If you live in the Kittery, Maine area, read on. Otherwise, feel free to skip this posting.
On Thursday, April 3, from 6-8 PM, Kittery Adult Education is offering a class on dog showing, both conformation and obedience. For the conformation part of the program, Karen Bruno (who grooms and handles Cocker Spaniels and Australian Terriers) will talk about dog shows and breeding. For the obedience part, obedience instructor Sue Walsh (who shows Cocker Spaniels in obedience) will speak about training and showing in obedience.
Cost: $10 for Kittery residents, $12 for non-residents.
To register, call 207-439-5896.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Friday, February 22, 2008
So a Funny Thing Happened...
Remember last week when I was called in to consult on a very delicate topic for Ask Dog Lady? Well, things get even better from there.
I did know that Ask Dog Lady was syndicated -- unlike yours truly, Monica the Dog Lady is a real, honest-to-goodness journalist -- but I had no idea how many papers run the column. Of course I saw the version on her Web site. When she sent me the link to the version on the Chicago Sun-Times' Web site, I was pleased. I also thought that was the end of it.
Next thing I knew, I received an email from David Simmons, a fellow Beardie owner who also happens to work at the same company I do. "YOU have been blogged," said the subject line. His email pointed me to an entry in his blog. It seems he saw this version of the Ask Dog Lady column in a Waltham, MA paper -- and he's in NC! Another friend from Salem, OR picked up the same article on Google Alerts and shared the link with the BeardieList. The whole thing is mushrooming -- wow! Monica never told me just how famous she is -- but I must admit I'm enjoying the ride on her coattails!
Wouldn't it just figure, though, that my 15 minutes of fame would be spent discussing dog poop?
A Couple of Related Shout-Outs
I had the pleasure of talking today with Bianca, a fourth-year journalism student at Northeastern -- so a shout-out goes to her. Bianca keeps a blog for her class, and she contacted me to talk after interviewing Monica. Monica suggested she talk to me next. (Thanks again and another shout-out to Monica for that!)
We talked about a variety of subjects ranging from old media to new media, from blogs to dogs to Web design to usability. I hope I answered her questions adequately, and that she has a good time writing the article. Thanks, Bianca!
Also... thanks too to Izzy Forman of 360i for sending me this Westminster-related video from Petside.com.
I did know that Ask Dog Lady was syndicated -- unlike yours truly, Monica the Dog Lady is a real, honest-to-goodness journalist -- but I had no idea how many papers run the column. Of course I saw the version on her Web site. When she sent me the link to the version on the Chicago Sun-Times' Web site, I was pleased. I also thought that was the end of it.
Next thing I knew, I received an email from David Simmons, a fellow Beardie owner who also happens to work at the same company I do. "YOU have been blogged," said the subject line. His email pointed me to an entry in his blog. It seems he saw this version of the Ask Dog Lady column in a Waltham, MA paper -- and he's in NC! Another friend from Salem, OR picked up the same article on Google Alerts and shared the link with the BeardieList. The whole thing is mushrooming -- wow! Monica never told me just how famous she is -- but I must admit I'm enjoying the ride on her coattails!
Wouldn't it just figure, though, that my 15 minutes of fame would be spent discussing dog poop?
A Couple of Related Shout-Outs
I had the pleasure of talking today with Bianca, a fourth-year journalism student at Northeastern -- so a shout-out goes to her. Bianca keeps a blog for her class, and she contacted me to talk after interviewing Monica. Monica suggested she talk to me next. (Thanks again and another shout-out to Monica for that!)
We talked about a variety of subjects ranging from old media to new media, from blogs to dogs to Web design to usability. I hope I answered her questions adequately, and that she has a good time writing the article. Thanks, Bianca!
Also... thanks too to Izzy Forman of 360i for sending me this Westminster-related video from Petside.com.
Dog Show People: A Field Guide
Someone posted this to the Beardie List this morning. I couldn't help but chuckle -- so you enjoy, too.
Dog Show People -- A Field Guide
Dog Show People -- A Field Guide
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
This is Another Public Service Announcement
I read the Google search phrases, and I know you've been asking, so...
Show Handling Classes in Westbrook, ME
Saccarappa Obedience Club is offering Show Handling classes with Penny Cary starting on Thursday, March 13. Class sessions run for 6 weeks, and are held at the Westbrook Armory, Westbrook, ME. For more information or to register, call Evelyn at (207) 284-4093.
Penny's Web site lists the different classes she teaches around southern Maine and the different session dates.
Show Handling Classes in Raymond, NH
Bo-Gee is offering show handling classes with Patricia Barrett on Thursday evenings at 7:30 PM, starting March 6. the course runs 6 weeks. If space is available, drop-ins are welcome at a cost of $15 per dog.
See Bo-Gee's Web site for all the details.
Show Handling Workshop in Lincolnville, ME on March 16
Sue Morlan, who is a UKC (United Kennel Club) conformation judge, is offering a workshop on show handling at Wag It! Sports Camp in Lincolnville. FMI, email Sumac or visit Wag It's Web site.
Show Handling Classes in Bangor, ME
The Penobscot Valley Kennel Club offers show handling classes at Pet Quarters on Stillwater Avenue in Bangor. Price: $7.00 per class.
Private Show Handling Classes in Kennebunk, ME
Tracy Shaw is offering private handling classes at Diamond Dream Dog Center in Kennebunk, ME starting on March 7. Send her an email or call 207-985-6985 to set something up.
Dinah and I took group handling classes with Tracy, and we learned a lot. We also met fellow show people from the area and created an instant cheering section for all of the dogs in the class! Of course, we went on to work with Kathy later on, but our early training in the class was invaluable for both of us.
Show Handling Classes in Westbrook, ME
Saccarappa Obedience Club is offering Show Handling classes with Penny Cary starting on Thursday, March 13. Class sessions run for 6 weeks, and are held at the Westbrook Armory, Westbrook, ME. For more information or to register, call Evelyn at (207) 284-4093.
Penny's Web site lists the different classes she teaches around southern Maine and the different session dates.
Show Handling Classes in Raymond, NH
Bo-Gee is offering show handling classes with Patricia Barrett on Thursday evenings at 7:30 PM, starting March 6. the course runs 6 weeks. If space is available, drop-ins are welcome at a cost of $15 per dog.
See Bo-Gee's Web site for all the details.
Show Handling Workshop in Lincolnville, ME on March 16
Sue Morlan, who is a UKC (United Kennel Club) conformation judge, is offering a workshop on show handling at Wag It! Sports Camp in Lincolnville. FMI, email Sumac or visit Wag It's Web site.
Show Handling Classes in Bangor, ME
The Penobscot Valley Kennel Club offers show handling classes at Pet Quarters on Stillwater Avenue in Bangor. Price: $7.00 per class.
Private Show Handling Classes in Kennebunk, ME
Tracy Shaw is offering private handling classes at Diamond Dream Dog Center in Kennebunk, ME starting on March 7. Send her an email or call 207-985-6985 to set something up.
Dinah and I took group handling classes with Tracy, and we learned a lot. We also met fellow show people from the area and created an instant cheering section for all of the dogs in the class! Of course, we went on to work with Kathy later on, but our early training in the class was invaluable for both of us.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Westminster: It Ain't for Sissies
Congratulations to Uno the Beagle and everyone else who won at Westminster! I've recorded both nights of the show to my TiVo, and will enjoy them at my leisure soon. I came down with yet another nasty wintertime virus this week, and I've just been too slothful and stuffy-headed to enjoy much of anything aside from hot tea.
Dinah and I didn't attend the show this year. We didn't win anything big enough in the past year to merit an invitation, plus there's the pesky issue of those two crummy majors standing between us and getting Dinah finished. (Only champions of record are allowed to compete at Westminster.)
I know no one who reads this blog would ever think so, but there are folks who think that the show is nothing more than a bunch of overgroomed pooches and their equally overgroomed handlers prancing around a ring, pretending that they're doing something important. Those folks must have visions of these dogs and their handlers being whisked everywhere in gleaming black limousines tricked out with pink satin pillows. The truth is, though, that showing at Westminster is about as big a test of endurance for both dog and human as one can find in the dog-showing world.
Westminster is a benched show, one of the few such shows left in the entire country. Benched shows hearken back to the early days of dog showing, and to livestock shows before them. At a benched show, you and your dog are expected to remain in the benching area for a specified length of time. The public is able to come by to see the dogs up close and talk to their owners and handlers, and they can see a number of dogs of each breed all together in their various benching areas.
What they don't tell you -- at least, until you read all the rules in the premium list -- is that you're not allowed to leave the building with your dog between early in the morning and late in the evening -- as if there were someplace else you cold go anyway. The benching areas themselves are almost (but not quite) big enough if you're showing Chihuahuas, but if you have a large dog with a correspondingly large crate, you will have to stand for the whole time you're there. You're not allowed to have chairs. You can even hire security guards to watch over your dog, your crate, and your stuff while you answer nature's call. If that doesn't already sound like more fun than you can possibly stand, remember that the show is held in Madison Square Garden in February. The doors are closed, the heat's on, and there isn't a blade of grass for miles around. You can just imagine what the place smells like.
Oh, and did I mention the crowds? How many times can you repeat, "No, this is a Bearded Collie. The Old English Sheepdogs are over there. Yes I do know that it doesn't look at all like Lassie. Yes, my dog can see just fine. Yes, I do have to brush her a lot." I can see where throat lozenges and bottled water might be precious commodities after a few hours of that.
Let's face it, the benching area is a rough place to spend a day, or even two. Having to stay on display in the benching area for hours before and hours after you show is a real strain on both your dog and you, and you both deserve a ginormous amount of credit if you can get through all that and still find the energy to make a decent showing in the ring. They should give out survival awards to every entrant.
Why do it, then? Westminster is the Big One, the longest-running dog show in the country, the Great Kahuna of Shows. If you and your dog are tough enough to take the strain, you'll meet up with some of the winningest dogs in the country and some of the biggest names in dogdom, living legends and legends-in-the-making. A breed win there, or an Award of Merit, is a singular honor -- and a group placement guarantees you a place in Westminster history.
We've never had occasion to show in a benched show. As I said above, there aren't very many of them left in the country, and it's possible that Westminster is the closest benched show to where we live. Would we go if we could? I honestly don't know. I guess we have to finish first and then see what happens.
Just for fun, here are a couple of entertaining links to posts about the Westminster show:
A non-show spectator's view of the 2005 show
Westminster 101, from someone who has exhibited there multiple times
Dinah and I didn't attend the show this year. We didn't win anything big enough in the past year to merit an invitation, plus there's the pesky issue of those two crummy majors standing between us and getting Dinah finished. (Only champions of record are allowed to compete at Westminster.)
I know no one who reads this blog would ever think so, but there are folks who think that the show is nothing more than a bunch of overgroomed pooches and their equally overgroomed handlers prancing around a ring, pretending that they're doing something important. Those folks must have visions of these dogs and their handlers being whisked everywhere in gleaming black limousines tricked out with pink satin pillows. The truth is, though, that showing at Westminster is about as big a test of endurance for both dog and human as one can find in the dog-showing world.
Westminster is a benched show, one of the few such shows left in the entire country. Benched shows hearken back to the early days of dog showing, and to livestock shows before them. At a benched show, you and your dog are expected to remain in the benching area for a specified length of time. The public is able to come by to see the dogs up close and talk to their owners and handlers, and they can see a number of dogs of each breed all together in their various benching areas.
