? for all those who show in confirmation...

When showing a dog in confirmation, could one show a dog like my Shaker who has his ears butchered in an overpriced, underqualified crop job gone wrong? Also, what about their coat & skin? Would a scar here or there prevent them from being entered (he is a hog dog may I remind you...). Just curious..........

 

Scars are not supposed to matter...At the Judging siminars they say its "the nature of the breed" Slim has a few scars here and there and he placed so..But I do know that Gary Hammonds wont place a dog with scars..Im sure there are others that wont too. But they arent supposed to look at the scars, just the dog. Im not positive about the ears..As far as Skin and Coat, should be shiny and healthy, a shiny coat means a healthy dog(I think thats how they put it)..LOL

 

No, "honorable" scars are not supposed to matter.

As for the ears.. Im not sure either but as long as the overall structure of the dog is great, little things shouldn't matter as much (ie a dog with a slight underbite but exceptional body structure should place over a dog with a perfect bite but a lesser structure)
Its really going to all depend on the judge and the other dogs. A dog with minor imperfections can do well if the handler shows them well ..

 

YEP WE HAVE SHOWN A FEW WITH A FEW SCARS GOT 2ND PLACE WITH 1 AND NOTHING WITH THE OTHER LOL

 

i wouldn't think that the scars would have mattered about ears though it probaly is like everything else different judges judge different

 

Good info, I wondered about that myself

 

Thanks guys. Shaker's in great condition, just starting to lose a few lbs after soaring to a whopping 62lbs! In reference to his coat, his coat his great-->nice & shiny, I was just worried about some scarring. (That's why there are no full body pics so the "average joe" decides to look past the hog dog part & make up "other" stories). However, he's a nicely built dog & I had some thoughts recently as to how he would do in the show ring. As for his ears, , they give the idiot some personality!

 

The ears should not matter. Because a pits ears can be either cropped or natural, they are not considered a "flaw" either way. Most judges understand a bad crop job, so they don't deduct for that. It's not a genetic flaw. It's a butcher job!! The coat should be clean and shiny. The scars are not a genetic flaw either. But, like previously stated, it all depends on the judge. Some can be asses! But, most understand the breed and look past things like that. Good luck. If you want to check out the standards and what are defaults and flaws, you can visit http://www.apbtconformation.com/This will give you a better idea of what you are wanting to know. Hope this helps.

 

Yes, it really really really does depends on the judge regarding the scarring. We have won a few blue ribbons over the years with hog scars and it was not a problem, but had the same dogs not even place when other certain judges were there.

Ears shouldn't matter either. Per the rules, anyway. You just never know what is going through a judge's head though.

But if you are in a class that shows later in the day, you can watch what kind of dogs certain judges seem to pick in the earlier classes. If your dog doesn't seem to fit that "mold", don't be disappointed even if you do have the most beautiful dog in your class.

Also it's important to get your dog to stand or "stack" well to show off his best qualities. Judges tend not to give a dog a chance that won't stand still long enough for them to look at him, even if he is the best dog in the ring at the time.

Good luck! And have fun!

 

Mia, I recently approached T (which we know is on her way to being our next judge)with the same question, wondering if I should show my boy "Ricky" who is missing a little chunk out of his right ear:
http://www.game-dog.com/gallery/showimage.php?i=392&postid=228#post228
She told me "go for it!" So I did. Now, I know a lil scaring is not supposed to matter but I could tell by the look on the Judge's face she wasn't thrilled to see it. We did not place. On the contrary, I did see CH. "Manolo" (with a cpl of scars) place and win best of his group the same day. I guess It stiil is jus a shot in the dark! GO FOR IT!!

