We have been attending dog shows over the past 20 years on and off, usually with just our youngsters. It can be enjoyable, a great time to have that one to one with your dog and catch up with friends. It's easy to get the bug once you become involved at Champ show level. It's great socialisation for them but can get very boring as there is sometimes a great deal of waiting about.
We will only show our dogs under a well respected judge and never under a judge who has his winner before the show begins. You do get to know these over the years, it's such a shame when the best dog doesn't win.
Too many people show under their best friends, there is too much cheating in our breed so no point in entering those shows.
We have never encouraged the show scene to our puppy owners, we would prefer that they have an enjoyable life with their families rather than being a show dog. There are dogs out there who have to perform and win, it's their job and in the top flight, it's very cut throat. We do see tired and weary dogs who are traipsed around the country clearly not enjoying what they are doing.
The hobby show enthusiast will enjoy the shows as a way of spending quality time with their dogs; regardless of the results (although it's always nice to get placed) continue that enjoyment outside of the ring as well. This dog win or lose; will most probably share the sofa with his owner following a tiring show day and have lots of love and fuss for being so good, his owner shows with pride and always takes home the best dog! These dogs are usually well loved family members who spend their lives living alongside their owner; showing is a very small element; and being of show or breed quality is a bonus, not an absolute requisite. They remain a very much loved and valued pet for life, sharing in every aspect with their loving owner. This owner feels great pride in achieving the smallest award as this was a very enjoyable joint effort.
The die hard show fraternity go to a show with only one purpose in mind; to win at all cost, this is not about having fun with their pride and joy. This dog will have been carefully selected and has a huge task in front of him for his demanding owner. He will be show trained and groomed to within an inch of his life, his future depends on his ability to bring as much success to his owner as is possible. This is not about the dog! If he fails to bring in the all important accolade, he will soon be replaced by a better dog.
Do not be fooled by the convincing show of affection shown to him in the ring by his owner. He is grateful to be released from the boredom of his kennel where he spends most of his days and nights. A large proportion of show people are full time workers, these dogs spend many hours alone and locked up without any human company day in, day out. He will grasp at this short burst of unexpected contact while doing his very best to please his owner who is not happy with a simple place, they show no love to this loyal dog, they have to keep at the top of their game to stroke their own egos.
We were once told that you either have a pet or a show dog, he can't be both.
When this dog leaves the show, he goes back to his kennel alone while his owner will celebrate their win. It's solely about them! This dog leads a very lonely and loveless life.
Before we had Leonbergers, we always had pedigree dogs and having a pedigree with several champions was something to be very proud of. Having seen exactly how the show system works, we now realise that many of the Champion dogs are owned by top kennels/breeders who are often judges themselves. While there are many good dogs and worthy Champions, the law of averages would say that it's not possible for every dog owned by one person to become a Champion, but this does happen to the selected few. Some people have shown for decades and they stand out to all judges who repeatedly judge the same people, albeit, a different dog. You can see a new puppy being shown and know that within two years it will become a Champion, simply because of its well known owner/breeder/judge. The average show person may never make their dog up to a Champion, no matter how good it is. To us, this once considered high accolade has become a farce!
This trend only changes with all round judges who usually don't know people, this is when we see the average show person gain a top award and it's refreshing to witness.
In recent years, we have seen more professional handlers in the ring. We were all impressed by the professional Russian handlers in suits and pumps, like watching ballet dancers. The combination of handlers and excellent specimen of dogs were eye catching and for a few years they took Best of Breed. We are now paying the price for this introduction.
We have seen this fashion emulated by British breeders/owners. Professional handlers can make any dog look the best in the ring and they do it to perfection often taking Best of Breed. They will make every dog up to a Champion in a very short time. As we saw with the Russians, it gives an unfair disadvantage to the average handler just enjoying working with their dog. Since the flair of Russian handlers, we have seen more of the exaggerated handling and ultra groomed dogs. Some are cruelly almost lifted off their front feet by tight leads, these poor dogs can barely breathe. Many judges have become impressed by this fashion in recent years making showing much more difficult for the average person. The standard hasn't changed but the dogs have. it was said years ago that these dogs should not be rewarded by judges, but there were, and it's now become the normal trend. So disappointing. Entries have dropped due to this as many people see it as a complete waste of money as they have no chance competing against this new show type. They don't always meet the breed standard but will still win on flashiness and superb handling.
Show dogs are supposed to express good health and be the best examples of the breed. The irony is that some don't meet the required health tests and soon vanish to be quickly replaced. We also don't see longevity in many of these successful dogs. While we don't have show champions here (and never will because we only show youngsters) we can proclaim our success with longevity and health in the breed. Now that is what we can rightly claim as success.
