# show dogs



## gaz44 (May 21, 2009)

The reason we purchased our motorhome was to be able to travel all over the country to participate in dog shows.
As often as possible we combine a show with a short break.
we have met some great people and visited some great places.
we now mostly travel in tandem as a like minded couple, after visiting us at a show, purchased there own motorhome too.
Today was the fist show for our new puppy, a trip to oxfordaand and a second place, not to shabby.
our elder lady got best of bread, so all will be peacefull in the household tonight.
two motorhomes on the driveway overnight and a trip to swindon in the morning.
Next week a a few days in birmingham at the kingsbury waterpark campsite for crufts.
Im sure there must be others on here who do, or would like to do, the same.
Please add to this thread.


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## carolgavin (May 9, 2005)

Hiya we also show our dog, Floyd otherwise known as Saxonholme war Hero at Silvora. He is an absolutely gorgeous Curly Coated Retriever. Not been at a show since last November due to me being in and out of hospital, but had op on Thursday so am raring to go!!

Next show SKC on 22nd of May I think. What do you show??


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## Crindle (Feb 2, 2007)

Hi all......we are also avid dog shower's of some 25 years. In the early years we very quickly realised that for serious showing a caravan or motorhome was a must, the rest is history. We also love the mix of dog show sites for the event then spend a week or so staying at CC club sites in between, our 2011 planner is full. As an aside we didn't show much last year, but still attended several championship dog shows like Windsor (where else could you stay on the banks of the Thames in the Queens back garden for 7 nights at just £50) plus many other great value venues. The show sites with like minded people are dog friendly making for a relaxed stay. We show French Bulldogs under the Crindle KC affix and will be heading for Crufts next week........Crindle.


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

We will be doing a tour of the South and South West in May/June with the Whippets and Pugs, doing Bath, Newbury and Malvern. It is mostly for the trip more than anything these days as we do not show very much now. We never stay on the showgrounds as we prefer to wildcamp or use a THS, this is because in the past, we have been put beside someone with a dozen yappy dogs. :evil: 

We never bother entering Crufts nowadays, although we have 2 qualified. Personally, I detest the NEC as a venue. The wife is going for Hound day and I will be out with the dogs (a much better way of spending the day).


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## tony645 (Sep 26, 2010)

We started caravaning just for the champ shows 30 years ago, must admit we only used it for shows, my favourite shows were also Windsor, Malvern and Hickstead.


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## madeleine53 (Mar 23, 2008)

We show deerhounds and love the camping aspect. Next week Crufts - we are staying at Reindeer Park Lodge CL on Fri and Sat. A super site just 15 mins from NEC. After a bad experience on the Houndshow campsite (Stafford) last year, i doubt we would do that again! Looking forward to Scottish Breeds and also SKC. We stay at Linwater Park near SKC - super site, excellent dog walks.

Jolly good luck to anyone showing at Crufts BTW.


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## carolgavin (May 9, 2005)

If anyone wants to meet up at SKC just send me a PM nearer the time. Will be there on Gundog day .


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## greenasthegrass (Oct 27, 2007)

Have you Booked Floyd in for his curly perm end of May too?

Greenie :lol:


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## gaz44 (May 21, 2009)

carolgavin said:


> If anyone wants to meet up at SKC just send me a PM nearer the time. Will be there on Gundog day .


well be there again this year, be good to meet up with some new people.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

We have just got our first pedigree for many a year. Mostly had rescues. She is a Whippet called Willow (Soulstone Willow the Wisp). 

Having worked with rescues and in the veterinary profession I have a bit of a dilemma. My principles tell me that showing is a false way to judge a dog. We should not be concentrating on the beauty aspect but on the health aspect. They could go hand in hand but unfortunately the don't always. (We had GSD's at one time - nuf said!)

So do I dip my toe in the showing water again? I have enrolled Willow in ringcraft to help with her socialisation and I have joined the East Anglian Whippet Club and am going to enter Willow in their up coming show. As I try to struggle with my dilemma that I should not take it too seriously I wonder how others feel?

Willow is also having a go at Whippet Racing, when she is old enough (great fun), and an obedience based sport called Rally. Off to a training session this afternoon. I am practising my skills with Gypsy, my lovely old Lurcher, so that I know what I am doing when I train Willow for it!

