Are you beginning to think that your dog is always a �bride�s maid� and never a �bride� when it comes to her show wins? Is he/she always winning a reserve at the dog shows? I know of some really good dogs that have accumulated many of these reserve wins over the lifetime of their career before they�ve finished their championship title.
So just what does it mean to win a reserve at a point show? Your dog doesn�t win any points for all his and his handler�s expertise! On a positive note, if he wins a reserve at a major pointed show, then he will have helped contribute to his parent�s ROM (register of merit title).
I would like to see the AKC award a point to a Reserve Winners Dog that has won at a major specialty show but put a limitation on how many points that he can win this way. Many times the reserve winner�s dog is just as good as and maybe even better than the winner�s dog, but perhaps he didn�t show as well on this particular day. Maybe tomorrow he�ll be the winner�s dogs and the other dog will be the reserve winners. Different judge will see different things and maybe the dog is feeling better on this day and shows his little heart out.
Many people believe that a conformation show is a �beauty contest� for dogs. And perhaps in some ways it is if you didn�t count the importance of temperament and movement. I mean if we just judged the dogs on what they looked like, I can understand where some of these people are coming from. And if that were the case, then like in a beauty contest if the winner can�t live up to her expectations, than the second place winner (reserve) would take her win and her title. It�s not the same in a dog show.
So in some cases a reserve winner�s dog is little more than a brag for some people especially if it was received from a major pointed show. A dog that I bred many years ago (Am Select #3 BOS futurity Am & International Ch Chieftains� Kharu CD) was the Reserve Winners Dog at the National Specialty show out in Arizona the year before he went Select. It was a huge show and I was so proud and excited that he achieved such a wonderful award, but it didn�t add any points towards his championship.
I searched and searched on the AKC website to give me some more information about the reserve win at a conformation show. I couldn�t find it. That doesn�t mean it�s not there, but �yours truly� just couldn�t find any information about this award outside of the fact that the second place dog in any class will compete for reserve winners if the winner�s dog came from his class. In other words if the Winner�s Dog came from the American Bred class, then the second place American Bred dog would go back in the ring to compete for the reserve win.
So why is there a reserve win to begin with? Just how important is it or is it important at all? Do you think that the AKC should award a point to a major winning reserve dog? How many reserve winners� ribbons have you accumulated over the years of showing your dogs? Perhaps someone can enlighten me to the importance of the Reserve Winner�s Dog award besides ROM points for his parents if he won it at a major pointed show.
From the book: "NO CONTEST: THE CASE AGAINST COMPETITION"....Are you of the belief that my success depends upon your failure? Contending that competition in all areas school, family, sports and business destructive, and that success so achieved is at the expense of anothers' failure, Kohn, a correspondent for USA Today, advocates a restructuring of our institutions to replace competition with cooperation. He persuasively demonstrates how the ingrained American myth that competition is the only normal and desirable way of life from Little Leagues to the presidency counterproductive, personally and for the national economy, and how psychologically it poisons relationships, fosters anxiety and takes the fun out of work and play. He charges that competition is a learned phenomenon and denies that it builds character and self-esteem. Kohn's measures to encourage cooperation in lieu of competition include promoting noncompetitive games, eliminating scholastic grades and substitution of mutual security for national security.
My rating: Reserve Winners Award: (if achieved at a major pointed show) - (3 - 4)!
Showing posts with label show dog equipment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label show dog equipment. Show all posts
Monday, 21 February 2011
Friday, 19 November 2010
GO AHEAD, ASK ME ANYTHING - SEE HOW MUCH YOU REMEMBER
So you think you know the German Shepherd dog and the people associated with them. Put your thinking cap on. Here you go. Just for fun!
What handler said: "I can finish anything?"
What handler said: "Give me a spooky dog to show. They always move."
What two litter sisters went Grand Victrix?
Who wrote the memorial tribute for LaMar Kuhns and her husband read it at the 1984 National Specialty Show in Arizona?
