I took my puppy and my old boy along to a local fun show as they had baby puppy classes and my pup is just 5 months old - it was the strangest show I think I've ever been to - the judge was the person who had organised the show and aged about 80- the steward also showed her dogs - as it was a hot day I along with about 1/4 of the baby puppy class stood our dogs in the shade - as we left the ring the judge did a double take and said " oh I forgot about your dogs" - she'd only placed dogs in her line of vision !!...and continued to do so throughout the show so only   dogs got placed if they were at the front of the classes.

in the junior handling classes and  in 'best movement'  she  didi'nt move the dogs at all Best long coat went to the stewards labrador  - best puppy in show went to the winner of the junior class - a 16 month old jack russell !- BIS went to her stewards dog - when people complained she said it's my show and I can do what i like - - it was just the most bizarre experience !! - anyone  else been to stranger show ??

Yvonne

I have to say I find fun dog shows strange sometimes, especially the best condition classes where usually the fattest most unfit dog wins!  But I do  love going to them although I always get chucked out.

Best one I came across was dog which won best condition had a coat on and it wasn't looked under!!!

I am an organizer of a few Fun Dog Shows and speaking from experience I find that some judges will share the placings around-so if a dog has entered say four classes it sometimes will not get placed in three but placed in the fourth.

At one show the steward was on the ball and took notes of the dogs that had been placed and she informed the judge, so she knew what was going on at all times-a good job done in my opinion.

The Shows are great fun and we have had such a good laugh and to hear the owners mention to pals that they have won a 3rd in best rescue-well it is like winning Crufts to them.

I always thank the people for bringing their dogs and to make them feel welcome-without them we would have no show and no money to give to the Animal Havens.

I wish the Championship Shows and Open Shows could have the same camaraderie-some do I am sure-I remember when us girls were sitting round a ring at a Champ Show and we were busy chatting and laughing, that one of us missed the class-and we were right by the ringside-did we bother-not a jot-always another day another show.

Times have changed I know, and I swing along with it all-but my memories stay with me.

You certainly arent alone with the random judging. We were beaten in the best longcoat class one time. My full coated keeshond bitch was beaten by a shaved poodle with less coat than the winner of the shortcoat class!
It takes allsorts of minds to make the world work!

Hey Spout you are not a SWD owner are you?  The no. of SWD owners who have been right next to the ring at a champ show and missed their class due to nattering is unbelievable LOL!

Wow, you don't necessarily expect top judging from a fun show (though some top judges do judge them) but that's just awful. I know it's all supposed to be fun, but that sort of thing would make me complain - and even threaten to KC them if it was supposed to be a KC licensed show - placing a 16 month old as Best Puppy and giving a Lab a Longcoated Dog class are not on, no matter how 'non serious' the show is supposed to be!

We gave up on the fun shows as it was getting to be no fun at all.

One judge came over and as our breed has a tail now since the docking law she told us the tail should be down and low and pulled our girls tail down to what she said was the correct position, and how she didn't like tails on these dogs, not alot we can do about that tho is there really, when she let go it sprung back up, my daughter had to inform her the tail is an extension of the spine and should be up and over for our breed.

I believe that exactly the same thing happened at a fun show near me this weekend, where committee members were judging, showing and won BIS etc.

I've been to one fun show and I really did not see the point!
Our class was about 25 dogs, everybody just sat around the ring and the judge said hello to the dogs.
No dogs were stood or anything, some sleeping some barking at the dog next to them etc...
We did kind of move around the ring, some dogs carried some walking, some running etc...some people having more than 1 dog in the ring with them etc.
As I went there for practice I asked the judge is she could go over my dog(while I stood her)and the face she gave me, it was like I asked her to do something awful.

Totally put me off going to a fun show as I really did not see what the point was? Where was the fun?
If people want to do fun things with their dogs why not do a fun day of silly things to do with your dog instead of "show" if there is no showing done, just standing and waiting(as the dogs were free to do what they wanted some were held, some standing when she petted them so it wasn't like it would have looked totally out of place)
Maybe I would go to socialice a puppy but even then I would just walk around with the puppy see no point entering and wasting time in the ring.

lol noora i know what you mean, we went in a junior handling one where you didn't have to move your dog, i was stumped as to how it was a junior handling class if the only thing they were doing was holding the lead :(

We went to a fun show a couple of weeks ago (and dont get me wrong, it was a really great day) but I was a bit cross when the "Best Unusual Brace" ie the 2 dogs that look the most different - was won by a GSD and an Elkhound, whereas my friend's black skinny Chihuahua and fluffy white Lhasa didn't even get a look in

We gave up on the fun shows as it was getting to be no fun at all.


Same here. At least by attending a championship show you know that the judge will know what breed you have and what it should look like. I got fed up with seeing breeds in the wrong category (clipped Shih Tzus as crossbreeds, Lurchers as pedigrees etc), seeing the smallest, cutest child win most of the prizes due to its young age (usually with a  fat badly behaved dog that hasn't seen a brush in its life), and above all seeing the "serious" companion show exhibitors that go to each and every one and take great delight in winning Best in Show all the time -those same people that often don't get a look in even at an open show, but at companion shows behave like they are something very special and behave snottily towards the genuine novices. No thanks, not for me any more!

Thats better than a Champ show in Ireland I attended when we had a replacement judge who informed us that she always wanted to judge "BerMese" mountain dogs!!!
Aileen