What Is Show Quality
10/2005
What Is Show Quality?
“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!”
There can be no better answer than the preceding, however with my extensive background and years into Labradors and dog shows (35 years to be precise), I realize that this simple answer does not suffice and besides it gives me an opportunity to express my opinions to a captive audience; those of you reading this essay.
To be able to answer the “What is show quality?” question, a person must have some qualifications that would place them as some type of authority on the subject. Asking a mere novice would elicit a response, but of what value would a novice’s opinion be? Opinions are dime a dozen and even at those bargain rates, not worth two wooden nickels! For novices and others with limited experiences with show dogs, the majority of those around ringside will freely give out their opinions, but keep in mind that even those free opinions are worth very little since the majority at ringside themselves are just an extension of those with limited knowledge. These marginal-knowledge type people are always eager and ready to dispense their newly acquired "knowledge" at the drop of a dime, once again not worth 2 wooden nickels! So, extreme care must be taken to assure that the source of information is indeed worth investing in.
Before we delve into the fine arts of show dogs and what constitute a “show dog”, let's first come to a reasonable conclusion as to what a dog show is and also why we show our dogs there.
In the purist form, a dog show is a congregation of purebred dogs of a particular breed to be evaluated for conformation by someone of accredited expertise in that particular breed. The dogs will be compared to the written breed standard and those that adhere best to that standard will be acknowledge with certificates, awards, placements or points. The purpose of these evaluations and competitions in theory, should be to select those specimens of the breed that exemplify the breed, therefore they should be the ones that should perpetuate the breed by producing the next generation of dogs for that breed.
In this essay, I will not go into all the alternate “whys” that people show their dogs. So, using the purist form format, leads us into the area of varying levels of “show quality”. This is the grading out process, unless two objects are identical, criteria may be set up that will help identify the better of the two objects.
As in any endeavor or competition, there must be first, second and so on down the line. In any comparison there is always something that is better than something else according to standards that are set up before hand.
Yes, the same goes for dogs.
My rating system will range from 1 to 10 for any dog that is being evaluated for the show ring.
Let’s establish the high and low end of quality for any dog that is being considered for the conformation ring. Let’s say that a dog that is worthy of being shown is at least a 5. Therefore, anything less than a 5, would have certain deviations or faults that would warrant it to not be worthy of being shown. Of course this does not mean that all dogs at a dog show are 5 and higher, on the contrary there are many dogs that are not worthy of being shown at a dog show.
Okay, let’s give some validity and meat to my rating system.
A dog with a rating of 5 is a dog that is worthy of being shown at a dog show. However, it is one that probably will never win a single point. We see these types year in and year out. They conform to the written standard for the breed, yet they do not stand out in any way or form. They are there at every show for months or in some cases, for a couple of years and then they disappear. So a 5 will be referred to as “worthy”. There is an overwhelming amount of worthy dogs showing in any area. Although some of these dogs may never win a single point, they are of some value, for they add to the numbers of dogs showing and make it worthwhile for the winning dogs to compete, remember that the more dogs defeated, the higher the point value for that winning dog. These dogs get very little attention from the knowledgeable people at any ring. They are referred to as "okay".
The next level of dog up the show quality rung is a 6. This is a dog that is worthy of being shown and will garner a couple of wins in a drawn out campaign. They make up a good portion of the dogs being shown at any locale, state or region. They will compete at an endless amount of shows and many will eventually run out of time before they are eventually put up, retired or just disappear* altogether. Although, they have their day and may be competitive, they routinely end up with placements and no points. These dogs are sometimes referred to as being “nice”.
*A little footnote here: Disappear does not mean to vanish in thin air, like in a Houdini-type magic act, it means that the dog is taken back to the kennel and not seen again at the dog shows. The owners usually will make a up a long laundry list of why their favorite pooch was not in the winning circle, bottom line here is that not all dogs are conformationally worthy of winning, thus they disappear from sight!
The next level up the charts is the one that is more “finishable” than the 6's from above. They are competitive enough to be in the mix at almost every show and every once in a while will even sparkle enough to catch a certain judge’s eye and win actual points. With some persistence and quite a number of shows, they can be finished. These guys we will give a rating of 7. Many of these end up with “professional handlers”, as they will need that extra boost to pick up those points to be able to finish their quest for the champion’s title. Their owner/handlers will pick up most of the minor points, but it will take the pro to win at the major-pointed shows or else they end up the way of the "nice/6" dogs. Again, these are referred to as "very nice" or "finishable".
The next 2 levels of “show quality” are indeed that. They are show quality and each will have their day. The first one is an 8. An 8 is a dog that “can finish”. How fast depends on many variables, including the right mix of judges, the appropriate handling skills and of course the competition at hand. An 8 can finish, it is just a matter of time when. An 8 is an “excellent” looking dog and justly deserves to be in the show ring.
The next level is a 9. These “will finish”, usually sooner than later. The right combination of judges, handling and competition can make them seem unbeatable. Some rise quickly and then slow up and then finish up quick again, while others start slow and catch up quickly. These can be considered to be “great”, as in “really great looking”! At a large entry of any breed, there are usually 1 or 2 of these present.
The highest level is a 10! We all know these when we see them. It really doesn’t take an expert* (after a couple of shows, most people consider themselves "experts") in the breed to recognize these true champions. These are the ones that you wish you had. These are far and few in between, but they merit the wins and accolades and it is these that serve as an example to those exhibitors and breeders who have dogs in the 5 to 7 range, of what a real champion is. This dog will take your breath away and then you exclaim with a loud "WOW"!
Let's recap:
Rating of
5 is worthy of being show and considered "okay".
6 is better than a 5 and is said to be "nice".
7 better than 6 and is considered "finishable".
8 much better than 7 is considered "excellent".
9 way up there and is considered "really great looking".
10 this is what I'm talking about, one word for these guys/gals "WOW".
For those that have dogs in the "Under 5" range, it will take a while before they can "SEE" what the difference is to begin with. It is obvious that if they are showing a dog that has no show merits, then they have no clue as to what is good or bad. Most owners with dogs that rate less than a 5 will attend 10 or 12 shows before they begin to realize their dog's limitations. Many of these folk will eventually look into acquiring a prospect from a more competitive, recognized breeder.
On another note, the breeder that consistently produces dogs in the 8 to 10 range will be the breeder that will be in the winners circle the most often, thus this breeder will lead the pack with the most bred-by champions from his/hers given area. "Top Breeder" is justly applied to these folk who dwell in the very rarefied strata at the top.
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