What they don't tell you -- at least, until you read all the rules in the premium list -- is that you're not allowed to leave the building with your dog between early in the morning and late in the evening -- as if there were someplace else you cold go anyway. The benching areas themselves are almost (but not quite) big enough if you're showing Chihuahuas, but if you have a large dog with a correspondingly large crate, you will have to stand for the whole time you're there. You're not allowed to have chairs. You can even hire security guards to watch over your dog, your crate, and your stuff while you answer nature's call. If that doesn't already sound like more fun than you can possibly stand, remember that the show is held in Madison Square Garden in February. The doors are closed, the heat's on, and there isn't a blade of grass for miles around. You can just imagine what the place smells like.
Oh, and did I mention the crowds? How many times can you repeat, "No, this is a Bearded Collie. The Old English Sheepdogs are over there. Yes I do know that it doesn't look at all like Lassie. Yes, my dog can see just fine. Yes, I do have to brush her a lot." I can see where throat lozenges and bottled water might be precious commodities after a few hours of that.
Let's face it, the benching area is a rough place to spend a day, or even two. Having to stay on display in the benching area for hours before and hours after you show is a real strain on both your dog and you, and you both deserve a ginormous amount of credit if you can get through all that and still find the energy to make a decent showing in the ring. They should give out survival awards to every entrant.
Why do it, then? Westminster is the Big One, the longest-running dog show in the country, the Great Kahuna of Shows. If you and your dog are tough enough to take the strain, you'll meet up with some of the winningest dogs in the country and some of the biggest names in dogdom, living legends and legends-in-the-making. A breed win there, or an Award of Merit, is a singular honor -- and a group placement guarantees you a place in Westminster history.
We've never had occasion to show in a benched show. As I said above, there aren't very many of them left in the country, and it's possible that Westminster is the closest benched show to where we live. Would we go if we could? I honestly don't know. I guess we have to finish first and then see what happens.
Just for fun, here are a couple of entertaining links to posts about the Westminster show:
A non-show spectator's view of the 2005 show
Westminster 101, from someone who has exhibited there multiple times
Monday, February 11, 2008
The #1 Authority on #2
Do you have a dog-related question? At a loss for what to do in a dog-related situation, or just curious about something on the subject of dogs? You can always turn to Ask Dog Lady for advice that is both humorous and helpful. Her Web site design is certifiably Wicked Sharp as well.
Imagine my pleasure when I found an email from her in my inbox this afternoon. She had received a question from a reader on the subject of dogs eliminating during a dog show. My reply, and her column on that delicate subject, appear on the home page of Ask Dog Lady. It's a timely query, considering that the Westminster Kennel Club show takes place over the next two days, and the groups are broadcast on Monday and Tuesday evenings on the USA Network and CNBC. Best in Show takes place on Tuesday night immediately after group judging.
Imagine my pleasure when I found an email from her in my inbox this afternoon. She had received a question from a reader on the subject of dogs eliminating during a dog show. My reply, and her column on that delicate subject, appear on the home page of Ask Dog Lady. It's a timely query, considering that the Westminster Kennel Club show takes place over the next two days, and the groups are broadcast on Monday and Tuesday evenings on the USA Network and CNBC. Best in Show takes place on Tuesday night immediately after group judging.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Struck Me Funny!
Usually, whenever something humorous travels around the email "circuit," I get 42 gazillion jillion copies of it from everybody I've ever met (plus a bunch I haven't). This is a historic moment, though: I saw one on the Canadian Show Dogs email list that I hadn't seen before. It's too funny and too truthful not to share.
Unfortunately, any attributions of authorship didn't appear with the original posting... so if you're the author, thanks for a terrific chuckle. I didn't write this, but wish I had.
Enjoy!
Dog Show Terms Explained!
Angulation-
Degree to which dog handlers will bend over backwards to impress judges.
Balance-
(a) How to arrange the chequebook so your husband won't know how much
money you spent on dog shows last month. Usually done in the bathroom
with the door locked;
(b) Ability to hold coffee, danish, leash, treats and entry form all at once.
Bitch-
(a) Name for a lady dog;
(b) Name often heard at dog shows, not always to describe a lady dog.
Blind Retrieve-
When you can't see the toy under the furniture.
CGC-
Canine Gastrointestinal Catastrophe {aka GAS}
Coat-
The hairy covering of a dog that usually falls out about one week before the Specialty show.
Crabbing-
What you do when the judge doesn't like way your dog moves.
Dam-
(a) lady dog with children;
(b) expression frequently overheard at dog shows as losers leave the ring.
Distemper-
Shown by those hot-headed competitors.
Dog-
To chase a judge from show to show in an effort to attain more breed wins.
Double Bind-
Finding two toys under the furniture.
Elbow-
Method of getting to ringside when late.
Expression-
"Sweet" look adopted by dogs while staring ravenously at chunks of liver.
Fancier-
Degree to which some gentlemen handlers dress more than others.
Feathering-
What winners are accused of doing to judges' nests.
FlyBall-
Neutering.
Force Fetch-
Dog drops the toy under furniture, scratches at the carpet until you're forced to "fetch" it.
Front-
Part of the dog often stacked toward the outside of the ring.
Guard Hair-
An activity in which one watches intently as the dog's hair falls out, in clumps, just after entries are mailed.
Heel-
(a) what you feel like when your dog beats the one you had just sold to an eager novice;
(b) expression often screamed to attract the attention of deaf dogs.
Height-
As in "Maximum Allowed," a measurement which all champions fall under by AT LEAST 1/8 of an inch.
Hock-
A way of financing your dog shows by the use of jewellery such as wedding rings.
Kennel-
Where you go when the kids fight and your husband yells at you.
Litter-
Trash left all over the building and parking lot after a dog show.
Mask-
What to wear when you have to show the pet you sold six months ago.
Muzzle-
What to put on your kids at a dog show to prevent them from calling your competition what they overheard you call him last night.
Noseprints-
Cute marks left all over your French doors.
Outcrossing-
What your husband tells the minister you are doing out in the kennel with the dog and the bitch.
Overshot-
Running so fast as to pass the 1st place ring marker and plow into the judge and the stewards.
Pedigree-
Dog food with lots of great coupons.
Points-
Minute, invisible awards for winning which you cannot convince your spouse are more important than cash prizes.
Puppies-
Small, dog like food-processing machines with the ability to stink up an entire house and collectively deafen a band of magpies. (These creatures have not yet been perfected, as they come with leaky systems, and can also be dangerous to weak hearts and bank accounts.)
Qualifying Score-
Justifying the 170.5 you got in obedience today.
Ribbons-
What you want to cut the other exhibitors into, after their pet wins.
Specialty-
Whatever your dog is good at, like bringing home dead cats or chewing on walls.
Type-
What your dog has... if you turn down the lights and squint a little.
Utility-
The kind of vehicle you need to haul around your dogs.
Unfortunately, any attributions of authorship didn't appear with the original posting... so if you're the author, thanks for a terrific chuckle. I didn't write this, but wish I had.
Enjoy!
Dog Show Terms Explained!
Angulation-
Degree to which dog handlers will bend over backwards to impress judges.
Balance-
(a) How to arrange the chequebook so your husband won't know how much
money you spent on dog shows last month. Usually done in the bathroom
with the door locked;
(b) Ability to hold coffee, danish, leash, treats and entry form all at once.
Bitch-
(a) Name for a lady dog;
(b) Name often heard at dog shows, not always to describe a lady dog.
Blind Retrieve-
When you can't see the toy under the furniture.
CGC-
Canine Gastrointestinal Catastrophe {aka GAS}
Coat-
The hairy covering of a dog that usually falls out about one week before the Specialty show.
Crabbing-
What you do when the judge doesn't like way your dog moves.
Dam-
(a) lady dog with children;
(b) expression frequently overheard at dog shows as losers leave the ring.
Distemper-
Shown by those hot-headed competitors.
Dog-
To chase a judge from show to show in an effort to attain more breed wins.
Double Bind-
Finding two toys under the furniture.
Elbow-
Method of getting to ringside when late.
Expression-
"Sweet" look adopted by dogs while staring ravenously at chunks of liver.
Fancier-
Degree to which some gentlemen handlers dress more than others.
Feathering-
What winners are accused of doing to judges' nests.
FlyBall-
Neutering.
Force Fetch-
Dog drops the toy under furniture, scratches at the carpet until you're forced to "fetch" it.
Front-
Part of the dog often stacked toward the outside of the ring.
Guard Hair-
An activity in which one watches intently as the dog's hair falls out, in clumps, just after entries are mailed.
Heel-
(a) what you feel like when your dog beats the one you had just sold to an eager novice;
(b) expression often screamed to attract the attention of deaf dogs.
Height-
As in "Maximum Allowed," a measurement which all champions fall under by AT LEAST 1/8 of an inch.
Hock-
A way of financing your dog shows by the use of jewellery such as wedding rings.
Kennel-
Where you go when the kids fight and your husband yells at you.
Litter-
Trash left all over the building and parking lot after a dog show.
Mask-
What to wear when you have to show the pet you sold six months ago.
Muzzle-
What to put on your kids at a dog show to prevent them from calling your competition what they overheard you call him last night.
Noseprints-
Cute marks left all over your French doors.
Outcrossing-
What your husband tells the minister you are doing out in the kennel with the dog and the bitch.
Overshot-
Running so fast as to pass the 1st place ring marker and plow into the judge and the stewards.
Pedigree-
Dog food with lots of great coupons.
Points-
Minute, invisible awards for winning which you cannot convince your spouse are more important than cash prizes.
Puppies-
Small, dog like food-processing machines with the ability to stink up an entire house and collectively deafen a band of magpies. (These creatures have not yet been perfected, as they come with leaky systems, and can also be dangerous to weak hearts and bank accounts.)
Qualifying Score-
Justifying the 170.5 you got in obedience today.
Ribbons-
What you want to cut the other exhibitors into, after their pet wins.
Specialty-
Whatever your dog is good at, like bringing home dead cats or chewing on walls.
Type-
What your dog has... if you turn down the lights and squint a little.
Utility-
The kind of vehicle you need to haul around your dogs.
Monday, January 07, 2008
The Illusion of Warmth
We're going through a bit of a January thaw this week. Coupled with the fact that the days are a few minutes longer now than they were at the winter solstice, the almost-relatively-warm weather causes some of us to start daydreaming about spring and flowers in bloom and chirping birds and the Red Sox back at Fenway and... you guessed it... dog shows.
Not that I'm not enjoying the heck out of taking a break. Not showing is an order of magnitude less expensive than showing, which means I have more disposable income for stuff like agility classes and heating oil. I'm happy to be able to go to agility and rally classes on the weekends and be back home before lunchtime. It's just that this little spell of warm weather has me thinking of the year ahead, and what we hope to achieve, and some of the fun we're going to have.
Turns out I'm not the only one. I've been sending snow photos of Dinah to Kathy, whom I think misses the weekend show grind a little bit, too. There's a bit of a wistful tinge to Kathy's notes when she says, "Dinah's such a lovely bitch. I can't wait to show her again." I know Dinah will be overjoyed to see her Auntie Kathy again, probably so much so that we'll have to work to get her to keep all four on the floor for the first show of the year.
