Why is it that people are "down" on show dogs?????

Question

Do some of you really think they sit in crate all day at shows, or are home wrapped in Saran wrap so they don't get dirty????

People talk about how dogs should have jobs and not be "show dogs". Do you even know what you are talking about????? Do you even think about how people might finish the dog, then go on to get many working titles??? Or how many show dogs are therapy dogs. Or how many work at home or on farms???????

Those people down on show dogs......what does YOUR dog do???

I agree that a dog should be a great companion FIRST. And trust me, my dog roll in dead deer, dig in the yard, chase the cat, and chew up all their expensive toys just like anyones dog. I am not down on pets, but a lot of people seem to think if you show, you are snobby, or you don't let the dogs be dogs at all.

maguire...you just don't get it. It is not the show breeder that is to blame for the overpopulation problem!!!! It is the BYB. We breed and sell either altered dogs or dogs on a contract to alter. NO puppy I produced was bred without me knowing about it, and rules followed. I work in a shelter and KNOW about the problem and have NEVER been able to trace ONE SINGLE dog back to a GOOD breeder. They are all from BYB or pet stores. A good breeder will take back a dog at any time, so they don't need to be dumped at shelters.
Just think...if everyone was required to show...the BYB would NOT exsist!!

And for the person equating showing with "beauty" pagents???? Give me a BREAK!!! They are in the ring for a few minutes!!! The purpose is NOT to see which dog is BEST looking, it is to see which dog best conforms to the breed standard and therefore, which dog can do what it has been bred to do!!! Without this, all dog would end up looking the same. That is how we keep a Dobie a Dobie and not a Rotti. We have ALL seen an example of one or the other that we cannot identify the breed of. That is becauseBYB do not care about that stuff.

And I second what mj said...if I could not have a Newf, I would have more cats. I don't want a shelter dog that might be part Beagle, or Chow. I do not like those breeds and would not do well with them. I have also had a shelter dog that was a temperment NIGHTMARE. I currently do have a small mixed breed that was a rescue, but I like Newfs for a reason and not just ANY dog will do!!

Theresa...I think if you knew about dog shows, you would not be saying it was about the owners wanting the awards!!! Jeez, showing is a MONEY PIT!!! I don't handle my own dogs currently, and usually am not even AT the show. There is no money won, and the next day evereyone has forgotten who won the day before!! Where is the glory?????????? I am not seeing it. A championship is great, but it is a whole lot of effort and expense.

And for pigs...the increase in CHD in dogs is the result of the increase in popularity and then the increase in BYB!!!!! When a dog becomes popular, the BYB come out of the woodwork to make their buck. THEY are the ones who do not get clearances. Not the good breeders. Face facts. It is NOT good breeders that take homes away, it is BYB and mills. If you can't see that...there is something wrong with you.

Answer 1

I know alot of show breeders and their dogs are pets as well as show dogs. EVEN the Afghan breeders let their dogs be dogs!

Maguire12 - "I'm "down on show dogs" because the show dog community perpetuates the pet overpopulation problem."

Oh PLEASE!!! Show breeders not only sell pups with S/N contracts and limited registration, they only breed 5% of ALL the AKC registered dogs. That does not take into account all the CB pups registered with scam registeries, nor the gazillion randomly bred mutts!

Maguire12 - "they are blatantly sabotaging the chance for millions of good dogs, purebred or Heinz 57, to get the home they so deserve."

Well, if *I* couldn't have my Sighthounds, I probably wouldn't have ANY dogs and would travel more! I am sure I am not the only one who feels this way about their breed either. What do you think I should do, course some Poodle cross, watch it bounce along after the lure??? Should my neighbor take some GSD cross out in the field for hunting??? Should Torbay take some Bichon cross out cart pulling???

Take your anger out on the people who are too stupid or lazy to manage their animals, THEY are responsible for the problem!

Maguire12 - "But I HATE breed .... activities with a passion"

Oh yeah, it is just so awful that a dog is out enjoying the job it was bred to do! Why would you be against something the dogs love so much! My Hounds would rather be running than ANYTHING else!

