New to showing

[Karen]

Join our free community today.

Connect with other like-minded dog lovers!

Login or Register

Hi All,  I have just been reading that newcomers to showing are given a bit of a cold shoulder in the states.  How do you think we compare here in the UK.  Did you go to a show and try to speak to exhibitor without much response or help?

 

[Millie]

Hi Karen,

I have been showing whippets for a very short time and can say I have had a good deal of sucess and found everyone involved in the breed are most welcoming and helpful. This is not so in all breeds, having been involved in two other breeds over the years one was very closed to new comers, the other which I still own see that you have to serve an apprenticship for several years before even a good dog gets considered.

 

[dawn]

As there seems to have been little response so far to this thread let us put our two pennorth in.

I started showing about 7 years ago having had whippets in the house most of my life. The welcome at the local shows was excellent and advice given was good and useful. No-one seemed to mind that I was new and were willing to give up their time to help. When I see new owners I now try to help them but often there is negative feedback in that. Youcan get the 'I know what to do' attitude when it is plain that they do not. I think some experienced exhibitors may well feel reluctant if their help is not only not appreciated but thrown in their face.

Richard has been showing since the mid 70's and again was welcomed and helped, at that time, by some of the top 'names' in the breed.

Showing is a hobby and we should all help each other as much as we can.

 

[Karen]

Yes Dawn you have put the finger on it there a bit.  I tried to help someone once with standing their rather nice dog but they looked at me and just said 'That is how the breeder told me to stand it' and walked away so I dont tend to bother anymore.  I like helping people get the best out of a good dog but as a rule there are so many people in and out of the breed now if you help someone chances are you will not see them in a years time if they havnt won a ticket.

Karen

 

[Emma]

Hi

I do agree with you people have asked my advice in the past but don't seem to be happy with that advice so just go and do their own thing. However, there are wonderful people in this most wonderful of breeds and they are out there.

Emma

 

[Claire]

I am relativley new to showing and was surprised how helpful breeders are. As i live in Ireland and am unknown in england etc I was over joyed with the reception that i got when i approached an english breeder for a pup I have been given lots of good advice (which i try to stick to) and encouragement .I was always under the impression if you were unknown that no one on the mainland  would sell you a pup  at all. but have learnt through experience that this is not the case.

Ps  Emma your 2 young ladies over here are real characters.

 

[chelynnah]

I have to say that being completely new to showing as of this year, I have received wonderful help from the 'whippet folk' at shows.  I've found them very friendly, willing to offer advice, chat, give their opinions etc.  Read my post about the 'purple whippet' that I posted today - that gives a great example of how I've found whppet people here at the shows.

Wendy

 

[Nigel]

Due to a small technical problem the reply to this topic by Wendy at 8.30 pm on September 9 ended up out of sequence.

I've hopefully fixed the problem - so everything should now be ok and it shouldn't be out of sequence :cheesy:

 

[Linda Andrews]

Hi Karen,

I can only say how glad I am to see that there seems to be a much friendlier group out there showing whippets than when I last showed, some 5 years ago! Speaking from my own experience, when I had my first bitch we did reasonably well at our local open shows but was never even placed at championship shows, not that it worried me. My second bitch was a daughter of Ch.Pennybeck Silver Sixpence, who won very well at open shows, and was placed at some championship shows (even if it was in fourth place). Up until she started winning, I found everyone friendly and helpful, but things soon changed with some of them. I will never know, but at her last open show she took best of breed and best opposie sex in show and as I had my older bitch to show she had to remain in her cage between best of breed and best in show. She was never the same dog again, she would not show, did not like strangers particularly male, and would cower at the very mention of 'show'. Did something happen, I only hope it was not something done out of spite! But on a lighter side I hope to return to showing sometime in the future and can only say that I am glad it will be with a nicer bunch of people.

 

[whippetier]

I am pleased most of the people in this forum have had good experiences showing their whippets. I personally gave it up as after initially feeling welcomed by the whippet community, found they were a very back biting shower of poor losers. But perhaps that is just in my area, I certainly hope so. As a result one of the best whippet dogs in britian is not shown, but a fantastic companion. Good luck to all out there who continue to show in the spirit of good sportsmanship.

 

[Rachel]

Hi Whippetier,

I just had to have a peep at your homepage - and deep joy! whippet photos!  Your Zoe has ears like my Bella, and Bruce is very sweet - is he the whippet you tried showing?

I'm new to showing - I've had very good experiences on the whole despite having a HUGE dog who excels at coming last! but being new I've been able to listen in anonymously on some very bitchy conversations! but then I suppose you get this element of over competitiveness in any breed.

Karen? do you think that in whippets as a breed that you have to serve the 'apprenticeship' you mentioned?

Whippetier, perhaps when you've got to know a few fellow whippet owners in this forum that you could meet up with at shows you might feel inclined to show again?  Don't let em get you down!!

