You’d think entering the right class would be easy, but misunderstandings about class eligibility and when you must continue to show make up a large proportion of disallowed wins. Don’t let your win be one of them! How well do you know your class competition rules?
The American Kennel Club sent out a survey to some fanciers recently. I’m not certain how they compiled their survey pool, but some who received the survey said they are concerned that the AKC will recognize “designer dogs” or mutts, as many of us call them, in the not too distant future.
Over the past week, the farmer who tends the fields on the property where we are currently living has been harvesting the hay. It is quite a process. To begin, the fields were mowed down one after another. Then the grass was assembled row by row down the length of each of these fenced areas. After a few days, the farmer returned with his HUGE tractor to spread the grass over the entire area. At each step, the farmer made the effort to get the grass in exactly the place he needed for the process to be effective. If anything got in the way of the tractor, he promptly stopped, got down, and fixed the problem. Once he was satisfied, he climbed up on the tractor once again to finish the job.
The AKC Foundation Stock Service (FSS) has only four breeds earmarked for the Terrier group, and one of those, the Teddy Roosevelt, will be moving to the regular group as of January, 2024. The breeds come from four different continents: South America, Europe, Asia and North America.
Fault judging–while frequently a topic of conversation in regard to the breed ring, junior showmanship often escapes consideration. It is common, though, and is prevalent every time a talented junior is immediately written off for a few mistakes. Instead, the judge will reward mediocrity–the perfect dog or the junior who took no risks, thus enforcing the idea that perfection is the only way to win ribbons. Fault judging in junior showmanship systemically encourages juniors to show “push-button” dogs rather than taking risks and learning from those challenges.
Our dog sport is indeed a collection of many people from virtually every walk of life worldwide. You don’t believe me?
Growing up, I had a pet squirrel monkey. He was bought by my father, in a pub, and rescued from a miserable life as a photographer’s prop.
Will Alexander Drops Some Knowledge About What’s Happening in the Sport of Dogs. It’s Deep… It’s Humorous… It’s Provocative… It’s Will Unfiltered! Will Alexander has an in-depth conversation with Phillip Booth. Click here to watch on Canine Chronicle TV!
An important approach to the study of breed standards is to consider just how effectively a standard creates the mental image of the breed that it represents. After all, when a judge or breeder attempts to evaluate a dog for breeding purposes, such a mental image becomes the tool of measure. And, in forming such an image, the size of the animal determines the canvas upon which the picture is to be painted. There are specific dimensions which appear in so many breed standards that the serious student of the subject must wonder why they were included or omitted from the others.
Your friend attended the classes, studied the manuals until he memorized them, studied some more, and asked questions of those with more experience. He asked questions of those who recently advanced through the test taking process. Finally, he nervously took the test and passed with flying colors. Next, he obtained permit status, practiced, and eventually received his license. He met the criteria, jumped through every hoop, checked every box. No longer in permit status, he asked if you’d like to drive with him through New York City at rush hour in his uncle’s Ferrari. You hesitate. Who wouldn’t? But you go with him anyway.
