smacka

And conceals so much of a correct neck that the head looks to be sitting directly on the shoulders..... No one can show everywhere of course, but where I participate most aren't using the stafford collars these days. Snake chains, check chains & sprenger martingales seem to the collars of choice. These types held under the jaw give an unimpeded view of the dog profile on the stack. I have about six stafford collars rolling around the bottom of my tack box that hardly ever see the light of day any more.

I am a relative newbie to dog showing but showed horses for more years than you have shown dogs . It is your type of sarcastic and derisive postings that has kept me reading rather than posting very much in the 3 years since I joined this site. If you can be so sarcastic and unpleasant to like minded people having a conversation , I can not see how you can be so disbelieving that people can encounter such rudeness at a show to people they do not know. Sceptical? Guilty as charged. I am somewhat more than sceptical that an exhibitor would approach & abuse an unknown member of the general public for simply quietly observing. However, if there was a history between these people one could hardly blame the show fraternity for such an outburst, could one? Sarcastic & unpleasant? Opinions may vary.

Forgive me. I surrender to the majority. Dogs shows are merely beauty contests & freak shows. How could I have been so blind for the last 25+ years.

Deary, deary, deary. Please read the posts in sequence, before commenting. Is that to much to ask?

Gayle. I make no apologies for defending my hobby against what I consider spurious & depreciating falsehoods. Beauty pageants? freak shows?....come on! Such uninformed insults need to be challenged. Or do you think that grin & bear it is the best strategy? Head in the sand & it will just go away? Also me thinks you should actually read the posts in sequence & in their entirety to get your facts straight before commenting/attacking. Never once have I condoned poor behaviour, nor did I accuse Trisven of trash talking. Such miscomprehension & accusation are but a classic example of the misrepresentationism that is blighting the hobby in general. Which, unfortunately, is typical. I also find your ''you don't belong here'' story very difficult to accept without a wrinkling my brow & raising my eyebrows. Very difficult. Exhibitor V exhibitor animosity on display I can agree with. Personality conflicts & all that. One sees or hears of such behaviour often. As one would at every other sport/pastime/hobby where humans gather for competition. Bitching & whinging are not the sole domain of dog shows. Go to a kids footy game for a real education in A grade whinging & bitching. But such an unprovoked assault on a visiting spectator quietly observing? I have never ever even heard of such a thing.

So you mustn't think my reply had any credibility? That's interesting. You must agree with the antiquated, beauty pageant, freak show comments? That's interesting also. Glad you enjoy the scene though. Which is really interesting, if the above is true. Many decades of dedicated, ethical people have made it possible for you enjoy the benefits of their dedication. I take exception to people who don't understand or respect that dedication by posting such trash talk in a Show forum at a pure breed site. The ignorance of your average joe in the pub? It happens. Although I find more interest than ignorance. Probably my breed though. Terriers do have a special appeal. ( & I'm not exactly a stranger to having a libation or six) Men in beacon suits with hairdresser dogs certainly do draw some curious comments I must admit. But hey, Live & let live. But why do they wear that stuff? Makes me cringe,just a little,I must admit. Just my thoughts.

Of course there's such a thing. Some ANKC recognised purebreds were once crosses. The Boxers gained a bob-tailed gene from clever crossing with Corgis, and after some number of generations crossing back to purebred Boxers, they gained the title of "purebred" again. What most people have an issue with is the advertising associated with the crossbreeds and the fact that crossbreeds seem to majorily come from unethical breeders (backyard or puppy farm) who don't health test. That's the very basic jist of it. It's not all of it, but the two main ones. There is a big difference between purposely cross breeding to establish a certain breed than cross breeding (eg "oodles") just for the sake of it, mostly by puppy farmers. They are not interested in recording, establishing a new breed for a specific purpose, and wanting to have that breed recognised by canine authorities. Yes, a large number of our present day pedigree pure breed dogs come from mixtures, but that was done in most cases to establish a breed for a certain job or service, and records were carefully kept on the progress of the generations to enable registration as a pure breed. I hardly think one can compare today's mongrels with yesterday's method of establishing a breed. Um. Nobody's arguing that. She asked if there was such a thing as multi-generational crosses and indeed there are. Purebreds of today were once "multi generational crosses". Remember, it's just a label to describe crossing towards another cross of the same type multiple times in a row, nothing more. It's not comparing it to the "worthiness" of ye olde days of crossbreeding dogs compared to today's. Just a definition, don't need to get fired up A ''pure breed'' is a breed that breeds true to type everytime. Not all pure breeds are ANKC registered. Isolation will eventually produce pure breeds. Man doesn't necessarily need to play a part. The only ''designer'' pure breed I can think of off hand, bred as a cosmetic accessory, is the Bull Terrier. The Dobermann was purpose bred. The remainder, or most of them at least, are ''refinements'' of already existing types. The boxer/corgi cross was an abomination against the sanctity of the genuine pure breed dog. The progeny were crossbreeds & should never, ever, have found their way onto a pure breed register. As soon as the cross was make the line should have been terminated. Smart breeding? No way. Mongrel breeding is all. Borgis or coxers, take your pick.BTW Jack Russell Terriers aren't recognised as a pure breed by the K.C & therefore aren't listed on that pure breed register. Just thought I'd throw that in as a bit of useless information. hmmm well if you think about it mathematically there comes a point when they are back to being 100% Boxer. If you think about it logically, as soon as they cross bred, the line was broken, finished, kaput, that's all she wrote. Instead it just continued on with no mention of the corgis in the pedigree. So much for the British K.C. & their pure breed registery. Pathetic. Sacrificed integrity for a purely cosmetic outcome. Double pathetic.

