Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Heads or Tails

The closing date is a week away for the Richmond show and the Umpqua show. Since both are the same weekend I'm having to choose between the two. I think I'm leaning towards the Richmond show mainly because one of the judges at the Umpqua show will also be at the Santa Rosa show I want to go to later on in August- I believe its Mr. Hubbell. And it looks like the past entries on Cardigans for the Richmond show has been fairly large- good chance for a major I guess. And I may even see my wonderful puppy mill friend with one of her cardigans there! (being facetious) But then again, Colin and I will just be getting back from Yellowstone and I will have been without Ash for 10 days or so- we may both be rusty. But as Louise put it " dog shows are good ring practice". Decisions, decisions- Im the worst at making them.

12 comments:

Traci said...

I'm of no help.... where will the FUN be... that is the question ;-)

Fox lady said...

ooooh fun- I am the fun! Just kidding, it's late and I need to go to bed!

Kim said...

Which one is closer to home where you can sleep in your own bed? That always answers it for me...

Kady Cannon said...

Anne isn't going to find too many sho
she can sleep in her own bed. Why we have a trailer so we can have alternate "own bed".

Digger won't mind if that cute blue puppy goes to California. Except that there might not be any boy points up here if he doesn't come. But there's always BOW.

Kady Cannon said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Traci said...

I'm not sure which is closer, but I'm pretty sure Kota and I did the Richmond shows back when he was showing actively... you'd be guaranteed to see the normal bay area folks there... you'd be more likely to see the FUN (aka Oregon/Washington) group at Umpqua... depends on if you feel up for a road trip :)

Jeri said...

Keep in mind that you CAN win under the same judge. Just that if you win two MAJORS under the same judge, you will have to find a third major under someone else. But you can accumulate as many minor points as you want under a particular judge.

Personally, I'd go to whichever I thought I'd have more fun at. :P

Fox lady said...

Thanks for the clarification Jeri- I knew it was something like that. And what's the deal with breeder judges VS other judges?

Jeri said...

Breeder judge wins are typically considered more "prestigious", because they are breed specialists. It's kind of like if you were an artist, and some random person really liked your paintings...vs. having a well-known art critic raving about them. At least, in theory. :o) In reality, sometimes breeder judges don't really do a "better" job of judging, because after all it is always still an opinion thing. And breeder judges often know at least several of the exhibitors, so politics can sometimes come into play...sad but true. But regardless, many people will seek out breeder judges because they are a more "braggable" win.

I personally am seeking out breeder judges for Lizzie because that's the type of dog she is...she's very "typey", and not as flashy. Breeder judges often do a better job choosing type and structure over coat, flashy markings, and a bubbly personality. Leo is NOT a breeder judge dog...he's flashy and pretty, VERY perky, and a big mover...but structurally not that great. He typically did well under all-around judges, but not as well under breeder judges. Lizzie is the opposite.

Now, if I can ever manage to get a dog that is typey AND flashy, watch out! LOL

Fox lady said...

Thanks Jeri, Hmm I wonder where Ash lies. I know he is a good mover and flashy with his clear blue coat and his white is WHITE, but I also know that his shoulder's could be closer together and his neck longer,ect.. It would be interesting to see what they thought. I think I'm still going to flip a coin at this point.

Jeri said...

It's not always as clear-cut, I just happen to have two very different types of dog. :o) Honestly, since he's your first I would just show him to whoever (unless someone warns you off a particular judge) and consider the whole thing a learning experience. Write down notes on judges after the weekend...what they seemed to like, what they did with your dog, who they put up, and any comments they made. If you're trying to decide between two shows, I would strongly suggest ordering the win record of Ash's father (since Ash looks a decent amount like him) and seeing if you can enter under some of the judges that liked his dad.

CardiLover said...

Oh, come to Umpqua! We'll get to see you there, though I have to admit we'd be hoping for BOW, too...if I can get Savannah to show well in winner's bitch and not just in class. Little booger!

With Ethan, I learned to love all arounders. The loved the red flash and the movement he had as a youngster and ignored the way too wide front and hockiness sometimes.

Breeder judges can tend to be a bit biased to what their interpretation of the standard is and, as breeders, they've studied it far longer and truly interpreted it to their likes and dislikes. Can be good and bad as Jeri said. I haven't had any breeder judges look at Savannah yet, except at Nationals with tons of competition. So, we shall see, as well.