Page 24 - Chow LIfe - Spring 2019

Will They Stay OR Will They Go?
by Cathy Clapp
It isn’t unusual for the subject to come up at shows,
club meetings, or just between show-going friends
about newcomers to our sport and our breed – or
the lack thereof. Often the discussion is of how we
can attract more people or how do we keep the ones
that have already jumped in. However, it rarely seems doesn’t know how to gait and stand for examination
to come up as to the differences between our new
exhibitors and why some stay and others fade away.
I’m a member of a group on Facebook called
“Learning To Show Dogs.” No, I am not a newbie.
I have more than thirty years’ experience and that’s
exactly why I’m there. When the group was first
formed the admins asked those of us with experience going to be after watching a dog show on television
and perhaps advice to offer to join to help out
those that were novices and had lots of questions.
Many were lacking mentors or so new they didn’t
realize they should have one. I have been a fairly
active participant since I have plenty of learning
experiences to share. I’m also a firm believer in
learning by Osmosis – why make the same mistake
that someone else has before if they’re willing to
share what went wrong?
In participating in this group it becomes even more
obvious that it doesn’t matter what the breed, there
are similarities across the board with those new to
the sport of showing dogs. New exhibitors for the
most part, seem to loosely fall into one of several
categories.
One of these is the “Know-it-all.” They think they
know everything there is to know about the breed
and how dog shows should be run. They refuse to
accept advice (even when they ask) from those with
experience. They will go from one exhibitor to the
next asking for an “honest” opinion of their dog
and not liking any of them, will continue until they
find someone that says what they want to hear. They
might take the part in the standard about the dog
being “natural” to the extreme. There are those that
don’t do something as simple as brush the dog out
and cut the toenails or might not even give them a
bath. They certainly aren’t going to do any trimming
though some is allowed. They do not go to handling
classes because they “read the book” and know how
it’s “supposed” to be done. They go in with the plan
to show all of us how you “really” should show a
dog. They’ve never actually read the entire
breed standard because their interpretation of
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what they think the breed should be is all that really
matters. And interestingly enough, they usually have
not read the AKC “Rules Applying to Dog Shows”
either. Their losses are never due to the fact they have
a poor quality dog, an ungroomed dog, a dog that
or the simple fact they don’t know how to do basic
patterns like a triangle. Instead every loss is either
political or because the judge was an idiot.
Some of these individuals do come around and
recognize they might actually need help. They start
to realize it might be harder than they thought it was
or a handling demonstration on YouTube. They come
to appreciate that they might really need advice from
someone with experience and truly begin to listen to
answers when they ask questions rather than talking
just to hear themselves speak. They ask for assistance
to learn to groom and how to present their dog.
These new exhibitors that “woke up” have a chance of
making it for the long haul. Those that do not learn
from their mistakes most likely will not make it to
five years and in the process, the regular exhibitors
in the area will avoid them because they just are not
very pleasant to be around. Of course this will be
due to the fact they are a “threat” rather than to the
simple reason that no one wants to listen to them any
more than they have to. Who wants to hear constant
complaints about handlers winning and how things
ought to be done?
The next type of new exhibitor is the best kind to
have – the “Sponge.” This person not only reads
everything possible and researches on the internet,
they go to shows in person to observe and talk to
others in the breed that they have or are interested in.
They sign up for every class and eagerly attend with
their dog to learn as much as possible before entering
their first show. They work to develop a relationship
with at least one longtime breeder/exhibitor and
go to them for help in learning how to properly
groom for the ring. They may get on some’s nerves
because they never seem to run out of questions, but
at least they are listening to the answers. These are
the people that will do their best to learn from their
mistakes and always want to be better than they were
the last time they were in the ring. If their dog isn’t
really of the quality to show, they may continue for
first-hand practice while they look for a puppy from
a show breeder. They will go to that breeder or if not