. Talking it
hrough just does NOT work for most normal people. (More than 65% of
he population are visual learners.) So, please donâ??t even attempt a
erbal explanation t
o the newbie. It will truly be a waste of precious
reath. Break out the charts. Please.
Itâ??s funny for me to
ook back at my first dog show experience. Now just 4 years later, it
lmost all feels like second nature. I now know why those dog chasers
aka handlers) have to wear tennis shoes. I canâ??t even imagine running
fter dogs in heals in a grassy field. Iâ??ve done it once on cement, and
tâ??s just not a smart idea. I understand most of the terminology. Iâ??ve
ead through the breed standard at least 100 times, and I can mostly
ick out correct movement and breed type. I know what happens to the
innerâ??s Dog or Winners Bitch if they get beat out by a Special in the
nd; the Special goes Best of Breed. I know why Reserve Winners is an
mportant title. Those reserve dogs will go on to win one day. I donâ??t
ven know why I missed that years ago, but I know that I did.
I
njoy sitting by my new friends that I've made over the past few years, who are
ld hats at this sport, to
isten to running commentary about each dog as it goes around the ring.
y friends have made something so confusing something wonderful and
xciting. Thank-you, my dog show friends, for being patient and kind.
or showing me the ropes of this strange new world which is only
trange and new to people like me. Thank-you for teaching me the art of
he fancy.
Jami Vander Kooi
olverine German Shepherd Dog Club of West Michigan
lub Secretary
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POST is Copyrighted 2009. 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 - http://showgsd.org
NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/
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