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All breeds Open Shows

Karen

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Just got back from an all breeds open show, it was incredably noisy and smelly, a massive Dally jumped on the boys and its owner said "I dont think they want to play Georgie". Two squidged Whippets :(

I used to quite enjoy all breed Open shows but now they all seem so hectic, Im sure it must be me but I love the breed shows and the Champ shows and even the group shows are ok. The dogs hate it too but perhaps they are getting it from me. What do the rest of you think? Are the entries dropping because its all so squashed and full of cages (masses of cages at this show, Labs and OES :0 :0 ) or am I just getting a bit intolerant in my old age.

Judging was ok so no moans there.
 
We tend not to go as often to open shows as once we did.

There is no longer the enjoyment and thrill of showing and (sometimes) winning at these shows. It was a pleasure and an occassion to attend an open show with the breed scheduled, mainly there were limited shows without the breed. Now you can attend an open show almost weekly and within an hours drive of home, I suppose that is also a difference in that shows are more accessible for more folk.

We do prefer group shows BUT there are also good general societies whose shows we enjoy, there is one next weekend we have entered, but it is the composite of judge, venue, ambiance and previous enjoyment that works for us to make an entry.

The breed shows are obviously more interesting as one hears more gossip about who and what and where than at general shows.

Today we were at SYWC open show stewarding for Claire (richard) and Stephen (me). It is just a pity that the SYWC and the Welsh whippet club have shows on the same day. It DOES affect entries for both societies and as entries generally are dropping we could see problems in the long term.

Dawn
 
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Well, I like them. I see and meet a lot of people that I know in other breeds and I think it does the dogs good to mingle.
 
Yes you are right that it does the dogs good to mingle and we saw loads of people that we knew from other breeds but like Dawn we hardly do any now. Perhaps they were always that full and we never noticed the jossle in our youthful exuberance. or minded that the rings were like postage stamps.

It may have been the run up to Crufts that swelled the entry.
 
Hi Karen, at the same show as you and I left feeling the same way. I never even bothered to get the cage in( I dont think I could have fitted it in anyway) I was really glad I left my IG at home and only had Rory.

The rings are always too small and the floor slippery and I did get the impression of being rushed as the judge had a lot of breeds to get through ;)

The only good thing about it was being home by 12.30 and getting the pack out across the fields in the sunshine :)
 
I think I agree with both angles. There are some all-breed shows I really enjoy and will go to whoever is judging. These are well thought out and well-run. I think some clubs try to classify as many breeds as they can, and consequently try to fit too many rings into their venue. They seem to forget that by doubling the number of rings, you double the number of people trying to get around them

I was also at the show Karen is talking about, and agree whole heartedly. As well as using outdoor rings for the gundogs and some working breeds, they had squashed 8 rings into a hall that really could only accommodate 4 or possible 6. I moved my cage from the area they were supposed to be in because I couldn't get my dogs in or out without moving someone's grooming table which appeared while I went to get a coffee!

Oh well. Next week is one of the ones I like, a friendly show, usually runs smoothly, not too cramped, and best of all, only 20 mins from home :) !!
 
:D I like to go to them, but I do have to work out which dogs to enter where, as so many of these open shows are held at differant kind of venues; some of my dogs don't mind noisy, busy, crowded, sport center type places, but others will only show at their best at the horse center places, with sandy floors and more open spaces. Overall they all prefer the out door, on the grass with the sun shining type.................but then, don't we all! :D
 
Don't fib ................ you know you just LOVE Ardingly in February in the freezing cold, raining ...........bacon baguettes ..................
 
I was at Ardingly one Feb eating a bacon bagette, I had a couple of dogs on one wrist like you do. Anyway I took a bite and my teeth had gone through the bread bit and were half way through the bacon I guess. Suddenly the boys lunged forward, the bagette went with them but the large piece of bacon (gripped by my teeth) slid out flopped over my chin like a giant slimy tongue and oozed brown sauce and fat all down my front. Just another reason why I cant cope with open shows. :b :b
 
the large piece of bacon (gripped by my teeth) slid out flopped over my chin like a giant slimy tongue and oozed brown sauce and fat all down my front
So next time we see you should we remind you of this?

