Crufts 2018

Do you reckon it was the Kurdish? They’ve been at it all day. Or maybe someone objecting to the price of chum!!

I liked the pointer but it didn’t look happy. Collie was fabulous but too star struck. Loved the scottie.
 
What a shame for the winner and reserve. Loved the way the whippet lady picked her dog up immediately. I’d wanted he border to win but felt it looked unsettled tonight. I’d chosen the Pointer and then the whippet.
 
It looked like rugby. Eveyone running about, and falling on the floor - or should it be football?
I suspect animal rights people, who don't like showing. Sad end really.
Love the whippet. Gone all whippet broody!! The papion should have been reserve... but they were all well deserved finalists.
 
Not a fan of whipped but liked her coloring. Really liked the pointer! And the Newfie.

We tried to rewind the to see the pitch invader but didn’t, we did have a laugh wondering what would have happened had they gone at the Akita... :p
 
I only tuned in just as they were announced so missed the showing, but i liked the little whippet and adore the fast reaction of the handler "whipping" her away. God knows these days what people might do to a dog to prove how against animal abuse they are..hope theyre not too shaken up after it all.
 
If you breed extreme examples of breeds that cannot perform the job expected of them, these idiots will flourish.... ☹️☹️☹️
 
Yes and no. Any utilisation of dogs for any purpose, particularly for hunting or in competition is frowned upon.
Some groups believe no one should 'own' an animal at all/they're better dead than 'subjugated'.
 
CorvusCorax said:
Yes and no. Any utilisation of dogs for any purpose, particularly for hunting or in competition is frowned upon.
Some groups believe no one should 'own' an animal at all/they're better dead than 'subjugated'.
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Quite true - if it was PETA or similar then there is no hope :( :(
 
Looks like it was PETA. My eyes might fall out if I roll them any harder. As usual, not the way to make any kind of point valid or not.
 
PapaverFollis said:
Looks like it was PETA. My eyes might fall out if I roll them any harder. As usual, not the way to make any kind of point valid or not.
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Kinda wishing the Akita had a wee nibble on the arm, or the police/raf/army dogs were in attendance...
PETA are all about the publicity, and did itself a disservice when they managed to scare the other dogs going against their policy.
 
There would have been a pleasant irony in a peta protester being taken out in the crufts ring by working dog...

I found it slightly amusing that she grabbed the dog much quicker than anyone grabbed the trophy!

I picked the winner but did wonder if it would because the judge had them too as it often goes against them. The newfie was lovely but the concept of having to take a towel into the show ring is :D
 
BBC News website now saying it was PETA. Im not sure what good they thought 2 guys leaping into the arena, being watched by however many thousand dog lovers were there, was going to do to their cause, but hey, each to their own. I would think most of the audience thought they were barmy, stupid or most certainly misguided, none of the competitors will this morning be reconsidering their particular discipline and its doubtful the PETA ranks will have been swelled. Yes, they have brought attention to themselves and their cause but not in a positive light!
 
Going back to the showing itself, can anyone explain to a numpty how we have ended up with 'working dogs' and 'show dogs' which are so different that they are effectively different breeds?

Why didn't the showing standards say that the dog should be able to do the job the breed was created for?
 
It was PETA, idiots. I've just seen footage taken from the audience and the first to rush in looked to be a female. Fair play to the whippet owner for reacting so quickly, I have seen still photos and the poor woman looks absolutely terrifed. Equally quick reactions from KC officials to protect the trophies! Shame the IPO qualified GSD wasn't in the ring :p
 
ycbm said:
Going back to the showing itself, can anyone explain to a numpty how we have ended up with 'working dogs' and 'show dogs' which are so different that they are effectively different breeds?

Why didn't the showing standards say that the dog should be able to do the job the breed was created for?
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A variety of reasons.
A lot of the original uses of some breeds are at best, unpalatable to the general public and at worst, illegal. See bull breeds. Even hunting and shooting isn't most people's cup of tea and well, there goes the gundog and hound group.

Tastes have changed. Trends have developed. Very few pet owners want a high-drive working dog. They want something to take for a leisurely walk and plop on the sofa afterwards. The fizz and pop is being bred out of most breeds. I WANT A WORKING TYPE xxx - oh dear, he's eaten my fitted kitchen/excavated my garden/kept the neighbours awake all night because he is bored.
The vast majority of the public now want a dog that looks like what they want it to look like, but has no desire to do the job it was intended for - those are the dogs that make the revenue and those are the dogs that will continue to be bred from and instincts will be further diluted because the show world is only a tiny portion of the dogs out there - the vast majority of dogs are sold to pet homes.

Working a dog is fun, but it is hard. It costs a lot of time and money and the training involved is difficult to fit into modern lifestyles and public perceptions.
'You're MAKING a dog do THAT? That's cruel.'
'Sorry, I can't come to the party, I am standing in a muddy field all day getting shouted at'
'Yeah, about your birthday present, I just spent 300 quid on x-rays'.

And no matter what it looks like, if you don't work the dog, you don't know if it is good or not, and if you breed it and it's not good, then you don't know if the conformation or character stands up to a day's work or not. Is it gun shy? Don't know, too late, it's been bred from. Are his grips chewy and insecure? Don't know, he's never seen a sleeve but I am sure it will be fine. Whoops.
Can she jump the 1m hurdle? Of course she can. I think.
Swings and roundabouts.