 

Minor scarring really isn't a factor, especially if they are old. If your dog is confirmationally sound that's going to be the main thing they look at, then start deducting for coat/scar flaws. Some judges don't even think twice about scarring, others do and the same goes for the ears. If you watch a judge the entire show you can get a real feel for what he likes and doesn't like. I've seen judges that give the majority of the ribbons to dogs with cropped ears, and some the other way..lol

Now, G. Hammonds not placing a dog with scars? LMAO I've seen it, but usually its a black dog (which is what he prefers when judging). All the judges are different, with different preferences, although I will say their are a few out there that judge strictly on confirmation and try to leave their personal likes and dislikes out of it.

Stacking is another issue... Some judges like to see your dog fired up, moving, and only "stacked" when it has to be, others want the dogs facing in one direction and calm the entire time..lol You learn alot about what type of dogs they like in the handlers meeting before the show begins..lol


I'd say show him Mia.. you'd only be out $18, and its great fun to get out there and show off your dog..lol

 

the only way scarring will hurt you that i have seen is if the wounds are somewhat fresh, put a little nu-stock on the scars and they will clear right up, it grows hair wonderfully. i know of several champion dogs that have gotten that way with scars and have even placed in the champions class with scars so i wouldn't let that deter you from showing your dog.
yis,
t.j.

 

Thanks y'all for all the replys! I've always been curious but just never got around to asking. Ahaker is just such a great dog with a wonderful personality (actually we call him our "special" child ) that I thought of doing something new with him. The mind's wheels are turning!

 

It is fun to go to the shows even if you are not showing. There is alot of people to talk to. Things to buy. And you can watch the shows, although it is much more fun to be in the ring, LOL.

 

I've gone to several shows and I do some weight pull events with some of my dogs. I just never got around to asking about the scars & the conformation ring thing & there have been a few occasions that at pulls, people rudely question me about "why I do that to my dog". I've gotten to where Shaker & many of my other dogs just don't go out in public as most people don't forgive the injuries & the scars that working dogs get (despite our best attempts to protect them).

 

What is nu-stock and where can I get it? Jesse was attacked by a female when he was younger and has a pretty good little scar with no hair. Under the scar is a dip in his muscle. My vet says the dip could go away, get larger or smaller. It seems to be less noticable as he gets bigger except for the stripe of missing hair. I thought of entering him in a puppy class at home in March and I decided to come see if scars are faults...don't seem to be so far, but the dip in the muscle might be.
Thanks,
Sarah

 

I don't know about conformation but I can tell you this as far as judging and looks goes:
I used to be a figure skater. My footwork neat, my jumps perfect, my spins centered. I hit every landing with a flair and acted out the music with my arms. Technically I was always a first place skater.
I got second place, my last competition, to a girl who's footwork was not neat and who missed the landing of a jump. But I was wearing black lipstick and the judge didn't like that. So even though I was technically perfect, and artistically beautiful (ie: arms, hitting certain beats of the music, etc), because of my lipstick color I didn't get first. Frankly, I no longer trust judges to not let their own biases get in the way . . .

 

I have not done a lot of showing in the dog world. But I have been to plenty of horse whows. And as the others said, it depends on the judge.

But I just showed my bitch who has some scarring (from her sister, no less) on her face and front legs, and she did very well. No one mentioned the marks, just how good she looks.

Hey, I thought you knew almost everything! You seem to be one of the most informed people on this site! What did you think of the thread, has this site changed? I looked for your reply but did not see it.

 

As for possibly entering Shaker into shows, Shaker is no longer with us.

As far as knowing almost everything (as brat said), not quite! I'm just sitting on the tip of a huge continent of information. I've never been to a show where moderately to severely scarred dogs were shown. I somewhat knew that judges understand that these dogs are (or should be) working dogs, but that doesn't stop them from discriminating in "beauty pageants". I just wanted lots of opinions & I know others who have dogs bearing scars that could easily blow away the competition in shows IF the judges judged fairly. But, all is not fair in love & war..........

As for what I think of the site changes, I voted but did not respond.....yet.

 

Yeah Hammonds judged my dog, and he told me he was too HOT LOL. I dont know about gary as a judge.....