Trisven13

Its a great idea. Admittedly we have a rare breed (only 30 in Australia) and need to be very proactive with our breed but, as I mentioned earlier, we had pamphlets about our breed with pictures of our dogs as pets and they were available to be handed out AND stuck up where we were set out and we were standing up with our dogs at all times during the day ready to talk to ANYONE who expressed any interest. The public's comments throughout the day was that it was really nice to have someone take the time to talk to them and be friendly. I'm sure many others go to effort at big shows like the Royal too but these big show are the BEST opportunity we have to publicise the sort of people we are and the benefits of pedigree dogs.

I really like this idea. Lots of people have no clue about dog sports either - so many people ask us what we do at agility, and why we go to obedience when my dogs know how to sit on command! They don't know enough to get involved so we need to show them. On the weekend at a country show, my OH bought our scooter along because there were some good areas to take our Husky for a run at the back of our campsite. The man camped next to us was really fascinated and when the weather cooled down enough for them to go for a run, he took video of it so that he could show his friends at home. He had a stack of questions that OH answered and he's now got an interest in it. People need to be exposed to pedigree dogs and sports you can do with them and at the moment I don't think that's happening. Yep I agree with you - if people were more aware of the FUN they can have with their dogs then I think all dog sports from showing through to sledding and everything in between would increase.

So sorry Poms...

I think that when people acknowledge that there may be a negative perception by a lot of the public they will then go out of their way to balance that. I mentioned above that I think it is really important that we welcome the general public (GP) to our shows - that doesn't need to be in any formal way but just a smile can make the world of difference. How many times have we read on here that people don't want the GP at the shows but, for a lot of people,if they don't come to the shows to watch they're not going to know about many breeds, know where and who to purchase purebred dogs from (using a GP term of purebred) and from there MAYBE develop an interest in showing and breeding themselves. Dog showing is a great sport for families to be involved in with their dogs but we need more people to know about it. For those of you who didn't grow up in a dog showing family how did you get in to it? Is that still a way for people to get into showing and if not, why not? As I said earlier I got into dog showing, by default, by being into dog rescue and find DOL. Others are encouraged by their breeder, others have done other sports for years and showing is a sideline. I still think that the most important thing we can do is smile, remember that it really doesn't matter what the judge did on the day and enjoy your day out with your dogs.

Cool - will let you know :D

I will get my OH to check - he gets the paper into work every day :D . There was also a photographer from the Riverina something or other who took photos of Campbell with the Fauves - was it definitely the Border Mail photographer?

Why the drama??? Where did I say that I THOUGHT that they were beauty contests and freak shows??? Regardless of what we may think many members of the general public perceive them as that and that is why some turn away from them. How do we go about educating them that they are more than that? I personally think that we do it by welcoming the general public into shows more, taking the time to smile as they walk past, answer their questions with honesty and good humour and (when appropriate) welcoming them to interact with our dogs. ETA - I was educated to them being more than that by being a member of DOL and reading about people's breeding & showing on here. Reading the posts of people like Diane (RIP) who lived locally, Aziah, Ceilidh, Fifi and many, many others I became interested. Spending time with my friends at Taejaan here in Albury and watching them interact with their dogs and prepare for a show fueled that interest. Attending shows and finding a couple of friendly people that I'd met before on DOL just added fuel to that fire. All those people encouraged me but when, years earlier, I attended a show without already having made some online friends it was a very different story. That IS my experience and I have heard the same from others. And, as an aside its hard to read how your post below wasn't meant to indicate that I was posting trash talk

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. OMG where did I SAY that it was an antiquated beauty pageant? If I thought it was a waste of time and a worthless pursuit I wouldn't engage in it would I? What I said, in response to why the numbers were falling, was that we need to look at how it is perceived by your average joe rather than being defensive about what we know it to be. Its no different to advertising a product or promoting a service within business. You need to know what the public want, what they think you provide and try to bridge the gap. As for your bolded comment you obviously haven't read the many times I've talked in this very forum about the pleasure I and my dogs get from showing.

Smacka - when did you last talk to the "average joe" about dog showing. By "average joe" I mean someone down the pub, or at the milk bar or petrol station etc - just a normal person who has a pet dog, who loves their dog regardless of its pedigree or heritage. I was at the Pub on Friday night talking to the locals about showing the next day at Holbrook Show. Firstly I had the "cool can I enter my dog" questions - then I explained how that worked. Then I had the "Bet you'll win cause you've got the rarest dog" from my "mates". Lastly I had the hecklers - first from the guy who has showed previously who is convinced that most dog people are a pack of wankers, based on his experiences showing at Sydney Royal years ago for his ex-wife (a pug breeder of 26 years) and lastly from the local country boys who've been to all the local shows and seen us all in our finery who said that "dog show people are soooo snobby, they never talk to anyone and if you dare go near the dogs they yell at you". I've been showing for about 4 years now and I LOVE it but I honestly think many people don't speak to people outside of dog showing to fully recognise how it is perceived. We need to recognise, honestly, how negatively dog showing is perceived and be honest about how that can change without losing the integrity of the sport. At the Melbourne Royal this year one of the young people working within the dog arena stopped at our little booth during the day and said that we were the friendliest people she'd met in the 10 days she'd been working there - . How the hell can that be??? All we did was smile, have our dogs on display and have information and the time to answer questions if someone asked. Yeah, sure, we were knackered at the end of the day (and there were 3 of us taking shifts) BUT we were there to both do well in the ring AND promote our breed. The number of people who commented on how nice it was to be invited to pat our dogs and talk to us about them was quite sad. Yes it helps that I have a breed that is notoriously happy to be with people but even if your breed isn't that happy to talk to strangers surely you can be "up" and chat to the people walking past for ONE day?????