All the same, you know you've got it bad when you're sitting in Maine in mid-January, looking out at the snow and daydreaming about the National Specialty in California in October. I can't even believe I did this -- especially after the crappy results we had this past year -- but I even sent an email to Kathy asking if she thought she might like to fly out to Santa Rosa and show the Princess then. I can't believe she sent back an enthusiastic Yes! Likewise, we've already chatted about showing at the Canadian Specialty this coming August (subtitled: Dinah's triumphant return to Gananoque). Oh yes... we've got it bad.
Tuesday, January 01, 2008
Belated Shout-Outs, Belated Everything
Whew! Where did the rest of 2007 go, and why didn't I get anything done?!
Everybody's probably sung this particular song at one time or another, but the end of this past year was probably the quickest one on record. When I was on the early side of my week's vacation at the end of December, the possibilities stretched off into infinity. I could redo every room in the house, finish every knitting project for miles around, catch up on a decade's worth of reading, and save the world -- and all this before dinnertime on Monday.
Ah, the difference between theory and practice. I had great intentions of getting caught up with all of the writing work I planned to do on this blog, and got absolutely none of it done. Nada. Bupkus. Rien du tout.
Before I reach back into the past to finish off our tales of the dog show year, though, I really do need to shout out to a couple of people who have been kind enough to correspond, acknowledge, and/or say really sweet things to me. At the very least, I owe them each a wave and a message of thanks...
First of all, a very late, but no less heartfelt, holler to Barbara Rimoshytus and Rio the Papillon (Brookfield's Slam Dunk). Barb has been a reader of this blog for a while, and we've exchanged some fun emails about rally-o, showing, and suchlike. Barb is getting back into the show ring again after some years away, and Rio is off to a terrific start. He took BOB at his very first show, with a Puppy Group 4 and WD on the second day of the show. We finally met at the Thanksgiving cluster in Springfield, and Rio gave me some very sweet Papillon kisses. I am delighted to report that Rio got his first 4-point major in Springfield that weekend. His breeder has a WABR page up for him at Infodog.com; I don't know if you have to be a subscriber to see it. Congratulations, Barb and Rio!
One person I do wish I'd had a chance to meet -- and will make a point of it if we're both going to Bay Colony next year -- is Monica the Dog Lady, of Ask Dog Lady fame. Monica was the emcee for the Rescue Parade at the Saturday show, and I'm sure she's just as hilariously articulate in person as she is on her Web site, or in her emails. She said the nicest things about me and about this little old blog, and I must admit I'm both pleased and blushing. Julie Dennehy introduced us to each other online after the shows and claimed we share a sense of humor -- and she was right.
If you haven't seen Ask Dog Lady, just ask yourself: What would you get if Dear Abby and Miss Manners got together and had a puppy? Yes, she's that witty, and the site is that much fun to read. Go and enjoy!
Everybody's probably sung this particular song at one time or another, but the end of this past year was probably the quickest one on record. When I was on the early side of my week's vacation at the end of December, the possibilities stretched off into infinity. I could redo every room in the house, finish every knitting project for miles around, catch up on a decade's worth of reading, and save the world -- and all this before dinnertime on Monday.
Ah, the difference between theory and practice. I had great intentions of getting caught up with all of the writing work I planned to do on this blog, and got absolutely none of it done. Nada. Bupkus. Rien du tout.
Before I reach back into the past to finish off our tales of the dog show year, though, I really do need to shout out to a couple of people who have been kind enough to correspond, acknowledge, and/or say really sweet things to me. At the very least, I owe them each a wave and a message of thanks...
First of all, a very late, but no less heartfelt, holler to Barbara Rimoshytus and Rio the Papillon (Brookfield's Slam Dunk). Barb has been a reader of this blog for a while, and we've exchanged some fun emails about rally-o, showing, and suchlike. Barb is getting back into the show ring again after some years away, and Rio is off to a terrific start. He took BOB at his very first show, with a Puppy Group 4 and WD on the second day of the show. We finally met at the Thanksgiving cluster in Springfield, and Rio gave me some very sweet Papillon kisses. I am delighted to report that Rio got his first 4-point major in Springfield that weekend. His breeder has a WABR page up for him at Infodog.com; I don't know if you have to be a subscriber to see it. Congratulations, Barb and Rio!
One person I do wish I'd had a chance to meet -- and will make a point of it if we're both going to Bay Colony next year -- is Monica the Dog Lady, of Ask Dog Lady fame. Monica was the emcee for the Rescue Parade at the Saturday show, and I'm sure she's just as hilariously articulate in person as she is on her Web site, or in her emails. She said the nicest things about me and about this little old blog, and I must admit I'm both pleased and blushing. Julie Dennehy introduced us to each other online after the shows and claimed we share a sense of humor -- and she was right.
If you haven't seen Ask Dog Lady, just ask yourself: What would you get if Dear Abby and Miss Manners got together and had a puppy? Yes, she's that witty, and the site is that much fun to read. Go and enjoy!
Friday, December 07, 2007
Newbie's-Eye View: Welcome to the Show!
My friend Tracey is probably the closest thing I have to a mentor in the local kennel club to which I belong. I'd joined the club shortly after I acquired my first (and thus far, only) show dog, figuring that the best way to understand how shows work is to get inside the machine and help run it. She has patiently explained all manner of things to me over the past couple of years, from the history of the club to the joys of finding a show sponsor.
While I rode down to the show this morning, I emailed her to tell her where I was going and what I was up to. She responded, "If you haven't been there before, you are in for such a treat!"
She's right -- and if you haven't been to the Bay Colony Dog Show cluster before, you're also in for a treat. You're even luckier if you're going to the show on Saturday or Sunday, because all the best spectator events and exhibits are happening at the weekend shows!
So Where Do I Start?
Once you enter the show through the lobby, the first thing you should do is to look to your left and greet the nice club members sitting at the table with the show programs. The programs contain just about everything you might want to know about events at the show, including a map of the area, listings of all of the exhibits and demos and their times and locations, and extensive listings of all of the dogs showing in the breed, obedience and rally rings -- plus where and when each of them is showing. If you're here to see a particular breed or event, you'll want to dog-ear the Index of Breeds page near the front of the program and refer to it often.
It's not mandatory that one buy a program at a dog show -- there have been many shows where I've forgotten or haven't had time -- but the monies raised by program sales go back to the clubs to help them fund other activities -- such as the next dog show. Buy a program from the club table and consider it a good-karma donation. You'll make good use of the information it contains.
Next, locate the map in your show program. (I have the Friday program, and they all vary slightly, so sorry that I can't give you exact page numbers.) Dog-ear that page, too.
Look on the left page of the map, where it says Hall A. If you haven't strayed too far from the club table yet, you're already in Hall A.
Stuff You Need
The very first place you'll want to go is to the Pedigree booth. The nice folks at Pedigree have a huge black-and-yellow booth you can't miss, and the booth features all sorts of nifty things such as the computerized Dog Breed Finder. If you're wondering which breed of dog might be a good match for your household, give it a try.
I asked one of the women running the booth what sorts of questions the Pedigree folks were getting from newbie visitors to the show. She replied that many people ask about adoption, since Pedigree sponsors the Adoption Drive. (I can't even look at those commercials without sniffling every single time. I always want to pick all the dogs who say, "Pick me!".) She went on to say that many people also asked about canine nutrition and about selecting the right breed of dog for one's household.
The Pedigree booth hands out beautiful, ginormous plastic bags with some samples of their products inside. If you're planning to do any shopping at the show or pick up any literature, you'll be very, very glad you visited Pedigree first. (My three dogs were thrilled that I visited Pedigree first. The bag I received had samples of their products, including Marrobone biscuits -- a long-time major-league favorite in our household. When I brought my bag home tonight, my entire four-legged fan club mobbed the bag and demanded that I release the Marrobones held captive inside.)
Got your bag? Good. The next place you should go is to visit the American Kennel Club (AKC) booth not too far from the Pedigree booth. No matter what you'd like to know about purebred dogs, dog sports, show rules, laws affecting dog ownership, how to get started in dog showing, or dog events for kids, the AKC is your resource. The booth has the Beginner's Guide to Dog Shows, which explains a lot of the terminology and how dog shows work. This Guide might be useful for decoding some of the language in your show program (plus there's a picture of Beardies in the show ring on page 13!). The AKC booth also has Getting Started brochures on a variety of topics, coloring books for the kids, and publications covering almost any dog-related topic plus AKC magnets, bags, poop-bag carriers, pins, and a variety of stuff for sale. there's so much information available at the AKC booth that you're going to be very glad you stopped at the Pedigree booth first for one of their bags!
I was able to visit for a bit with Lisa Peterson, the AKC's Director of Club Communications. Lisa writes the Ask AKC column in the YourAKC online newsletter. She generously loaded my hands with copies of all of the introductory brochures AKC had available for newbies, including the Beginner's Guide I just mentioned. She'll be able to answer questions you might have on just about any dog-related topic. Tell her I said hi!
(Silly me -- only after we talked, and after I came home and went to the AKC Web site, did I realize that her breed is Norwegian Elkhounds. My uncle and cousin showed Elkhounds for years, and my cousin is still a head honcho in Elkhound circles -- I believe she's held office in both the parent club and in the Norwegian Elkhound Minutemen Association.)
Okay, I Have My Bag and My Information. Now What?
Still with me? Now it's time to go off and enjoy the show! Here's just a partial list of the things you can see and do at the Bay Colony Dog Show while you're there:
Find out where and when the Meet the Breeds exhibit will be. The booths will be staffed by various breeds of dogs and their people, and the people will be happy to answer any questions you might have about their breeds -- plus you get to visit with some beautiful dogs! If you're looking for a particular breed or type of dog, or if the Pedigree Breed Finder turned up a breed you might not have considered before, but might be a good match, this is your chance to go and meet some representatives of that breed.
Go watch the agility trial. Agility is a fast, exciting dog sport, and it's almost as fun to watch as it is to participate. This is a can't-miss!
Go shopping. Oh, the shopping! If there are dog lovers on your Christmas list -- or if there are dogs on your list -- you'll be able to find something for everybody at the many booths around the show. I indulged in a bit of "mercantile therapy" and crossed a few names off my shopping list while I was there.
Definitely go visit the public education booths in Hall D -- you can find them against the wall with blue backdrops. You can visit with various representatives from breed rescues and get to meet some rescue dogs -- especially little Denver the Old English Sheepdog puppy, his mom Martine, and Grannie Annie from New England Old English Sheepdog Rescue. There are also two lovely Great Pyrenees who are Delta Society-certified therapy dogs, a beautiful lurcher (greyhound mix) who looks as though she stepped right off a medieval tapestry, several lovable Goldens, and a group of 4-Hers who are raising funds to help victims of the California wildfires.
While you're at that end of the building, watch some of the obedience and rally trials. Some of those dog and handler teams make the sports look easy, but trust me -- a lot of work went into looking that smooth.
If you're at the show on Saturday, try to see the Rescue Parade in Ring 14 at 1 PM. Little Denver the Sheepdog will be there along with some of the other rescues from the booths, and the MC for the parade is none other than the Dog Lady, of Ask Dog Lady fame. Ask Dog Lady is a hilarious question-and answer Web site about dogs, life with dogs, and suchlike. I'm just sorry I missed her by coming down on Friday. Enjoy the festivities for me!
And of course, check your program and go cheer on your favorites in the breed rings!
All Right, Already. Can We Go Watch the Show Now?
