# Luna’s second AKC conformation show cluster



## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Where to start, where to start?

We finished our 5th show over 4 days today. These shows were 5 hours from home. I slept in 4 different beds over the 4 different nights. Honestly I don’t think I could write a post detailing every little thing. For one it would be boring, for another it would take hours to read through. So here are the basics.

The first day was a non sporting specialty show. We didn’t go to sweepstakes even though we entered it, because it was at 8 am, and we got in at midnight the night before.

My breeder had her puppy there, so I attempted my own spray up. It failed miserably. Poor little Luna looked like a filler dog (a dog entered to build a major with no intention of winning, they usually intentionally look bad.) But we went in and tried to do well anyways. Nope, not even a second look in the winners ring. After that first show I had help for her sprayups and help trimming her which she needed badly, but the results were always the same.

Just to clarify, Luna was entered in the 9-12 month puppy class every show. There was no one else entered in that class, so we automatically got a blue ribbon and went to the winners ring for every show. A blue ribbon over no competition really means nothing though. So we wanted to do well in the winners ring. The winner of the winners ring gets points. We never did. We once got a reserve ribbon (second place to the female who got the points) but that isn’t even that great of a win either because there wasn’t a major.

So anyways, we spent about 6-8 hours a day getting the dogs ready, and taking out the hairspray afterwards. We woke up early and stayed up late. And I am a very anxious person and woke up so sick with nerves every morning, and stayed so sick until after we showed, which some days wasn’t until 2 pm or so. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t get myself ready, etc because I was so nervous.

It was pretty miserable. Our breeder had to leave and go home unexpectedly before the last two days of the show which made things even scarier.

There were a couple of highlights - one of the days I got to meet the mom of Luna’s sister who lives near the show. She is so sweet and I was so happy to meet her and see Luna’s littermate again. One of the days my hubby came with his friend. And today my sister came. So we had a little support. We also met a few nice poodle people there. I learned how to be a little more self reliant because we were forced to be. Today was the last day and I did her bubble and half of the spray up on my own.

I feel bad because since the Vegas shows, and because I was gone for a week to PCA, and I lost my show lead shortly after the vegas shows, I hadn’t practiced with Luna as much as I should have. She was also very shaggy until she was scissored on a couple of times by lunas show sisters mom.

So the bottom line is that I feel bad that we didn’t get a single point. I felt like we really needed a confidence boost. We have to be at least $1000 into showing right now and nothing to actually show for it. People say, oh wait until she is older and more mature, but that doesn’t make me feel much better. I don’t want to keep her in show coat forever, and the shows are very few and far between, not to mention the expenses involved. I want her to champion because she deserves to be one, but I don’t know if it’s actually something that will happen at this point.

The good news? I am planning to get her put in a CC early. In a week or two. That will be a huge relief since her coat change is really horrible right now.

I probably shouldn’t write about the shows when I am feeling down about it and beyond tired but oh well haha. If I don’t talk about it now, I probably won’t ever. Here are some pictures! They aren’t in order and they are all on different days. I had a different person helping me with the spray up every day so you will see a difference between the pics haha. Also every day we took a little more hair off so she wasn’t such a hairy beast ?


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

Sorry, it didn't go well. I understand the disappointment of a no point show. I haven't gotten a single point since last summer. Not. One. Point. And I have shown in a lot more than 2 shows since then haha.
6-8 hours seems a bit excessive for getting ready and taken down. 4-5 should probably get things done. Maybe try to get some tips on how to make that side of things go faster so it doesn't seem like so much wasted time with no results.

I think it's harder if you don't either enjoy and/or can't do the grooming/prepping yourself especially if you aren't simply paying someone to get the dog ready for you, or don't enjoy being in the ring even if you don't place.
If you really want her to get her Ch, but don't feel you can get her there in a reasonable time you may consider a handler. I hear owner handler in the states is very difficult especially in poodles. It may actually end up being cheaper for you as well if it takes less shows. But it depends on why you want to show. I'll never let someone else take my dog into the ring cause if I'm not doing it I don't see a point, I was the same way with my horses, BUT not everyone feels that way. Really in conformation it 'shouldn't' matter who's on the end of the leash so it shouldn't matter if it's you, a pro, or joe blow so some people choose to have a pro who can make them shine as much as possible.

Everyone gets frustrated and a bit down after a bad show, but if you don't bounce back that's ok. You don't HAVE to show! Your dog will be totally fine to NOT show, You aren't letting your dog down if you don't get her championship! She will NOT care! There are tons of other things, often funner things, to do with her. Things that your breeder would probably be just as happy you did with her like rally or obedience or agility.


