Can You See the Dog You Have? Learning to Recognize Quality Before Choosing Your Next Show Dog

At a recent Dog Show Mentor workshop, we focused on helping owner handlers improve their performance, understand their breeds, and narrow the competitive gap with professional handlers. We discussed breed type, structure, conditioning, movement, and presentation, along with the elements that contribute to success in the show ring. However, one of the most thought-provoking subjects was something many exhibitors would prefer not to consider: Sometimes, the answer to becoming more competitive is getting a different dog.

One tool I use in Dog Show Mentor is Rate Your Dog, an exercise that helps exhibitors evaluate their dogs in three areas: breed type/age, condition, and movement. The purpose is not to criticize the dog, but to encourage exhibitors to examine the qualities judges evaluate in the ring and understand how their dogs measure up against the written Breed Standard.

This is not always easy. We love our dogs and invest enormous amounts of time, money, and energy preparing them for competition. We know their personalities and the qualities that make them special to us; however, those things do not necessarily determine their quality as breeding stock or their ability to compete successfully in Conformation.

In my Secret Weapon Sessions, one-on-one coaching, conversations can become particularly revealing. Exhibitors are eager to explain their dog’s virtues, sometimes working hard to convince me (or themselves) of qualities they believe should be recognized in the ring. Helping them recognize the difference between the dog they love and the dog a judge evaluates can become an important turning point in their development.

One thing I’ve learned over the years is that experience alone doesn’t necessarily teach us how to evaluate dogs. We can attend hundreds of shows, watch thousands of dogs, and still struggle to recognize quality when we’re looking at our own. Our emotions and personal preferences get in the way, and sometimes we’re influenced more by what others tell us than by what we’re actually seeing. Developing an educated eye takes more than time in the sport. It takes study, careful observation, and the willingness to admit that perhaps we don’t know quite as much as we thought we did.

When I judge, I’m looking for the dog that best represents its Breed Standard, and that involves much more than finding the prettiest dog in the ring. I consider the characteristics that make the breed recognizable, how the dog is constructed and whether that construction supports the work the breed was developed to do. Every dog has virtues and faults, and judging means deciding which qualities matter most under the Breed Standard. Exhibitors need that same understanding to recognize the difference between a dog that catches their eye and one that is truly an outstanding example of its breed.

This is especially important for owner handlers because we can improve so much through our own efforts. I’m a strong believer in conditioning, breed-specific grooming, and learning to present a dog well, but we have to be realistic about what those improvements can accomplish. Conditioning can improve muscle tone and stamina, grooming can enhance the dog’s appearance, and good handling can help a judge appreciate its virtues. None of these can change the dog’s basic construction or give it breed type that isn’t there. With the growing popularity of canine fitness equipment and conditioning programs, I think this distinction is worth emphasizing.

I’ve talked with exhibitors who have worked incredibly hard to improve their presentation and are frustrated because their results haven’t changed. They’ve taken classes, practiced, invested in grooming equipment, and studied what the professional handlers are doing, yet they still aren’t getting the results they hoped for. At some point, we have to consider whether the problem is really on the handler’s end of the lead. Sometimes it isn’t. Sometimes it’s the dog.

So how do we learn to recognize a better dog? I think we have to start by studying the breed itself, not just what’s winning. Every breed has a purpose and a history that explains why it looks and moves the way it does. The Breed Standard gives us the description, but we need to understand the reasoning behind it. Why is a particular proportion important? What makes this breed’s correct movement different from another’s? Which characteristics are essential to preserving breed type? These questions help us develop into better evaluators.

We also need to spend time looking at and touching dogs other than our own. Watch dogs move, compare individuals, and talk with breeders who can explain what you’re seeing and why it matters. I encourage exhibitors to watch the dogs that are winning, but not to assume that every winner is necessarily an outstanding representative of its breed. Look beyond the ribbons and ask yourself what qualities you recognize. When another exhibitor’s dog wins, don’t get discouraged; use the opportunity to learn about that dog, and perhaps about your own.

Carry that same curiosity into choosing a breeder. When you’re looking for your next show prospect, how well do you really know the person making that selection for you? I encourage exhibitors to look beyond a breeder’s reputation and consider what they’ve actually produced over time. Can they explain the qualities they’re trying to preserve or improve? Are they willing to discuss both the strengths and limitations of their dogs? No breeder can promise that a puppy will grow into an exceptional show dog, but the consistency of their breeding program can tell us a great deal.

After Montgomery County Kennel Club in Pennsylvania, I sat down with a breeder who has produced an astonishing number of champions worldwide. Listening to her discuss her breeding program, its direction, and how she decides which dogs to breed together was an honor and meant the world to me. That depth of understanding also helps a breeder place the right dogs in the right homes.

Someone looking for a future special may have very different expectations from an owner handler who wants to finish a first championship. Neither goal is more worthy than the other, but the choice of dog should reflect what the exhibitor hopes to accomplish. That’s why I encourage buyers to have an honest conversation about what happens if the puppy doesn’t develop as expected. Understand the contract, any deposit agreement, and the breeder’s expectations before you make a commitment to that breeder.

I’ve written before about the assumption that successful breeders automatically make good mentors, and I believe this is another distinction worth understanding. Someone can have tremendous success producing beautiful dogs without having the interest or ability to teach others what they’ve learned. A good mentor does more than tell you which dog is better. They explain what they’re seeing, answer your questions, and sometimes challenge an opinion you’ve held for years, helping you develop your own judgment.

Of course, not every owner handler has the same ambitions, and I believe we should celebrate that. Some want to finish a championship, others enjoy competing in the National Owner-Handled Series, and some work toward goals that have little to do with Conformation rankings. One Dog Show Mentor member earned 100 titles across her dogs in a single year. She was delighted to achieve Grand Champion status with two of her dogs, along with Breed wins and other working titles. Her unbridled joy in guiding her dogs to those achievements was exciting to see.

Your goals are your own, and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying the dog you have while recognizing that another dog might take you further in Conformation competition. The key is understanding the difference between what you can improve through conditioning, grooming, training, and handling, and what is determined by the dog’s inherited qualities. A young dog may need time to mature, while another may have limitations that won’t change with age or experience.

I also want exhibitors to remember why we have Conformation shows in the first place. We are evaluating breeding stock, and the decisions we make about quality have consequences beyond the ribbons awarded on a particular weekend. The better we understand breed type, structure, movement, and the qualities that make our breeds unique, the better prepared we are to contribute something positive to their future.

Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate exhibitors who stay curious, no matter how long they’ve been involved in the sport or how much they’ve accomplished. They’re willing to ask questions, listen to someone else’s perspective, and occasionally change their minds. They can appreciate an exceptional dog even when it belongs to a competitor, and they understand that a beautifully presented dog and a truly outstanding specimen are not necessarily the same thing.

We can love our dogs without reservation and still recognize that they may not possess every quality we would wish for in a show or breeding prospect. That doesn’t diminish the dog or our relationship with it. It simply means we’re becoming more knowledgeable about what we’re seeing, and perhaps more realistic about what we hope to accomplish.

Before we can choose a better dog, we have to learn to recognize one. The most important place to begin that education is with the dog standing at the other end of our own lead.