Westminster Dog Show

[Roper]

I just watched the finals in the Westminster Dog Show.
A German Short Hair Pointer won the Best Of Show. A gorgeous dog.
Watching those dogs move out at a fast trot is poetry in motion.
That show is a great spectical I look forward to each year.

[Sharon]

Me too. I watch the hound group and the sporting group. I told my husband I want a black/tan coon hound. He wasn't impressed.
That GSP was a beautiful dog. I hope everyone watching that show won't want a GSP now. Certainly not a dog for everyone.(I've had 2).

Apparently , someone who knows the breeder, say the dog's dam has a S. H. title.

Sad to see what the conformation lab looks like. If it gets any fatter..............

[welsh]

Sad to see what the conformation lab looks like. If it get any fatter..............

That's why I ignore the show world. Paying attention just encourages them.

[ebenezer]

I was pleased to see the GSP win. They interviewed the judge ( a former president of the CKC) and he said that he would be looking for function as well as form. This gave me hope that he would a least consider the GSP as it certainly had both. I can't believe the labs year, after year look like pickle barrels on legs. They certainly could not fulfill the function of a full days hunt even if they could pick up a bird with their short snouts.

[terrym]

Actually I read that the winner's owner/Kennel is involved in NAVHDA. That group tends to include conformation as part of the evaluation. Not a bad thing as long as the working capability isn't compromised.

[bardern]

show breeding has been the ruination of too many breeds. personally I cringe watching fat over weight Labradors waddle around a show ring.

[Ugo]

A Brittany won the whole kit-and-kaboodle some years ago and the ensuing spike in sales is still having a residual effect. Not always a good thing as far too many of these dogs end up in the wrong homes.
It is times like these, where disparagers of pedigrees need to stand up and take note of....PEDIGREES!
There will be an undeniable domino effect which will heighten sales of the GSP. The endless list of champions in said pedigree will tell you what you need to know. If you are looking for a working GSP, you need to take responsibility for your choices. Not all dogs are created equal and just because the breed title is that of a bird dog (GSP, Brittany, Vizsla, etc.), it does not automatically mean you have a working bird dog.
Let me be clear. It is rarely the breeder's fault that you end up with the wrong dog.

[Waftrudnir]

what could possibly be wrong with GSP/DK as show-pet?
haven't we been there too many times already; be it Setters, GSP, Weimaraner - just to name a few.
well, if you shop around for a good looking used dog: http://www.pointingdogrescuecanada.ca/
I will not support show dog breeders (even if the dogs were decent). I cringe each time when someone tells me I have a "nice looking" dog.

[welsh]

One would hope that GSP breeders will meet prospective puppy buyers fresh from watching the Westminster show with, "Do you realize what you're getting into."

I'm in the market for a pup at the moment and have had (Springer) breeders tell me they'll only sell to hunters and trialers. Breeders bear a big responsibility in making sure their pups go to the right homes. Thankfully, the good ones do take care.

[Sharon]

what could possibly be wrong with GSP/DK as show-pet?
haven't we been there too many times already; be it Setters, GSP, Weimaraner - just to name a few.
well, if you shop around for a good looking used dog: http://www.pointingdogrescuecanada.ca/
I will not support show dog breeders (even if the dogs were decent). I cringe each time when someone tells me I have a "nice looking" dog.

Form follows function.
I want a well-conformed GSP if I'm buying one. Tail set , chest breadth, front leg stance, hip structure, webbed feet, long strong muzzle etc would all be important to me. Those things can make a difference ( other factors like temperament, trainability excluded) in having a Champion FT dog / exceptional hunter imo.

http://gundogforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=69&t=35666