Sure. Just a few things about watching the conformation showing, and I'll let you go.
Remember that Index of Breeds page in your program, the one I suggested you dog-ear so you could find it again quickly? The few pages immediately after it in your program are what's called the Judging Program -- and they're intended to let you know where and when a certain breed is showing, how many dogs of different breeds are showing before and after that breed in the same ring, and the name of the judge.
A note about times in dog-show programs: All of the ring times you see are start times for everything happening in that ring, not just the one breed you might be looking up in the judging program. For example, suppose that you come to the show on Sunday to see the Miniature Poodles. You check your judging program and see that they're on in Ring 10 at 10:30 AM, so you hustle on over to Ring 10 and you see Silky Terriers in the ring, not Miniature Poodles. Don't worry -- just recheck your judging program. 10:30 is the start time for the ring, but after the judge is done with the Silky Terriers, he has Shih Tzus and Yorkshire Terriers to judge before your beloved Miniature Poodles come into the ring. Just wait; they'll come.
When the Mini Poodles come into the ring, flip the pages in your program until you come to the Non-Sporting Group breeds. In a show program, the breeds are listed in alphabetical order within their respective groups. Under each breed listing is a list of all of the dogs in that breed who are entered at the show. You can identify which one is which by the handler's armband number. Boys show first, then girls, then Best of Breed.
Well, I've talked enough, and you now know what you need to know to get started. Go have fun and enjoy the show!
Later on, I'll post a chronicle of my own adventures at the show. There's just so much to say, but you go have your own adventures first. We can talk about mine later.
While I rode down to the show this morning, I emailed her to tell her where I was going and what I was up to. She responded, "If you haven't been there before, you are in for such a treat!"
She's right -- and if you haven't been to the Bay Colony Dog Show cluster before, you're also in for a treat. You're even luckier if you're going to the show on Saturday or Sunday, because all the best spectator events and exhibits are happening at the weekend shows!
So Where Do I Start?
Once you enter the show through the lobby, the first thing you should do is to look to your left and greet the nice club members sitting at the table with the show programs. The programs contain just about everything you might want to know about events at the show, including a map of the area, listings of all of the exhibits and demos and their times and locations, and extensive listings of all of the dogs showing in the breed, obedience and rally rings -- plus where and when each of them is showing. If you're here to see a particular breed or event, you'll want to dog-ear the Index of Breeds page near the front of the program and refer to it often.
It's not mandatory that one buy a program at a dog show -- there have been many shows where I've forgotten or haven't had time -- but the monies raised by program sales go back to the clubs to help them fund other activities -- such as the next dog show. Buy a program from the club table and consider it a good-karma donation. You'll make good use of the information it contains.
Next, locate the map in your show program. (I have the Friday program, and they all vary slightly, so sorry that I can't give you exact page numbers.) Dog-ear that page, too.
Look on the left page of the map, where it says Hall A. If you haven't strayed too far from the club table yet, you're already in Hall A.
Stuff You Need
The very first place you'll want to go is to the Pedigree booth. The nice folks at Pedigree have a huge black-and-yellow booth you can't miss, and the booth features all sorts of nifty things such as the computerized Dog Breed Finder. If you're wondering which breed of dog might be a good match for your household, give it a try.
I asked one of the women running the booth what sorts of questions the Pedigree folks were getting from newbie visitors to the show. She replied that many people ask about adoption, since Pedigree sponsors the Adoption Drive. (I can't even look at those commercials without sniffling every single time. I always want to pick all the dogs who say, "Pick me!".) She went on to say that many people also asked about canine nutrition and about selecting the right breed of dog for one's household.
The Pedigree booth hands out beautiful, ginormous plastic bags with some samples of their products inside. If you're planning to do any shopping at the show or pick up any literature, you'll be very, very glad you visited Pedigree first. (My three dogs were thrilled that I visited Pedigree first. The bag I received had samples of their products, including Marrobone biscuits -- a long-time major-league favorite in our household. When I brought my bag home tonight, my entire four-legged fan club mobbed the bag and demanded that I release the Marrobones held captive inside.)
Got your bag? Good. The next place you should go is to visit the American Kennel Club (AKC) booth not too far from the Pedigree booth. No matter what you'd like to know about purebred dogs, dog sports, show rules, laws affecting dog ownership, how to get started in dog showing, or dog events for kids, the AKC is your resource. The booth has the Beginner's Guide to Dog Shows, which explains a lot of the terminology and how dog shows work. This Guide might be useful for decoding some of the language in your show program (plus there's a picture of Beardies in the show ring on page 13!). The AKC booth also has Getting Started brochures on a variety of topics, coloring books for the kids, and publications covering almost any dog-related topic plus AKC magnets, bags, poop-bag carriers, pins, and a variety of stuff for sale. there's so much information available at the AKC booth that you're going to be very glad you stopped at the Pedigree booth first for one of their bags!
I was able to visit for a bit with Lisa Peterson, the AKC's Director of Club Communications. Lisa writes the Ask AKC column in the YourAKC online newsletter. She generously loaded my hands with copies of all of the introductory brochures AKC had available for newbies, including the Beginner's Guide I just mentioned. She'll be able to answer questions you might have on just about any dog-related topic. Tell her I said hi!
(Silly me -- only after we talked, and after I came home and went to the AKC Web site, did I realize that her breed is Norwegian Elkhounds. My uncle and cousin showed Elkhounds for years, and my cousin is still a head honcho in Elkhound circles -- I believe she's held office in both the parent club and in the Norwegian Elkhound Minutemen Association.)
Okay, I Have My Bag and My Information. Now What?
Still with me? Now it's time to go off and enjoy the show! Here's just a partial list of the things you can see and do at the Bay Colony Dog Show while you're there:
Find out where and when the Meet the Breeds exhibit will be. The booths will be staffed by various breeds of dogs and their people, and the people will be happy to answer any questions you might have about their breeds -- plus you get to visit with some beautiful dogs! If you're looking for a particular breed or type of dog, or if the Pedigree Breed Finder turned up a breed you might not have considered before, but might be a good match, this is your chance to go and meet some representatives of that breed.
Go watch the agility trial. Agility is a fast, exciting dog sport, and it's almost as fun to watch as it is to participate. This is a can't-miss!
Go shopping. Oh, the shopping! If there are dog lovers on your Christmas list -- or if there are dogs on your list -- you'll be able to find something for everybody at the many booths around the show. I indulged in a bit of "mercantile therapy" and crossed a few names off my shopping list while I was there.
Definitely go visit the public education booths in Hall D -- you can find them against the wall with blue backdrops. You can visit with various representatives from breed rescues and get to meet some rescue dogs -- especially little Denver the Old English Sheepdog puppy, his mom Martine, and Grannie Annie from New England Old English Sheepdog Rescue. There are also two lovely Great Pyrenees who are Delta Society-certified therapy dogs, a beautiful lurcher (greyhound mix) who looks as though she stepped right off a medieval tapestry, several lovable Goldens, and a group of 4-Hers who are raising funds to help victims of the California wildfires.
While you're at that end of the building, watch some of the obedience and rally trials. Some of those dog and handler teams make the sports look easy, but trust me -- a lot of work went into looking that smooth.
If you're at the show on Saturday, try to see the Rescue Parade in Ring 14 at 1 PM. Little Denver the Sheepdog will be there along with some of the other rescues from the booths, and the MC for the parade is none other than the Dog Lady, of Ask Dog Lady fame. Ask Dog Lady is a hilarious question-and answer Web site about dogs, life with dogs, and suchlike. I'm just sorry I missed her by coming down on Friday. Enjoy the festivities for me!
And of course, check your program and go cheer on your favorites in the breed rings!
All Right, Already. Can We Go Watch the Show Now?
Sure. Just a few things about watching the conformation showing, and I'll let you go.
Remember that Index of Breeds page in your program, the one I suggested you dog-ear so you could find it again quickly? The few pages immediately after it in your program are what's called the Judging Program -- and they're intended to let you know where and when a certain breed is showing, how many dogs of different breeds are showing before and after that breed in the same ring, and the name of the judge.
A note about times in dog-show programs: All of the ring times you see are start times for everything happening in that ring, not just the one breed you might be looking up in the judging program. For example, suppose that you come to the show on Sunday to see the Miniature Poodles. You check your judging program and see that they're on in Ring 10 at 10:30 AM, so you hustle on over to Ring 10 and you see Silky Terriers in the ring, not Miniature Poodles. Don't worry -- just recheck your judging program. 10:30 is the start time for the ring, but after the judge is done with the Silky Terriers, he has Shih Tzus and Yorkshire Terriers to judge before your beloved Miniature Poodles come into the ring. Just wait; they'll come.
When the Mini Poodles come into the ring, flip the pages in your program until you come to the Non-Sporting Group breeds. In a show program, the breeds are listed in alphabetical order within their respective groups. Under each breed listing is a list of all of the dogs in that breed who are entered at the show. You can identify which one is which by the handler's armband number. Boys show first, then girls, then Best of Breed.
Well, I've talked enough, and you now know what you need to know to get started. Go have fun and enjoy the show!
Later on, I'll post a chronicle of my own adventures at the show. There's just so much to say, but you go have your own adventures first. We can talk about mine later.
Thursday, December 06, 2007
Newbies on the Road!
Yes, I know I haven't finished my post about Thanksgiving weekend, but I'm still not feeling too terribly thankful about it. I promise I'll get there. Let's just say that as season finales go, ours ranks down there with the last episode of "The Sopranos," only Tony at least got some crummy onion rings before the lights went out.
Anyway... A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Julie Dennehy, the principal PR person for the Bay Colony Dog Shows. Turns out she reads this blog, and was wondering if I would like to attend the show and blog about it from the newbie's-eye view. (Hi, Julie!) The resulting article will appear here on Dog Show Newbie, and there'll be links to it from the Bay Colony Web site.
I thought about Julie's invitation for a few minutes, and then fired back a reply: "Weather permitting, count me in!". Julie mentioned that there would be a photojournalist from one of the South Shore papers down there taking candids, and that the members of the Ladies' Dog Club (hosts of the Friday show, which is the one I chose to cover) were wonderful to work with. We swapped phone numbers and contact information, and we're looking forward to meeting up down there at the club table.
(I might have mentioned that I've always had a soft spot in my shriveled little heart for the Ladies' Dog Club, ever since my very first Beardie got his first placement at one of their shows when he was a puppy. Dinah and I had a great time at their shows in Wrentham this past year, too.)
The next thing I did was ping Kathy, who asked, "So do you think you're going to do it?" I responded that I would, if Mother Nature made it possible.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to my very first blog post as a member of the (cough) press! If you go to the show, or if you just enjoy it vicariously through my blog post, please ping Julie and let her know. If she gets a positive response, this could be the start of a pretty nifty tradition!
Anyway... A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from Julie Dennehy, the principal PR person for the Bay Colony Dog Shows. Turns out she reads this blog, and was wondering if I would like to attend the show and blog about it from the newbie's-eye view. (Hi, Julie!) The resulting article will appear here on Dog Show Newbie, and there'll be links to it from the Bay Colony Web site.
I thought about Julie's invitation for a few minutes, and then fired back a reply: "Weather permitting, count me in!". Julie mentioned that there would be a photojournalist from one of the South Shore papers down there taking candids, and that the members of the Ladies' Dog Club (hosts of the Friday show, which is the one I chose to cover) were wonderful to work with. We swapped phone numbers and contact information, and we're looking forward to meeting up down there at the club table.