I cannot believe the (almost) TOTAL lack of basic dog knowledge around here, not to mention the apparent inability to reason!

Answer 2

Some people are sadly misinformed. I almost laugh at the passionate responses about show dog breeders contributing the overpopulation or taking homes away from shelter dogs. In my case, I have as many rescue dogs as purebred show dogs. I rescue and re-home at least 5 dogs for every puppy I produce. For those preaching against the show dogs, are YOU helping to rescue or are you just complaining about what everyone else should be doing?

Yup, I show dogs. I even breed dogs now and then. But I have always maintained that I will provide homes for more dogs than I produce. Show dogs are not the problem - irresponsible breeding and lack of education is the problem.

And for the record, my show dog is also my pet. Once her show career is over, she will do whatever skill she shows the most interest in - therapy, obedience, agility, etc. Pet owners: are you out there training your dog?? What makes you think that a dog enjoys lying around the house? That's not a life!!

Answer 3

You are so right! I have working line and show line Shepherds. I am the first to admit it is very hard to show a GSD in the ring! Extremely hard to finish one as well. Show dogs know what they are doing. There are plenty of Champions in our breed that also have obedience titles, herding, tracking and agility as well. Some people just don't get it. It is very difficult to show. The dogs enjoy it! They don't sit around as a couch potato all day. They love working, either in the show ring or obedience, even Schutzhund! My young male loves going to shows. He might make a fool out of me once in a while by acting like he doesn't know a command like "down" when told though!! He did just that in September at a show. He just looked at me like I was an idiot! He downed for me the next day. Showing is so much fun for these dogs. You are right, the pet overpopulation comes from the BYB's, puppymills as well. People need to see where these puppies in pets stores actually come from!
Ragapple, well in our breed, the GSD it is damn tough to finish a dog! The one thing that I do not like is the politics.

I aslo wanted to add about people stating an increase in HD. Well, it could just also be an increase of people screening dogs for HD and more dogs flunking. The BYB's normally don't bother to screen their breeding dogs!

Answer 4

I will be quite honest and admit I am not crazy about dog shows OR the dogs that are shown. I watch them, yes, but it is only to see the dogs. I must ask how many of those dogs were bred for confirmation first and their "jobs" second. Each one of the dogs in the ring has a "job" they were bred to do. I truly believe that each dog shown should carry a title appropriate to their breed/group BEFORE they get shown. Much like many of the German breeds and Schutzhund in Germany. Before the AKC came along Farmers wanted dogs to drive cattle. What they looked like didn't matter at all so long as they were good at herding. People in Alaska wanted dogs that could pull loads and survive the harsh weather.
So are dog shows bad? Yes and no. Each dog has a standard and the dog must conform to be "good" But shouldn't the dog be good at it's "job" first? I think ALL Terriers should have an Earth Dog title BEFORE they are shown. The dogs in the Herding group should carry a Herding Title. Lap dogs, I will give you, can't carry a lapdog title. BUT a CGC would be appropriate as it would be for all breeds.

Answer 5

i think there is nothing wrong with show dogs. i do believe a lot of back yard breeders have brought down the thought of show dogs. they advertise different lines and what not and then you get their dogs and they are no where near conformation. i think the show people need to start fighting against backyard breeders if they want to bring back good thoughts about show dogs. showing dogs, the correct way and being able to put a title on your dog involves a lot of hard work and training. i see a problem when you breed more for looks than brains as also being a downfall. for example the roach or sloped back on a german shepherd being standard for many years now is completely absurd and should be changed!! but in general if you're showing your dog, putting titles such as grand or reserve champion on your dog, you're doing a pretty good job. and the majority of these dogs are working dog when they're not showing.



as for show dogs contributing to pet overpopulation, it's mainly uneducated backyard breeders contributing to this. an true show dog being bred, the little will be sold before the dog is even bred and these breeders will know where these pups are and what they are doing for the rest of the pup's life. and most respectable show breeders offer things such as if you ever need to give up the pup to return it to the breeder.

