Dog showing/ new puppy advice

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Laura2408

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Hi all.

I am considering venturing into dog showing as I have been offered a lovely show quality puppy and currently have no horses to compete!

Does anyone show?
How time consuming is it, is it sort of an all day thing or half day? How much do you train?
What does it typically involve?

Finally, I already have two other dogs who both do different things, one agility and one sofa surfer! I have the time for a third however dog 2 can be difficult. How likley is it that she will pass on her bad behavior to a puppy...as in will a puppy copy her?
Obviously the pup would be trained seperately but they would be walked together and none of them would be small so I would hope to avoid two with the same issues if possible.

How difficult is 3 dogs compared to 2?

Thanks in advance!
 
i cannot help with the showing angle of your question but I have experience of dogs 'copying'. My newest dog is reactive to all sorts of things, I am working on it but it takes time. Of my two other dogs, the one who has never been reactive does not copy this behaviour but my other bitch whom I had successfully cured has started copying the new dog. These are adult dogs. A puppy watches everything and will copy any behaviour which seems to make sense to him unless you are extremely vigilant at nipping every single attempt at copying in the bud and train intensively to counter condition. It can probably be done or you may be extremely lucky and get such a laid-back pup he cannot be bothered to react but I would not fancy my chances.

I am going to exchange my hatch back car for a commercial van where the dogs cannot see out to avoid the storm of barking which now greets every sighting of a dog in the street. I can stop one dog barking but not two at the same time, especially when I am driving. I can avoid reactions on walks with training as long as no dog charges at us but it is work and took some getting used to. No relaxing dog walks any longer; eyes in the back of my head and well-honed strategies are needed. I give myself a break by hiring a fenced agility field for my exclusive use twice a week.
 
Thank you for your reply, the copying thing concerns me a lot and is the main thing putting me off.

My oldest dog is lovely however my bitch is fiesty, nervous and unpredictable with strange dogs or people. She adores family and accepts new 'family' into our home but them becomes overprotective of them and it starts again.

On walks she can sometimes be reactive to strangers, she is pretty much controlled now in that as long as I keep on top of her all the time she will sit quietly but if I am not on the ball she can kick off, the last thing I would want is a puppy copying her!

My older dog has never picked up on any of her madness or copied but he is solid as a rock.

Maybe I need to have a think as to whether 3 is one too many, I had been on the waiting list for this breed for years but got angry dog in the middle by mistake hence considering the 3rd, ive always been a 2 dog person!
 
I have shown dogs for years bu nothing to show at the moment.
The breeder should mentor you and how much differs from keeping a pet depends on the breed.
Shows are part day or full - go to a few before you get the pup to find out more.
 
The amount of time involved in showing really does depend on your breed. If it is a coated breed a lot of time can be spent on preparation. My flatcoats require daily brushing, weekly nail trim, daily exercise and weekly ringcraft. A show dog needs to be in tip top condition.
The shows themselves can be from a few hours to all day. I have been at a champ show today and was on the road at 7 this morning and got home at 8.30. The cost of shows depends on the level. Open shows are about £5 per class and champ shows are about £28 per class with car park charges on top.
Depending on your breed the social side of showing can be great (flatcoat folk are very friendly)
On a personal note today's show at Darlington was fabulous for us as Tiva got the reserve CC only beaten by her half sister ������
 
Thanks all, the breed is coated and very fluffy.

Do you generally attend shows weekly or monthly satinblaze?

My dogs get daily exersise and grooming but I am aware this is on another level.

I used to show horses so not clueless but from what I've heard dog showing is more intense (and bitchy?!)
 
Laura2408 said:
Thanks all, the breed is coated and very fluffy.

Do you generally attend shows weekly or monthly satinblaze?

My dogs get daily exersise and grooming but I am aware this is on another level.

I used to show horses so not clueless but from what I've heard dog showing is more intense (and bitchy?!)
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I found dog showing very bitchy and cliquey - I was showing at breed shows for quite a "rare" breed where everyone knew everyone, quite a few of them did not like the type of dog the breeder I got my puppy from bred and so none of them would speak to me or offer advice.
That experience put me off horse showing for years but have found it much friendlier and helpful.
 
I forgot to mention that I have ended up on the floor on a few occasions when we have been charged by an out of control dog. The two bitches who react in this scenario weigh around 23 kg each and I weigh 52 kg but used to be able to keep a thoroughbred on the racing gallops under control. I do not know how heavy your reactive and prospective dogs are but something to bear in mind.
 
Thank you Planete!

I am leaning towards no at this stage. It was a breed I really wanted from a breeder I liked but I'm not sure if I can manage. I wasnt expecting the email from the breeder and got excited but when I was put on the list I only had one dog, angry dog was an unexpected addition but I couldn't rehome Her as intended as she's horrible...
I'm also worried about what to do with the others if I am our 8-8 most weekends plus evenings training.
With horse showing I generally got there, did class, was home within 3 hours!

My current dogs are large, one 30kg and one 25kg, the third would be somewhere around 30kg too so I would be holding 90kg of dog nearly!

Maybe I will save up and buy a new pony instead :)
 
Dog showing is a funny thing. It is different by breed - someone with a beagle for the most part can rock up say, with a dog on the lead - and if they don't do well in their class enough to get in to the dog challenge (ch show) or in to group ring, then they are literally away in an hour. If, however you have something like a poodle which requires a lot of STUFF to get then ring ready, a lot of preparation not just on the day but weekly bath / trim, a helluva lot of time setting up tables grooming kit etc, then doing up topknots, then taking topknots and if you happen to have a bitch and have to wait for all the dogs to finish up before the bitches are seen you're there a LOOONNNNGGGGGG time. If you do well enough to get in to the group ring then you're there even longer. And one might say "if you have a bitch, go later to coincide with the timings" however that never works out because bench/grooming space is always limited so everyone wants to arrive early to get a space so bitch or dog, you arrive as the doors are opening. And the fear that you have a faster than expected judge and if you don't arrive sharp you might miss your class...poodle people tend be neurotic this way lol
 
No poodle to groom but the breed is a belgian sheepdog so quite abit of hair!