(I might have mentioned that I've always had a soft spot in my shriveled little heart for the Ladies' Dog Club, ever since my very first Beardie got his first placement at one of their shows when he was a puppy. Dinah and I had a great time at their shows in Wrentham this past year, too.)
The next thing I did was ping Kathy, who asked, "So do you think you're going to do it?" I responded that I would, if Mother Nature made it possible.
Anyway, I'm looking forward to my very first blog post as a member of the (cough) press! If you go to the show, or if you just enjoy it vicariously through my blog post, please ping Julie and let her know. If she gets a positive response, this could be the start of a pretty nifty tradition!
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Fun With Google
Dale really should work for Google. I don't know anyone who makes as much use of Google's ever-increasing array of online tools, or who gets so much out of them. Dale's the one who introduced me to Google Analytics, and now I can't stop going to that site and reading my site statistics.
For a long time, I thought that no one (except maybe Jana, who owns Dinah's litter sister Buffy) read my blog, Okay, Jana and Dale. Maybe Sue, too. Oh, and Kathy, of course. I didn't think I had much of an audience. After all, my other blog was twice as high in the Technorati ratings, and people left comments all the time.
Then I started reading Google Analytics. It turns out that this little blog has a small but devoted international following, and it's beginning to draw more readers than my other blog. What a surprise! Although my local friends and our faithful fans/family in the Czech Republic always rank #1 and #2 in visits, people are reading this blog from Turku, Nicosia, Managua, Cebu, Melbourne, and other corners of the globe. The globe, as it turns out, has a lot of corners!
The thing I found truly amusing, though, is the list of search phrases that people use in search engines in order to reach my blog. "Muddy pantyhose" always ends up in the top 10, even though I wore pantyhose to one show once back in May of 2006. The fun never stops! A lot of the inquiries -- maybe even most of the inquiries -- must come from people who also call themselves Dog Show Newbies. I get lots of inquiries about handling classes, stacking dogs, recipes for show bait, and the general "dog showing 101," "dog shows for dummies," and "beginning dog shows" type queries. Here are a few of my favorites from the past month, though (aside from the perennial favorite "muddy pantyhose," which again finished way up there):
compliments for a dog show handler
does Joseph Gregory judge dog shows in Canada?
exquisitely bitches (please tell me this one was for dogs...!)
it is plagiarism if you steal from yourself?
when does a collie dog go into season?
biggest butt photo (somehow, I don't think this one is for dogs...)
You do wonder sometimes what folks have in mind when they're entering the less obvious search strings. Maybe I'm best off not knowing why "muddy pantyhose" is so popular.
For a long time, I thought that no one (except maybe Jana, who owns Dinah's litter sister Buffy) read my blog, Okay, Jana and Dale. Maybe Sue, too. Oh, and Kathy, of course. I didn't think I had much of an audience. After all, my other blog was twice as high in the Technorati ratings, and people left comments all the time.
Then I started reading Google Analytics. It turns out that this little blog has a small but devoted international following, and it's beginning to draw more readers than my other blog. What a surprise! Although my local friends and our faithful fans/family in the Czech Republic always rank #1 and #2 in visits, people are reading this blog from Turku, Nicosia, Managua, Cebu, Melbourne, and other corners of the globe. The globe, as it turns out, has a lot of corners!
The thing I found truly amusing, though, is the list of search phrases that people use in search engines in order to reach my blog. "Muddy pantyhose" always ends up in the top 10, even though I wore pantyhose to one show once back in May of 2006. The fun never stops! A lot of the inquiries -- maybe even most of the inquiries -- must come from people who also call themselves Dog Show Newbies. I get lots of inquiries about handling classes, stacking dogs, recipes for show bait, and the general "dog showing 101," "dog shows for dummies," and "beginning dog shows" type queries. Here are a few of my favorites from the past month, though (aside from the perennial favorite "muddy pantyhose," which again finished way up there):
compliments for a dog show handler
does Joseph Gregory judge dog shows in Canada?
exquisitely bitches (please tell me this one was for dogs...!)
it is plagiarism if you steal from yourself?
when does a collie dog go into season?
biggest butt photo (somehow, I don't think this one is for dogs...)
You do wonder sometimes what folks have in mind when they're entering the less obvious search strings. Maybe I'm best off not knowing why "muddy pantyhose" is so popular.
Note To Self: Pack Dog's Brain Next Time
Farmington Valley Kennel Club, 11/3/07: 1st, RWB
It rarely pays to get too cocky when it comes to dog showing. Just because your dog rocked the house at a certain show last year doesn't mean the house will react the same way this year. As a third-generation Red Sox fan, I'm used to this philosophy. But sometimes...
We almost didn't enter this show this year, based on the teensy-weensy numbers for the previous year's entry coupled with the low probability that there would be enough bitches for a major. Last year, a year-old Dinah went BOS on her very first trip in the ring with Kathy after having only met her an hour or two beforehand. We had a great time, and the memory must have stuck with us. In a fit of madness, I entered us for this year, just so we could have another win under the bright lights. We wanted a second try with the judge, who had practically begged Dinah to settle down and gait properly in his ring back in April in Springfield. He gave her second in her class back in April, but not Reserve.
This show must be a weird experience for even the most well-traveled show dog. It takes place in the arena at the Mohegan Sun Casino. The ring area is beautiful -- bright lights, quiet blue carpeting, banks of arena seats -- and it looks like a smaller, unbenched, better-smelling version of Westminster. The grooming area is a bit odd, though, as it's set up in the cramped, strange, noisy concrete loading-dock area for the arena. Unless you're driving in to offload your equipment, the only way to access the area is by shuttle bus from the parking lot. Most of the dogs seemed to be a bit weirded out by the bus ride. Dinah the princess, whose first ride in a motor vehicle on this side of the pond took place in a limousine, probably turned her regal little black rubber nose up at the tacky public transportation and vowed never to be seen on a bus again. The nerve of her dumb human!
Whatever she was thinking at this show, she wasn't thinking about the ring. If she had been on her usual game, she could easily have beaten both of the specials and taken Best of Breed. However, she just wasn't interested -- and she lost to one of the entries from the puppy class. (We adore Moxie, who is a nice puppy and had better use for the one available point than we did... but Dinah could have done better.) Moxie ended up going BOS to Riot's BOB, so it wasn't a good day to be a special in that ring. Dinah got Reserve (Best of Losers). So did Jake, which was equally surprising. Riot is a beautiful dog, but Jake is more mature and should have beaten him. Maybe Jake's brain was in the same place where Dinah left hers.
Kathy huffed when she exited the ring, "She was SO naughty!" Dinah apparently went back to her old tricks from last spring of throwing her feet around and making her gait look strange. She tends to do that at indoor shows, except the ones in Fitchburg. (I can't explain it, but Dinah likes showing in Fitchburg.)
At least the weekend wasn't a complete waste of Kathy's time, even if the Beardie contingent didn't exactly shine. Livvy the Newfie went BOS -- and this from a dog who really doesn't like showing indoors. Kathy also got to handle Dushil, the Borzoi she showed at Westminster, and he took BOB. She got to stay around the arena for several hours before the group judging/TV broadcast. I owed Daryl a lunch at Rustica for putting us up at her house, so Dinah and I took our leave and headed back to Woodstock.
I looked all over Daryl's house to try and find Dinah's brain, but it wasn't there. I definitely left it at home. You can bet I'll have it packed first thing when we head out to Springfield for the Thanksgiving Cluster. Majors all three days -- no pressure there!
It rarely pays to get too cocky when it comes to dog showing. Just because your dog rocked the house at a certain show last year doesn't mean the house will react the same way this year. As a third-generation Red Sox fan, I'm used to this philosophy. But sometimes...
We almost didn't enter this show this year, based on the teensy-weensy numbers for the previous year's entry coupled with the low probability that there would be enough bitches for a major. Last year, a year-old Dinah went BOS on her very first trip in the ring with Kathy after having only met her an hour or two beforehand. We had a great time, and the memory must have stuck with us. In a fit of madness, I entered us for this year, just so we could have another win under the bright lights. We wanted a second try with the judge, who had practically begged Dinah to settle down and gait properly in his ring back in April in Springfield. He gave her second in her class back in April, but not Reserve.
This show must be a weird experience for even the most well-traveled show dog. It takes place in the arena at the Mohegan Sun Casino. The ring area is beautiful -- bright lights, quiet blue carpeting, banks of arena seats -- and it looks like a smaller, unbenched, better-smelling version of Westminster. The grooming area is a bit odd, though, as it's set up in the cramped, strange, noisy concrete loading-dock area for the arena. Unless you're driving in to offload your equipment, the only way to access the area is by shuttle bus from the parking lot. Most of the dogs seemed to be a bit weirded out by the bus ride. Dinah the princess, whose first ride in a motor vehicle on this side of the pond took place in a limousine, probably turned her regal little black rubber nose up at the tacky public transportation and vowed never to be seen on a bus again. The nerve of her dumb human!
Whatever she was thinking at this show, she wasn't thinking about the ring. If she had been on her usual game, she could easily have beaten both of the specials and taken Best of Breed. However, she just wasn't interested -- and she lost to one of the entries from the puppy class. (We adore Moxie, who is a nice puppy and had better use for the one available point than we did... but Dinah could have done better.) Moxie ended up going BOS to Riot's BOB, so it wasn't a good day to be a special in that ring. Dinah got Reserve (Best of Losers). So did Jake, which was equally surprising. Riot is a beautiful dog, but Jake is more mature and should have beaten him. Maybe Jake's brain was in the same place where Dinah left hers.
Kathy huffed when she exited the ring, "She was SO naughty!" Dinah apparently went back to her old tricks from last spring of throwing her feet around and making her gait look strange. She tends to do that at indoor shows, except the ones in Fitchburg. (I can't explain it, but Dinah likes showing in Fitchburg.)
At least the weekend wasn't a complete waste of Kathy's time, even if the Beardie contingent didn't exactly shine. Livvy the Newfie went BOS -- and this from a dog who really doesn't like showing indoors. Kathy also got to handle Dushil, the Borzoi she showed at Westminster, and he took BOB. She got to stay around the arena for several hours before the group judging/TV broadcast. I owed Daryl a lunch at Rustica for putting us up at her house, so Dinah and I took our leave and headed back to Woodstock.
I looked all over Daryl's house to try and find Dinah's brain, but it wasn't there. I definitely left it at home. You can bet I'll have it packed first thing when we head out to Springfield for the Thanksgiving Cluster. Majors all three days -- no pressure there!
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The Road to Hell is Paved with Broken Majors
Garden State Bearded Collie Clan Regional Specialty
Ramapo Kennel Club, 10/14/07: 1st, Winners Bitch, 2 points
Actually, things aren't as bad as the title makes them seem. I just liked the phrase.
Kathy's handling a Newfie bitch who doesn't care for indoor shows. Not that I blame her -- outdoor shows are always much more fun in good weather. The problem is, unless you're lucky enough to be showing in California, you're pretty much stuck spending some percentage of your show career at indoor shows every year. Here in New England, the outdoor-show season only runs from May to September, with very few shows at all between January and April. Gather ye rosettes while ye may. Ye only get 5 months of the year in which to do so outdoors.