OR should we just say to ourselves

[SIZE=14pt]There goes Karen I wonder if she still eats bacon bagette's?[/SIZE]
 
Still forcing them down but never while holding the dogs :D
 
Had a laugh at the thought of you with a bacon tongue! :D

Bet the dogs were gutted they had the baguette and not the bacon :( .

Once, at Di's fun day, stood talking to Beejay, whilst eating a roll, her whippet thought he'd help me lose some weight. So he jumped, grabbed my roll and really enjoyed it! :D . Much to Beejay's horror :0 .

I was lucky though, I didn't have grease and sauce down my front.

Lydia and Darkstars.
 
That reminds me of my friend's long departed now English Setter. The number of times he just grabbed people's food from their hands when they were sitting on the benches or around the ring and just swallowed it whole!! He had a wonderful soft mouth though and never hurt anyone!!!
 
At the South West Hound Club last year, I had dogs in consecutive classes, so I tied the second one, Granny Paws, to my cage so I could do a quick change between classes and went in the ring with her daughter. When I came back to swap over, Paws was sitting with an angelic smile on her face, having eaten a packet of sausage rolls off the top of the next-door cage, with the owner of the said sausage rolls watching!

I hastily apologised and rushed into the ring. Towards the end of the class I glanced up to see the judge standing bemused in the middle of the ring holding Harriet's lead. In the confusion, I hadn't tied her up properly!! Do they go out of their way to embarrass us??? :b
 
Embarrass us?? NEVER Vanna!! LOL. I remember Dessie Whippet (a Veteran) strolling into the start of Minor Puppy Dog at Whippet Club of Wales Ch show because I was busy setting up my cage and putting the others in, thinking DW is well behaved, she will just stand there. WRONG! Because she was such a show-off, she thought she could show by herself (sorry, wrong class Dessie!!!) Probably looking for the sausages as well!!! They are not silly these veterans!
 
That must be it. Harriet is also a veteran, and a very greedy one too! She was probably just looking for sausages - after all, they hadn't given her one in the class she had just been in! Neither she nor her mother have worked out yet that you only get sausages at breed shows! (Is that another mark against All-breed Open Shows?!!!)
 
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Definetly Vanna, at the breed club shows most of the veterans look forward to their sausages. Maybe if the general shows did this it would help attract entries, maybe a sausage for dog and handler. :D

On the whole, I don't often enjoy a general show, only tend to go if I think the judge will appreciate my dogs good points. Have always enjoyed our breed club shows, even if the judge doesn't place your dog, you can catch up with friends etc. and you don't need to re-mortgage your house to pay the entry fee! :b

Lydia and Darkstars
 
Like quite a few of you I do not support as many Open shows as I did but I am sure that they were just as noisy, perhaps nearly as cramped but they did seem to use more outdoor rings somehow (memories of when we showed in the working group). I can remember good food, lots of tea & coffee, lots of laughing and throughly enjoying a day out. After all we always took the best dogs home regardless didn't we? :D

But recently I have noticed the atmosphere is not always the best, yes I know we have always had a grumble or two 'cos thats nature, but to hear some people talk you'd think they'd been forced to go there in the first place. Chill out I say, the best medicine in life is a giggle with friends, swopping ideas, gossip & jokes, having a coffee & of course good old bacon rolls.

And yes it is a shame the W.C.W & S.Y.W.C clash, we will have to see what can we done to change this.
 
Hi Anniewhip, at least are breed club shows are still good, meeting up with friends, having a laugh over a tea or coffee etc.

It would be nice if W.C.W. and S.Y.W.C. did manage not too clash!

Lydia
 
I can't see that these two clubs would draw many entries from the same catchment area of exhibitors, especially for an Open show. Might be different if it was Champ shows clashing
 
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