Westminster KC show - NY

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RunToEarth

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I have just flicked through this gallery:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/pic...ow-in-New-York-in-pictures.html?frame=3576477

I have so many questions. The GSP - is it an odd shape or it is just the way it is sitting?

Is it normal to use GHD hair straighteners on dogs for showing?

Some of them appear to have rabbit hutch type drinkers on their cages - why?

The Maltese being groomed, is it standard practice to package bits of his coat up like that?

I've never really paid any attention to dog showing but some of those photos just made me a little :( for the dogs. Are they treated as pets at home and allowed to get a little bit dirty or are they kept exemplary all of the time?
 
It looks more normal when standing:

2016_bis_winner.jpg


If veeeeery long through the stifle?

I have no doubt that GHD/straightener use is 'normal' in some circles, wrapping the coat certainly is (the bits on the maltese). Assume rabbit hutch drinkers are to stop dogs getting their coat or ears wet as they might from a normal bowl. And yes, some of these dogs will not lead 'normal' lives for fear of ruining the coat. :(

My concern with showing is not the usually reasonably harmless primping and grooming but the normalisation and reward of some pretty hideous conformation and health issues - pugs, bulldogs, neo mastiffs etc.
 
Can't bear this show, there was a double merle, blind dog that was paraded round as a 'fine example' and used as a stud, actually won one year as I recall.
 
Can't comment on the GSP.

I use Babyliss gas powered straighteners actually. If the hair is curly and you want it straight, then yes, fairly normal procedure. I use it on the ends of my poodles ears which get very curly, particularly on a humid day.

Bottled drinkers are to keep the dog's entire face from getting wet, or to avoid spilling in their crates and getting the dogs wet. After spending effort and time bathing, drying and fluffing a spilled water bowl can ruin hours of work. I found out the hard way at crufts last year when my poodle dunked her ears in the bowl. I don't use a rabbit bottle, I now use a covered water dish that is spill proof and keeps the ears out as well.

Yes, packaging parts of the coat is standard procedure. It protects parts of the coat that frequently get knotted or dirty or wet. It doesn't hurt the dog, but it does protect the coat.

I can't speak for the dogs at Westminster, but I can assure you that a good number of those people I know who show their dogs in the UK very much treat their dogs like pets. Mine go to the beach, enjoy muddy walks, do agility, and they also have run of my sofa, sleep on the bed and are very pampered. But they also spend a lot of time being groomed. Fortunately they were started at a young age and they not only accept it, they expect it and enjoy it.

I've been grooming for 13 years, and the show dogs I've had the pleasure to work on were better mannered than most pet dogs for grooming simply because they were better socialised and handled from a young age than almost all pet dogs which were dragged in to the salon for their yearly shave down. All the show dogs I've known have very much been family pets first and happen to go to shows. And among them are champions who have had very good show careers.
 
I suppose I ought to say, before someone points out the hypocrisy in my post, that I do handle a coated/groomed dog in the show ring. With the exception of the evening before a show he is a filthy little bogbeast, though, and a family pet first and foremost.

Again, I think that grooming and trimming is nothing compared to the likes of http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/videos/Best of Group/2016/pid:hMWKCCVgAGgb - skip to 20.08 and take a look at the neo.
 
blackcob said:
I suppose I ought to say, before someone points out the hypocrisy in my post, that I do handle a coated/groomed dog in the show ring. With the exception of the evening before a show he is a filthy little bogbeast, though, and a family pet first and foremost.

Again, I think that grooming and trimming is nothing compared to the likes of http://www.westminsterkennelclub.org/videos/Best of Group/2016/pid:hMWKCCVgAGgb - skip to 20.08 and take a look at the neo.
Click to expand...

I've seen the pics BC, we know he is a glamorous little show dog who never gets to go anywhere really - and CERTAINLY never gets splatted by a certain sibe.... ;)
 
A few of my own show dog, to show you what kind of life she leads
28 days of the month she looks like this....
Alice%20corded_zpscu3x6ytj.jpg




alice%20catch_zpsmvcksqbw.jpg


2 or 3 days a month she looks like this
f119759040_zpsnzkckgik.jpg


oh, and by the way, referencing another thread about nails - that last photo - nails desperate for a trim after 1 week!
 
