Table Talk • December 3, 2025
Celebrating a nice Thanksgiving holiday at home with my hubby and dogs gave me the opportunity to read so many great articles in our November-December issue, and those re-posted from our vault!
Of particular interest to me is Wayne Cavanaugh’s article from March, 2024 https://caninechronicle.com/current-articles/from-the-cc-vault-dog-show-or-dog-show/ DOG Show or dog SHOW.
I have had many a conversation about this topic with good friends, and I continue to try to find a good compromise. I completely agree with Wayne that what is NOT to be compromised is judging dogs according to their standard, and not overlooking a good dog that meets the breed standard for a dog that is “showy”, but has major faults. Wayne’s statement that judges should highlight how their selection meets the breed standard rather than saying, “the dog asked for it,” could not be more accurate.
We hear so many say that handlers should be invisible – it is about the dog! I agree.
The goal of breeders and exhibitors should be to show the best dogs to their maximum potential. The goal of every judge should be to find those dogs. We have all had that great one who just does not want to do it! We can train and train, but there are some dogs that are just not cut out to be show dogs–just like there are people not meant to be handlers. Please remember the dogs cannot say no. They can only demonstrate their preference through their behavior.
I believe that the judging preferences have encouraged exhibitors to exhibit the “showier” dogs. One may have an amazing specimen of their breed, but if asked to free stack in the center of the ring, chances are things may not go well. Perhaps the free stack should be used only to break a tie, meaning the judge sees two dogs who meet their breed standard equally. It is only then that “asking for it” should be a part of the final decision.
As exhibitors, it is our responsibility to show our dogs in the best possible condition, trained to the best of our ability–and may the best dog win! I think we should continue to encourage judges to choose the best dogs based on that breed’s standard – just like Wayne suggests in his article.
This past weekend at the Winter Wonderland Cluster in Perry, Georgia, Marietta Singleton hosted her traditional pig roast on Thanksgiving Day. This year, a celebration of life for CJ Favre’s wife, Lisa, was held in conjunction with the awesome get-together. The turn-out was amazing, and everyone had a great time while sharing stories, and enjoying each other’s company, in addition to celebrating Lisa’s life.
A large part of the fancy will be headed to Orlando later this week, in anticipation of moving into the Orange County Convention Center on Monday. Please remember that RVs cannot be staged on the street. You will be asked to move to an appropriate holding area, and you cannot get into the building prior to 10 am Monday morning! There will be bathing available to those in RVs on Sunday morning after 10 am. There will be no access to the building to set up at this time.
Site Control and The Crew will be monitoring the grooming area. Please be kind and respectful to our hardworking men in orange and men in blue!
I am excited to bring you Table Talk Live coverage of the week in Orlando! Please be sure to stop by our Canine Chronicle set-up across from the judges’ hospitality area and the main Royal Canin booth. We look forward to possibly sharing fancier’s stories and celebrating big wins!
Fanciers celebrating birthdays this week include Scott Yergin, Natalie Kowalczyk, Oscar Quiros, Richard Green, Clint Livingston, Gail Miller Bisher, and Marti Johnson. Best wishes for a great day, and a great year ahead!!
This week, I would like to share a brilliant thought from Barbara Keenan:
Try to be a good winner as well as a good loser. Be nice to fellow exhibitors, do not say nasty things about your competition, and try to BE A GOOD SPORT. Remember that everyone has a different opinion of what is a fault, and this is meant to be a sport.
Those are words to live by as we enter one of the busiest (if not the busiest), show weeks of the year!
Be safe out there, my friends! I look forward to seeing you in Orlando! Until next time….
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