Answer 6

i've got observed that lots of coach Border collies have longer hair. whilst herding, this is extra suitable for them to have shorter hair, in my opinion (and in lots of others), because of the fact it does not get tangled in long grass, that's extra basic to maintain neat, and so on. yet I somewhat have seen a pair medium length coat Border collies herding, in basic terms none with an exceedingly long coach length coat. because of the fact that all and sundry so some distance has mentioned that... that somewhat ability no longer something, haha. Or like what Mutter mentioned. some coach BCs are bred for looks, herders are bred for intelligence (this is wise, in case you question me. the only dogs coach breeders ever look to offer are classically marked black and white, fluffy BCs. the clarification the breed is so smart is they have in no way been bred for looks, this is why they'd be any colour decrease than the solar, could have any coat length, and somewhat have a enormously extensive weight selection for a smaller scale medium sized breed), and so this is argued that coach breeders are ruining the breed. Or i assume with banned coloring in specific breeds. The "silver" lab probable has the flexibility to be a great hunter if knowledgeable right, however the coloring ability no shows for them. that's style of any different way around however. upload: or i assume the AmStaff is a sturdy occasion. in accordance to a pair those that replied my question the day gone by, the Amstaff and the APBT began out because of the fact the comparable breed, however the Amstaff had the "recreation" look bred out of it so it may be coach high quality. So enormously plenty each seen distinction between Amstaffs and APBTs are for coach...

Answer 7

well actually obedience, agility, rally, lure coursing, racing, I'm temporarily outta the therapy dog stint since my ole lady is retired and my promising therapy youngster needs a tad more maturity....
and tooled around the breed ring occasionally.

dog best conforms to the breed standard and therefore, which dog which can do what they were bred to do

Now I DO have a tiny little problem with this premise--- too many breeds are split and few dogs actually can succeed in the breed ring AND do performance. My breed (whippets) just got the 4th animal in 15 years to get a bench championship AND succeed at what whippets were bred to do- and the saddest thing is that the owners of the first 3 were not exactly trampled in the rush to breed to their dual champions .....
I understand some of the sporting breeds are worse- and we wont even bring up GSDs..........

Answer 8

People are down on "show" dogs because they don't understand what that means. They don't know how much work and time and attention go into getting a breed championship.

There are some "show" people that are off putting, too. People who show their dogs only to get titles, and don't let them be real dogs.

I myself like a dog, be it a show dog, competition dog, beloved pet, etc. that gets to be a dog. That is owned and loved by someone who has made some effort to teach human manners to the dog. And that is healthy and happy.

There is nothing as beautiful as a truly happy dog.

Answer 9

The problem with dog shows is it's all about the breeder/handler, not the dog. The dog couldn't care less how it looks, it's it's owner that becomes obsessed with the "perfect" dog. Not to mention how many dogs are actually show worthy.

All the dogs that were born to get the perfect dog took away homes of homeless dogs. There are MILLIONS of dogs that need homes, it's stupid to bring more in the world for your enjoyment.

It is a fact. Face it!!! Any responsible breeder KNOWS that he/she is taking away potential homes of animals that are homeless. IF YOU DON'T REALISE THAT, YOU'RE NOT A RESPONSIBLE BREEDER.

Not to mention the lengths some breeders go to get the perfect looking dog. Hip dysplasia was not a common condition in retrievers until they started getting more popular in shows. Because the perfect looking dog carried the gene, it started multiplying down the line, making it a very common disorder in retrievers today. Inbreeding and line breeding are being used to get the right look, making more genetic faults come alive down the line. Not to mention how many breeders will actually lie to someone looking for a stud. Many do not care about the health problems if they can make money off the looks of their dog.

It's soley a hobby for the breeder/handler, not the dog. Let a dog be a dog for god's sake.

Answer 10

All righty then...my dog's a pet. She isnt' required to do anything but hang around and be a good companion.

I haven't got anything against show dogs. But there are some people who show dogs and they forget that underneath all the ribbons, there's a real dog under there who just wants to roll around in the dirt sometimes.