http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/services/public/breed/Default.aspx?group=TERR That's a British website But of course. The K.C. is the British canine body.

yes. Gold is the go. Used with a thin black lead they are attractive & unobtrusive. They don't inhibit the view of the neck & they don't get caught up in the fur. 10/10 & I have never have one tangle on me.

http://www.the-kennel-club.org.uk/services/public/breed/Default.aspx?group=TERR

Of course there's such a thing. Some ANKC recognised purebreds were once crosses. The Boxers gained a bob-tailed gene from clever crossing with Corgis, and after some number of generations crossing back to purebred Boxers, they gained the title of "purebred" again. What most people have an issue with is the advertising associated with the crossbreeds and the fact that crossbreeds seem to majorily come from unethical breeders (backyard or puppy farm) who don't health test. That's the very basic jist of it. It's not all of it, but the two main ones. There is a big difference between purposely cross breeding to establish a certain breed than cross breeding (eg "oodles") just for the sake of it, mostly by puppy farmers. They are not interested in recording, establishing a new breed for a specific purpose, and wanting to have that breed recognised by canine authorities. Yes, a large number of our present day pedigree pure breed dogs come from mixtures, but that was done in most cases to establish a breed for a certain job or service, and records were carefully kept on the progress of the generations to enable registration as a pure breed. I hardly think one can compare today's mongrels with yesterday's method of establishing a breed. Um. Nobody's arguing that. She asked if there was such a thing as multi-generational crosses and indeed there are. Purebreds of today were once "multi generational crosses". Remember, it's just a label to describe crossing towards another cross of the same type multiple times in a row, nothing more. It's not comparing it to the "worthiness" of ye olde days of crossbreeding dogs compared to today's. Just a definition, don't need to get fired up A ''pure breed'' is a breed that breeds true to type everytime. Not all pure breeds are ANKC registered. Isolation will eventually produce pure breeds. Man doesn't necessarily need to play a part. The only ''designer'' pure breed I can think of off hand, bred as a cosmetic accessory, is the Bull Terrier. The Dobermann was purpose bred. The remainder, or most of them at least, are ''refinements'' of already existing types. The boxer/corgi cross was an abomination against the sanctity of the genuine pure breed dog. The progeny were crossbreeds & should never, ever, have found their way onto a pure breed register. As soon as the cross was make the line should have been terminated. Smart breeding? No way. Mongrel breeding is all. Borgis or coxers, take your pick. BTW Jack Russell Terriers aren't recognised as a pure breed by the K.C & therefore aren't listed on that pure breed register. Just thought I'd throw that in as a bit of useless information.

I don't honestly think cost has all that much to do with it......people spending amazing amounts of money on completely stupid things, without batting an eyelid. If someone really wanted to show dogs, they'd find a way to afford it. Those here who've said cost is a factor are still showing......they might be showing less but they still find a way to afford the shows they do enter. Don't you think statement that is just a little contradictory?...... When people speak of cost I think they are talking total cost. Not just entry cost. Petrol being a biggie. Petrol being two- three times the price it was just ten years ago for .e.g. Depending where one lives fuel/food/accommodation could severely reduce the amount of shows an individual enters this days. Run a line through the 10,000+ members of Dogs NSW & the reduction in entries would be substantial. 25-30% p.a. maybe? Couple that with disenchantment & an aging demographic & think you are getting close to the mark. The Bill Spilstead complex might serve western Sydney o.k. but is a hike for everyone else. 1/2 a tank of fuel would add $30-$40 to the day. Which in turn could mean only one show that w/e where previous two days were the norm.

Interesting theory. But I think cost, dissatisfaction with the controlling bodies preoccupation with nest feathering & protecting their own against any criticism, the limited register & the sudden unpopularity of the previously docked breeds have all contributed more to the fall off more than the rise in popularity of designer mongrels.

I don't think the whinging & bitching constantly referred to here is any more,or less, than any other sport/hobby/pastime participated in by such a diverse variety of people. Some will always find something to whinge/bitch about no matter what. What is mostly being termed here as whinging & bitching is, in most cases, actually a release of frustration expressed by informed comment. The majority of breeder/exhibitors, if not all, could be correctly described as breed experts. Breed experts appreciate & admire outstanding examples of their breed. These people know the worthy winners. They also know the not so worthy.It's the awarding of the latter which sometimes results in uncomplimentary comment. If you took the time to listen and/or ask the "thë whinger" the whys & wherefores of their "whinge" you may just learn something about that particular breed. "Ïn my opinion" is incontestable & as such is open to abuse, which it often is. Too often. Hence the frustation. It has also been my experience that the majority of exhibitors are more than happy to chat about their breeds in particular & the show scene in general. There is always the exception of course, but they are in the minority, a very small minority.