# What Should I Know Getting a Show Dog?



## cbrand (Aug 9, 2009)

If you are interested in showing dogs.... DO NOT get a poodle. The grooming and coat maintenance are a misery. The expectations for what a show poodle should look like, how they should be handled in ring and how they should move are are extreme. Poodles are one of the most difficult breeds to show which is why we are seeing fewer and fewer owner handlers. Do yourself a favor as an owner handler and get into showing something simple and straight forward like a German Wirehair Pointer or a Toy Manchester Terrier.

Now.... 

If you are head over heals in love with Poodles and you simply can not imagine life without them (I fantasize about other breeds all the time but I can't find another breed I'd really like to live with) then you have a lot of work cut out for you.

You asked a lot of great questions. The real answers can't come from a message board. You need to see these things personally and answer the questions for yourself. If you really want to get into showing, you need to do an internship with a well known handler who shows in AKC. 

You will learn all the ins and outs. You will figure out what type you like (there are lots of "types" in poodles). You will figure out how much time it will take and what it will cost. You will see if you really want to spend that much time every week washing and drying show coat.

Some answers to get you started:

Finished = AKC Champion

Showing Minis and Toys is easier. There is simply less grooming and the poodle hair grows at the same rate so growing coat on a Mini is easier than growing coat on a Standard.

Cost of buying a show dog? $1500-$5000 depending on what you are buying. $$$ do not always = quality. Buyer be educated! 

Most people rush in and buy their 1st show dog willy-nilly and they end up with a pet quality dog. Do research. Know what qualities are necessary to win in the show ring. Know what you are looking for. Spend time learning about different lines. Know how to evaluate a litter.

You will need around $1000 of grooming equipment just to get started: table, dryer, scissors, clippers, blades, brushes, chin rest, grooming products etc. I just spent $65 on dog shampoo and I'm on my second pair of clippers.

If you can't show your own dog, are you going to pay someone to do it for you? I pay a pro-handler $500+ a week to show my dog.


----------



## I<3Poodles (Aug 21, 2009)

Wow $500 a WEEK ??? Dang I need that job LOL. What does a handler do besides walk them in the ring? 

I read on another thread about having to get "points" to finish...does that mean that a dog only has to place a certian number of times before he/she is a champion? I assumed a "Champion" was an actual title that a dog won from a particular event...but you know what they say about assumeing something. So "Finishing" is what happens when a dog aquires a certian number of points, and at that time said dog gains the title of "Champion", is that correct? 

Other than a poodle the only other dog I would be interested in would be a Bichon, and I think I've heard that they are even more difficult to groom. But I have no idea if that is an acurate statment.


----------



## Purple Poodle (May 5, 2008)

I think you need to do some (well quite a lot really) reading about dog shows and showing dogs. 

www.akc.org
www.ukcdogs.com

These are the two major kennel clubs in America, you can find lots of informaiton on them about showig.

You also need to get to some shows and watch and talk to people who show.

Why a Poodle?


----------



## KPoos (Aug 29, 2009)

I think it's crap to not suggest showing a poodle. Some people are natural groomers and not all shows need handlers for them. Good grief.


----------



## Purple Poodle (May 5, 2008)

KPoos said:


> I think it's crap to not suggest showing a poodle. Some people are natural groomers and not all shows need handlers for them. Good grief.


Have you ever tryed to groom a Standard in a full show coat? Its ****ing hard and even harder to maintain. I groom for a living and I won't do a show coat on my Standard; its why I am looking for a Toy to show. That and I think I prefer the smaller dogs.

I think if she wants a Poodle gets a Poodle but be realistic and dive into the dog show fancy and learn all you can BEFORE you buy a dog.


----------



## I<3Poodles (Aug 21, 2009)

Awesome, thanks for the links! 

Why a poodle? I think they are great dogs! I did a lot of research about different dog breeds and Poodles and Bichons were what I was drawn to. Both are smart, non sheading (I have 3 kids to clean up after, I'm not interested in having more dog fur all over the house), have amazing personalities and a number of other qualities that just seemed like the right fit for our family. Poodles (standards) got the upper hand because of their size. 

Like I said getting a show puppy is a few years down the road, and that's if I decide that it's something I really want to do. It would be incredibly silly/stupid for me to say I definatly want to show, when I have no idea what showing a puppy really means (time, money, ext...) What I have heard is that it takes a few years to learn what you need to learn to be successful in the show ring, and I am just trying to be proactive...my husband calls it crazy, but that's another topic!:laugh:


----------



## I<3Poodles (Aug 21, 2009)

Oh, and as far as the grooming is concerned- It was my plan to learn to groom the poodle I have now by taking some classes or finding someone to mentor me for a few months. Since I'll hopefully be going to Japan in May, and I seriously doubt they have dog groomers on base (would really hate try to explain how I want my dog trimmed in Japanese) I'll have to do it myself anyway. My poodle now is not a show puppy, but I figure if I can work on him and refine my skills on him I'll be that much better off when/if I do get my show puppy.


----------



## Purple Poodle (May 5, 2008)

lol the Japanese LOVE ther Poodles! So you may be finding it eaiser to find a groomer then you think!


----------



## thestars (May 2, 2009)

I<3Poodles said:


> Oh, and as far as the grooming is concerned- It was my plan to learn to groom the poodle I have now by taking some classes or finding someone to mentor me for a few months. Since I'll hopefully be going to Japan in May, and I seriously doubt they have dog groomers on base (would really hate try to explain how I want my dog trimmed in Japanese) I'll have to do it myself anyway. My poodle now is not a show puppy, but I figure if I can work on him and refine my skills on him I'll be that much better off when/if I do get my show puppy.


As for dog groomers on base, there sure are!!! We were stationed in Okinawa for four years and I had two of my toy poodles that I shipped over with me. There were groomers over on the Marine base in base housing. There were also Japanese groomers and trust me they know how to groom!!!! We saw more smaller dogs then bigger dogs. I saw lots of little white poodles and bichon's colored in pink, purple, orange and blue. They like the wild colors. The Toy AKC Champion sire of my next litter has been sold to a Japanese man. Mainland even has more to do. It cost us $1300 to ship commercially plus two weeks in quarantine for our two toy poodles at the military facility. We checked on them twice a day and played with them till we got out of temp housing into our Japanese rental for the remaining 4 weeks in in-home quarantine.


----------



## thestars (May 2, 2009)

You might want to get a pet to start praticing the grooming techniques on.


----------



## I<3Poodles (Aug 21, 2009)

thestars said:


> You might want to get a pet to start praticing the grooming techniques on.


Yes I agree. I have a pet poodle now (about 5mth old) and I was meaning to say that I was interested in learning to groom him since we would be overseas (I hope...we should know for sure by Friday! We will be in Yokosuka if we get the orders) and it might be easier than trying learn to discuss my grooming preferances for my puppy in Japanese. An as an added benifit, I could make him my guinea pig puppy. 

OT- How long ago were you in Japan? I'm trying to figure out all that dog shipping stuff. It all seems so overly complicated...then again anything dealing with govenrments ususally is...


----------



## aki (Jul 19, 2009)

I don't have anything useful to add because I'm a novice when it comes to show, but if you really want to show after you've learned everything you need to know so you can be successful in the ring, I say go for it when your ready.

Also, I don't have any personal experience with Japanese groomers, but from the pictures I've seen they do remarkable jobs. They really like the Teddy Bear cut on poodles.

I plan on studying abroad in Japan eventually, so the shipping information is really helpful! Thanks thestars!


----------