Who wrote the book "This is the German Shepherd?"
Who was the editor of the GSD Review in 1985?
If a dog is advertised as producing his phenotype, what does that mean?
What GSD Specialty club does Ed Barritt still belong to and most years still stewards at but he no longer lives in that state?
If your dog is diagnosed as having SIBO, what do those letters stand for?
I was the first ROM import since 1967, who am I?
Who used to advertise in the Review and put on the bottom of their ads: "Records live, opinions die?"
I came from a famous kennel. I was a Grand Victor. My father was a Grand Victor and I produced two Grand Victor sons and a Grand Victrix daughter. I had one good hip and one that was a little off. Me and my father before me lived long healthy lives but one of my Grand Victor sons was not as lucky. He bloated and died. Who am I?
I write �Inside the German Shepherd Dog�s World.� Who am I?
I write a blog from the German Shepherd Dog Club National Specialty shows these last several years. Who am I?
What are the names of the German Shepherd Dog family of handlers that consisted of father, mother and child that dominated the show ring back in the 1980�s and the child still handles today?
What well known breeder/exhibitor/judge owned �Rex the wonder dog?�
With some of today's dog's you might see attached many different awards or titles at the end of his name, for hips, health and obedience titles that he may have earned. You'll see them identified with a gazillion initials. If you hear the initials EPI associated with a certain dog, is that a good thing and what does it stand for?
At a specialty show, a judge has standing before her five German Shepherd Dogs. Which dog has to be excused? The roach backed Shepherd, the long coated Shepherd, the white Shepherd, the dog with four missing molars, the overshot mouth Shepherd?
The following day at the next specialty show, the judge has the following dogs in her ring. Which dog has to be excused? The dog that has a nose that is not predominantly black, the dog with the undershot jaw, the dog with hanging ears or the dog that tries to bite the judge?
So how do you think that you did? Do you think you got them all right? Share your answers with us and see how many of them you got right. Let's see who the first one is to get them all right, then on Monday I'll post the answers here to these questions.
My rating: German Shepherd trivia: (4)
What handler said: "I can finish anything?"
What handler said: "Give me a spooky dog to show. They always move."
What two litter sisters went Grand Victrix?
Who wrote the memorial tribute for LaMar Kuhns and her husband read it at the 1984 National Specialty Show in Arizona?
Who wrote the book "This is the German Shepherd?"
Who was the editor of the GSD Review in 1985?
If a dog is advertised as producing his phenotype, what does that mean?
What GSD Specialty club does Ed Barritt still belong to and most years still stewards at but he no longer lives in that state?
If your dog is diagnosed as having SIBO, what do those letters stand for?
I was the first ROM import since 1967, who am I?
Who used to advertise in the Review and put on the bottom of their ads: "Records live, opinions die?"
I came from a famous kennel. I was a Grand Victor. My father was a Grand Victor and I produced two Grand Victor sons and a Grand Victrix daughter. I had one good hip and one that was a little off. Me and my father before me lived long healthy lives but one of my Grand Victor sons was not as lucky. He bloated and died. Who am I?
I write �Inside the German Shepherd Dog�s World.� Who am I?
I write a blog from the German Shepherd Dog Club National Specialty shows these last several years. Who am I?
What are the names of the German Shepherd Dog family of handlers that consisted of father, mother and child that dominated the show ring back in the 1980�s and the child still handles today?
What well known breeder/exhibitor/judge owned �Rex the wonder dog?�
With some of today's dog's you might see attached many different awards or titles at the end of his name, for hips, health and obedience titles that he may have earned. You'll see them identified with a gazillion initials. If you hear the initials EPI associated with a certain dog, is that a good thing and what does it stand for?
At a specialty show, a judge has standing before her five German Shepherd Dogs. Which dog has to be excused? The roach backed Shepherd, the long coated Shepherd, the white Shepherd, the dog with four missing molars, the overshot mouth Shepherd?
