Sally opines... It always amazes me at the reasoning behind small futurities. When I use to show at futurities we picked them by where we thought our dogs would win. Not by how close it was or what region. So therefore the judge was the most important decision. Paul adds... Bingo...game...set...and match. Sally hits the nail on the head. It's no different than a regular show except many of you seem to think it's "juz a match". I guess that depends on how important you view the futurity/maturity system. I think it's made a difference in the way we approach our breeding program and you all should...too. That is the purpose of the futurity system ya know. Why would I stay and show locally to a Judge I know wouldn't like my dog? That knowledge would be based on my perception of the Judge's likes, dislikes, my dogs, and whether they would fit that criteria. I do "like" to stay local if possible...but will travel for success over 4th place wood. JMO...as always... Paul ============================================================================ 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 ============================================================================