Puppies 1 Dog Show, ending in mental dog-torture! ;) (long)

FinnishLapphund

There's no cow on the ice
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Monday morning arrives at very interesting place, people and dogs everywhere, so the two 7 months old puppies gets a little excited. Until they realize it's all about "seeing but no playing", it's a National Dog Show.

Later first puppy goes in the ring, things get interesting again, trots happily around, waits patiently, stranger approaches but owner says "Look teeth" so puppy knew it wasn't the usual hello, hello happy to meet you. Stranger looks at teeth and feels around on the body, strange stranger, but always nice to be said hello to. More fun, gets to trot more, stops and have to stand for a ridiculous long time. Fun again more trotting, stops, owner seems happy over being allowed to change place with another owner and dog to stand second in line. Owner gets silly blue little plastic ribbon, shakes a few peoples hands and we leave the ring.

Mother to the puppies goes in to the ring, gets very happy, all light on me + being alone with owner, trots, look teeth and feel on body, stands and trot again, very happily all the time. Judge likes her, but not enough, we leave the ring.



Gets to go to a strange toilet, sawdust and a few stems, one puppy uses it the other two have party-bladders. Then things seems to be getting funny again, starts walking around the sales booths, full of interesting smells, turns out once again it's all about waiting, seeing but no action. Gets lots of praise though for good behaviour, people stops to say Hello, gets more praise for being rather calm and well mannered. People seems a little surprised over owner being able to shop, carry two or three bags with two 7 months old puppies + a 3 year old bitch in narrow, busy aisles.

Goes home. Owner leaves to go back and support puppy-brother Boris, who became Best in Breed-puppy, and puppy-owners who are showing dog for the first time are very nervous. So owner are supporting for about 1 hour, 1 and a half hour, all the way before the puppy-final. Makes sure the show-leash and numberplate-holders (that she borrowed to them that morning) are in order, that Boris has had a recent chance to pee and little brushing to be on the safe side. Supports very, very nervous puppy-owner all the way through behind the scenes collecting-ring and waits just outside the big final ring. Boris was tired, more or less either wanted to play with the other puppies or sleep. Judge choose other dogs, owner back home after about 2 hours.





Tuesday morning, back for the International Dog Show. It's the more "promising" looking sisters turn to be showed (owner saying something about not wanting to risk competing with brother on puppy-owners first show).
Second sister goes into the ring, gets very happy all light on me, trots like a pro, waits patiently, stranger approaches. Owner says "Look teeth", puppy prepared it's a strange stranger, looks teeth and feels around on body. Time for more trotting, puppy happy and wants different, owner does half-stop + Hrm = puppy starts trotting like a pro again, stands still for a ridiculous long time, some more pro-trot, stops. Owner seems happy over being allowed to change place with two owners with dogs to stand first in line and gets silly red little plastic ribbon. In comes a strange male puppy and gets "better" ribbons, owner shakes a few peoples hands and we leave the ring. Owner very happy over the words "Very well presented".

Gets to go to a strange toilet, sawdust and a few stems, one puppy uses it the other two have party-bladders. Then owner seems to need to walk around the sales booths again, lots of interesting smells, but again it's all about waiting, seeing but no action. Gets lots of praise though for good behaviour, people stops to say Hello, gets more praise for being rather calm and well mannered. People seems a little surprised over owner being able to shop, carry two or three bags with two 7 months old puppies + a 3 year old bitch in narrow, busy aisles.


Goes home and in the evening *WARNING* sensitive readers, this is where the mental dog-torture begins, owners starts going through today's and yesterdays shopping-bags. Gnaw-bone after gnaw-bone is revealed from the bags, only to be put down in a box "For later use." Later!
And then, Le grand finale, the six bull penises made in doggy heaven, about 1 metre long each, owner chops of three about + 10 centimetres and gives to us dogs and the rest goes the same way as the other gnaw-bones, "For later use." LATER! Outrageous!


from Sweden.
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Haha, good report!

