Show Prospects, Not Guaranteed!
The thought of buying a show dog is exciting but also scary! It is also a steep learning curve. So there is nothing more disappointing than buying a dog that you take to the shows, week after week, only to come home empty handed. But the breeder sold me a show prospect!
The problem we have is that winning in the show ring is highly subjective, but also that in Lowchen with the amount of shows in our country and the limited number of exhibits you are pretty much guaranteed a class win provided that you enter the show and turn up.
When you buy a puppy, you are buying a prospect. A 'promising puppy' that 'shows potential' is a very exciting addition to any household. But no breeder worth their salt would tell you that they guarantee that that dog will go on to become a champion under any circumstances. I'll start with the obvious reasons.
Breeders don't have a crystal ball. While we can know our lines inside out and backwards, breeding is not a science. Sometimes a dog that had potential at 8 weeks has 'gone off' at 6 or 9 months. The best show dogs in the breed that have that je ne sais quoi are one in a million. They are the Holy Grail of breeding show dogs and when we do manage to breed one, well, you can pry their lead from our cold, dead hands. Catch my drift?
The placings are subjective. This is really important. Because dogs have good days and bad days. Some days they show their little clipped butts off and other days they are too busy looking around, wanting to play or they may not like the conditions. This is one of the reasons we have the saying 'peacock one day, feather duster the next'.
You're not really trying. This one is more often the truth. The show you never enter is the show you never win. The best dog in the world that never goes to a show isn't a show dog. And can you honestly expect to win challenges from the comfort of your couch? I've had it a few times where an owner has complained to me that they aren't winning, sorry for the rude awakening guys but it's a game of numbers and sometimes you need to enter in regional areas too. Don't stay home when it's too windy/cold/wet/hot/far because when you do that, you never get in the ring.
You're not that good an exhibitor. This one hurts to hear. It really does, but it's the most common truth. You've got to be prepared to learn how to show your dog properly. The grooming, the finishing, the nutrition, how to present yourself, how to handle your dog and the training. How can a judge assess the quality of your pooch if they don't walk straight? Or don't stand still on the table? Or don't let the judge mouth them? You're catching my drift. None of my dogs are robots, especially not the young ones and it takes a lot of hard work to get them to go around the ring like they do. You'll also need to give your lowcheroo some tough love. Show your dog with a clear goal in mind and you will give a good performance.
Remember that your behaviour dictates your success. If you don't take your time in the ring (and I do mean in the ring, under the eye of the judge) seriously then you aren't going to improve and grow. Every time I take a dog in the ring, I am trying to win. First win the class, then the challenge, then the breed etc. And you can't win a challenge if you don't win your class.
My final piece of advice is that you should show to YOUR advantage not someone else's disadvantage. Dirty tactics and rudeness only make exhibitors annoyed and angry.
Happy showing!