The following day at the next specialty show, the judge has the following dogs in her ring. Which dog has to be excused? The dog that has a nose that is not predominantly black, the dog with the undershot jaw, the dog with hanging ears or the dog that tries to bite the judge?
So how do you think that you did? Do you think you got them all right? Share your answers with us and see how many of them you got right. Let's see who the first one is to get them all right, then on Monday I'll post the answers here to these questions.
My rating: German Shepherd trivia: (4)
Tuesday, 9 November 2010
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL RAMIFICATIONS OF SHOWING DOGS
You�ve been preparing to show your newest little superstar before he was even born. You planned his breeding; you socialized him, trained him, and groomed him getting him ready for his first introduction into the show ring. You�ve made preparations to hire the best handler that money can afford. You �talked� him up to your friends and family. You even showed a picture or two of him on some of the show dog lists. You did a real good job of selling him to the show dog public. People now are starting to talk about him and anticipating seeing a real �head turner� when he walks into the ring.
The big day arrives. In trots your much �hyped� up superstar. You see people starting to whisper and you accept this as an acceptance of his star power. You smile to yourself knowing they haven�t seen anything yet. Just wait until they see your guy move around that ring. Off he goes and he�s charging around the ring. You�re beaming with pride about his great showmanship and attitude. People are whispering even more now. The judge calls his handler out to the center of the ring for a loose lead temperament test. Your dog is bucking and jumping pulling the handler in the opposite direction. Finally the handler gets him to the center of the ring. The dog blows his mind when the judge tries to examine him. Oh he doesn�t try to bite the judge; he�s too scared for that. So the judge sends him to the back of the line and that is where he stays as the winners are handed their ribbons and you�re handed back your dog.
Now the whispers grow louder and you can�t help but overhear some of the snide remarks made as you and your dog walk by. �Even if he didn�t blow his mind, he�s not that much better than a pet dog� someone says a little too loudly. �That�s not movement. He was running because he was afraid of his handler� another voice says.
Showing dogs is not just about getting a dog ready and prepared for the show ring. You better learn to be pretty tough skinned when you are showing dogs. Naturally the above scenario is in the extreme. But sometimes even the best of dogs can have an off day and they may be a little unruly in the show ring. People will talk if a dog looks at them the wrong way. Some people can be down right cruel when it comes to showing dogs. It is a competition and some are out to win no matter which way they can do it. Step aside if you are faint of heart because you may get run over.
There is a whole psychology in the showing of dogs. No one likes to lose, but if you don�t learn how to lose well, then you�re going to carry it from show to show. And an angry competitor is not a very nice person to be around. The dog picks up on it. Ring side picks up on it and the other exhibitors pick up on it. All and all it doesn�t make for a very enjoyable show experience. Showing should be fun. If it isn�t, then what are you doing it for? I can think of a lot of other ways to spend one�s time than doing something that turns your insides upside down.
If you don�t psychologically prepare yourself to show dogs then you may be in for a big shock. All the preparation in the world of getting your dog ready to be shown will not take the sting out of losing with this dog that you have placed so much hope in. If you have a good dog, common sense will tell you that sooner or later, he will be rewarded as being such. To lose control of yourself because one or two judges don�t agree with you is silly. Even the best of dogs will lose throughout their show careers. It�s to be expected in any sport. It�s the nature of the beast if you will. You win some and you lose some. Everybody likes to win. No one likes to lose. But lose you will and if you don�t know how to lose, you can make yourself sick about it!
Oh sure there will be some times that you lose and your dog lost to a better dog that day. Come on admit it now��.the other dog was better on this day. And then there will be those days that you lose to an inferior dog and you want to scream! Go ahead and do it if you have to, but try to do it away from the ring so the judge doesn�t feel like you�re going to jump the rope and strangle her! Probably the worst loss would be when you feel like you walked into a set up situation. You know the ones that I mean. The winning dog/bitch was determined before he even set foot in the ring! And before you die hard �believe that all judges are honest� fans shout that never happens����..OH YES IT DOES! In this case, if you feel like jumping the rope to strangle the judge, ask your friends to hold you back so you don�t lose your AKC privileges and you can still show your dog under honest judges in the future!