I often wonder what they must think of us all...explaining it to other humans is strange enough.

"Well, we like to drive halfway across the country (or sometimes a ferry, to another country), run around a ring at full-tilt for up to half an hour, let a complete stranger look in their mouth (and in some cases, examine their boy-bits) and usually come home empty-handed.

"But we do it for the fun of it."
 
My puppy-buyer thought of Dog Shows as a sort of Miss Universe contest, where most beautiful dog with most beautiful owner are most likely to win. And that you had to have all the "gear" = show-tent, trim-table, at least 10 different brushes etc, to have any chance on winning, but I don't think it's quite that bad.

Anyway, when they came to look at the puppies, I made it very clear that I only wanted to sell Bosse-Boris to somebody willing to show him at least once, because already at 4, 5 weeks old I knew he would end up looking really good. If they really couldn't consider showing, they could be allowed to buy Bente-Beata (the puppy I showed the first day, she won my mothers heart and ended up staying). But they really wanted a male and after a lot of talking, where I promised to help them with everything from the entry-forms all the way to the show was over, they decided for Boris.
I always also made it very clear that judges taste can be very different from mine, and I did know that once they had bought him, they could change their mind.

It was rather funny, husband had also came (it is wife and one of the teenage daughters that has the dog-interest) and looked as if only being mildly interested. Then the judge liked Boris and wanted to see him against the best puppy-bitch (if there was one) and the husband started smiling. Then Boris won over the other puppy-bitch (who had beaten Beata) and became Best of Breed-puppy, I swear, the husband suddenly grew a size or two, HIS little Boris had won prizes...
And they still looked just as proud and pleased after the final, although Boris wasn't placed, they even said that they might do it again if I helped them then as well.



I also believe it's hard to find a better place to give a dog some environment socialization than a Dog Show, lots of other dogs of different breeds, waiting outside the ring, behaving in the ring and a stranger being allowed to squeeze them on the strangest places...
My dogs also usually likes and enjoy the all light on me moment, regardless if there's other dogs in the ring. I can understand people who think it's strange that I enjoy it, spending time and money only to find out that the judge doesn't like my type of dog, but I only do a few shows a year and don't travel unlimited distances to get there.


from Sweden.
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Now you know FL if dog showing was REALLY as fun and interesting as that I would do it, instead of running a mile at the words 'dog show'
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I think I was soured at an early age...actually knowing my mum, a VERY early age
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Hm, I think I can guess what you're talking about, they usually turn up in larger numbers at summer shows, probably being told that it's just healthy to spend a day outdoors and not to stray from their picnic blanket.

from Sweden.
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Don't remind me about my now gone pennies, it's ridiculous how much I spent on gnaw bones (and a few other things) but the bones I buy now usually lasts ½ a year or more. I both save money and ask for some in Christmas present to be able to use the fact that they're a few crowns, or more, cheaper than normal. When I then buy f. ex. 12 of one sort and 6 of another, if I'm lucky, they sometimes round off downwards a little to.
But thrilled, tired and penniless fits like hand in a glove.
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Glad you liked to read it CALA, I was a little afraid you'd go "AHA, I knew you where one of those nuts, vain, it's all about the looks dog owners."
I really do love going on a few shows a year, they really do make my day.
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It's so many things that gets me going, and I admit
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rosettes makes me go "I want, I want, I want..." But though it's a competition, in the end of the day the only difference the result means is that, if the result isn't good I'm happy and loves my dogs, if the result is good I'm even happier and loves my dogs.


from Sweden.
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Now you know FL if dog showing was REALLY as fun and interesting as that I would do it, instead of running a mile at the words 'dog show'
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I think I was soured at an early age...actually knowing my mum, a VERY early age
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Go to shows in Sweden, they really are fun and interesting. Well the ones I have been to. Very much more social than the UK ones. Many of the German, Netherland, Belgium shows too are great. Now if only I could spend 6 months a year in Sweden I would be very happy!
 
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