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## MollyMuiMa (Oct 13, 2012)

I'm sorry you are feeling sooooo bad. I guess it's true about having to develop a thick skin to show! But man! you sure showed your determinedness in sticking it out for the whole cluster! Good for you! Be proud of yourself for sticking it out ! I bet as your experience grows, and your circle of 'show friends' also grows, so will your confidence grow also! You are gaining valuable experience and learning from any mistakes you may have made so it's all good. Now smile! No matter what, Luna is a winner in your eyes AND ours! GO TEAM LUNA!:cheers2::cheers2::cheers2:


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I am sorry you had such a rotten weekend, but hope a good night's sleep will let you feel better. I know this is small consolation for you, but it is very educational for those who think they want to dabble in conformation showing. It shows how hard you have to work and how important it is to have a great mentor. It can be wildly expensive and go back and forth between fabulously fun and rewarding and terribly disappointing. In other words this is not a sport for people to pursue casually IMO, all in or not at all. I hope getting the CC set helps things turn the corner.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Bless you for trying and toughing it out. It IS so nerve racking if you are an anxious type. I empathize because I am too. For me the answer is simple- pay a pro. And whiie it should not matter who is at the end of the leash, it absolutely does. Sad but true. So MysticRealm is correct-at the end of the day it is likely less expensive using a handler.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Mysticrealm said:


> Sorry, it didn't go well. I understand the disappointment of a no point show. I haven't gotten a single point since last summer. Not. One. Point. And I have shown in a lot more than 2 shows since then haha.
> 6-8 hours seems a bit excessive for getting ready and taken down. 4-5 should probably get things done. Maybe try to get some tips on how to make that side of things go faster so it doesn't seem like so much wasted time with no results.
> 
> I think it's harder if you don't either enjoy and/or can't do the grooming/prepping yourself especially if you aren't simply paying someone to get the dog ready for you, or don't enjoy being in the ring even if you don't place.
> ...


Lots of good advice, thank you mystic realm. I agree, I should have specified that the 6-8 hours was the total time spent at the show, and not getting them ready or taking down that entire time. Around an hour was spent at ringside, and some time was spent getting myself dressed and ready, along with a little time just trying to sit and relax. For anyone reading this and thinking about showing, it really should only take about 2 hours to prep if the trim is looking good beforehand, and 1-2 hours after to break down the spray up, depending on how you do it. If they need a full bath probably 2-3 hours. But yeah we tried to arrive 3-4 hours before our ring time, especially since I needed help with the spray, and then afterwards we were so exhausted that we were moving in slow mo, and we had only one stand dryer that we were sharing between 2-3 of us so it took awhile to do the after show work.

I agree that a handler might be the way to go. However if I did use one I couldn’t imagine sending her off. I would have to drop her ringside. Because I am very attached to her, and she to me. My mom and hubby reported that while I was gone to PCA she moped around all week and was acting depressed. I think we would miss each other too much. I know which handler I would use if I were to use one. He is very kind to the dogs and they all love him. Some handlers are not nice to the dogs at all, I have seen things happen just in my limited showing that I do not approve of. I would also be happy if my breeder wanted to take her in the ring for me, but she thinks that Luna is too much of a mamas girl and would be difficult to take in ringside. So I have a dilemma. Maybe I won’t like how she looks in cc or something and I will decide to just end her show career, and do something else. Who knows. But I do appreciate all of your advice!!


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Mollymuima thank you so much for always being supportive of us! You are just the sweetest. A lot of people at the show were telling us that we did a good job by staying even after our breeder had to leave. Of course we had a few other show friends there who checked in on us and made sure we were doing okay at times and helped me with spraying up and such so we couldn’t have done it without the support of wonderful poodle friends. And one of our friends had a really great weekend, getting lots of points on his dog, and some points on his bitch. So we were never sad when he won. And frankly the bitch who did the most winning who was on a handler was impeccably groomed and very well trained so we really couldn’t be too disappointed about her winning either. It was just bad luck that such a nice mature bitch on a handler showed up to these shows.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Lily cd re you are absolutely right about that. In other breeds you can get away with being a casual exhibitor. You can decide that you want to show on a whim and take your dog to the next show without whole lot of prep. But in poodles the hours put in add up so fast. Besides the hours of time at the show being put in, there is the weekly maintenance bath and bi weekly trim up, which for me takes 4 hours for the bath and brush, and 2-3 for the trim. That has to happen every week. So it is not something that can be done casually. And if you do not have a good mentor or can’t get the grooming correct, there is virtually no chance of picking up points, so it becomes a waste of time and money. Luna is a very pretty girl. Of course she has some faults - I’m sure those who have an eye can see them right away in pictures of her. But she is conformationally correct in a lot of ways, and she has great carriage and pizzaz in the show ring. Trying to show a dog who ducks their head or keeps their tail down - you will never ever make it. So there are so so many things that go into it. I do hope that those thinking of getting into show poodles will read up and see the reality of how difficult it is so that there are no surprises. People can always pm me about it too for even more detail about what goes into it!