Let me tell you, if you are reading this and have never shown a dog before it can be very nerve wracking. Headaches are throbbing temples, tempers are at their most unattractive stage, stomachs are doing cartwheels, intestines are in knots and exhibitors are fighting for the next free bathroom seat in the nearest restroom! I kid you not. I know I�ve been there before.
Talk about catty people��my goodness gracious just walk around ringside and eaves drop if you must and listen and watch the tongues���.they�re wagging faster than your dog�s tail. This is where people come to observe, to compare, to learn and yes to gossip. It�s alright I guess if you are one that is partaking of the sometimes unsavory conversations, but what about if you�re on the opposite side of this equation and you�re the one that they are gossiping about? It can be pretty painful stuff���if you let it get to you. If you go to the show knowing that sometimes your feelings will get hurt because people may not like your dog and are talking negatively about him, then you may be better prepared to deal with it. If on the other hand you go to the show and EXPECT that everyone will love your dog, you may be in for a rude awakening.
Showing dogs can be some of the most thrilling times of your life and some of the most positive as well. You must bring along with you the right attitude. If you do, your losses will not overcome you. You�re smart enough to know it just comes with the territory. Tomorrow is another day and another judge!
Go to the show knowing you love your dog and hope that others will as well. If they don�t, don�t take it personally. Remember you are competition the moment you step foot on the show ground. Not everyone will like your dog and so what. Take him home and love him anyway. Have fun and don�t let the psychological warfare of showing dogs get to you. If it does, then maybe this is not the sport that you should be in. If you�re not having fun, then do something else with your dog where you are having fun! The German Shepherd is one of the most intelligent of breeds. If you�re not enjoying yourself and are tense and upset, he knows and feels it. You can�t expect him to perform his best if you are not willing to accept the consequences of his performance on that day!
From the DVD: "CAUTION: SHOW DOGS!"......Behind all the glamour and excitement lies the never-ending hard work, enormous amounts of love and an all-consuming dedication that is difficult to imagine. Get to know four top breeders, and their dogs, while sharing the years of knowledge and experience required to produce consistent champions. In fact, the full-length movie CAUTION: SHOW DOGS! puts you behind-the-scenes so you can share the excitement and exhilaration of the world of SHOW DOGS!
My rating: showing dogs: (3 -4)
The big day arrives. In trots your much �hyped� up superstar. You see people starting to whisper and you accept this as an acceptance of his star power. You smile to yourself knowing they haven�t seen anything yet. Just wait until they see your guy move around that ring. Off he goes and he�s charging around the ring. You�re beaming with pride about his great showmanship and attitude. People are whispering even more now. The judge calls his handler out to the center of the ring for a loose lead temperament test. Your dog is bucking and jumping pulling the handler in the opposite direction. Finally the handler gets him to the center of the ring. The dog blows his mind when the judge tries to examine him. Oh he doesn�t try to bite the judge; he�s too scared for that. So the judge sends him to the back of the line and that is where he stays as the winners are handed their ribbons and you�re handed back your dog.
Now the whispers grow louder and you can�t help but overhear some of the snide remarks made as you and your dog walk by. �Even if he didn�t blow his mind, he�s not that much better than a pet dog� someone says a little too loudly. �That�s not movement. He was running because he was afraid of his handler� another voice says.
Showing dogs is not just about getting a dog ready and prepared for the show ring. You better learn to be pretty tough skinned when you are showing dogs. Naturally the above scenario is in the extreme. But sometimes even the best of dogs can have an off day and they may be a little unruly in the show ring. People will talk if a dog looks at them the wrong way. Some people can be down right cruel when it comes to showing dogs. It is a competition and some are out to win no matter which way they can do it. Step aside if you are faint of heart because you may get run over.
