Dog events
Dog events are lots of fun to attend. You get to see these gorgeous dogs in action and you'll feel amazed that these feats are possible with dedication and training. You'll immediately have a great respect for the people that train these dogs (I know I do) and your kids will think it is awesome, also.
Attending dog sporting events is a great way to find your new puppy to-be's breeder.
Attending dog sporting events is a great way to find your new puppy to-be's breeder.
I don’t prefer dog beauty pageants and I recommend them only as a last resort. I much prefer performance sports. If you want a specific breed that excels at a function (herding, flyball, hunting, earthdog, agility, obedience, etc) attend these sporting events and talk with breeders.
Many breeders are extremely personable and friendly. They love their dogs. Love. And that means they love to talk about them. If you chat with various people (spectators and performers) you’ll hear a whole lot of breeder recommendations tossed about. You will very likely meet several breeders. Very many dog enthusiasts breed at least occasionally. Besides you will find these sports very interesting and fun and you’ll get a closer look at the dog breed you’ve chosen.
In interviewing you can attend conformance shows if you like. These are beauty pageants. These shows focus on what is on the outside of the dog and not the inside. A champion dog is likely to be lovely but also likely to be heavily inbred to maintain that “typey” appearance. These dogs are very often health tested and extremely well trained. The owners adore their dogs and know their breed(s) inside and out. If you find a friendly, personable show breeder you can get an amazing pet-quality dog. Sometimes the show competitions get a bit “cliquey” and political. This can make the crowd a little less friendly than the performance sports guys. But don’t let that slow you down; there are still many amazing, friendly and helpful show breeders out there; you just may have to look harder. Try to remember that show competitions are based on many variables which are all dependent on opinion and so it is a different animal than performance sports-which are generally based on concrete measurable things.
In performance your dog is either the best or fastest or he is not. There are clearly defined winners and “places” and if your dog doesn’t do well it isn’t anyone else’s “fault” and it doesn’t matter if the judge heard that you don’t like the same color dog he does (or whatever). You can see how there would be less gossip and trouble in the performance sports world. But, of course, as with all groups of human beings, social problems exist, so don’t think the sporting world is free from them. You can just expect the breeder of a type of gun dog (for example) to tell you the truth about a competitor-breeder whereas in the beauty pageant world you’ll get more snipe and snide than honest truth (and praise).
Many breeders are extremely personable and friendly. They love their dogs. Love. And that means they love to talk about them. If you chat with various people (spectators and performers) you’ll hear a whole lot of breeder recommendations tossed about. You will very likely meet several breeders. Very many dog enthusiasts breed at least occasionally. Besides you will find these sports very interesting and fun and you’ll get a closer look at the dog breed you’ve chosen.
In interviewing you can attend conformance shows if you like. These are beauty pageants. These shows focus on what is on the outside of the dog and not the inside. A champion dog is likely to be lovely but also likely to be heavily inbred to maintain that “typey” appearance. These dogs are very often health tested and extremely well trained. The owners adore their dogs and know their breed(s) inside and out. If you find a friendly, personable show breeder you can get an amazing pet-quality dog. Sometimes the show competitions get a bit “cliquey” and political. This can make the crowd a little less friendly than the performance sports guys. But don’t let that slow you down; there are still many amazing, friendly and helpful show breeders out there; you just may have to look harder. Try to remember that show competitions are based on many variables which are all dependent on opinion and so it is a different animal than performance sports-which are generally based on concrete measurable things.
In performance your dog is either the best or fastest or he is not. There are clearly defined winners and “places” and if your dog doesn’t do well it isn’t anyone else’s “fault” and it doesn’t matter if the judge heard that you don’t like the same color dog he does (or whatever). You can see how there would be less gossip and trouble in the performance sports world. But, of course, as with all groups of human beings, social problems exist, so don’t think the sporting world is free from them. You can just expect the breeder of a type of gun dog (for example) to tell you the truth about a competitor-breeder whereas in the beauty pageant world you’ll get more snipe and snide than honest truth (and praise).
