18 Shopping Days Till Christmas

To show or not to show? Until three years ago, I never gave this a thought. Our dogs had always been pets. They were all purebreds and were all registered with AKC. After having purebred dogs for over twenty years, it seemed like the next logical step was showing. For me if I had known then what I know now, I would never have started showing.

Showing dogs requires a lot of time and money. Unless you have a lot of free time, you will probably need to hire a handler for your dog. A good handler will know how to showcase your dog, they will know what shows to enter, and most of them do the grooming. As with anything, the more money you spend on handling usually equates to a more experienced individual and that in turn can produce winning results in the show ring.

Everytime your dog enters that ring, you are asking for a judgment call on your dog. Even though you are convinced that they are the best looking dog in the ring, the judge may not think so. Sometimes the judge agrees with you, but more times they don't. You have to be prepared for constructive criticism and not take it personally, learn from it.

I truly love the Saint Bernard breed. My dogs never had to prove their worth to me, but in the show ring that is exactly what you are asking of them. Finishing a dog as a Champion is not easy, and should never be taken for granted. The hard part is when you think you have a great dog and it can't be finished as a Champion. People ask you, "Why is this dog not finished?" "They are absolutely gorgeous." I never had any answers to those questions. The dog was gorgeous, and didn't misbehave. After a certain point, you have to stop. The older the dog is the less likely that they will be finished. Some people would say get another dog and move on. Well my dogs are not just dogs, they are part of my family. When you are winning, showing is very rewarding, but when you are not, it is disappointing and then becomes depressing. I don't want to feel disappointment or depression regarding my Saints. They are the best and beautiful, and I don't need a judge to tell me that.

So be cautious before you get involved with showing dogs. It can be a thrilling ride of wins, or one loss after another. You have to be prepared for either scenario.