There is a whole psychology in the showing of dogs. No one likes to lose, but if you don�t learn how to lose well, then you�re going to carry it from show to show. And an angry competitor is not a very nice person to be around. The dog picks up on it. Ring side picks up on it and the other exhibitors pick up on it. All and all it doesn�t make for a very enjoyable show experience. Showing should be fun. If it isn�t, then what are you doing it for? I can think of a lot of other ways to spend one�s time than doing something that turns your insides upside down.
If you don�t psychologically prepare yourself to show dogs then you may be in for a big shock. All the preparation in the world of getting your dog ready to be shown will not take the sting out of losing with this dog that you have placed so much hope in. If you have a good dog, common sense will tell you that sooner or later, he will be rewarded as being such. To lose control of yourself because one or two judges don�t agree with you is silly. Even the best of dogs will lose throughout their show careers. It�s to be expected in any sport. It�s the nature of the beast if you will. You win some and you lose some. Everybody likes to win. No one likes to lose. But lose you will and if you don�t know how to lose, you can make yourself sick about it!
Oh sure there will be some times that you lose and your dog lost to a better dog that day. Come on admit it now��.the other dog was better on this day. And then there will be those days that you lose to an inferior dog and you want to scream! Go ahead and do it if you have to, but try to do it away from the ring so the judge doesn�t feel like you�re going to jump the rope and strangle her! Probably the worst loss would be when you feel like you walked into a set up situation. You know the ones that I mean. The winning dog/bitch was determined before he even set foot in the ring! And before you die hard �believe that all judges are honest� fans shout that never happens����..OH YES IT DOES! In this case, if you feel like jumping the rope to strangle the judge, ask your friends to hold you back so you don�t lose your AKC privileges and you can still show your dog under honest judges in the future!
Let me tell you, if you are reading this and have never shown a dog before it can be very nerve wracking. Headaches are throbbing temples, tempers are at their most unattractive stage, stomachs are doing cartwheels, intestines are in knots and exhibitors are fighting for the next free bathroom seat in the nearest restroom! I kid you not. I know I�ve been there before.
Talk about catty people��my goodness gracious just walk around ringside and eaves drop if you must and listen and watch the tongues���.they�re wagging faster than your dog�s tail. This is where people come to observe, to compare, to learn and yes to gossip. It�s alright I guess if you are one that is partaking of the sometimes unsavory conversations, but what about if you�re on the opposite side of this equation and you�re the one that they are gossiping about? It can be pretty painful stuff���if you let it get to you. If you go to the show knowing that sometimes your feelings will get hurt because people may not like your dog and are talking negatively about him, then you may be better prepared to deal with it. If on the other hand you go to the show and EXPECT that everyone will love your dog, you may be in for a rude awakening.
Showing dogs can be some of the most thrilling times of your life and some of the most positive as well. You must bring along with you the right attitude. If you do, your losses will not overcome you. You�re smart enough to know it just comes with the territory. Tomorrow is another day and another judge!
Go to the show knowing you love your dog and hope that others will as well. If they don�t, don�t take it personally. Remember you are competition the moment you step foot on the show ground. Not everyone will like your dog and so what. Take him home and love him anyway. Have fun and don�t let the psychological warfare of showing dogs get to you. If it does, then maybe this is not the sport that you should be in. If you�re not having fun, then do something else with your dog where you are having fun! The German Shepherd is one of the most intelligent of breeds. If you�re not enjoying yourself and are tense and upset, he knows and feels it. You can�t expect him to perform his best if you are not willing to accept the consequences of his performance on that day!
From the DVD: "CAUTION: SHOW DOGS!"......Behind all the glamour and excitement lies the never-ending hard work, enormous amounts of love and an all-consuming dedication that is difficult to imagine. Get to know four top breeders, and their dogs, while sharing the years of knowledge and experience required to produce consistent champions. In fact, the full-length movie CAUTION: SHOW DOGS! puts you behind-the-scenes so you can share the excitement and exhilaration of the world of SHOW DOGS!