Rachel

 

[dawn]

Rachel

Its interesting you mention apprenticeship in your post. We know a succesful breeder/exhibitor who didn't show for a few years. When she restarted her comment was precisely that she would need to serve her appreticeship again. This particular person is well respected and has even judged at Crufts.

 

[Millie]

A lot of breeds mention the word apprenticeship, when you come into a new breed, but where did it originate from?

We all hope when we enter under a judge, he/she will be judging the dogs and not who is handling them. If this is so, a new comer who has a decent dog, should be considered along with all the other dogs who fit the standard the closest to the judges opion of it.

If they are considering which handlers have served an apprenticeship, they have to look up the leads, the so called facey judging!

What do others think?

I enjoy showing, win or lose we always take the best dogs home with us, never lose sight of that.

 

[dawn]

Hi Millie

I had only been showing a short while when I took the dog CC at Crufts.  So you see they dont all look at who is at the other end of the lead.

Quite often Novice handlers dont get the best out of their dogs and this shines through on how the dog presents itself.  They can be very nervous and this is carried down the lead.

Having said that there are a lot of very competent handlers who dont get the best out of their dogs.

If you know your own dog and get the best out of him it should not matter who is at the end of the lead.

 

[Millie]

Hi Dawn,

Wow! that must have been a magical day for you. I have made up a Champion in rough collies and winning those green tickets were wonderfull, never to be forgoten moments in all the years I have been showing.

I agree with your comments. I think everyone has had a day, with the most easiest show dog, when it has an off day, and no matter what you do, it says "NO WAY, JOSE!" Thats life as they say!

 

[Karen]

Hi all, I dont think there is an aprentiship period in the breed, lots of newcomers have done really well very early on in thier showing.  I think as someone said, the new exhibitors dont perhaps get the most out of thier good dog because of nerves or just not quite knowing how to stand them to advantage.  When we have been in it for a while we can look back and see more clearly what our fantastic dog was really like!!  I had one like that, I could not understand how he could be beaten but looking at old photos of him he was lacking turn of stifle and was rather steep in upper arm.  I think if you want to show you must be prepared to stick at it, make sure you dont let your dog down by anything you do and accept that people see different things in dogs specially if they are going over them as judges and watching them move from inside the ring.  As for bitching directed at newcomers I think this may be slight fear on the part of some older exhibitors that they may be losing thier grip on breed affairs.  I dont mean that in a nasty way at all, but I think you would find that situation in almost any walk of life.  I try to show great respect to the long time breeders and keep away from those I know to be a bit caustic!  I have been in the breed 19 years and have never won a CC, I put this down to lots of reasons but mainly I cannot keep lots of dogs and I really feel that I know just what is right in a dog but have not yet had this myself in the ones I have shown.  So look hard at your own and be VERY honest, the competition is sooo hot in our breed.  Best wishes you you all.

 

[Garry Comber]

I have shown lightly over the last couple of years and I have been glad of any advice from fellow whippeteers. I have attended various rigcraft classes but most of them I have been dissapointed with becouse I want to be told what im doing wrong instead of them saying thank you very much. Ive also had my dog knocked off the table by a boysterous staffie and when my dog was gone over and patted firmly on both sides of the ribs by a great dane person he went up in the air. Both of these experiances took alot of time to get over. I wish only experianced people handled dogs at ringcraft and Id welcome constructive critisism, has anyone else found this?

 

[Karen]

Hi Garry  I think its very hard at ringcraft because they have to generalise so much, my dogs dont like it very much I tend now to train them at breed club open shows.  If you want constructive criticism you have to REALLY ask and be prepared for things that you didnt know,  this may be what put other people off the showing!!  If I had to give newbies one piece of advice it would be dont fiddle once you have stood your dog, unless his feet are really way out, Ive seen people *correct* a dog into an awful shape.

I dont know about the other listers, what would be your one bit of advice?

 

[dawn]

I think my advice to a newcomer would be to relax and enjoy yourself, after all we are doing this for pleasure.  If you relax then maybe your dog will relax, nerves pass down the lead.

Also watch the other exhibitors and learn from them, mistakes and all!!!

(Edited by dawn at 11:48 am on Dec. 24, 2001)

 

[whippetier]

Hi Rachel

Yes Bruce is the dog in question, unfortunately he was too much competition for the others to handle and they had to turn on me to try and put him down. However for the five years I showed , it was a hobby and meant to be fun so when they turned nasty I decided I didn't need showing to enjoy my pet , He is great anyway, and the whippet show worl dosn't know what they are missing. In a review from Zena Thorn Andrews, at his very forst show as a puppy she wrote she would like to follow his career and she is a very well respected judge, who judges the dogs so I know I have something special. However if you show I have one peice of advice never get too friendly with another whippet owner, try to mix more with exibitors of other breeds, and keep your self to yourself with out being rude and you will probably be okay. I hope you enjoy yourself and all have a good 2002.