Creating Solutions Instead of Placing Blame

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262 – May, 2022

By Sandy Weaver

The world of conformation is getting smaller by the day. This isn’t a news flash–it’s very easy to see at any show on any given weekend. Why this is happening is debated, and the blame is placed on so many sets of shoulders…

1. Millennials/Gen X/Gen Y are impatient and lazy and it’s their fault. They won’t pitch in to help run their club events and don’t want to hang around all day just for a few minutes of glory in the ring.

2. Judges put up incorrect representatives of the breed, are political, only put up professional handlers or people they know, are incompetent or even worse–don’t care, so it’s their fault.

3. Breeders don’t want to take the long view in creating standard-fitting, sound and beautiful animals; they just breed to the flavor of the day, so it’s their fault. They sell everything as show quality and contractually require the buyers to finish their puppies–even the pet-quality ones.

4. Exhibitors probably haven’t even read their breed’s standard; they just look around, see who’s winning and get a dog from them to show, so it’s their fault.

5. Clubs are greedy, raising entry fees so high that people can’t afford to show as many dogs, so it’s their fault.

It’s so easy to play the blame-game, and it’s completely unproductive. Because what’s really killing conformation dog shows is everyone blaming everyone else instead of finding a way to work together to create a stronger, more educational, and more fun sport.

Here are some ideas to consider to address each of the five “blame” categories listed above.

Click here to read the complete article
262 – May, 2022

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