DOG SHOWS:

 

Dog shows are actually a sport, both for people and dogs. Yes, of course, there are always those exhibitors who take less care of their dogs, whose dogs go from the box to the grooming table, from the grooming table directly to the ring, and from the ring back to the box. But I won't go into that now, but about most retrievers and their show habits, as well as the habits of their dogs, and I am one of those people. Dogs go to shows bathed, clipped, combed, but not full of polish, powder, etc. nor are they much cleaner and tidier than they are at home. They are calm in the car, they like to drive because they associate the car with something nice: "yeah, we're going somewhere where we'll have fun" and that's usually the case. At the show, they all stay together, in a pen or in separate boxes. People approach them, pet them, they sometimes bark, mostly because someone else is being petted and not them... People take pictures of them, ask about them... Dogs are the center of attention, and yes, they LOVE it and they FEEL it!! Entering the ring can be a shock for a dog the first few times, but only if it has not been well socialized because "no one does anything bad to them there", the judge feels them from head to tail - opens their mouth to check their teeth, the handler makes a circle around the ring with them and very often a diagonal so that the judge can see how the dog moves from all sides. Then the judge describes the dog, and after describing all the dogs in the class, he places them. Dogs gradually get used to the crowd of dogs, people, the noise of the loudspeakers and the barking of other dogs, and shows are not stressful for them. Some dogs are so relaxed, like my Destiny, that they lie down in the ring without any problem while waiting for their turn, or like Stella who walks around the enclosure with my dogs without a leash and cuddles, rolls on the grass and goes from person to person who has approached "our place" in order to be petted or to enjoy a piece of food. Some dogs, like Destiny and Calleigh, truly love showing off. Their tails are wagging 100 times an hour and they are extremely cheerful and temperamental in the ring. They love attention and know that all eyes of the audience are on them at the moment. Often after the show we take the dogs to the lake or river to run around, and in addition to showing and cuddling, they also hang out with their "friends" from other owners, my friends with whom they love each other and apart from shows they are seen at various parties, trainings and dog owners' gatherings.