Because Livvy doesn't like indoor shows, Kathy was trying to show her at as many outdoor shows as she could before the end of the season. She'd picked the mid-October shows at the Ramapo Kennel Club in New Jersey as Livvy's seasonal grand finale. In order to ease the financial burden on Livvy's owners and make better use of her time, Kathy asked her regular Beardie clients (Deb, who owns Jake, and me) if we wanted to show at Ramapo. The only hitch was that Kathy's van only holds two crates, and she was taking Livvy and Jake as "sleepover clients." Dinah never camps over with Kathy -- we always meet her at the shows -- so if I wanted Dinah to be in the show, I had to drive her down there.
I think I might have said no a couple of times, but I honestly don't remember. I was hosting a fun match at my house that weekend... I wanted a weekend off from showing, especially after that dismal Specialty... and so on. No matter what I said in protest, I did eventually enter Dinah in the show, found us a hotel room, and blew down there from the fun match at the earliest possible moment. The entire time I drove southward, I kept asking myself, "Why am I doing this?"
That question melted away when I reached the fairgrounds that next morning, though. The Essex County Fairgrounds are beautiful, and huge by East Coast standards. As a member of my local kennel club, I felt jealous looking at the beautiful site that Ramapo had available.
Even though the entry wasn't huge due to the show's date one week after the National, the folks who gathered there were fun, congenial, and happy to be showing in the sunshine. I saw old friends whom I'd seen every day of the previous week, and more whom I hadn't seen in ten years. The Garden State Bearded Collie Clan knows how to throw a party -- they had scads of wonderful trophies, a potluck lunch for all the exhibitors, and the most upbeat gang of folks to hang around with. I had completely forgotten to grumble.
Dinah showed for Kathy as well as she ever has in her little Bearded life. She gaited, she baited, and she behaved perfectly. The judge made it plain that he liked her, and gave her first in Open and Winners Bitch. She would have had her first major, too, if only one more bitch had shown up. She ended up not taking Best of Winners, but we know the lovely puppy boy who did get BOW. He did get a major that day, even before he beat Dinah.
What a showing it was! Karen Bowens, the wonderful handler who took Dinah into the ring at National Capital, ran up and gave me a huge hug. My friends pounded me on the back and jumped up and down. Even the big-time handlers and show folks whom I'd always been a little too shy to say much to came over and congratulated me. We ended up with some lovely swag, including a couple of big rosettes, a handmade jewelry box, and an engraved pewter plate.
Kathy had to show again shortly after the Beardies were done (I forget if she took Livvy or picked up a Borzoi to handle, or both), so we agreed to set up an appointment for a photo with our judge for later in the day, when he was done judging toy breeds and she was done with her other handling assignments.
I think we underestimated the number of Toys at that show, though. We waited at ringside while the judge went through billions of Papillons, gazillions of Pomeranians, kajillions of Chihuahuas of all coat lengths... and so on. Of course, every single one of the demanded a photo immediately afterward, too, so we couldn't get him to join us until after all of them were done.
Not that watching the goings-on wasn't fun. Kathy and I watched one Pomeranian handler who went into the ring without her armband, and who had to be chased down and properly outfitted by the ring steward. The judge patiently explained to the Pom's handler how to set the dog up, how to move... somehow, it looked familiar...
After a few minutes of this, Kathy turned to me and asked, "Could she be... a Dog Show Newbie?"
(Now that my official title belongs to someone else, what should I do about my blog? "Dog Show Old Crabby Jaded Grizzled Veteran" doesn't quite fit.)
Finally, after the gazillion kajillionth Toy had been properly photographed, we secured our judge. He seemed tired, but relieved to be guided out into the sunlight again. We took our photo -- one of the nicest ones we've taken -- and headed for home. I'm not entirely sure how we got there, but I think we floated.
Ramapo Kennel Club, 10/14/07: 1st, Winners Bitch, 2 points
Actually, things aren't as bad as the title makes them seem. I just liked the phrase.
Kathy's handling a Newfie bitch who doesn't care for indoor shows. Not that I blame her -- outdoor shows are always much more fun in good weather. The problem is, unless you're lucky enough to be showing in California, you're pretty much stuck spending some percentage of your show career at indoor shows every year. Here in New England, the outdoor-show season only runs from May to September, with very few shows at all between January and April. Gather ye rosettes while ye may. Ye only get 5 months of the year in which to do so outdoors.
Because Livvy doesn't like indoor shows, Kathy was trying to show her at as many outdoor shows as she could before the end of the season. She'd picked the mid-October shows at the Ramapo Kennel Club in New Jersey as Livvy's seasonal grand finale. In order to ease the financial burden on Livvy's owners and make better use of her time, Kathy asked her regular Beardie clients (Deb, who owns Jake, and me) if we wanted to show at Ramapo. The only hitch was that Kathy's van only holds two crates, and she was taking Livvy and Jake as "sleepover clients." Dinah never camps over with Kathy -- we always meet her at the shows -- so if I wanted Dinah to be in the show, I had to drive her down there.
I think I might have said no a couple of times, but I honestly don't remember. I was hosting a fun match at my house that weekend... I wanted a weekend off from showing, especially after that dismal Specialty... and so on. No matter what I said in protest, I did eventually enter Dinah in the show, found us a hotel room, and blew down there from the fun match at the earliest possible moment. The entire time I drove southward, I kept asking myself, "Why am I doing this?"
That question melted away when I reached the fairgrounds that next morning, though. The Essex County Fairgrounds are beautiful, and huge by East Coast standards. As a member of my local kennel club, I felt jealous looking at the beautiful site that Ramapo had available.
Even though the entry wasn't huge due to the show's date one week after the National, the folks who gathered there were fun, congenial, and happy to be showing in the sunshine. I saw old friends whom I'd seen every day of the previous week, and more whom I hadn't seen in ten years. The Garden State Bearded Collie Clan knows how to throw a party -- they had scads of wonderful trophies, a potluck lunch for all the exhibitors, and the most upbeat gang of folks to hang around with. I had completely forgotten to grumble.
Dinah showed for Kathy as well as she ever has in her little Bearded life. She gaited, she baited, and she behaved perfectly. The judge made it plain that he liked her, and gave her first in Open and Winners Bitch. She would have had her first major, too, if only one more bitch had shown up. She ended up not taking Best of Winners, but we know the lovely puppy boy who did get BOW. He did get a major that day, even before he beat Dinah.
What a showing it was! Karen Bowens, the wonderful handler who took Dinah into the ring at National Capital, ran up and gave me a huge hug. My friends pounded me on the back and jumped up and down. Even the big-time handlers and show folks whom I'd always been a little too shy to say much to came over and congratulated me. We ended up with some lovely swag, including a couple of big rosettes, a handmade jewelry box, and an engraved pewter plate.
Kathy had to show again shortly after the Beardies were done (I forget if she took Livvy or picked up a Borzoi to handle, or both), so we agreed to set up an appointment for a photo with our judge for later in the day, when he was done judging toy breeds and she was done with her other handling assignments.
I think we underestimated the number of Toys at that show, though. We waited at ringside while the judge went through billions of Papillons, gazillions of Pomeranians, kajillions of Chihuahuas of all coat lengths... and so on. Of course, every single one of the demanded a photo immediately afterward, too, so we couldn't get him to join us until after all of them were done.
Not that watching the goings-on wasn't fun. Kathy and I watched one Pomeranian handler who went into the ring without her armband, and who had to be chased down and properly outfitted by the ring steward. The judge patiently explained to the Pom's handler how to set the dog up, how to move... somehow, it looked familiar...
After a few minutes of this, Kathy turned to me and asked, "Could she be... a Dog Show Newbie?"
(Now that my official title belongs to someone else, what should I do about my blog? "Dog Show Old Crabby Jaded Grizzled Veteran" doesn't quite fit.)
Finally, after the gazillion kajillionth Toy had been properly photographed, we secured our judge. He seemed tired, but relieved to be guided out into the sunlight again. We took our photo -- one of the nicest ones we've taken -- and headed for home. I'm not entirely sure how we got there, but I think we floated.
Sunday, October 21, 2007
And All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt
BCCA National Specialty, October 4: made the cut
I've always enjoyed going to our national specialties. I get to see people I only see every year (or every few years), smooch hundreds of Beardies and watch them grow up, attend a few raucous dinners and one fabulous gourmet meal, shop for everyone on my Beardie Christmas list, and offer up my services as cheap labor for the performance events. That part's a blast.
Dinah had lots of fun at the show. She and her buddy Angus had some glorious bed-bouncing sessions and WOOF wrestling matches...
As far as the showing part goes, someday I'll learn to adjust my expectations. Since Dinah won Best Puppy in Show at the Canadian specialty last year, I've been waiting and hoping for her to do something really stellar at one of our US shows. Last year, her breeder was the judge, so we couldn't enter. We did place 4th in the Regional on the previous day, and made the cut in Sweeps.
This year, we were psyched to be showing to a "movement judge." Dinah has plenty of that, and Kathy was really looking forward to putting the princess through her paces. Although one of Trav's breeders was handling him in the ring, Kathy had four doggie clients for the show: Dinah, Jake, Isaac (in his first appearance in quite a while), and Bliss.
Jake came in fourth in Open Dogs (Rowdy Blue took first place with Debbie handling and Dinah's cousin Widget (Breaksea Boddy's Brew) came in third. The judge had seemed impressed with Jake and had placed him first, but changed her mind and shuffled him to the back while making her final placements.
Kathy and I hoped that Dinah might fare better. We felt encouraged when the judge spent quite a bit of time telling Kathy that she liked Dinah, and that she wanted to like her as much moving as she did standing. Kathy and Dinah did as they were told and moved all over that ring, even going back and forth underneath the tent while waiting their turn -- as the judge had instructed.
My friend Lisa breathed, "Ooooh, she likes her." I had forgotten to breathe.
Dinah ended up making the cut. Because the Open Bitch class was so large, the judge had divided the class in two, made her selections from the first class, and then judged the second half. After making her selections from the second half, she called in all the bitches from the first half, but apparently forgot that they were in the ring. She eventually picked the dog who had paid the least amount of attention in the ring, who had to be gaited over and over again before settling, and who wasn't any great shakes in the presentation department.
I was glad for her owner, who is a dear friend, but less than impressed at the final choices. We genuinely felt we'd been robbed, after Kathy and Dinah did all that work in the blazing heat just to be forgotten. Gill, Dinah's breeder (who took the show photos in this entry) remarked to me later that she thought Dinah had the best movement of any bitch out there. Kathy was possibly more disappointed and shocked than I was. She still is.
Gill was philosophical. "Next year you should bring her to California. Wendy (Hines) will like her." She said this just as I was considering not entering another BCCA Specialty again for a good long while. The Canadian Specialty -- well, that's another story. We have to go back to Gananoque.
There was some good new to be had at the show, anyway, even if it wasn't ours. Traveler received the third Award of Merit at the show, and Rosie received one too (Sixth?).
This is possibly the first Specialty (national or otherwise) that we've attended in which we really did come home empty-handed. At least I bought a T-shirt.
I've always enjoyed going to our national specialties. I get to see people I only see every year (or every few years), smooch hundreds of Beardies and watch them grow up, attend a few raucous dinners and one fabulous gourmet meal, shop for everyone on my Beardie Christmas list, and offer up my services as cheap labor for the performance events. That part's a blast.
Dinah had lots of fun at the show. She and her buddy Angus had some glorious bed-bouncing sessions and WOOF wrestling matches...