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Arreau thank you so much! I am glad that I am not the only one who is so anxious and nervous. I literally cannot help myself, it is an involuntary response, even though I’m my brain I know it’s not a big deal and my body is majorly over reacting I still can’t get rid of the sick feeling and shaky nervousness that I get. And of course it probably affects Luna because she is very in tune, but she still does her best out there. I will post a video of us in the ring together once they finally get uploaded. They are on someone else’s phone so I will have to wait until they are put on YouTube or something. I will have to have a discussion with my breeder bout using a handler, though as I said above I would not send her off, I would have to deliver her to him at the shows and I am not sure if he does that, though he has told me several times that he really likes Luna. We even beat his winners dog in the ring in Vegas during the best puppy in show competition ?


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

I'm sorry you had such a bad weekend. I've been there, too, and it's the pits.

You'll find that getting rid of the puppy cut does reduce grooming time considerably. I find the CC much, much easier to manage - I've never been able to scissor a puppy clip very well - too much territory to cover!

Luna is so very pretty, so hang in there.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Thank you Johanna! I actually have her entered in a show that is very far away (7 hours) for two weeks from now so I was thinking of keeping her in the puppy trim until after that show, but that show is looking more and more unlikely now, so I am now planning to put her in ASAP. Maybe tomorrow. Haha.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

chinchillafuzzy, I am SO sorry for the struggles and disappointment. I think you have shown amazing persistence. I am so proud of you for getting out there and trying your best time after time--I surely would have given up after one bad time. I think everyone has had really kind and helpful words for you, but perhaps Mysticrealm said it best--you don't have to show in breed, and Luna will not care one bit if you stop. There definitely are more fun things to do with her! Well, I support you no matter what, and Luna is a champion no matter what! ((((Hugs))))


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## Muggles (Mar 14, 2015)

I’m sorry you had such a rough go of it! Luna is such a pretty girl. You’ll make the decision that’s right for you both


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

I am so impressed with what you have done. It's amazing even if you didn't get any recognition of your hard work in this show cluster.

I can't imagine anything that is more difficult in conformation that a newbie like yourself without significant grooming experience going in to show your dog in AKC as owner handled - even with some help with her show coat. 

So I'm in awe of you and Luna and I am living vicariously through your experience.

I know quite a few people showing dogs in conformation, none have poodles. Some are serious quality breeders who are putting other titles on their dogs such as agility/rally/obedience as well as AKC Grand Champion. But what surprises me is the number of casual exhibitors- they have no interest in breeding their dog at all but take their dog out to conformation shows and have to work around their dog in heat or limitations of where you can take an intact male etc.


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## StormeeK (Aug 3, 2015)

C Fuzzy, I think you are so brave to have done all of this ! Like Zmom, I am just so proud of you, even though I only know you from this forum and have been following your journey since you first joined. I too am someone who gets SO nervous while showing and though I have no dog show experience I grew up showing horses . Loved training, grooming, and even mucking stalls, but put me in the show ring and the fun ended. 

Whatever you decide , the most important thing is that you and Luna are a team for life!

( PS Thank you for posting all the pics, even at the end of a tough show. Loved seeing them! )


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Zooeysmom, thank you for the love and support. I met Melanie up at this show and her daughter too. Did not get to talk to them a lot since I only saw them ringside, and tension is very high at ringside for poodles lol. But was fun to see them show their dogs - I wonder if some of them may have been related to Maizie. I know her daughter had a nice specials male and he finished his grand up there so I am really happy for them. Can’t recall if any of their other dogs got points or anything. I think most of the points went to the pro handler and also to my friend and his very nice dogs.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Muggles said:


> I’m sorry you had such a rough go of it! Luna is such a pretty girl. You’ll make the decision that’s right for you both


Thank you muggles!! I don’t yet know what that decision is yet but I hope to be able to do what is best for everyone.


