Are Dog Shows Fun?

Click here to read the complete article
88 – October, 2025

By Matthew G. Stroud

Be honest—are dog shows fun?

Not like a picnic. Not like a lazy Sunday. Here, fun is the charge in your chest when the judge points to you, the sharp focus of a perfect down-and-back, the knowledge that the dog beside you could win but today yours did.

Pare it back, and most weekends come down to one reason you’re here: you want to win. Not to “just have fun.” Not to get your steps in. Not for the coffee and donuts at the hospitality table. You didn’t load the van, drive six hours, pay for a hotel, and spend all weekend grooming for exercise. You came for a ribbon, a point, a title–and when you get it, nothing else compares.

Dog shows aren’t built for idle socializing. On a Saturday at 8:15 AM, set-ups hum with blow dryers and clippers, not conversation. The air smells faintly of shampoo and wet towels. Stray hairs drift through the air, landing where they don’t belong. One dog’s getting its second bath of the morning. A borrowed table appears; a plug disappears. It’s not personal–it’s the game. People move with quiet urgency, wrapping leads around wrists, brushing coats in smooth, practiced strokes, warming up their dog with a quick trot. Many exhibitors glance toward the ring to study the judge’s rhythm, their eyes calculating every step.

The sport rewards precision. Arrive early to set up. Watch the judge before your breed goes in. Know your ring time, your dog’s strengths, and the points on the line. It’s not a place for wandering in cold or standing around hoping someone tells you what’s happening. The exhibitors who stay in it year after year know their routine and guard it.

Click here to read the complete article
88 – October, 2025

Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=340621

Posted by AnthonyA on Oct 10 2025. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.