My rating: showing dogs: (3 -4)
Thursday, 29 July 2010
WHAT YOUR EYE IS USED TO LOOKING AT
I�ve done articles here before about the different coat colors and coat lengths of the German Shepherd Dog. We have a breed standard, but you could line up all these different dogs with their unique coloring or coat length and there really wouldn�t be any consistency in their breed type. Oh they may all be beautifully structured, but they really wouldn�t look alike except for the erect ears that this breed is known for. So even if they all were the best representatives of their breed only in different colors and coat length, no two of them would look alike.
Many pet people have never seen an all black German Shepherd for instance. Some have never seen or know what a sable looks like. A bi-color may totally confuse them. Most people have seen a white German Shepherd so that wouldn�t be too confusing. Probably the most favored color is the black and tan dog.
Over time if you live with one of the different types of this breed, your eye gets used to looking at that type of dog. Correct or not, this is what you�re used to seeing so when you see something else that doesn�t look like your dog and may even be a better representative of the breed, you still think that you dog has the better quality. That�s because that�s what your eye is used to looking at.
For example, if you are used to showing a specialty type of dog that has more hindquarter than an All-Breed dog, than that�s what you think is correct. It works both ways. The All-breed exhibitor will think his dog is the correct standard for the breed. If your kennel is known for producing good fronts, you will automatically be looking at the competition to see if they have the front and side gait that you�re used to looking at. The same thing goes for the kennel that consistently produces good hindquarter angulation. If a dog has anything less than what you�re used to looking at, then you�ll think it lacks hindquarter. It�s all because this is what you are used to looking at in your own dogs.
Many times you can follow a specialty judge and know what he likes by looking at the type of animals he�s bred and raised. If he�s bred some top winning dogs, many times that�s the type he�s going to put up. It�s what he�s used to looking at everyday and it�s what he�s won with. Some judges are movement judges. Some are breed type judges. Some like lots of rear. Some like lots of front. Ideally you want to show under a judge that takes the whole package into consideration when he judges. Hopefully you show under a judge that has a �trained� eye. He�s lived with and knows dogs and specifically the German Shepherd Dog.
It can be very difficult for some people to develop a �trained� eye. You will never know what a good dog is unless you�ve lived with them and bred them. Living with these beautiful specimens of the breed is all the education one needs. To have bred and lived with dogs that �take your breath� away is the best education you could ever hope for when you step into the middle of that ring. No book, no magazine, no video could ever prepare you to what it�s like living with one of these properly structured animals. I used to love letting my dogs out in the back yard and just sit watching them float around the yard like it was no effort at all. And that�s the key��a good dog moves like there is no effort at all. The other dogs will have to put out more energy to move. That�s probably why you see your better movers in the ring floating rather than charging. The dog that is not as good of a mover will have to put out harder to make up for the lack of his proper structure, whereas the good mover makes it look easy. You won�t see him huffing and puffing at the end of his lead like the charging dogs in the ring next to him.
Someone said to me not too long ago when talking about a fellow exhibitor, �What does she see in that dog? Why is she still showing him?� She said that the dog was a really horrible dog. I replied to her, �It�s what she�s used to looking at.� Is the owner right or is he wrong in showing his poorly structured dog? It�s really not a question of right or wrong. It�s all about what her eye is used to looking at. Until she educates herself, she will still think her poorly structured dog is correct.
So if your dog lacks the front or rear and he�s not a very good mover, you won�t really know it until you put him in the ring next to those that have these attributes. When you watch a dog that is not properly put together, because you live with him, you believe he�s the best thing next to a �hot off the grill� cheeseburger. Then when you put him in the show ring and you see the other dogs, you think that there�s something the matter with the other dogs. They look nothing like your dog does. It�s all what your eye is used to looking at. This is called being kennel blind. Your education begins when you are forced to re-evaluate your breeding and show stock.