As far as the showing part goes, someday I'll learn to adjust my expectations. Since Dinah won Best Puppy in Show at the Canadian specialty last year, I've been waiting and hoping for her to do something really stellar at one of our US shows. Last year, her breeder was the judge, so we couldn't enter. We did place 4th in the Regional on the previous day, and made the cut in Sweeps.
This year, we were psyched to be showing to a "movement judge." Dinah has plenty of that, and Kathy was really looking forward to putting the princess through her paces. Although one of Trav's breeders was handling him in the ring, Kathy had four doggie clients for the show: Dinah, Jake, Isaac (in his first appearance in quite a while), and Bliss.
Jake came in fourth in Open Dogs (Rowdy Blue took first place with Debbie handling and Dinah's cousin Widget (Breaksea Boddy's Brew) came in third. The judge had seemed impressed with Jake and had placed him first, but changed her mind and shuffled him to the back while making her final placements.
Kathy and I hoped that Dinah might fare better. We felt encouraged when the judge spent quite a bit of time telling Kathy that she liked Dinah, and that she wanted to like her as much moving as she did standing. Kathy and Dinah did as they were told and moved all over that ring, even going back and forth underneath the tent while waiting their turn -- as the judge had instructed.
My friend Lisa breathed, "Ooooh, she likes her." I had forgotten to breathe.
Dinah ended up making the cut. Because the Open Bitch class was so large, the judge had divided the class in two, made her selections from the first class, and then judged the second half. After making her selections from the second half, she called in all the bitches from the first half, but apparently forgot that they were in the ring. She eventually picked the dog who had paid the least amount of attention in the ring, who had to be gaited over and over again before settling, and who wasn't any great shakes in the presentation department.
I was glad for her owner, who is a dear friend, but less than impressed at the final choices. We genuinely felt we'd been robbed, after Kathy and Dinah did all that work in the blazing heat just to be forgotten. Gill, Dinah's breeder (who took the show photos in this entry) remarked to me later that she thought Dinah had the best movement of any bitch out there. Kathy was possibly more disappointed and shocked than I was. She still is.
Gill was philosophical. "Next year you should bring her to California. Wendy (Hines) will like her." She said this just as I was considering not entering another BCCA Specialty again for a good long while. The Canadian Specialty -- well, that's another story. We have to go back to Gananoque.
There was some good new to be had at the show, anyway, even if it wasn't ours. Traveler received the third Award of Merit at the show, and Rosie received one too (Sixth?).
This is possibly the first Specialty (national or otherwise) that we've attended in which we really did come home empty-handed. At least I bought a T-shirt.
Saturday, September 29, 2007
From the Sublime to the Ridiculous
Ox Ridge Kennel Club, 9/22/07: BOW, 1 point
Northwestern CT Dog Club, 9/23/07: RWB
First, the sublime. I really, really wish that the Ox Ridge show had been a major, even though we knew going down that there weren't enough bitches entered -- so the absolute only way Dinah could have earned 3 points is if all the other class bitches had shown up, and Dinah went BOS over all of the bitch specials.
As it turned out, 2 of the other bitch entries didn't show, so Dinah wouldn't have made 3 points even for BOB. That's okay. We took BOW over Jake, who has beaten Dinah all the other times when they were both Winners. That felt nice, especially since Jake is a distant relative and a very nice dog.
The judge, Juan Carlos Ferraro, comes from Argentina. I had pinged my friend Pat, who co-owns an Argentine import, for an opinion on the man and his judging. She replied that she had met him at the World Show in Mexico and really liked him -- and to my surprise, she came all the way from Ohio to the show. Napo, the gorgeous blue Argentine boy, took BOB -- and should have. I hadn't seen him in a year, and I'd forgotten how stunning he is. Pat will be crying many salty tears when Napo goes back to Argentina with his other owner.
Anyway, the judge couldn't have been nicer. He complimented us all on our dogs, patted us all on our backs, and graciously took picture after picture. I'm not saying we would follow him to Argentina, but I'd show under him again anytime.
Next... the ridiculous.
In my brief time at dog shows, I've seen at least my fair share of "face judges," the ones who would be more honest if they would at least just examine the handlers' teeth instead of the dogs'. Whereas a "face judge" at least looks for familiar faces in the ring, a "back judge" just turns her back on the ring and lets dogs and handlers gait around it unseen.
[Editor's note: Hey, I know the rest of this post is going to read like the proverbial sour grapes, but after re-reading it, I figured it was safer to impugn my own reputation in front of my small but devoted international audience. Sorry, folks. The first draft was deliciously juicy.]
I began to have a bad feeling when I saw all the handlers clustered around our ring, laughing and pointing.
When it came time for Open Bitch, there were two entries. Dinah was one of them. The other one was a scrawny little dog missing half her coat, and who moved as though she were dog-paddling through a puddle of something unpleasant. She did have a "name" handler, however, as her only attribute.
My friend Deb nudged me in the ribs. "This'll be an easy choice."
Oh, indeed it was. The judge picked... the scrawny naked one with the big-name handler. Dinah got Reserve. Deb and I were both so shocked we just laughed. There wasn't much else we could do. I couldn't even nudge Deb back when the scrawny bitch got BOW over Jake.
I suppose I'm glad (in a way) that this judge didn't pick Dinah. I sure wouldn't have wanted the assembled crowd to be laughing at my dog and me!
Monday, September 10, 2007
Dog Showing for Dummies!
I've always been a major fan of the "Dummies" series of books. No matter what subject you lack expertise in -- whether it's knitting, Java programming, personal finance, how to buy wine, or any other subject... if there's a "Dummies" book available, then you're sure to get some great help and advice, delivered in plain English -- and perhaps best of all, the "Dummies" authors make the fine distinction between "need to know" and "nice to know."
When I first got started in dog showing, I lamented the fact that there really was no such book as Dog Showing for Dummies. There still isn't, if you check the book list at dummies.com -- but I have discovered the one book that genuinely qualifies as the best "Dummies"-style book for conformation showing: Raising a Champion by A. Meredith John and Carole L. Richards. The Holy Grail has been found!
This is the book I wish I owned when Dinah and I were first starting out. I've become somewhat of a connoisseur of books on dog showing over the past year or so, and each one has its particular strengths and weaknesses. However, Raising a Champion does the one thing none of the other books does: It anticipates practically every question the first-timer will ask, and provides each answer in plain English, with photos or illustrations, as well as a wealth of helpful hints. It's all here, from how to stack a dog (and recognize mistakes, as well as how to fix them), how to enter a dog show, how to read a judging program, ring courtesy, how to calculate points, and so on. It's all here!
If you're lucky enough to have an independent bookstore nearby, please buy it there. However, if you don't, here's the link to it on Amazon.
The Next Best Thing
The book that did help me get started was Show Me! by D. Caroline Coile, Ph.D. Like Raising a Champion, it covers subjects ranging from how to pick a puppy for show to how to fix ring-related behavior problems... to maintaining a grip on reality between the time you send in the entry form and the time you arrive at the show. The two things that rendered this concise and colorful book indispensable for me were the two bulleted lists on what to pack for the dog and for yourself. For the first few months, I didn't dare leave for a show without having the book open on the kitchen table, displaying those two bulleted lists. This book deserved the highest number of stars for its wonderful attitude -- practical, yet positive.
Here's the link to the book on Amazon.
Other Additions to the Bookshelf
I did own Richard Beauchamp's Simple Guide to Dog Showing for a while. (Here's the Amazon link.) Even as a rank novice, though, I found this one too simple to be of any real use. The book spends more time than the others explaining about the various breeds and groups and such -- useful to someone new to dogs, but not to someone who already has spent some time with various breeds, or who already has chosen a show dog. This is not to say that an absolute beginner might not find a lot to like in the book -- the graphic design and "handwritten" comments and captions give the book a delightfully informal feel -- but it's one you won't need to keep around for very long. I read my copy once and then donated it to the kennel club raffle table, hoping some other newbie would win it and enjoy it, and then pass it on.
Peter Green and Mario Migliorini's New Secrets of Successful Dog Showing is a terrific book (here's the link). It isn't as informative in the tutorial sense for the absolute newbie, but it does explain a lot of things you will encounter with a little exposure to shows (such as the various regions and their point schedules). The high points of this book are: whole chapters on stacking and baiting, with lots of photographs and examples, a comprehensive checklist of what to bring to a show, a great bait recipe (Liver Cake), and lots of interesting anecdotes about dogs these long-time show luminaries have handled or bred over the years.
I did find one boo-boo in the book: it states that puppies bred outside the US and Canada must enter the Open class for starters, and that is simply not true. You may show in Open, but you're not compelled to do so. The classes closed to foreign-born dogs are American-Bred (duh), Novice, and Bred By Exhibitor (unless, of course, you bred your foreign-born dog and are showing it yourself in the USA).
George Alston's The Winning Edge: Show Ring Secrets is not your first dog show book. (Here's the link.) However, it's the one you might end up keeping around for the longest time, or for good. It's the next best thing to attending one of Mr. Alston's notorious handling seminars, plus it won't make you cry. This book's prime focus, by its own admission, centers on the psychology of dog showing, and how best to fine-tune your own mental game. It's not the friendliest or most attractive tome out there -- the photos and the graphic design all make it look a bit dated, and it lacks the many helpful photographic examples of the Green book -- but it grows on you. It's definitely a book that you appreciate more with time. Buy it, but don't buy it first.
Ones I Haven't Read (But Would Like To)
While I was cruising Amazon looking for the links to these books, I noticed The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Showing Your Dog by Cheryl S. Smith. I don't have this book, so I can't review it adequately -- but she does cover subjects the other books don't (or don't go into in depth), such as "The Temperament You Need for the Ring," "Travel Time and Money," "Anatomy Class," and "Grooming for Success."
Likewise, I didn't find Lynn Hall's Dog Showing for Beginners until I was... well, no longer a beginner. I like the way she explains the hard realities of showing -- that you will be disappointed from time to time, that it is an expensive and sometimes political hobby, that "purebred" and "show quality" are not one and the same concept, and so on... but this kindly, practical tome is probably a good second book for the newbie. It doesn't explain about how to train your puppy or subjects like those, but it still comes across in the same voice a friend might use when describing the whole show game to you. It pulls no punches, however -- so be prepared to hear some unvarnished honesty. I enjoyed the excerpts I read on Amazon very much.
Pat Hastings' Tricks of the Trade focuses primarily on the dog: how to select one, how to raise one, how to evaluate one, and the role of structure in the show ring. I can't wait to hear what she says on these subjects, since The Puppy Puzzle should be required reading for anyone considering buying a puppy or breeding a litter. (Here's the link.) This book's other unique feature -- and one which I greatly appreciate -- is its emphasis on selecting the right equipment for the show. There's even a specific, detailed section on grooming tables! This book doesn't delve into the minutiae of showing from the exhibitor's point of view, the forms, the vocabulary, or other concepts bound to be foreign to the rank newbie. On the other hand, this is another book, like the Alston book, that grows more valuable on your bookshelf with time.
When I first got started in dog showing, I lamented the fact that there really was no such book as Dog Showing for Dummies. There still isn't, if you check the book list at dummies.com -- but I have discovered the one book that genuinely qualifies as the best "Dummies"-style book for conformation showing: Raising a Champion by A. Meredith John and Carole L. Richards. The Holy Grail has been found!
