tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955077234995938266.post1656407450355634201..comments2024-03-15T03:43:53.437-04:00Comments on INSIDE THE GERMAN SHEPHERD DOGS WORLD: THROWING IN THE TOWELBarbara J. Galassohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06374747787599553697noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955077234995938266.post-35657040265568044802010-12-09T18:44:26.217-05:002010-12-09T18:44:26.217-05:00They say they can not sell show puppies from top p...They say they can not sell show puppies from top producing animals, that's funny! I have been in this for a while now and I have tried to get a puppy from some top people and since they do not know me they do not give me the time of day. So there are many reasons they can not sell/place a show puppy ie: they never contact you back, they want and arm and a leg for the puppy, you have to use this handler, they want to call all the shots. Who wants to own with all those stipulations. I know I do not and won't. If show homes are so hard to find then maybe they should try placing some show puppies in show homes instead of asking a outragous amount. Esp. with the economy the way it is. Most can not afford to pay tons for a puppy and then be at a zillion shows and pay for everything else. I owner finish all my dogs. I have a few people that I do and would co-own with and that is it. If I am supporting the dog and doing everything for it then I will be the once calling the shots. <br /><br />Yes, the morale is down at the shows and sometimes there is no fun left. You always see people congratulate the winner then they talk *&*&&& behind their back. Where is the fun in that? You see animals get put up that clearly have faults and some serious, but who is on the end of the lead? Yes, it is very fusturating and as long as this stuff keeps happening then we are still going to keep decling.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955077234995938266.post-15851184425909469862010-12-03T09:51:28.501-05:002010-12-03T09:51:28.501-05:00Barb
For me I am just tired of doing 30 to 40 show...Barb<br />For me I am just tired of doing 30 to 40 shows a year. Its not fun any more. I do like my dogs though but as for German Shepherd people most of them I could never call a friend. People in this breed are not very nice any more. We have lost the class act breeders that we had years ago. But who knows maybe things will change in the future for our Great breed. <br /> GeraldGerald Roachhttp://www.geransgermanshepherd.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955077234995938266.post-40251037475222231612010-12-02T17:30:11.701-05:002010-12-02T17:30:11.701-05:00Cost certainly is a factor. We've spent a goo...Cost certainly is a factor. We've spent a good deal of money exhibiting our puppy this year, and while she came away with some excellent wins, we have no points. And we actually saved money because we do not use a handler. I owner handle.<br /><br />My husband and I buy our dogs for US, not anybody else. We also raise our dogs a specific way and want the integrity of that training maintained. We also do not fancy being yelled at by a handler because we're not standing in the correct corner to call our dog. We teach our dogs to move out and go on their own, and it works just fine.<br /><br />I also feel the lack of support is a huge factor. "You MUST get a handler, at least for majors, or your dog will never finish!"<br /><br />It's not always about winning.<br /><br />Or when people go to shows, and the ignore the people that just want to ask about their GSDs. If they're not interested in buying a puppy (particularly a show prospect), they're not worth the time, and that's not true.<br /><br /><br />We try very very hard to welcome new people not only into the breed, but into the sport of conformation. I talked with a lovely couple at the dog show in Philly who are getting their first show puppy from a well known American kennel. They were asking about handlers and everything, and I encouraged them to at least TRY owner handling first. If they end up hiring a handler, fine, but at least try, and know that it takes time, money, and some embarrassments along the way.<br /><br />Never, ever, have I regretted owner handling. Never, ever have I had the desire to hire one. People tell me I'll have to hire a handler for my puppy's majors, and I refuse. My husband and I bought this puppy for US, not for anybody else.<br /><br />Our breeder wants us to hire a handler for her Futurity, and we politely said no, and told her why.<br /><br />And I can admit that owner handling isn't JUST about having our dog with us. It is about money. Handlers are not cheap. They charge a lot of money, plus bonuses for certain things. We're not willing to drop $60 on entry fees and then pay the handler their fee PLUS lodging and food and gas.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955077234995938266.post-46706188142540968272010-12-02T14:49:26.083-05:002010-12-02T14:49:26.083-05:00Barbara you do a great job with difficult topics. ...Barbara you do a great job with difficult topics. Maybe the German Shepherd show dog has gone the way of other good things that have seen their time and now wain and fade away. Unfortunately this has happened in so many other area's as people develop different interests. Perhaps it is as you say and it will revive again, but perhaps it will just be a fond memory of things past for many folks. <br />When I was a child our activity was getting the neighborhood kids together to play kick the can or capture the flag. If you could get two kids together today for this activity it would be rare. Instead they have more sophisticated games. They have endless organized sports to participate in. Will those old activities be revived. Probably not, but for some they will always be fond memories. <br />I can tell you there is a huge interest in the German Shepherd breed. For all those qualities that the breed possesses. People want them for all their great traits but not so much for show. We are being flooded with applications to adopt but not all adopters are adopting for the right reasons. The breed stands out above other breeds and hopefully will continue to do so. This is during a time of designer dogs and a multitude of mixed breeds. I just hope the German Shepherd survives as an intact breed.Brucehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00263413130171705126noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4955077234995938266.post-44243727603676279242010-12-02T14:34:20.210-05:002010-12-02T14:34:20.210-05:00Most of the best puppy owners want to do something...Most of the best puppy owners want to do something WITH their dogs instead of paying someone else to do it. The specialty ring is perceived as being a place where you can only be seriously competitive if you have a good handler and those are few and far between and generally taken. It is no fun just to write checks. <br />I like being with my dogs. I like the bond I build by working them. I used to spend a lot of time training and conditioning them for the conformation ring, but it is not as rewarding as training them and handling them yourself in some performance event I can do. <br />I do evaluate the dogs per the standard and I value opinions from people I respect in the breed. I still breed - do so for dogs I want - trainable, sound, and correct. Many are finishable but the people who have them also want to do stuff WITH their dogs so the conformation ring is barely an afterthought.<br />Too bad for the sport. Maybe if it once again becomes owner/handler friendly by changing back to a reasonable way of showing the dogs we will again have conformation exhibitors. Until then I will keep finding owners who want to work with their dogs.Ruthhttp://www.fairwayshepherds.comnoreply@blogger.com