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My lovely show dog Tiva in her usual state
<a href="http://s1346.photobucket.com/user/Satinbaze/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpslrforhfk.jpeg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1346.photobucket.com/albums/p690/Satinbaze/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpslrforhfk.jpeg" border="0" alt="Tiva at the beach photo image_zpslrforhfk.jpeg"/></a>

Then again at crufts last year (going again this year after a successful 2015 in the show ring)



<a href="http://s1346.photobucket.com/user/Satinbaze/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsc1o3wpnb.jpeg.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1346.photobucket.com/albums/p690/Satinbaze/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsc1o3wpnb.jpeg" border="0" alt="Tiva at crufts 2015 photo image_zpsc1o3wpnb.jpeg"/></a>

Fortunately it only takes a quick bath and slight trim to get her all spruced up
 
cinnamontoast said:
Holy moly, Puccipony, how long does the transformation take? Takes me an hour to wash, dry and straighten just my hair!
Click to expand...

If I stay on top of the coat with 2x a week bath/dry and a 1x a week trim I spend maybe 2 to 3 hrs a week grooming.

If I leave it several weeks (like I have just now) it'll take me probably 4 -5 hrs to bath and trim, maybe longer. I give her (and myself) breaks to break up the monotony, but she mostly snoozes through drying process.
 
Fabulous! I have a hankering for a standard poodle, there's an amazing apricot one near the yard. I know it's fronted upon, but I'd love a parti standard, too!
 
cinnamontoast said:
Fabulous! I have a hankering for a standard poodle, there's an amazing apricot one near the yard. I know it's fronted upon, but I'd love a parti standard, too!
Click to expand...


Poodles are lovely dogs to live with. High maintenance coat wise and you have to constantly keep their mind working but such joy.
 
Lévrier;13182695 said:
I've seen the pics BC, we know he is a glamorous little show dog who never gets to go anywhere really - and CERTAINLY never gets splatted by a certain sibe.... ;)
Click to expand...

I thought I'd lost him the other day, kept whistling and he didn't appear, turned out a certain sibe was sat on him. :p
 
I have adored flatcoats since a certain Shargleam Blackcap went BIS at Crufts - and that REALLY shows my age :D :D Tiva is absolutely lovely Satinblaze, any more pics?

How are they temperament wise nowadays incidentally? I was so disappointed when I met a couple of flatcoats a few years ago, they were really narky and aggressive and one bit my little Flick greyhound :O It completely spoiled my image of the breed, but I strongly suspect that they are NOT all like that and these two were just very bad examples!
 
Lévrier;13185803 said:
I have adored flatcoats since a certain Shargleam Blackcap went BIS at Crufts - and that REALLY shows my age :D :D Tiva is absolutely lovely Satinblaze, any more pics?

How are they temperament wise nowadays incidentally? I was so disappointed when I met a couple of flatcoats a few years ago, they were really narky and aggressive and one bit my little Flick greyhound :O It completely spoiled my image of the breed, but I strongly suspect that they are NOT all like that and these two were just very bad examples!
Click to expand...

I've never met a nasty pet one, always so pleased to see you and happy to come for a cuddle. But they're still fairly rare.
 
PucciNPoni said:
I've never met a nasty pet one, always so pleased to see you and happy to come for a cuddle. But they're still fairly rare.
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That is good news PNP - I doubt anything will realistically drag me away from greyhounds, but it is good to hear that the ones I met were absolutely the exception as I had imagined, so I can continue to admire :) :)
 
Here are more Tiva pics ( just coz she is fab




First photo taken by Koyoko Ross after Tiva qualified or crufts 2016, second photo taken on holiday in the lake district

My experience of flat coat temperament is that it is second to none. Mine are friendly and outgoing to people and other dogs. They are very trainable but you need to work with them, they will not be bullied. They have lots of natural ability and excellent noses and can turn a paw to any discipline. Mine also compte in obedience as well as breed and I need to look into training Tiva for the show gundog working certificate.
 