This is the book I wish I owned when Dinah and I were first starting out. I've become somewhat of a connoisseur of books on dog showing over the past year or so, and each one has its particular strengths and weaknesses. However, Raising a Champion does the one thing none of the other books does: It anticipates practically every question the first-timer will ask, and provides each answer in plain English, with photos or illustrations, as well as a wealth of helpful hints. It's all here, from how to stack a dog (and recognize mistakes, as well as how to fix them), how to enter a dog show, how to read a judging program, ring courtesy, how to calculate points, and so on. It's all here!
If you're lucky enough to have an independent bookstore nearby, please buy it there. However, if you don't, here's the link to it on Amazon.
The Next Best Thing
The book that did help me get started was Show Me! by D. Caroline Coile, Ph.D. Like Raising a Champion, it covers subjects ranging from how to pick a puppy for show to how to fix ring-related behavior problems... to maintaining a grip on reality between the time you send in the entry form and the time you arrive at the show. The two things that rendered this concise and colorful book indispensable for me were the two bulleted lists on what to pack for the dog and for yourself. For the first few months, I didn't dare leave for a show without having the book open on the kitchen table, displaying those two bulleted lists. This book deserved the highest number of stars for its wonderful attitude -- practical, yet positive.
Here's the link to the book on Amazon.
Other Additions to the Bookshelf
I did own Richard Beauchamp's Simple Guide to Dog Showing for a while. (Here's the Amazon link.) Even as a rank novice, though, I found this one too simple to be of any real use. The book spends more time than the others explaining about the various breeds and groups and such -- useful to someone new to dogs, but not to someone who already has spent some time with various breeds, or who already has chosen a show dog. This is not to say that an absolute beginner might not find a lot to like in the book -- the graphic design and "handwritten" comments and captions give the book a delightfully informal feel -- but it's one you won't need to keep around for very long. I read my copy once and then donated it to the kennel club raffle table, hoping some other newbie would win it and enjoy it, and then pass it on.
Peter Green and Mario Migliorini's New Secrets of Successful Dog Showing is a terrific book (here's the link). It isn't as informative in the tutorial sense for the absolute newbie, but it does explain a lot of things you will encounter with a little exposure to shows (such as the various regions and their point schedules). The high points of this book are: whole chapters on stacking and baiting, with lots of photographs and examples, a comprehensive checklist of what to bring to a show, a great bait recipe (Liver Cake), and lots of interesting anecdotes about dogs these long-time show luminaries have handled or bred over the years.
I did find one boo-boo in the book: it states that puppies bred outside the US and Canada must enter the Open class for starters, and that is simply not true. You may show in Open, but you're not compelled to do so. The classes closed to foreign-born dogs are American-Bred (duh), Novice, and Bred By Exhibitor (unless, of course, you bred your foreign-born dog and are showing it yourself in the USA).
George Alston's The Winning Edge: Show Ring Secrets is not your first dog show book. (Here's the link.) However, it's the one you might end up keeping around for the longest time, or for good. It's the next best thing to attending one of Mr. Alston's notorious handling seminars, plus it won't make you cry. This book's prime focus, by its own admission, centers on the psychology of dog showing, and how best to fine-tune your own mental game. It's not the friendliest or most attractive tome out there -- the photos and the graphic design all make it look a bit dated, and it lacks the many helpful photographic examples of the Green book -- but it grows on you. It's definitely a book that you appreciate more with time. Buy it, but don't buy it first.
Ones I Haven't Read (But Would Like To)
While I was cruising Amazon looking for the links to these books, I noticed The Absolute Beginner's Guide to Showing Your Dog by Cheryl S. Smith. I don't have this book, so I can't review it adequately -- but she does cover subjects the other books don't (or don't go into in depth), such as "The Temperament You Need for the Ring," "Travel Time and Money," "Anatomy Class," and "Grooming for Success."
Likewise, I didn't find Lynn Hall's Dog Showing for Beginners until I was... well, no longer a beginner. I like the way she explains the hard realities of showing -- that you will be disappointed from time to time, that it is an expensive and sometimes political hobby, that "purebred" and "show quality" are not one and the same concept, and so on... but this kindly, practical tome is probably a good second book for the newbie. It doesn't explain about how to train your puppy or subjects like those, but it still comes across in the same voice a friend might use when describing the whole show game to you. It pulls no punches, however -- so be prepared to hear some unvarnished honesty. I enjoyed the excerpts I read on Amazon very much.
Pat Hastings' Tricks of the Trade focuses primarily on the dog: how to select one, how to raise one, how to evaluate one, and the role of structure in the show ring. I can't wait to hear what she says on these subjects, since The Puppy Puzzle should be required reading for anyone considering buying a puppy or breeding a litter. (Here's the link.) This book's other unique feature -- and one which I greatly appreciate -- is its emphasis on selecting the right equipment for the show. There's even a specific, detailed section on grooming tables! This book doesn't delve into the minutiae of showing from the exhibitor's point of view, the forms, the vocabulary, or other concepts bound to be foreign to the rank newbie. On the other hand, this is another book, like the Alston book, that grows more valuable on your bookshelf with time.
Sunday, August 19, 2007
This One Goes to Eleven
Wachusett Kennel Club, 8/18/07: Winners Bitch, 1 point
Greater Lowell Kennel Club, 8/19: Winners Bitch, 1 point
Once your dog reaches the exalted state of being "pointed out," It's not uncommon to enter a number of shows in the hopes of finding majors there, only to get the judging program back with class entries of onesies or twosies. That's the stage that Dinah and I have reached at this point. No matter which decision you make about these types of shows, it's bound to be wrong. Basically, you have two options:
1. Eat the entries and stay home.
Advantages: It's cheaper than spending big bucks on gas and hotels -- plus you get weekends off!
Disadvantages: You still have to eat the $25+ for each entry. If there was only one other class entry, then your staying home might have cost someone else a point.
2. Go to the show and show anyway.
Advantages: What the heck, you've paid for it already. In addition, a win is a win -- and you might save the one or two points for your competition if you don't end up winning.
Disadvantages: If you win, you won't have helped the other entries anyway.
I s'pose if I had to state my policy about when to show and when to eat entries, it comes down to this: I'll eat the entry for any show involving a hotel stay. If the show is more than a couple of hours' drive from home, I'll wait until the judging program comes out before making a final decision. I'm more likely to bail on an 8:30 AM ring time than I would for one of, say, 1 PM.
Of course, if you're showing your own dog, you can afford to be a tiny bit more spontaneous when it comes to the question of "Should I stay or should I go?". Since Kathy handles Dinah at the shows, I need to do her the courtesy of making a decision as early on as possible.
Anyway... we've had to eat some more entries this season already. I'd entered the Springfield shows at the end of August in the hopes that if there would be majors anywhere during the summer, they'd be there. When the judging program came back, the breakdown showed only one class bitch: Dinah. Even if she went Best of Breed over all of the specials, she still wouldn't defeat enough dogs to gain three points. Pass the salt -- time to eat some entries. It won't be the last time we do this, either.
This weekend, I decided to show instead of eating the entry. Dinah does need to stay in practice, so not showing for several months just isn't an option. We have a National Specialty coming up, and we do have to perform at our best.
Dinah took Winners Bitch both days for one point each day. She now has 11 points, but still needs two majors. Heck, if we were showing in Canada she would have been finished on Saturday!
Greater Lowell Kennel Club, 8/19: Winners Bitch, 1 point
Once your dog reaches the exalted state of being "pointed out," It's not uncommon to enter a number of shows in the hopes of finding majors there, only to get the judging program back with class entries of onesies or twosies. That's the stage that Dinah and I have reached at this point. No matter which decision you make about these types of shows, it's bound to be wrong. Basically, you have two options:
1. Eat the entries and stay home.
Advantages: It's cheaper than spending big bucks on gas and hotels -- plus you get weekends off!
Disadvantages: You still have to eat the $25+ for each entry. If there was only one other class entry, then your staying home might have cost someone else a point.
2. Go to the show and show anyway.
Advantages: What the heck, you've paid for it already. In addition, a win is a win -- and you might save the one or two points for your competition if you don't end up winning.
Disadvantages: If you win, you won't have helped the other entries anyway.
I s'pose if I had to state my policy about when to show and when to eat entries, it comes down to this: I'll eat the entry for any show involving a hotel stay. If the show is more than a couple of hours' drive from home, I'll wait until the judging program comes out before making a final decision. I'm more likely to bail on an 8:30 AM ring time than I would for one of, say, 1 PM.
Of course, if you're showing your own dog, you can afford to be a tiny bit more spontaneous when it comes to the question of "Should I stay or should I go?". Since Kathy handles Dinah at the shows, I need to do her the courtesy of making a decision as early on as possible.
Anyway... we've had to eat some more entries this season already. I'd entered the Springfield shows at the end of August in the hopes that if there would be majors anywhere during the summer, they'd be there. When the judging program came back, the breakdown showed only one class bitch: Dinah. Even if she went Best of Breed over all of the specials, she still wouldn't defeat enough dogs to gain three points. Pass the salt -- time to eat some entries. It won't be the last time we do this, either.
This weekend, I decided to show instead of eating the entry. Dinah does need to stay in practice, so not showing for several months just isn't an option. We have a National Specialty coming up, and we do have to perform at our best.
Dinah took Winners Bitch both days for one point each day. She now has 11 points, but still needs two majors. Heck, if we were showing in Canada she would have been finished on Saturday!
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Eating the Entries
Dinah at the BCCME Beardie Bounce & BBQ. Details on the other blog.
Now that Dinah is "pointed out," as they say, we've started to approach show entries with a much different mindset. We can afford to be choosier about the shows we enter -- now we go only for the ones that might have enough entries to constitute a major in bitches. This is a good news/bad news situation; the good news is that we don't need to enter every show in the region any more, and can thus save a little time and money. The bad news, however, is that majors are so hard to come by that we have to enter any show that looks as though it might attract enough entries, and then hold our collective breath until the judging programs come out. Only then will we know whether enough bitches have entered to make it worthwhile -- and then we can hold our breaths again in the hopes that the major will hold and everyone will show up.
(FYI, the AKC releases its point schedules every year in mid-May. It now takes 6 bitches to make a 3-point major in Beardies. Last year it took 7.)
Now that Cocoa and Bliss have both finished and Mia is on "vacation" while she grows some coat, it might take us some time to find a show with a major entry -- and then, of course, we have to win it to get the points. (Pointless rant about having to show against famous handlers and exquisitely overgroomed dogs deleted.) We shall persevere.
In the meantime... in spite of all the happy talk from my Massachusetts compadres that they were all going to have a huge entry at the Pioneer Valley show, the judging program showed only one class dog, one class bitch, one special dog, and three special bitches. Dinah was, of course, the only class bitch. I hate to miss out on a good party, but even if Dinah went Best of Breed over all of the specials, she still wouldn't earn enough breed points for a major - so I decided to eat the entry and not go. This saves me the costs of gas, food, and a hotel room out in Greenfield, as well as Kathy's handling fees and expenses. (Bless her, Kathy's policies cover such events as broken majors or would-be majors.) We do have to eat the cost of the entry, since that's non-refundable. It's just part of the cost of the Great Major Hunt.
Our next shows are the Fitchburg shows in mid-August, right after I get back from the BCCC National Specialty. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that enough bitches enter Fitchburg to make it worth our while.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)