Though I would love to go to Crufts as a spectator again I am boycotting it until the Kennel Club sort their act out over the health problems of some breeds.

I've got my tin hat on!


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## carolgavin (May 9, 2005)

No tin hat needed Pat I understand your dilemma. Now the dogs are also judged on Fit for Function, so if its a gundog it should be able to do that job so (hopefully) no breed extremes. Such as in GSD's and the problem with Cavaliers, bulldogs etc. 
Go and show Willow and if you enjoy it will be well worth it!!


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

Hi Pat,

What Carol failed to mention about gundogs is that many of the gundog breeds have split into 'show' and 'working' breeds. They look very different. Because of the manipulation by exhibitors, it is extremely rare to get a 'Dual Champion'. Certainly not in any gundog breed that has become popular.

My biggest criticism is that Judges are putting up dogs which are structurally unsound. That is why breed faults do not change. As an example, we had English Setters and Pointers 40 years ago and went to Crufts when it was at Earls Court in London. When we started showing again (6 years ago), I went to SKC and had a walk around to the Pointer ring. I was absolutely shocked at what I saw. The same breed faults were there and the dogs and bitches were no longer graceful, they looked more like carthorses.

There are many reasons why breeds have either not improved or got worse. There are however very good breeders, mainly of the old shool and their numbers are dying out.


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## Jodi1 (Mar 25, 2010)

I've become very aware of the differences in working/show in the gun dogs, its even begining to show up in the golden retrievers (my dogs).
My older dog comes from show stock. She is big very light coloured with a hewavy coat and a real dumb blonde. The younger one comes from working and show stock is smaller, darker with a finer silky coat and far more intelligent. If we have another retriever I will go for a working type, they are more keen to learn and generally obedient unlike old dimmy daydream who has spent the last 14 years not really understanding 'come'.


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## stephenpug (Sep 18, 2008)

747 said:


> We will be doing a tour of the South and South West in May/June with the Whippets and Pugs, doing Bath, Newbury and Malvern. It is mostly for the trip more than anything these days as we do not show very much now. We never stay on the showgrounds as we prefer to wildcamp or use a THS, this is because in the past, we have been put beside someone with a dozen yappy dogs. :evil:
> 
> We never bother entering Crufts nowadays, although we have 2 qualified. Personally, I detest the NEC as a venue. The wife is going for Hound day and I will be out with the dogs (a much better way of spending the day).


Hi we used to show pugs our last show dog died a while ago (jansclan sir galahad) fantastic dog we have never found one that could replace him so we now have 3 British shorthair cats good luck to you all showing at crufts


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## iandsm (May 18, 2007)

*Dogs*

I love dogs, particularly my own of course, but I would love to know why they are sometimes given such ridiculous kennel names, also,why are they mostly "At" somewhere.

I am sure there must be a sensible explanation, but on face value it does seem a rather laughable practice.


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## 747 (Oct 2, 2009)

*Re: Dogs*



iandsm said:


> I love dogs, particularly my own of course, but I would love to know why they are sometimes given such ridiculous kennel names, also,why are they mostly "At" somewhere.
> 
> I am sure there must be a sensible explanation, but on face value it does seem a rather laughable practice.


When 'At' is used in a dogs name, it means that the owner did not breed the dog. The owner has their own affix (Ours is Maingate). If I bought a puppy called Motorhomefacts Nellie, I could apply to the Kennel Club to rename it Motorhomefacts Nellie at Maingate. There are other words acceptable apart from 'at' but I forget them. We have never bothered adding our affix to any dog. If it does a lot of winning, the breeder deserves the credit, not the owner.


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## iandsm (May 18, 2007)

*Re: Dogs*



747 said:


> iandsm said:
> 
> 
> > I love dogs, particularly my own of course, but I would love to know why they are sometimes given such ridiculous kennel names, also,why are they mostly "At" somewhere.
> ...


