ellz Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Mr Rimes is home (aka Ch Ellz Cant Fight The Moonlight)...some may remember him from the Show Hopeful 2010 thread! Bodywise and temperamentwise he is sensational. Coatwise...well.....next question please.....he has "enough" coat, but it is quite ragged and he is missing a lot underneath. Not so badly that I couldn't scissor it up but that does mean sacrificing a LOT of length and it is a bit gappy in some areas. Unfortunately, his saddle has also been clipped. NOT something I would do as I have always presented my dogs with a handstripped, natural saddle. It is very short but thankfully is quite shiny and may grow enough to not be as obviously clipped by the time I want to show him. So....Hobart Royal entries close next week and we have an English breed specialist judging Gundogs. Do I enter him? Do I take the risk that his coat may sprout between now and then or just let it go and wish I had entered him? And then, even if his coat hasn't grown much, do I groom him up and take him anyway and hope that the judge can appreciate the qualities and forgive the presentation anomalies? This ISN'T how I'd normally present one of my dogs but this is how he has come home so I have to make the best of it. What would you do? And please, don't turn this into a spite fest or slanging match, I'm genuinely asking because I'm torn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faolmor Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Go for it! If the coat doesn't come through, well, just go and have a nice day anyway with no pressure. If it does come through, you'll be glad you entered :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Enter. You can pull him if you are not happy, but you may regret it if you don't. Entering at least keeps your options open a bit longer until you can have a go at the coat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted August 25, 2012 Author Share Posted August 25, 2012 OK, to give you an idea....this is how he landed on Tuesday night. He's unbrushed and unclipped here. You can see the gaps. It's very short underneath, like to the skin short from chest to testicles, down the insides of his legs and actually a fair way up underneath on the show side. And this is after I bathed him and trimmed his head a bit. He is a LOT shinier now and the texture is silky as it should be and not especially curly. Thankfully he seems to be one of those dogs whose coat is better the day after a bath which will make things a lot easier for shows (and bear in mind that when I sent him away he was still just coming out of puppy coat so I had no real idea what his adult coat would be like when it came through fully)! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missymoo Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Enter, as others have said, you can always pull him if your not happy :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dellcara Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 most UK specialists are not always about "glamour" in my opinion .... I'd enter and decide on the day .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra777 Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 most UK specialists are not always about "glamour" in my opinion .... I'd enter and decide on the day .... x2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted August 25, 2012 Author Share Posted August 25, 2012 Hmmmm...I guess at the end of the day I'm my own worst critic. I probably should just cut myself a little slack. I'll enter him as suggested. Thank you all for the input, it is greatly appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Poodle Mum Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 (edited) Know the feeling Ellz....I have my boy entered in spring fair next weekend but I am stressing about taking him or not. He is only 5weeks into continental cut and am worried he will not have enough to be a competitive..... He has lovely movement but....I am owner, handler, trimmer but not a hairdresser!!! Edited August 25, 2012 by Poodle Mum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted August 26, 2012 Share Posted August 26, 2012 (edited) No i wouldn't enter him under Frank unless you are 100% happy with what you are taking . Yes you could enter & scratch but if the dog isn't in good coat i wouldn't enter & not show Edited August 26, 2012 by showdog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 No i wouldn't enter him under Frank unless you are 100% happy with what you are taking . Yes you could enter & scratch but if the dog isn't in good coat i wouldn't enter & not show Ahhh but without the benefit of a crystal ball, how will I know if I am going to be 100% happy on the day? I haven't really trimmed him up yet and he doesn't have a lot of shape but entries close this week and I won't have time to get right into him before then...hence my question. The dog is lovely....coat texture is really quite nice....presentation may not be up to my particular levels.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Asalei Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I'm also one that will enter and decide later. I did that with our royal and was quite disappointed I couldn't make it, but had too much to do before our National. $50 down the drain! But with smaller shows, I will always enter and decide later. Gives you the option to at least show. Otherwise if you don't enter, you don't have the option. I only have one or two dogs that I enter though, so it's not a huge amount of money if I decide to stay at home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkyTansy Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I'd enter. His coat might be fantastic enough that with the right care it will recover enough by the show date to take him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_dambe Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I have a coated breed and coat is the finishing touch and adds to the glamour and shape, Frank Kane has judged in Aus before - check what he put up then in terms of type, this might help. I watched him judge American Cockers at the World Dog Show in Paris and I was blown away by the trimming, coat, type, presenttaion and handling under Frank in Paris .... check that website for what the reults were to check type etc. They had massive coats in Paris and I still get gosoe bumps thinking about how wonderful the breed looked at that show.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I think its safe to say Ellz nows what Frank Kane likes/ dislikes & has most likely shown under him in NSW many moons ago , I think that is the main reason she is asking because she isn't sure . Certainly Yanks in Europe are show to perfection coat wise & probaly one of the few breeds where that Glamour " word can be inserted even in the UK yanks are show in great coat & The judge in questions yanks where good coated dogs . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted August 27, 2012 Author Share Posted August 27, 2012 Yep, I did show to Frank Kane many moons ago and I also attended a breed lecture that he conducted for the NSW Club and one of the things he drummed into the aspirants THEN was that texture is way more important than length or amount. And that the breed is SUPPOSED to be moderately coated. The thing is that it was a long time ago and I have no idea if he still feels that way. Now don't get me wrong, the dog's coat isn't that bad that he should just be clipped off. If it were that dire, the decision would be easy. The problem is more that the coat is not quite what I present a Yank like. I don't clip saddles and I do sculpt the outline more. There's nothing to say that the saddle won't have grown in enough to not look as extreme by the end of October and certainly the other coat will have grown in more as well. The texture is lovely...silky and cool to the touch, as it should be. I'm probably being a bit paranoid and it was always going to be a big ask to have a dog that has lived with somebody else for a couple of years come home and be exactly what I do myself. Anyway, I have entered. As I'm a member of the RAST, the entry was discounted so if I don't take him it only cost approximately what a normal show would cost anyway. I was going to be there anyway, I'll probably just have a dog in tow now! :laugh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 His Dizzy was moderately coated & really the last of his big winners . I reckon there will be a big pointer entry :D as he certainly has a thing for pointers 7 weeks can make a big difference so who knows . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
becks Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 i recall mike gadsby won a CC or was it BIS at a breed champ show with a yank that was clipped off, one of his big winners and he wanted the opinion of the judge at that show so took the dog along in his undies! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ellz Posted September 5, 2012 Author Share Posted September 5, 2012 Update: Mr Rimes has been home for 2 weeks, 3 baths and a HUGE trimming session (as I messaged to a friend on FB, I kinda went postal with the scissors). The upshot is that aside from the terrible saddle, I'm more satisfied that I'll be able to do something with the rest for the Royal so I'm pleased I decided to enter. Took him to show training at the showgrounds here last night and he's a real show pony. Wind him up, put him on the ground and off he goes out on the end of the lead. He loves it! Snapped this today with the self-timer and the tripod. Not the best but you'll get an idea anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espinay2 Posted September 5, 2012 Share Posted September 5, 2012 Amazing what a little time and work can do :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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