The big topic for the last couple of years has been the declining number of dog show entries. When people are asked why, one of the top responses has been “the economy,” and it has been for the past 20 years. We have to assume that this means many people have needed to limit their entries due to the cost and must choose to enter at a select few shows.
With that in mind, how many exhibitors would have entered a show without knowing that their dog could be shown? Not a ridiculous question—people weigh up the chances of an entry and even a major before deciding to enter.
What I have to say next will be controversial, I am sure, but it is something I have been thinking about for a long time.
People enter a show, pay the money, even arrange for a handler, and then learn the show did not make majors. Their dog has already singled-out, and there is an unwritten agreement that once they have gained the necessary nine points, they should not be shown again in 1-pt. or 2-pt. entries. Why? Because it is “taking away” the points from other dogs that might need them. Owners are expected to pull their entry and lose the money, and the handlers lose their handling fee.
It happened to me when one of mine had some single points on her, but she needed majors. There were no majors in my area, so I sent her out to a handler in another state. She quickly picked up the remaining singles and then had to sit out a number of shows that I had paid for because she was singled-out and had to wait until she could be shown where there were majors.
There is NO AKC rule that says you cannot show a dog that has “singled-out,” but it has become embedded in dog show culture that it is just not done. I think it is time we look at this and question the validity of this convention.
I remember a show that had a good-sized entry for the time, but not quite a major, with a good, healthy two points over multiple dogs back when entries were higher than they are today. I arrived at the show and there were just two dogs there; my 6 to 9 Puppy and a 9 to 12 Puppy! Every other class dog had stayed home, because they had singled-out. Entries continued to decline until it became necessary to enter two of the same sex to ensure a single point.
By this time, I had three males with singles and a bitch that I wanted to finish before she was bred. I stopped entering the males, saved my money, and sent my bitch to a handler, un-shown.
Even if the entry is not enough for a major, a dog can still win BOB and have a chance in the Group, so why deny them
the opportunity?
There are many other aspects to this too. I was talking to a man on the phone the other day who had shown and bred a terrier breed in the past. He told me that he went to a show in Minnesota and it was like a graveyard. One of the good things about the shows of the past was the social aspect – going to shows was FUN! More people, more socialising, vendors! Yes, more vendors too. Specialties and top-tier shows are still that way, but too many local all-breed clubs are suffering.
People complain about judges and judging – but how can judges gain enough experience when they see a total Breed entry in the single digits? Or shows like that one I mentioned where the entry of nine males was reduced to two puppies? Too many shows have been like this in recent years. The judges who we now revere, past and present, gained their experience and credentials back in the 20th century. Just ask the ones you know.