You can chose to like whatever it is that you find appealing in this breed�s structure (hindquarters, fronts, movement, etc.) but for all the variety that is out there, there is only one correct structure and that is dictated by the German Shepherd Dog Club of America�s breed standard. Once you become familiar with it, you may come to realize what your eye has become used to is not what the standard calls for in a correctly structured animal.
My rating: Get familiar with the breed standard: (4)
Many pet people have never seen an all black German Shepherd for instance. Some have never seen or know what a sable looks like. A bi-color may totally confuse them. Most people have seen a white German Shepherd so that wouldn�t be too confusing. Probably the most favored color is the black and tan dog.
Over time if you live with one of the different types of this breed, your eye gets used to looking at that type of dog. Correct or not, this is what you�re used to seeing so when you see something else that doesn�t look like your dog and may even be a better representative of the breed, you still think that you dog has the better quality. That�s because that�s what your eye is used to looking at.
For example, if you are used to showing a specialty type of dog that has more hindquarter than an All-Breed dog, than that�s what you think is correct. It works both ways. The All-breed exhibitor will think his dog is the correct standard for the breed. If your kennel is known for producing good fronts, you will automatically be looking at the competition to see if they have the front and side gait that you�re used to looking at. The same thing goes for the kennel that consistently produces good hindquarter angulation. If a dog has anything less than what you�re used to looking at, then you�ll think it lacks hindquarter. It�s all because this is what you are used to looking at in your own dogs.
Many times you can follow a specialty judge and know what he likes by looking at the type of animals he�s bred and raised. If he�s bred some top winning dogs, many times that�s the type he�s going to put up. It�s what he�s used to looking at everyday and it�s what he�s won with. Some judges are movement judges. Some are breed type judges. Some like lots of rear. Some like lots of front. Ideally you want to show under a judge that takes the whole package into consideration when he judges. Hopefully you show under a judge that has a �trained� eye. He�s lived with and knows dogs and specifically the German Shepherd Dog.
It can be very difficult for some people to develop a �trained� eye. You will never know what a good dog is unless you�ve lived with them and bred them. Living with these beautiful specimens of the breed is all the education one needs. To have bred and lived with dogs that �take your breath� away is the best education you could ever hope for when you step into the middle of that ring. No book, no magazine, no video could ever prepare you to what it�s like living with one of these properly structured animals. I used to love letting my dogs out in the back yard and just sit watching them float around the yard like it was no effort at all. And that�s the key��a good dog moves like there is no effort at all. The other dogs will have to put out more energy to move. That�s probably why you see your better movers in the ring floating rather than charging. The dog that is not as good of a mover will have to put out harder to make up for the lack of his proper structure, whereas the good mover makes it look easy. You won�t see him huffing and puffing at the end of his lead like the charging dogs in the ring next to him.
Someone said to me not too long ago when talking about a fellow exhibitor, �What does she see in that dog? Why is she still showing him?� She said that the dog was a really horrible dog. I replied to her, �It�s what she�s used to looking at.� Is the owner right or is he wrong in showing his poorly structured dog? It�s really not a question of right or wrong. It�s all about what her eye is used to looking at. Until she educates herself, she will still think her poorly structured dog is correct.
So if your dog lacks the front or rear and he�s not a very good mover, you won�t really know it until you put him in the ring next to those that have these attributes. When you watch a dog that is not properly put together, because you live with him, you believe he�s the best thing next to a �hot off the grill� cheeseburger. Then when you put him in the show ring and you see the other dogs, you think that there�s something the matter with the other dogs. They look nothing like your dog does. It�s all what your eye is used to looking at. This is called being kennel blind. Your education begins when you are forced to re-evaluate your breeding and show stock.
You can chose to like whatever it is that you find appealing in this breed�s structure (hindquarters, fronts, movement, etc.) but for all the variety that is out there, there is only one correct structure and that is dictated by the German Shepherd Dog Club of America�s breed standard. Once you become familiar with it, you may come to realize what your eye has become used to is not what the standard calls for in a correctly structured animal.
My rating: Get familiar with the breed standard: (4)
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