In the nicest possible, least weird, way (if that is possible!) I can see that a stalk online will be necessary here Satinblaze :D

What lovely girls :) :) And how fabulous you have had such success :) :)
 
Thanks to everyone who has responded - PP, your poodle is absolutely gorgeous and I would never guess from the first photo that it was even possible to achieve such a coat as her showing photos - what a transformation.

SB - your flatcoats are beautiful!
 
RunToEarth said:
Thanks to everyone who has responded - PP, your poodle is absolutely gorgeous and I would never guess from the first photo that it was even possible to achieve such a coat as her showing photos - what a transformation.

SB - your flatcoats are beautiful!
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Thank you :)

There is a lot o work in it, but poodles just love time spent with their humans and grooming does take a lot of time. I've got two poodles in coat, one in show coat and the other more of a pet style but much hairier than the average pet trim as I do grooming competitions with him and while I can manage with a LOT less work on his coat, he still WANTS to be fussed over. They do enjoy it.

Though to be fair to your original post, I've heard stories about the US showing circuit which some of may be true for some of the dogs but I would prefer think that it's not true for most of the dogs. I've got relatives in the US still showing their dogs and from what I have seen the dogs aren't treated like commodities which most of the stories seem to indicate.

I think here in the UK though there is more of a culture that the dogs are multi use - they do more than one job. They're pets. They're agility dogs that show. They're show dogs that do agility. They're show dogs and obedience dogs. They do shutzhund. I have a friend who's got four poodles. One is my bitches brother - he's won 2 agility classes and a jumping class at the weekend. He's a show dog first. But she also took him to a grooming comp two weeks ago, and he is in full show coat. One is a rescue and he doesn't do much yet, but she's been taking him out to puppy classes. Her toy bitch is a demon for grooming but she is kept in short hair and she has done agility, obedience and still does shutzhund. Her old retired show dog has been a grooming comp dog and now her main job is to keep the sofa warm.

When I die I want to come back as one of her dogs lol.
 
PP you are quite right, here in the UK a lot of show dogs are pets firstly then show dogs. Many show flatcoats also are picking up dogs too. Tivas breeder is a gamekeeper so hers work hard during the shooting season but after a quick wash and brush are in the show ring and doing very well. Tivas sister has 1CC and 2RCC as well as her SGWC.
Yes there are the "big" kennels where dogs are purely show and breeding animals but fortunately these are a minority in the UK
 
Lévrier;13185803 said:
I have adored flatcoats since a certain Shargleam Blackcap went BIS at Crufts - and that REALLY shows my age :D :D Tiva is absolutely lovely Satinblaze, any more pics?

How are they temperament wise nowadays incidentally? I was so disappointed when I met a couple of flatcoats a few years ago, they were really narky and aggressive and one bit my little Flick greyhound :O It completely spoiled my image of the breed, but I strongly suspect that they are NOT all like that and these two were just very bad examples!
Click to expand...

Can't say I remember Blackcap ! :p There are 2 flatcoat bitches go to our agility class, both successful show dogs too (will be at Crufts again this year) they are lovely happy dogs with great temperaments. Pickle is in love with one and she happily puts up with his very over the top advances.
 
MurphysMinder said:
Can't say I remember Blackcap ! :p There are 2 flatcoat bitches go to our agility class, both successful show dogs too (will be at Crufts again this year) they are lovely happy dogs with great temperaments. Pickle is in love with one and she happily puts up with his very over the top advances.
Click to expand...

I was 10 years old at the time..... ;)
 
CH Shargleam Blackcap won Crufts in 1980 then of course the fabulous SHCH Vbos the Kentuckian won in 2011 and last year SHCH Castlerock Simply Magic went reserve best in show.
I didn't have flatcoats in the Blackcap era however it was certainly his win that turned me towards the breed.
PP have any smaller poodles gone BIS, I know standards have. Yours are so smart. I one trained a miniature for a film and she was a very bright dog.
 
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