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

Skylar thank you!! It is sweet of you to say that. I truly believe that poodles are one of the toughest breeds to show, and also to owner handle. That is why I am always so impressed to hear of those like Mysticrealm who owner handle their dogs to Ch. It is pretty amazing. For me I honestly don’t care if she is owner handled, I don’t need those bragging rights for myself haha, but at the same time it is difficult to think about how expensive a handler is. I know in many breeds there are fanciers who just show their dogs for fun and aren’t doing it for breeding stock. I don’t think that happens quite as often in poodles because of the work involved but I think it’s great that people do it. It sounds a fun way to get your dog out there and show them off to the world haha.


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Desi is closely related to Maizie. She got a Reserve WB. What is your friend's name, the guy who did well?


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

We have photos of me handling Pearl and Journey where you cannot even see my hand that is holding the tail, it is shaking so badly. And even if a handler has my dog and I am at the show, I am making a run for the ladies room about every ten minutes. Such a nerve wracking endeavour. I totally hear you!


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

StormeeK thank you for the sweet post, it really gave me a boost. It feels like we have been on a long showing journey already even though we have only actually competed in 8 shows and 1 sweepstake show. All that in only 2 weekends but it feels like forever haha. Will have to see what happens with continuing showing. I believe I have said here that it is my dream to own a champion dog someday, and I really don’t know if it will ever happen if it doesn’t happen with Luna. So I don’t want to be a quitter, or give up too soon, but I also have to balance being realistic about all of the politics and pro handlers. I know my breeder would think I was crazy for thinking of quitting at this point since Luna is so young and we are both so inexperienced, so we will probably press on, but who knows. Love how supportive everyone here is though, it is so nice!!


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## chinchillafuzzy (Feb 11, 2017)

ZM - yes, I remember Desi! She has such long, beautiful ears! Can’t remember which show she took RWB, but it was funny, it seemed a different bitch took it every show. Luna took it the second show which was our one highlight. Lunas poor sister really deserved to get RWB at least but she never did even though they showed really well. My friend is Bruce. Melanie knows him for sure as they have been showing at the same shows for years. He is the best.

Arreau it makes me feel so much better to know I’m not the only one that feels like that!! It is a horrible feeling. I’m sure I would have it if a handler was taking her in too, though hopefully not as bad as I was having anxiety this weekend! Today was a lovely day when I woke up and didn’t have a sick stomach ?


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## zooeysmom (Jan 3, 2014)

Desi does have amazing ears! Look at this pic of her as a puppy  Her mom is Maizie's grandma and they have the same dad. I hear Desi has a very similar temperament as Maizie. 

I'm so glad you're feeling better today and that you're going to stick with showing


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## Mysticrealm (Jan 31, 2016)

I wanted to add, since I did talk about you possibly going the handler route and did talk about you not showing anymore, that I absolutely am not saying you cannot do this or that you shouldn't do this IF YOU WANT TO. I absolutely am supportive of that!

However, the lady that has Asher's sister, was having a hard time getting points, had a had time with her dog's difficult coat (matting) and such on her dog and feeling a bit disheartened with showing, and I kept encouraging her and trying to keep her spirits up. But really, in the end, I should have also made it more clear that it was TOTALLY ok if she quit! 
I kept trying to keep her spirits up and give her hope that they would get there. But I wasn't there to see how her dog was continually maturing (which she wasn't maturing as well as one would have hoped), and she had so little opportunity to do handling classes and such and she just wasn't someone that found handling easy/natural, and her dog wasn't that easy to work with either. 
Finally she just kinda snapped and mid-show (she was literally on her way to the show to compete that day, which was day 2 of a 3 day show weekend), without telling anyone, she instead drove to her salon and shaved her dog down in a panic.
I don't know that she'll ever set foot back into the show ring again and I think certainly not with a poodle, only with a more wash and wear dog.

Don't get to that point. If you don't enjoy it, PLEASE STOP. But if you really do enjoy it, then for sure, keep pushing on.


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## LizzysMom (Sep 27, 2016)

Chinchilla, add me to the list of those cheering you on vicariously! I cannot begin to imagine having the dedication to put all that time, effort, and money into showing a poodle, but think you're doing great with your beautiful Luna. I can't remember, though - is it your intention to breed her? If so, I'm sure that provides motivation to continue this journey. If not, then I'd say do this only until it truly stops being fun. If you're dreading the next show instead of eagerly anticipating it, Luna will pick up on that, and neither of you will do well.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

She looks beautiful! Hang in there.


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## West U (Jul 30, 2014)

I saw a women in tears this weekend, as her new "Grand Champion" standard poodle got shaved down, done showing, successful, bitter/sweet. That just might be in your future, "tears of joy".


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