Basically I'm bored, horseless and need a hobby but I don't want to be away all the time at the expense of my other dogs so need to work out if I can fit it all in!
 
My newest dog is also staying because she would have been a very difficult foster to rehome (she was people aggressive when she arrived), and I was too worried about what might happen if I did not keep her. I do not regret the decision for one minute but I have accepted I would have to make changes to my life and take the (small) risk of injury. I would not have these dogs if I was still able to ride as I know I could not give them the time and energy they require. On the other hand they did away with the boredom of not having a challenging horse to deal with every day!
 
Laura2408 said:
No poodle to groom but the breed is a belgian sheepdog so quite abit of hair!

Basically I'm bored, horseless and need a hobby but I don't want to be away all the time at the expense of my other dogs so need to work out if I can fit it all in!
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More work than a beagle, far far far less work than a poodle ;) Less stuff to carry about. THat was another factor I was going to say - if you were showing retrievers or cockers or collies, you'd be there forevermore waiting on a class as their numbers are so high that they have LOTS of classifications and the classes often run 20+ deep where more often than not the breeds with small numbers will be done and dusted fairly sharp.
 
I have a bedlington, I loved showing him, no bitchiness, in fact they were all so supportive I have made long term friends amongst them. They taught me to groom him, one even used to grab him off me at shows , including Crufts' and finish his trim off to perfection. And non of them was his breeder, she was suffering ill health so couldnt. but very very supportive. I do know lots of other groups are prone to bitchiness but compared to the horse showing world, i found it to be an absolute pleasure to be part of.
 
Yup, with cockers you are there most of the day - hours of bathing and trimming the night before, early start, big class entries, a carful of stuff to cart about for grooming and prep, all for the judge to ignore you in favour of talking to their cronies at the ringside. After many such wasted entry fees and the final straw, a six-word critique when the judge had written paragraphs for everyone else *eyeroll*, we've pared right back and have only done one champ and a couple of open shows this year, a real shame as the little dude genuinely seemed to enjoy it but god was it clique-y.

Agility is infinitely more fun and based on merit, not just who you are and who you know. :p
 
We already do agility but one has a dodgy hip and the other eats dogs for breakfast so not competitively!

I really miss showing horses, think I was looking for this on a smaller scale really but it seems it's a game of its own!
 
Go along to a champ show and see what you think. My breed is not cliquey as long as you have a nice dog you will be welcome. The rule of thimb is to listen to the advice given and silently in your head decide if it worth taking or not. Having said that a friend of mine who has a terrier breed has been told however nice her dog is she needs to "do her time" before she gets anywhere.
Which type of BSD is it I'm presuming a turv but only because there are more of them than the others.
Maybe the best way to start is to go to a good ringcraft club join in match nights and try companion shows.
Where are you in the country as others maybe able to recommend a good club
 
It's a Groenendael, still a good few around I think but not as many as tervs.

I think I will head along to some shows and see what it's all about.

I would be happy to spend a few hours here and there once a week but all day might be a bit much when my others are sat at home!
 
Must admit, I enjoy my day better at open shows - lots of people to chat to that you see all the time, lots of new ones too. No, not as high profile as a champ show, but I go for the day out. Yes, only my first show dog and yes we've had some success so far, but really it IS about hobby for me. I don't miss showing horses.
 
Laura2408 said:
How often do you go pucci? And how much travelling do you do?

Can you take other dogs for the day out or is it generally just the shown one?
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At the moment I'm slowing down my showing a bit because we've started competing in agility as well as grooming competitions. When I was doing more, I was out maybe twice a month. With grooming comps you need to let the dogs get really hairy so you have something to clip off, and with showing they need to have their coat right up to the minute they walk in, so I've had to trade off a bit. But I will do more over the winter again once the grooming comps stop.

You CAN take other dogs, provided they are entered as NFC(not for competition) and they are KC registered. But unless you plan to bring someone along to look after the other dogs, the NFC dogs would have to be crated while you're showing and otherwise busy, which just sort of adds to your day a bit.
 
We show reasonably seriously. It's nearly always a full day affair, and I budget £100 per championship show. We do 10-12 champ shows a year, and a handful of opens.

You can take other dogs, mostly you need to enter them as Not for Competition, about £12 ish, but some shows now do spectator dog entry on the day, about £5 usually. Similarly, to take them NFC they need to be KC reg, but you can register them as companion dogs with the KC, it's different to breed registered obviously.

You need to consider your location. We travel up to 3hours each way for a normal champ, and will go further for a particular judge or show. The whole thing can and usually does seem a bit bizarre, but showing is strangely addictive. We are in Norfolk, but some of my puppy owners are in northern Aberdeen on the coast, so understandably their shows are 3-4 days because of driving down to Birmingham etc. It can be a costly affair!

Do go along to a show, fossedata and dog.biz are the websites where all entries are done and schedules are, so y should be able to find something near you to pop along to. I show hounds, so if you want to come and meet some, let me know! Wetherby Racecourse hold the annual Driffield Championship show weekend after this next, that's always a nice show to go to :)
 
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