Thanks for that 747, that does make sense, I can see why the breeder should be getting the credit since they produced the dog and it does seem a way of easily identifying breeder or owner.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Don't forget that the owner rears and trains the dog for the show ring or whatever else the dog is destined to do. I think too many owners do not give themselves enough credit for the way a dog turns out. After all the breeder only has them for 7-8 weeks. Yes they, hopefully, chose the sire carefully and put the time and effort into caring for the bitch during her pregnancy etc but after that it is all down to how much time and patience the owner bestows.

I know a lot of breeders who are quick to blame the owner when the dog does not turn out well. So give credit where credit is due.


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## gaz44 (May 21, 2009)

well weve just got back from crufts,
managed to get a second in our class, really pleased with that.
close call for first place, looks like the bite indy got on the back leg on wednesday from an alsation swayed it the other way.
had a good time with our friends at kingsbury campsite.
and had a nice walk this morning around the lakes.


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Well done Gaz!! Did you handle Indy yourself?


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## carolgavin (May 9, 2005)

Well done to you and Indy!!


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## Patty123 (Oct 4, 2010)

Well done, Gaz

We have Betty (Claripugs Lady Elizabeth) clue in the name - a Pug, and we show her at The Pug Dog open shows, just for fun and we do not take it too seriously, she has had 2 firsts, but nothing last Sunday at Brackley, we show her because we have had 2 rescue pugs in the past, and as we bought her as a puppy thought we should see, and of course the first time we showed her she won 1st puppy, so that was it we have shown her a few times since.


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## gaz44 (May 21, 2009)

patp said:


> Well done Gaz!! Did you handle Indy yourself?


no way!!!!!!
This is my wifes hobby, i like to go especially if we can make a weekend or more out of it, but its her thing.
Im happy if shes happy and i was proud as punch with her friday.
Indy is the first puppy we have bred ourselves,
so is a credit to sue.
our yougest, Rio, had her first shows last weekend and she got a 2nd and 3rd so were off to a good start there too.
all the very best to everyone who shows.


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## gaz44 (May 21, 2009)

oops, ive just been told off! :roll: 
not knowing quite as much about dogs as my wife,
ive just been told it was a german shepherd, not an alsation that decided to take a chunk out of the back of indys leg.

in private i wasnt calling it either of those names


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## gaz44 (May 21, 2009)

oops, ive just been told off! :roll: 
not knowing quite as much about dogs as my wife,
ive just been told it was a german shepherd, not an alsation that decided to take a chunk out of the back of indys leg.

in private i wasnt calling it either of those names


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## patp (Apr 30, 2007)

Yes Gaz, in case you hadn't noticed, the war has been over a while now. We are allowed to use the word "German" now


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## Bracken606 (Feb 9, 2011)

Talking about the differences with show and working dogs, this depends of course on the gene pool available. In Sussex Spaniels (see my avatar) due to being one of the countries rarest dogs there is as yet no distinction between these show and working gundogs. In fact my Bracken (Marquell Lite My Fire) was bought as a gun dog not a show dog but has 5 generatons of Field trial winners and show champions in his pedigree. In fact his mother is a show champion and his father is a field trial winner.

My last dog was completely different, a Laborador from the working Drakeshead bloodline and he was half the height and half the weight of a show Lab.

Simon.


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## joedenise (Jul 20, 2007)

No dog at the moment Gaz, Sorry about the GSD biting your dog. Totally agree about the difference between show dogs and working dogs. For example, how many police dogs do you see with dodgy back legs?

Would like another dog but SWMBO says NO WAY.

Joe


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## locovan (Oct 17, 2007)

http://bedlingtondogs.blogspot.com/2011/03/crufts-2011.html

Sharnor won Crufts --best Puppy with falcon xxx : :smilecolros: :smilecolros: :smilecolros: :smilecolros: :smilecolros:


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## stephenpug (Sep 18, 2008)

Hi we used to show pugs (jansclan sir Galahad ) but we decided it was not in the dogs best interest to get up at stupid o'clock be driven long distances stuck in a small cage then put on a bench again in a small cage only to be taken out of it for 20 mins to be paraded around a ring then stuck back in the cage for another ? Hours with only the occasional toilet break then finally the long drive home stuck in a cage all in the name of vanity but what really got to me was all the exhibitors patting each other on the back and saying how much the dogs enjoyed their day out.but despite a good success rate we put our dog first


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