Why Is It Show People Think It’s OK to Give Unsolicited Criticism of Your Dog?!?
A reader asks…
I recently boarded my dog for Christmas with a show breeder of another breed. The owner was criticising my dog up one side and down the other. She accused me of breeding nonstandard dogs, etc. He’s a yearling puppy and I’ve never bred him! He’s too young to have proved himself and to have finished his health and genetics tests. I never said anything about breeding him, just that I do intend to show him. His breeder is a Senior Breeder Judge, not some BYB. She considers him an excellent specimen for show and work. What’s with the tendency of people to offer unsolicited criticism of your dog and can you suggest any comebacks that are likely to point out the unacceptibility of this? It wouldn’t have occurred to me to start picking her dogs apart. Heck, they’re not even similar breeds!!
Unfortunately this seems to be very common behavior, not unique to this person. I find it rude and intrusive. If I want to own a blue Labrador with tan points, why should that be anyone else’s concern? My own dog, the butt of the criticism, is actually a very correct specimen for his breed. He is an unusual color, but it is allowed in the breed standard.
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The bigger thing to do is just ignore the criticism and move on.
What breed standard do you follow?
Per AKC…
Color
The Labrador Retriever coat colors are black, yellow and chocolate. Any other color or a combination of colors is a disqualification. A small white spot on the chest is permissible, but not desirable. White hairs from aging or scarring are not to be misinterpreted as brindling. Black–Blacks are all black. A black with brindle markings or a black with tan markings is a disqualification. Yellow–Yellows may range in color from fox-red to light cream, with variations in shading on the ears, back, and underparts of the dog. Chocolate–Chocolates can vary in shade from light to dark chocolate. Chocolate with brindle or tan markings is a disqualification.
Sad to say, but that show snob is right.
Unfortunately no, this person just sounds like a jerk. If its not the dog, it will be something else. If they offer good care of your dog, bite your tongue, let them know it is a pet, not a show dog then leave it at that.
Some people are just Jerks!!!
I think most show people are snobs. After the damage they’ve done to our breeds, I don’t trust them or care what they think.
They think they know everything about dogs and they don’t. I was at a dog show once and there were a group of people next to me criticizing another dog in the ring, that then won Best of Breed. Obviously they know nothing, and yet they claim to know it all.
I would tell the boarded that she’s full of shit and then take the dog and never come back.
Say, “I wasn’t aware you were an expert on [insert breed here]”
You said she was a show breeder of another breed… so… how could she possibly know?
I would not have left my pup. I would have said mind your won Business. If so know nothing about the breed then she is jellies that her dogs and not as good looking. Don’t mind her. when you are in the ring with her and your dog wins then you have the right to rub it in her face!!!!!!
Also when you pick up your pup don’t give her a tip and tell her you will never board with her again!
Good luck
Hey, don’t lump all show people together ;o)
This person sounds very insecure and the tendency with insecure people is to put down other peoples, pets, children, houses, cars..really anything, as it makes them feel better.
Seriously, just kill this person with kindness, maybe mention you purchased your dog from a judge and trust his breeding program. I would then go on to compliment this person on their dogs, show them how “class” behaves and move on..lifes too short to get caught up in people’s petty inssecurities.
Unfortunately there are a great many show people like that, but there are also show people that try to help other people and teach them what they have already learned. Even us show people don’t know everything about our own breeds and very little about other breeds. We are learning new things everyday, but some will not admit that. Don’t label all of us for what some do
For the same reason anyone else does… they think they know more than you do.
With judges who’ve made LARGE mistakes (ie: telling me “I really like your dog (a Samoyed) but I gave him reserve (to a major of course) because he’s mis-marked” — So I sent him a copy of the breed standard with pertinent info highlighted with a marker. Sams cannot be mis-marked, they can be disqualified for color but bisquit or bisquit and white is an allowed color and can be in ANY pattern… Same issue with noses.. black is the prefered color but dudley nose or snow nose not to be penalized.
I once had a breeder of another breed INSIST a Samoyed b*tch I was showing was an Am. Eskimo because “Sams are NOT that small”. Hmm.. her mother was a champion, her father was a champion… she was major pointed at the time (and became a champion) Yep, they do make them that small– bottom of the standard is 19 inches at the withers for a b*tch. Most b*tches you see in the show ring are oversized.
My suggestion is mail a copy of the breed standard.
Generally, I try to keep my mouth shut about what I think of people’s dogs unless they ask me. Then I ask them if they REALLY want to know.
I hear what you are saying. I was at a dog show with my Belgian Shepherd Groenendaels and I was told that my new bit*ch looked like a “Bull Terrier”. This was right before she went into the ring and won her class In-Group (Minor Puppy) and she was the first Belgian Shepherd to do this within our state at the time (many years ago now). She was different to their dogs as she was a well bred Groenendael out of an imported Sire so she actually resembled what a Belgian Shepherd Groenendael should look like. After winning the award their comment was “that’ll be the only one you’ll ever get”. Yes, Show people can be really, really nasty.
