[Chipmaker]

My wife is a fanatic with dog shows, and every year they have a major AKC show here in this area. The wife was finally able to persuade me to attend, but I warned her in advance...........if I made any connections with a breeder that had any GSD's that caught my fancy it may mean an additional GSD in the household......so with that taken into account I went........

I dunno, I guess it takes alot to really get into these shows.......it was nothing like the Crups INternational show, thats often seen on TV, as you could get in and around all the dogs, and not restrained to the bleachers etc...

One thing I noticed is the judges be it male or female seem to really get dressed up to the max, like they themselves were being judged by their dress..........and most participants , well I don't really know how to expain it, but it seems they dress the opposite......Yes they wear all these fancy clothes etc, but it seems they are about 30 years behind the times in regards to fashion.........I mean it was the 70's era
and a polyester showcase from the way these folks all dressed.......Judges in latest fashion and participants in a fashion warp....really weird........Its amazing though a lot of these folks do nothing but travel the circuit, all in the hopes of gettig a piece of blue cloth in the end, and hopefully accumulate enough points to compete in the international or national shows where the money is at...........

The show was pretty interesting, not so much in watching the judgeing of the different classes but being able to talk to the folks and get to learn things and seeing all the recogognized breeds up front and close. I did come up with a few contacts some of which I hope to follow up on next week and the week after Thanksgiving......so hopefully I am heading to Georgia to look at some GSD pups and north Florida to look at some Belgium Tervuren's..........I have always liked the Belg Terv's........and always wanted one so its gonna be a hard decision between a GSD and Belg Terv.

The dog show was held in the "coliseum" which is where they hold major livestock exhibits etc, and there was literlaly hundreds and hundreds of dogs of every breed, groomers, vendors etc so the place was pretty well packed. Everywhere you looked folks had crates setup or grooming tables and all their asociated show needs, be it in a corner of a restroom to under stairways.......every square inch of that huge building was being utilized.......What was really amazing though I did not see the first confrontation between two dogs........and this was unreal with all those dogs in such close quarters with each other, males, females on leads and in crates, and no dog fights..truly amazing...........Most folks say dogs actually like conmpeting and being shown, but I have my doubts.......most are wrappe dup with cloths so their hair does not get dirty, and all kinds of other concoctions........groomed, regroomed and groomed again.........certainly not what I would envison a dog liking the most........playing ball, digging etc......or just being a dog in general.

They had state prison inmates working as clean up crews, and for three days now those fellows have been getting a pretty good workout at being pooper scoopers...........inside and outside of the building.

 

[guest]

i had a bulldog that i tried showing.. he won a few times but never finished.. it seemed way to pretentious for me..
people spinding literally hours combing and grooimg their dogs..
when their dogs would really rather be out rolling around in a field somewhere...

a show is a good place to get samples and some cool dog stuff though..

 

[MowHoward2210]

Interesting story and observations, Chipmaker! I am looking into getting a GSD when I move out to the country in the near future. The Belgium Tervurens' have caught my attention too while looking at future pets. I plan on learning more about both breeds or some other breeds before I make a decision.

Has anyone seen the movie Best in Show? Really funny movie.

 

[Chipmaker]

Moe, in regards to a GSD or BT, just make sure you get a good vet check of the hips,as hip dysplacia is common in these breeds of dogs........A good breeder will have already had them checked and have a certificate stating if they are free or not......a dog with HD is not one that you would want, as it would be a never ending battle with the joints, even if you had the dogs hips realigned or replaced....its still just a temporary thing, which will again show up as thew dog gets older.

Here is the latest additon to our family...He is a Belgium Tervuren and in this image is right at 10 weeks old........With his colors he should become a silver gray / black when mature.......

 

[bontai Joe]

The only dog shows I have seen in person were hunting trials. That was interesting with dogs required to hunt, hold point and flush on command. Retreivers were to fetch, and hounds were to follow scent. It didn't take long to see the difference between the pretty dogs and the smart ones. Sometimes that was true of the owners as well.

 

[MowHoward2210]

Originally posted by Chipmaker
Moe, in regards to a GSD or BT, just make sure you get a good vet check of the hips,as hip dysplacia is common in these breeds of dogs........A good breeder will have already had them checked and have a certificate stating if they are free or not......a dog with HD is not one that you would want, as it would be a never ending battle with the joints, even if you had the dogs hips realigned or replaced....its still just a temporary thing, which will again show up as thew dog gets older.

Here is the latest additon to our family...He is a Belgium Tervuren and in this image is right at 10 weeks old........With his colors he should become a silver gray / black when mature.......

Thanks, Chipmaker. That reinforces that the HD and bloodline relationship is the most important thing to look for when choosing a GSD.

That's a nice looking pup! I'll probably have some questions about the Belgium Tervuren and the GSD's when I get closer to acquiring a new dog.