Quote Originally Posted by MissMowgli View Post
Congrats! You have a beautiful Dobe, and I have a real soft spot for that breed. I've been trying to learn how to show my Curly boy, and am getting a whole collection of those no-competition Best of Breed ribbons! (He's a rare breed, so there's almost never any breed competition). I even have a Group 4 ribbon somewhere...there were only 4 dogs in the group!

I hope you have fun with it! I found a great kennel club, but the show culture's a little....different. I'm all about the preservation of breeds of dogs and selective breeding, but I'm not sure exactly how that ties into all the hair products and pro handlers.

For low-stress environments to learn in, check out UKC and IABCA. I've shown in both, and really prefer them to AKC. In IABCA, the judge actually has to give you a written evaluation of your dog, which I think is pretty neat.

Good luck with that gorgeous girl!
Thank you very much! I keep hearing that I should get a rare breed and then I'll win all sorts of shows, lol! I found a kennel club that I went to a meeting in, but it's an hour away, so it's kind of a pain. The only kennel clubs in my area are hunting/herding clubs, so we wouldn't fit in there.

And I hear you about the show culture. I have heard all sorts of interesting things and people gasp when I say I bring Athena with us when we go trail riding with the horses. "What if she gets hurt?!!" She's a dog, she should enjoy life! That, and they say if I didn't spend at least 3k on her, I shouldn't even think about showing. That's kind of discouraging.