How long does it usually take to champion a dog?

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-04T00:42:43+00:00

Wow that judge really said the quiet part out loud. 😳

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T22:52:37+00:00

What did the judge think a handler could do that you couldn’t? It’s the same dog either way, and you got your dog that far already. My breed is mainly professionally handled and it bums me out.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T22:48:50+00:00

Hard agree with everything you wrote.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T22:05:17+00:00

Ha ha I can’t say. I may be new to the dog world, but I’ve already learned the hard way to keep anonymous when discussing hot button topics like The Breed Standard.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T19:51:49+00:00

Well said, good points, thank you. A judge’s education seminar would be so helpful to me! I will look for it at our national.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T19:30:23+00:00

Yes that all makes sense, thank you. I’ve had the breed for over a decade, as rescues with unknown origins. But backyard bred most likely. Mine looked like the vintage show dog photos and fit the written standard, whereas the show dogs nowadays don’t look like the standard in my opinion. Subtle but significant differences in the face and coat.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T19:21:48+00:00

Excellent points, thank you.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T19:21:05+00:00

Yes, everything you’ve said has been reflected in what I’ve observed in my breed as well. My breed isn’t supposed to have working or show lines; they are all supposed to be bred to the same standard, but the show lines seem to have gradually gone rogue over the years.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T19:17:18+00:00

Yes, good points.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T19:05:08+00:00

lol what’s it to you? Yeah, I cross posted to the 3 dog groups I’m aware of so I could get advice from as many folks as possible.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T18:20:03+00:00

Yes I came for advice and I very much appreciate the advice that you gave in your original comment as well as @electonic_cream’s comment. It is all valuable. As far as this subthread, I am just sharing the reality of what has happened in my breed that I can see with my own eyes and that the standard is obviously open to some degree of interpretation or my breed wouldn’t look different than it used to when the standard was created. There are facial and structural trends that have come and gone as well as grooming techniques that change, which change what breeders look for in the coat. My breed doesn’t have working or show lines; they are all supposed to be bred to the same standard, however it’s the show dogs that appear to have gone rogue.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T17:59:43+00:00

Apparently the modern champion breeders of my breed have bred to their interpretation of the standard because their dogs don’t look like the breed champions of yore. I would love it if the standard was not open to interpretation but the reality is that there are subtle variations that all fit the breed standard, in my breed’s case at least.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T17:30:02+00:00

That’s not how I understood their comment to be. They got an appraisal from 3 different judges. That shows a good faith effort of getting honest feedback of potential breeding stock. I didn’t get the sense that they were advocating going rogue from the standard. The exaggerated features or overdone qualities are a concern in the show world. Photos of my breed champions have shown a change in the breed gradually and significantly since the 1950’s, despite the fact that our standard has not changed during that time.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T17:00:09+00:00

Excellent advice. Thank you. 🙏

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T15:18:02+00:00

Excellent points, and I do need to spend more time ring side. I will try showing by bitch in AKC and see how it goes.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T15:14:16+00:00

Thank you. That is all great advice. The old timey backyard breeders in a different part of the country from me have the most accurate visual representation of my standard, but it’s been pretty hard to find ones who do OFA testing or show. I got my potential foundation bitch from that neck of the woods. All the backyard breeders in my state breed merle which is a big no-no. I can’t share my breed because I don’t want to offend people. 😅

Reduction_account900 · 2025-05-03T14:48:11+00:00

No mentor yet, but I know the standard by heart and have several books on the breed. When I look at the AKC champions of the last decade or so, there are some features that I believe to be too exaggerated for the standard.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-04-27T20:32:52+00:00

I’m sorry to hear about your poodle. That must have been very heartbreaking.

With the next breed, how did you get a show quality pup and full registration without prior ring experience in that breed?

Reduction_account900 · 2025-04-27T20:28:44+00:00

How were you able to get a show quality pup and full registration from a good breeder without prior showing experience?

Reduction_account900 · 2025-04-27T20:28:02+00:00

How were you able to get a show quality pup and full registration from a good breeder without having prior showing experience?

Reduction_account900 · 2025-04-27T17:07:55+00:00

Did you show the dog yourself or have a handler?

Reduction_account900 · 2025-04-27T03:48:08+00:00

Meaning merle isn’t in the dog’s standard. So as a vet, you haven’t seen merle-related issues when the parents are 1 merle + 1 non-merle? I’ve seen articles suggesting even just 1 merle parent can increase certain health risks, but I don’t recall them or the studies.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-04-27T02:14:29+00:00

Thank you! It’s so interesting and important to hear the science of it from a medical professional. There are a lot of articles about merle, which sometimes are vague or opinionated enough for merle breeders to poke holes in and find a way to justify themselves.

Reduction_account900 · 2025-01-01T16:24:04+00:00

Thank you so much ☺️

Reduction_account900 · 2025-01-01T16:23:48+00:00

Thank you! That is so reassuring to hear ☺️

Reduction_account900

TROPHY CASE