Dog Shows

Brought the family to our first ever dog show on St. Patricks Day in Dublin.
We saw some beautiful dogs of all shapes and sizes. Thought a lot of the grooming and prepping of the dogs looked unnecessary and unnatural. Just wondering if anybody has been to dog shows and what did you think ?

I've been to quite a few in my time. Used to show my Border Collie, my Staff & my present EBT. Never bothered with the BSDs or the GSDs.

I agree, a lot of breeds need so much grooming I wouldn't have the patience for!

It just looked like the grooming was OTT and unnecessary. Some of the breeds were left natural and others groomed beyond the point of recognition with short bits and long bits everywhere.
The show itself was interesting to say the least. It was so busy though it was hard for everyone to enjoy it.
Saw some beautiful staff's there, the OH nearly shed a tear when a beautiful red and white bitch pup got really excited when she went up to her crate for a better look. They had a moment.

never been to a dog show but the previews on the TV they show are funny at times. When a white dog shakes and a cloud of powder comes off it. What is that about why the powder. As for the combing and things the dogs look really pretty nicely groomed but i dont think these dogs would be running through muddy puddles and diving into ponds and rivers on their down time.

i have never been to one but I am sure its an experience

I don't think I would have the patience for a long haired breed. My own hair takes long enough!

The white powder is a whitening powder that the brush heavily into the dogs coat to make it really bright. Its not even the long haired breeds, there are some short haired wirey ones that have really long hair around the face and eyes, nothing on the body and then leave the legs hairy. It was bizarre to say the least.
The wierdest one was called a sealyham terrier. This hade the crazy hair around the face and eyes but short hair on the body and legs and left a skirt of hair from the belly to the floor.
The staffys didn't need much grooming. Saw the dog that won best in breed there. He was really nice but not good enough to win on the day. There were a couple of beautiful black dogs and one amazing bitch in the final and was narrowed down to a bitch and a dog but the dog won. I thought the bitch was better but she was much smaller and I think that bitches lost overall on the day because of their size.
It was a good family day out for anybody that likes dogs but some of the breeders thought my little sister was a spy or something because they were blocking her from taking pictures of their dogs on her camera phone. I just thought that was a bit OTT.

The white powder is a whitening powder that the brush heavily into the dogs coat to make it really bright

I once said hello to a large schenauzer in the park and it brushed up agaisnt me and left me covered in white powder. Mud is one thing but this was like freaking chalk and I had new jeans on. Teach me to wear semi decent clothes for a dog walk

_julie_ wrote:never been to a dog show but the previews on the TV they show are funny at times. When a white dog shakes and a cloud of powder comes off it. What is that about why the powder. As for the combing and things the dogs look really pretty nicely groomed but i dont think these dogs would be running through muddy puddles and diving into ponds and rivers on their down time.

That's a sore point with breeds that have several colours shown, including white. I know from showing Dempsey that the people who have white EBTs are a pain in the backside with chalk. Mind you, it's rare that you get that cloud of chalk - most are good enough to brush the chalk out of the coat before they go into the show ring.

And mud? My boy's great grandfather was a top show/stud dog & was white. He'd be tarted up for the show ring & be all sparkling & pristine. But he loved mud! I saw a pic of him playing with a kong & he was absolutely caked in mud!

At one show I saw him in, he was just being exercised outside the show ring before going in, and there had been a lot of rain previously. He found a huge muddy pudle & rolled in it! He was cleaned up as best they could, and then shown. He won his class with a lot of laughter from the ringside!

typical dog that caryll then finding the muddy puddle what a time to do it though the little pig after the hours spent cleaning him up. will stick to giving them a quick bath. the only things i take a lot of time over is cleaning ears and eyes and sometimes lemmy's runny nose thats one thing i dont miss about having a GSD is having to wash and brush the coat that did take some time to do. love the short hair and baldy spots on these 2 much easier

I go to quite a few with Junior, and by the time I'm done grooming him, it hurts to look at his white markings.

Didn't see any EBT's at the show at all. Dont know why. Maybe just not as popular in Ireland.
That dog I was referring to earlier that won best in breed was at crufts. I didn't see him in the ring at all but saw him outside.
He wasn't in any of the finals so mustn't have had what the judges on the day were looking for.

No I've never been to one, sounds like a lot of hard work to me.

It is hard work - even with staffs! I used to bathe Bandit two days before a show so that his coat would be clean & sparkling but wouldn't be too soft to touch. Then he'd have his teeth cleaned, his tail trimmed & his 'trousers' trimmed.

The day of the show I'd use a grooming spray & a velvet mit to make him shine & just before he went into the ring I'd give him a really good rub with the mit to make his muscles stand out.

Dempsey was almost the same although I never ahd to trim his tail. BUT I did have to chalk his white bits & trim his facial whiskers off!

The Border Collies had baths a week before with a good brush afterwards. Then they wouldn't have another brush till the morning of the show when I'd clean up any dirt, chalk their white bits & give a light brush. That way they'd have a good undercoat present which would 'fill out' the coat. Also, their foot hair would need trimming & their 'trousers' would need evening out with a pair of sharp scissors.

So glad I don't show any more!

well the only thing i have been to was a photo shoot for the training centre calendar and as you all know my boy is MR JULY this year well it was a bit of a beauty contest cos other people had to vote for him too not just me.