The dog that was originally selected for a Group 3 was replaced with one of those handlers with her Group 4 placement being the other handler. Clearly having a relationship with the judge paid off for these two ladies. To be fair, my experience in observing the group ring is limited to this one experience. How common this blatant bias is, I cannot say. This particular judge was clearly not one of them.
So, while I am not anti-professional dog handler, I am anti-corruption in the dog show ring. I am not a sore loser. I am saddened that a win in the dog show ring often has little to do with the dog receiving it.
Owner handlers are not like girls asking to join the Boy Scouts oh, wait…. They are simply asking for an equal opportunity for their dogs to be judged fairly. These dogs and their owners have made a tremendous investment and do not deserve to have that squandered by the systemic corruption that is the current state of the AKC dog show. No, winning is not everything. I tell my kids this all the time.
It is the process that counts, not the outcome. You could say that the process of socialization at the dog show when Junior was a puppy was the most important thing, not him winning at 6 months old.
And I would agree with you. Today, however, it seems to me that I am paying the AKC for my own tears because as an owner-handler in a ring of professional handlers I cannot compete. The deck is stacked against me and the odds of me winning are slim to none, regardless of the dog at the end of my leash.
He will never float around the ring or present himself in a show-stopping way because that is not who he is. He is a Mastiff. A big, typey boy who is not perfect. While it is my opinion that what he offers the breed far outweighs his imperfections, I am confident that his biggest disadvantage is the person at the end of his leash. Dog shows should be about dogs and dogs alone. Put it this way, if dog shows are not about the dogs, perhaps we think of another name for these events. If I have ruffled any feathers, it has been my pleasure.
Tired of Losing? She has decades of experience as a big dog owner, over 30 years of which has been devoted to health, nutrition, and behavior of large and giant breed dogs. With a BS in Microbiology, an MBA, and a passion for writing and big, slobbery dogs, Stephanie is committed to serving large and giant breed dogs by empowering, educating, and inspiring the people who love them.
I understand your frustration. I have German Shepherds, and they are predominantly handled by professionals. Some judges are all about movement, others always go for the big headed males. I try to keep a list of preferred and DNS judges, but the pros know who likes what. They also know how to put a dog in the best light — maximizing strengths and minimizing flaws.
The volume of their experience gives them an advantage over the average OH. I DO think that sometimes the wrong dogs go up. There are some beautiful GSDs out there with bad hips and worse temperaments. If not, there are plenty of other things you can do with your dogs. After 2 years and zero points, we switched to scent work and barn hunt. Thank you so much for your comment!
I agree with you about the fact that handlers generally have much more experience than the average OH, and just based on the amount of practice they get, they should be better. The wrong dogs go up all the time. I can only imagine how it must feel to watch what goes on in those rings.
On the outside of your breed it has been sad to see some of what is going on with hips and temperament. When I watched your videos compared to mine I showed it my Cat regional final this weekend , that was the first thing I thought of -the dog world had professional handlers. There is a lot that annoys me in my class household pet because the judges can base on things other than s written standard and I absolutely hear where you are coming from. The judges need to see the animal in front of them, not the handler breeder owner… the politics should go.
Exactly, Holly! Thank you! I find it interesting that cat shows have similar problems with judges not seeing the animal in front of them. Junior deserves to WIN! You are an amazing owner and an amazing Dog Handler!? Great article! In an upcoming post would you mind posting a stacked picture of Junior. Hi Hannah — I have a few stacked photos of him on various posts, but nothing taken recently. If I could clone him I would want 10 more just like him.
I feel like I wrote this myself. I will continue to show win or lose …but I see every single thing you mentioned in your article. Thank you, Jane! Win or lose, we are doing it because we enjoy being out with Junior as well. I am saddened that not more people speak out about the bias in the ring. Hi I feel you. I had mastiffs for 14 years. I bought a dog from Eve Olson Fisher. Ashley and this other dog kept going back and forth. At the time I showed them we had the big winning kennel on the west coast and big winning dogs.
I had to go to this vet for one of my bulldogs on the wall was this mastiff I kept missing to. I told the vet I know that dog he said yeah I fixed his front feet they were floppy, which I knew, but he was out of showing for about 3 months and finished fast then I finished.
Thank you so much, Pam! Yes, they are who they are. Your article is very true! It is almost impossible to win with owner handler. I have watched over the last 3 years three owner handlers with great dogs struggle to get points. Hello and thank you for registering.
Please complete the process by verifying your email address. If you can't find the email you can resend it here. Some features on this site require a subscription. I'm watching the Eukanuba Dog Championship and their are some heifers there. Lots of gays too but I'm surprised some of these women can get up enough speed to trot the dogs around the ring.
I've never understood why the owners hand the dog over to handlers and they live with the handlers full time. Are they only investments to some people like horses? Seems weird to me. And none of the poor things seem to wear an appropriate brassiere for when they're running around the ring with their charges.
A lot of female dog trainers are fat and ugly spinsters. The dog-person equivalent of the "crazy cat lady". Joined Oct 27, Messages 6, Location uhhhh Northern CA. I dislike these contests because they objectify dogs. Why treat them like they're some piece of meat. Dogs should be respected! Seriously, who has every seen a dog in real life look like the ones in these contests? They're not an accurate portrayal of reality. No average dog could live up to the unrealistic standards set by these contests.
The impact to the self esteem of the dogs has to be traumatic. No dog shows. I think they should be banned. Joined Mar 28, Messages 2, El Perro Grande. Joined Aug 8, Messages I gotta find a filter that blocks out links to eric's site.
Every time I go there, I spend a half hour looking around. It's like a Dupont Registry to me. I want 'em all, but can't have a single one at this point. You da man e, keep up the good work. Does that raw meat not make a huge mess inside?
I mean that dog is chewing on a hunk of raw meat on a couch. You must log in or register to reply here. Similar threads. Dogs and Moles.
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