Another growing up baby

[MurphysMinder]

Spent ages yesterday, with the help of a friend, trying to get a picture of Evie in stance, but gave up. Decided she really does not want to be a show dog, this is the best we could manage.

And as she prefers to spend her days, with her brush collection (I know, she is a very strange little girl

)

And Hacking-Hack and any other breed experts, please don't look too closely at her tail

 

[Skhosu]

she's gorgeous, that second picture is very funny

 

[MurphysMinder]

Its not so funny when you are trying to sweep up

Those are now "her" brushes, I have to hide another one which I use for the stable etc. You have to watch your shins when she is running round with the brush with the handle, she can deliver a nasty wack

 

[nijinsky]

Aww - she is very pretty. Her coat looks a totally different colour in each pic. She looks quite red in the first pic. Very nice pics.

Xara collects shoes/boots! Doesn't chew them anymore thank God.

 

[CAYLA]

What is it with puppy shepherds and bloody brushes

Lovely piccies, gorgeous girl

 

[severnmiles]

Aww, she's beautiful!!

 

[FinnishLapphund]

*whispers*Have you tried using a/the brush as a treat to reward standing?*stops whispering*












I know, I know, this probably makes me sound like a desperate Dog Show Fanatic. From a picture point of view (fur could disguise a thing or two) she looks good, except the part I didn't look at

.
Finnish Lapphunds are allowed to have tipped ears (like Collie Rough or Smooth), though the English KC have omitted that according to Wikipedia? But not all judges remember that, so I've heard about somebody clicker training her bitch to keep her one tipped ear, erect as the other. If Evie's "hm hm" has a habit of doing what

I haven't seen it do

, could that be an option for the "unmentionable" part MM?

Second picture is lovely, the look in her eyes is so expressive.

 

[MurphysMinder]

Have to laugh at your mention of Evies unmentionable part.

Basically her tail is too long, and has a kink in it that bends to the left. I could really only train her to tuck it up between her legs ( by beating her frequently perhaps

)but then she would be penalised even more heavily for being nervous! Mind you, other people apparently take more drastic action, I have been told of dogs that have had tails broken and reset to remove kinks

This came about cos I commented that a dog at a show didn't appear to be using its tail properly and was given surgery as the reason.
With regard to standing her, GSDS are shown either standing at the end of a lead, or with handler placing them and standing behind them, a treat wouldn't really work in those cases. We were actually throwing things in front of her, which is why she is looking down

It was the first time I had tried standing her in show position, and I don't intend to show her so it isn't really a problem. Typically she was across the field with me earlier and was standing beautifully, but no camera

 

[FinnishLapphund]

It was the kink I noticed, but didn't know if she just held it like that or if it was a kink.


I do know a few things about how GSDs are/was shown, though SKK has tried to get rid of the worst habits. Nobody wanted/wants the ring next to the GSD. Inside the ring there's one handler "dangling" at the end of the leash, outside the ring there was/is one OR more "handlers" running like blind Duracell-rabbits "HERE YOSHI, squeak squeak with toy", "HERE TULIP, HERE'S YOUR BALL" or "HERE BULLIT, COME GET MUMMY" etc. etc. etc. (and that is meant to be read as screaming).

The "outside-handler" ran/runs over people, chairs anything in their way, completely focused on keeping ahead of the dog inside the ring. Once even heard about a pram being upset on a dog show I was at and since it was "show-staff" I overheard talking about it, I think it's likely it could be true. They said it was a spectator/spectators who wasn't used to the 'blind Duracell-rabbits race' and didn't understand peoples warnings about it, so stood outside the ring while the judge did the individual examination, when it was time to start running around the ring, the person/people with the pram didn't move and then the blind Duracell-rabbits came...



SKK started more than ten years ago to put all GSD rings most preferably in corners with some sort of walls along at least two sides, or in between/next to other rings preferably occupied by large not easy to run over breeds or breeds that tends to come with trim-tables...
So I think it has gotten better, but when SKK really started to try and get some control over it, then at least I heard that the GSD breed club "own" shows continued to provide enough room outside the GSD ring so they could continue to show them their way.

 

[MurphysMinder]

LOL at your description of outside attraction. Have to admit I have been guilty of it to some degree in the past, e.g. moving about outside the ring, first being at one side, then a few laps later at another, but couldn't do the mad running about some people do, and I think it is unfair to distract other breeds, therefore probably best only at specialist shows.
I attended a GSD Champ show for the first time in ages last month, and the runnning round outside was just stupid. After the same chap pushed me out of the way twice I am afraid I was a bit naughty the next time he passed me and stuck my foot out

Unfortunately he only stumbled a bit didn't end up on the floor but seemed to give him the idea to not be quite so inconsiderate

Someone at this show even had a hand held klaxon thing, I nearly took it off them and shoved it somewhere.

 

[FinnishLapphund]

I wish you had, shoved it that is.

How come every dog-breed, from breeds known for only learning what they want to learn and only doing what they've learned when they feel for it, to Border Collies can be trained to show themselves without the "outside handlers", but German Shepherd Dog, the so adaptable police-dog breed number one (at least I still think it is?) can not?

Makes me think the "problem" is in the other end of the leash perhaps...


*sigh*