The Pet Pen
Dog show timeBy Susan Ewing
It's almost here. Next weekend is the Great American Family Dog Show Weekend at the Fireman's Fraternity Grounds in Stockton, and this year, it's bigger and better than ever. This year, the Olean Kennel Club and the Conewango Valley Kennel Club have joined forces to offer shows Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, June 11-14. Instead of shows on Friday and Saturday, you now have a chance to enjoy the show Sunday, or, if work and school schedules permit, on Thursday as well.
Breed judging will begin around 8:30 a.m. and will pretty much be over by 2 p.m. both days. If you just want to see the group judging, which is what you usually see during televised dog shows, plan to arrive after 2 p.m. This is for conformation. Both the Conewango Valley Kennel Club and the Olean Kennel Club are also offering competition in both obedience and rally. If you're interested in these, best get to the show in the morning, as these events rarely continue much after noon.
Rally is a variation on obedience, and is a bit less strict. Instead of a judge calling out commands, each exercise station is marked by a card upon which is printed the desired action, such as "sit" or "down." Or, a card may direct the handler to walk around his dog while the dog is on a stay. The handler and dog proceed at their own pace, and the dog is not required to be in a heel position between exercise stations. Difficulty increases as a dog and handler progress though the levels of titles.
Last week, I got an e-mail from a reader requesting information about the dog shows. The person had gone to our previous show superintendent's Web site, but couldn't find our shows.
That's because we've changed superintendents this year. The American Kennel Club licenses superintendents, and they organize AKC dog shows. A club wishing to hold a show first needs AKC permission, then, typically, the club selects a show superintendent.
The superintendent sends out the announcement of the show, known as the premium list. That list tells the prospective exhibitor when and where the show will be held, and what judges will judge what breeds. If the show-giving club is offering obedience, rally and/or agility, along with conformation, that information will also be in the premium list. The premium list will also tell you what trophies, if any, are offered, and in what categories.
Entries and the appropriate fees are sent to the superintendent, and they process those entries. When the entries close, two weeks before the show, the superintendent puts together the show catalog, which lists all the entries in each breed, along with owners, breeders and handlers. Any ads that the club may have sold to local businesses will also be in the catalog, and at the back is a complete list of names and addresses of the entrants.
In the front of the catalog will be a compact judging schedule, so if you're interested in Chihuahuas for instance, you can easily find out which ring and at what time the Chihuahuas will be judged.
In previous years, I have suggested that if you want to time your visit to the show to coincide with the time your favorite breed is being judged, you should go to the superintendent's Web site. This year, with a new superintendent, that doesn't seem possible. We're using MB-F and their site is www.infodog.com. Our judging panel is listed, but I can't find a judging schedule anywhere. I may have missed it, so feel free to check out the site, but if they post judging schedules, I don't know where. It says it's possible to check results or view a catalog, but I can't find a catalog anywhere.
If, like me, you can't find the judging schedule, then just come early and stay late. You can buy a catalog when you arrive, and there'll be food available and vendors to visit. You may find that you enjoy watching other breeds besides yours as they compete. If you don't have a dog, but are considering one, the dog show is the perfect place to see dozens of different breeds in person. Or, bring a lawn chair and take a ringside seat to watch the obedience or the rally. It might even inspire you to do some advanced training with your own dog. Parking is $5 a day, or $15 for all four days.
