Social Media and Dog Shows

Written by: Bridgette Bryson

Lately, everyday, there are negative posts re: judges and exhibitors and the problems in the hobby. To this end, I am leaving all the discussion groups. Absolute waste of my existence to even read half of it.

To me the main problem is that these people spend so much time worrying about what the problems are and what the board or the show organizers or other exhibitors (everyone besides them of course) are doing wrong that they are not personally doing the things they could be to make a difference.

Here’s a list of actual things you can do to help other than talk about it:

1. Become a volunteer and make a difference on the ground at shows and implement some of these ideas that you have.

2. Become a judge and be the change you want to see since you believe they know nothing.

3. Spend all this free time you have to write on fb and argue with anyone who disagrees with you on studying pedigrees and breed a better dog.

4. Spend all the money you waste on expensive show suits and equipment to actually research dogs and buy a better one so you beat the other people that you think only win because they have a motorhome and a St John and a ‘face’.

5. Spend more time talking to your friends about your dogs and where you might go to shows, who will bring lunch and then when you’re at the show don’t sit around talking about other people, spend it watching judging, Discussing your dogs with your friends and brainstorming your next litter. This is a tent I’d like to sit in and so will the new exhibitors you say we need to keep.

6. You could also spend it like I do obsessing over your OWN dogs and doing minor things like changing their food to 25% protein & 15.5% fat from 24% & 17% to see if that slight change makes a difference to the layer of fat under their skin so you can see more muscle tone and maybe win more because you’re dogs are in better condition than 2 weeks ago when you lost to that damn face (who runs their dog 3kms a day and hand feeds it so it’s in prime condition and baits like a machine).

7. Pick a dog show in 3 months and make a deal with yourself that you’re going to train your dog everyday and be so good that even if a judge wants to play games or another exhibitor talk about your dog that your dog and you make such a great team that you are undeniably the best on the day. Also that if you do lose that when you leave the ring you’re content knowing how brilliant your dog looks and how great it was to see all your hard work come together. The ribbon isn’t the prize here. That feeling of knowing your dog is great is!

We haven’t bred a litter for 18 months but you know we discuss it nearly every single day. Always trying to find a better dog to use, going over a pedigree again. Calling my friends (well one mainly ) to explain why I have this new idea and get her thoughts. I am obsessed with my own dogs and I believe that’s the main solution. Bring it back to the dogs!

Focus on you, your dogs and your breeding program or importing and the things you can do and I promise you that is how you’ll change the hobby. It’s not one big thing, it’s all of us doing little things that overall make the big difference!

 

Posted by showresults on Feb 22 2022. Filed under Current Articles, Featured, The Buzz. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.