Another instance was I was asked to enter my 2 dogs in a local Open Show as the Judge was very interested in Belgian Shepherds and wanted to have as many of the breed to go over as possible. The Judge, as I was told, had read Pollet’s Guide to the Belgian Shepherd”, a bit of a bible at the time, and so would know what she was looking at. I did so, reluctantly, as I was weeks off having my first baby (HEAVILY pregnant) and my bit*ch was out of coat. I decided that my husband could show the dogs and as Gypsy was so out of coat another bit*ch would take Best Bit*ch, so if need be there would only be 1 dog, the male to take in for Best of Breed.
Well, Gypsy took Best Bit*ch and Zulu took Best Dog so it was my husband and I both in the ring for Best of Breed. The Judge wanted to give BOB to Gypsy but she hated it when Zulu was in front of her and would pull to get in front of him (she was the dominant one). The Judge didn’t want to send me around the ring again to see if she would behave so gave BOB to Zulu. (Luckily I was very close to the hospital if I went into labour LOL – the things we do!) The people who asked us to attend packed up their dogs and belongings and left before Group Specials. They weren’t happy that this Judge, who they talked up as knowing what she was about as far as judging Belgian Shepherds (a rarity in those days) put our out of coat bit*ch over their very in coat bit*ch. I guess quality will out.
As far as commenting on someone else’s dog of a different breed to your own – this is so unnecessary and I would be saying, “I didn’t know you were an expert in the breed, how long have you been involved with them”.
It is hard to come up with a good comeback because the bitchy comments are so unexpected and can literally floor you. I suppose really that doing well in the Show Ring is the best revenge of all.
Some other examples: Zulu took Reserve in Show and President of the local Kennel Club, of which I was a member said, “You won’t be getting that when my pups are in the ring”. Well, that never happened.
Gypsy gained her CD Obedience title, same person as above said, “That should give everyone hope becasue if Graeme and Gypsy can do it, anyone can”. My revenge – Gypsy was named Top Obedience Dog of the Kennel & Obedience Club that year beating his “supposedly” amazing Border Collies.
As I said, success is the best revenge.
Personally, if I encountered this kind of garbage from somebody, I’d be tempted to give them a full piece of my mind (not that there’s much to spare LOL).
My comeback would probably be “Wow, who died and made you Queen B*tch of (my breed)? And clean some of the wax out of your ears, I never said I was going to breed my dog. So how about shutting that gaping pie-hole in your head and letting the JUDGES decide whether or not my dog is show quality, because that IS their job, after all??”
Maybe a little harsh, but that kind of crap just burns me up & I wouldn’t take it sitting down. It drives me nuts that more dog fanciers can’t just enjoy some “common ground” and be civil with each other. When the AR nuts and PETA’s of the world are forever lobbying for legislation that would put an end to dog shows and responsible breeding, it is SAD and SICKENING that serious dog fanciers can’t display some UNITY!!! All a lot of them want to do is pick apart everyone else, make the show scene forbidding & harsh to newcomers, and create an atmosphere that’s more “clique-y” than a Beverly Hills high school.
Fortunately, the snippy, nasty, ultra-competitive attitude is *not* universal, it seems to be worse among people who have certain “breeds”. I have Basenjis, and as a rule, Basenji folks are generally nice to each other. A story I heard recently from some show folks on a Basenji forum I belong to, detailed a group of Basenji owners, handlers & breeders gathered together at somebody’s RV, socializing after a major show. There were probably 20-30 people gathered around….when one of the handlers (who also handles other breeds) said, “Wow…are these all Basenji folks? Because if it was (another breed)….you’d have to hide all the knives.” In other words, the handler was VERY suprised that 30 folks who’d just spent the day engaged in “competition” with each other could gather peacefully for entertainment after the show was over.
Even in other breeds, there ARE fanciers who are kind, willing to help a newbie, and wholly “sportsmanlike” in their conduct with others. Sometimes it does feel like EVERYONE is a self-righteous, snooty b*tch….I often felt that way even in Obedience trials, but you’ve just got to hold your head up high, seek out the genuinely nice folks and ignore the nay-sayers. BE the change you’d like to see in the show ring, and maybe more people will follow your example. Hang in there!!!
There are people like that in all walks of life. Not just show people. However, I have met some really wonderful show people. I was at large show recently. I stopped by the meet the breed table for my breed. The people manning the booth are top breeders and the dogs they were showing off were all excellent examples of the breed. My dog was there for the obedience and she is not a ’show” example of the breed by any means. These people were nothing but kind and even asked for a photo of my dog doing her agility so they could put it in their book that they were showing of the breed. They complemented her on her good qualities as her personality, the tricks that she knows and her obedience and agility accomplishments. Not one of them mentioned her lack of type which is quite apparent.
Just remember, people who have no self esteem have a need to put others down so they will feel better about themselves. What this person said to you was unsolicited and uncalled for and just shows how small a person she is. This is her problem and not yours.
Good luck with your dog. I hope he becomes a world champion and you can send her a picture of his wins.
Erm, a blue lab? with tan points?
That’s not even close to standard.