Also, simply put, in these islands, there is no REQUIREMENT to work or health test your dog or DNA test it.
You register a pedigree dog and rock up to a show. It can have a hip score of 106, it can run away from a helper in a trial, and you can still breed from it and show it. No sanctions.
REQUIREMENTS would cause registrations, show entries, stud fees and puppy sales to plummet, ie, there would be no money in it.

In my own breed, right up until the early 80s, the top show dogs were also high level working dogs, in the show rings you would see black and gold dogs, grey dogs, black dogs, bi-colour dogs.
Money and fashion and human foibles and personal agendas caused the split we see today.
Anyone with a GSD that isn't black and gold gets asked 'Is that a crossbreed? Is that a Belgian Shepherd? Are they supposed to be that colour?'
You can of course still see show dogs with working titles and working dogs with show grades.
There are still crazy people who show their dogs under a different system which prioritises health and working ability :p
But things have definitely changed and it is just part and parcel of modern life.
 
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Evie91 said:
On a different note- I’d love to know if show dogs have a nice life outside of the ring- some of the breeds look so groomed and fluffed I cant imagine they are allowed a good walk through the countryside, running through muddy puddles and so on! Anyone care to update me?
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Can't speak for all show dogs, but my parents Welsh Springer Spaniel is only a show dog on show days. The rest of the time, he is a much loved family pet, who goes out walking in all weathers, and gets disgustingly muddy/sandy/dirty! He does have regular appointments with his "stylist" though.

He went to Crufts two years ago, and caused much amusement by sticking his tongue in the judges ear whilst being examined!

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ycbm said:
Thanks for taking the time to write that CC, I really learnt a lot.
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No problem, it's a favourite topic lol.

If anyone is interested, GB is hosting the Universal Sieger World Championships in 2019, this will see German Shepherds from around the world take part in a full IPO3 trial and then go into the show ring for a grade. The winning dogs will have an average number of points from their trial scores and show placing.
Should be a fantastic competition.

EDIT: I mean an IGP3 trial, the name is changing AGAIN
 
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although i love whippets and the winner was a good specimen, i felt very uncomfortable watching her. she seemed to be really shut down,the only time her tail wasnt under her belly was when she was moving and i didnt like the way she was handled, she was strung up tight when moving and she wasnt even allowed to relax when she had won, the handler was pushing her around all of the time, and didnt seem to give off any affection at all....i loved the temperament of the akita who looked like it was having fun and also liked the newfie, thought she deserved to be placed.....
 
I loved the Papillon, still showing his little socks off at the end of the day.

Militant vegans?? Where did they get the energy from ;-)
 
Fellewell said:
I loved the Papillon, still showing his little socks off at the end of the day.

Militant vegans?? Where did they get the energy from ;-)
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Don't know but my vegan friend was despairing over it. She loathes PETA with passion and feels groups like that really affect how vegans are regarded, and says she gets many more nasty comments when something like this has been in the news.
 
Snowfilly said:
Don't know but my vegan friend was despairing over it. She loathes PETA with passion and feels groups like that really affect how vegans are regarded, and says she gets many more nasty comments when something like this has been in the news.
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Fellow very fed up vegan who can’t stand PETA. They are misoginsts, spread flat out lies about diary causing autism and destroy 95% of animals in their care. I don’t see how animal animal lover with half a brain would think scaring dogs and their handlers would get their point across. It’s yet another stunt which will lead to the vast majority of normal folk to assume those of us who happen to share the same choices with have the same ideals and I don’t half get fed up of explaining myself and why I can’t stand PETA either.
 
Snowfilly said:
Don't know but my vegan friend was despairing over it. She loathes PETA with passion and feels groups like that really affect how vegans are regarded, and says she gets many more nasty comments when something like this has been in the news.
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Well I'm sure even PETA has a point when it comes to brachycephalic breeds. It's not always that people are being nasty to your friend regarding vegans. They may be genuinely concerned regarding levels of calcium, vit D, vit B12, zinc, omega-3 fatty acids and then there's the liver & thyroid function. Worth a thought.
 
splashgirl45 said:
although i love whippets and the winner was a good specimen, i felt very uncomfortable watching her. she seemed to be really shut down,the only time her tail wasnt under her belly was when she was moving and i didnt like the way she was handled, she was strung up tight when moving and she wasnt even allowed to relax when she had won, the handler was pushing her around all of the time, and didnt seem to give off any affection at all....i loved the temperament of the akita who looked like it was having fun and also liked the newfie, thought she deserved to be placed.....
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I felt the same way about the pointer. Every Pointer I've ever met (English or otherwise) has been a happy, waggy specimen. I think the English ones can sometimes be a bit aloof but this one seemed very distant and didn't wag its tail once.

I'm not a massive fan of Akitas but at least it was happy, as was the Newfie, the Papillion and the Scottie. The Collie looked a bit overwhelmed but not unhappy.
 
I loved the pointer noticed him very early on and the other 2 that stood out for me was the Papillon gorgeous little dog and I though the Akita was also lovely and seemed to love showing off in the ring.
 
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