[ SHOWGSD-L ] majors / not showing dogs / long

  • From: Pinehillgsds@xxxxxxx
  • To: Rbuffdogs@xxxxxxx, pmick12@xxxxxxxxxxx, dir@xxxxxxxxxx, showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Sun, 1 Oct 2006 08:58:37 EDT

 
 
In a message dated 10/1/2006 2:33:11 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,  
Rbuffdogs@xxxxxxx writes:
I   saw OC members with dogs on site but not entered.  I saw other people  
that  enter majors on site, WITH dogs, but NOT  entered. 


Something came up yesterday that reminded me of a situation that  happened to 
me that could be the answer to folks w/ lots and lots of dogs  outside of the 
ring, being socialized, being worked by handlers, being evaluated  and NOT 
entered.......
 
When I first ventured from the performance ring to the breed ring, I went  to 
a very BIG Guardian, plunked down  very BIG money and waited for a  puppy.  
He had serious health (epilepsy) and structural issues and didn't  work out.  
It took close to 2 years to receive his replacement, who was  dead with a 
serious health issue before her second b-day (hemolytic  anemia).  No names.  
But I 
preface what I am about to say because I  want you to understand that in the  
meantime, all I could so was watch from  the ringside, heart aching because 
of the health issues with still nothing to  show.  It wasn't a lot of fun. 
Someone took pity on me and sold me a  promising youngster.  Now, I was just 
dying 
to show.  Didn't care who  the judge was, didn't care how many older stars my 
handler was on, didn't care  about the politics, didn't care how far away I 
had to go, stay overnight, etc.,  etc.  I went to every match I could find and 
training class 2x a  week.  He was shown 7 times as a puppy at specialties and 
won EVERY PUPPY  CLASS and picked up some nice BPs and BOPs along the way.  
(John De Hope  called and said he's a baby, only show 1x a weekend...don't do 
too  much!!!)  Oh, and I advertised, the Review, the Quarterly, the backs of  
catalogs, I entered his Futurity...all of it.
 
Then at our club meeting, we had a (big name, but no names here)  speaker.  
Politely she asked how I was doing and, so happy that I finally  had something 
to show, (remember, to put it in context, I had been waiting  years), I was 
just gushing.  "Well", she said, "WE don't show them until  they are ready", 
"Why would WE want to make points for others?", "WHY, IF you  have a nice dog, 
would you drag him around?", "WHY would you get him beat by his  own immaturity 
and allow a lesser dog to have bragging rights???"
 
Well, it was like all of the air was let out of a balloon.  So, that  was the 
way it was done.  I went home and looked at his pictures, the  
advertisements, and yup, he looked young.  Even though I had been enjoying  the 
heck out of 
it, I saw now that I had indeed been getting him beat.  I  was showing him 
before he was "ready". I felt very foolish.
 
Guess how many puppies I have campaigned since? None.  In fact, I  think I've 
only entered 1 Specialty match since too.
 
Now, it's "Are they ready?", "Who's the judge", "What older dog if any in  
the same sex is my handler on?",  "If I'm showing a bitch and my handler  has a 
nice dog, will this judge be inclined to spread it around...or  not?",  yada, 
yada, yada.
 
I learned.  You don't have to tell me twice.
 
Our fall specialties are rolling around and I guarantee you, there will be  
4-5x as many dogs outside the ring as inside.  Handlers will work dogs  after, 
youngsters will be evaluated.  Why not show them?  Because like  me, their 
people probably realize they aren't ready or maybe it isn't a good  situation.
 
Sad:(  I really enjoyed those puppy classes.  But it's OK in the  long run.  
While I have a youngster growing up, I'll play with  performance.
 
Kathy
member GSDCA, DVGSDC
three  generations of Dual Titled TC'd Champions live here!

visit _Pine  Hill German Shepherd Dogs_ 
(http://www.geocities.com/pinehillgsds/)  


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