Poor baby - hope she is found safe and well.

Though in NSW at least, when applying for your prefix, they ask you what breed it will relate to. Congrats on the prefix, as you say, you will be ready for next time.

The second one is that it has barked/howled - that BIG noise that Bassets make.

I haven't had a chance to watch and listen to the whole thing but this is a news story about Basset Hounds hunting

I'm not going to dispute that they HAVE to have short legs as they are a Basset which translates to low dog AND they have achondroplasia (as do Corgis, PBGVS, Dachshunds, Fauves etc) but both the Albany bassets and the earlier show Bassets have some length of leg which would allow them to move. Off to google some images of Bassets hunting - I've seen video of Fauves hunting and its AMAZING!

They look great - they seem to have quite longer legs than the Bassets we see in the show ring over here BUT do have a longer leg like other Basset breeds. I love that they are getting to do what they were bred for

Went with the ultrasound and sadly we are out again . That will be the end of us trying with Marie sadly as I really don't want to start my lines with a bitch who has trouble falling pregnant. Now we have to decide on our next step...

I very rarely, like Rebanne, have someone sitting near me who is showing the same breed. I find that more often than not it is the newbies who stick together and/or welcome other newbies - well at least that is what we all did. Rebanne, myself, Tibbiemax and Rugerrun all started showing in this general area around the same time so we sat together. Some of us knew other people through show training and they were always helpful and welcoming and then we just always talked to other people in our group. This last weekend I was sitting with two other ladies who show in my group, one with a standard long dachy, the other with basenji's - I met a lovely new lady with a Black Russell Terrier and another newbie with an ACD. I had a blast. :D I have decided that there is no point blaming others - I go out of my way to be friendly and to meet people, I do my best to remember their names and say hello the next times I see them. There are DEFINITELY some people who are rude, who don't chat etc etc but there are just as many who are welcoming - ignore the turds I say

not a funny little story at all but a nasty little story. As a first time show secretary last year I can tell you it's not bloody easy sorting out owners/handlers/payers etc whent there may be 3 or more different names to be sorted out for one dog entry. There is the owner on the entry form, the envelope is addressed to someone else and the cheque is signed by yet another person. Multiple that by quite a few and it's a massive headache. In one case I had about 4 different breeds of dogs, all owned by different people, with the numbers going to someone else and the yes the cheque was signed by yet another person. It might be your hard earned money but it's the volunteers helping out at ground level who pay in blood, sweat and tears. Instead of making fun of them maybe you could help out instead and then you'll find out just what a good job they do. Obviously I haven't helped out at a local show as yet (though I have offered) but I suppose I have always thought that when the entry came in it would be dealt with as it came in, if that makes any sense? I have shown dogs before that weren't in my name, sent off with a money order and an envelope addressed to me and I haven't considered that it would be a problem as I have put them all together. I've not thought about them being separated once they arrive. As people are going to show dogs in other people's names how do we make it easier for show secretaries when we ARE showing dogs that are in other people's names?

- it does help that you're going through the same thing as Marie will be due the 9 December if she is - I know that we're at least in the same place.....

I'm pretty sure today that she is not - I think I'm just looking for signs because I want it so much. Will get my OH to take her for the ultrasound probably but still undecided whether or not to bother.

Awww what lucky pups to have you. Any idea what mix they are? Nice for your pup to have extra socialisation and nice for the pups to learn "manners" from a mum.

Trying so hard not to get too excited Bilbo Baggins - no doubt she won't be

Went for a walk with Marie at lunchtime and I'm sure I'm not imagining that she is rounder in the ribcage - she looks like a little barrel there. I'm used to only seeing dogs who are obviously pregnant as they were rescues who normally whelped within a week of arrival - is just me looking for things or do they get more barrel shaped around the ribcage??????

I have done the rule of 7 with every rescue litter we've raised and I think that, on the whole, it definitely makes a difference. We've had one litter of pups with poor temperaments but it was across the entire litter so I believe it was a genetic issue, not a socialisation one. There are other things that I've read about on here that include ticking toes from birth, hanging the pup upside down etc etc - wish I could remember but I did give it a whirl with one litter of rescue pups.

sure thing! Today I'm looking at her compared to my other bitch and she definitely looks thicker in the ribs than Daphne which she doesn't normally BUT I'm still not convinced that I'm not imagining it. On the weekend a more experienced breeder who has a much more "relaxed" view of things told me I was crazy to get an ultrasound because if I just wait another week it will be obvious. How true is that? Or should I have an ultrasound because we had a natural tie and then two fresh AI's 3 & 4 days later? Part of me is terrified of the ultrasound having the same result as last year - which I admit is stupid because if she isn't pregnant, putting the ultrasound off isn't going to change it :rofl: