Hi , any one know how many Newfs entered?

99 :-)

Entry Summery
http://www.fossedata.co.uk/pix/BOST_JAN_12PDF.pdf

Fab, thanks - was wanting to ask about Cavs but knew the answer would be there if I could only be bothered to search myself! Now, if only we could just have 3 in Open Bitch... :-p

Thanks for that Lexy. My younger bitch is in A.V.N.S.C Working and I was wondering whether it'd be worth a trip but it looks like there's quite a good entry. I entered my male puppy as well, but he's gone all weird looking [nothing matches atm :))]so we'll wait another month or two..

I know it's already been asked and I can't find it, but is Boston a qualifier for Crufts 2012 or 2013? Sorry! (just in case there are only 3 in our classes!)

2012 :-)!

But only if your breed has tickets - I do think this show needs a few more !!

We went yesterday - had a good day winning Best Bitch and BOB with Angel and reserve Best Dog with Hawk  our 8 month pup but i did think that the layout was terrible - the benching area was deserted and too far away from most of the rings  I think the problem is made worse by  the ever increasing number  of exhibitors who now  have those HUGE trollies that need to be squeezed into the limited areas round the ringside and  inevitably over flow the allocated area  leaving very little room for everyone else - we seem to have moved away from simply bringing crates to having what looks like zoo cages on wheels even the large breeds are trollied into shows now - there's no way that these can fit onto a bench and in my opinion no room for them around the ringside - what do you lot think ?

Yvonne

Looking at the state of my shins this morning Yvonne I agree, in trying to make my way from my ring to the toilet I made contact with 3, two moving, and I was not best pleased they resemble table tennis tables what on earth are they needed for? Must say I saw none around the rings I was working in either yesterday or the day before but there seemed loads in the area of the pastoral yesterday what do they do with them?

Toy day to day wonder what sort of contraptions that will bring, mobile high rise apartments I expect. :-)

Thanks!

A lot are used for grooming the large breeds, you see Newfs and RBT's etc being groomed up on them. I've not been to this show ground before and felt the layout was awful, very cramped in the halls. I won't be going back to this show in a hurry..

With small breed they are a great way for bringing in several dogs and all the necessary grooming equipment in a secure, stable way.  I have never seen one of the "show cruiser" type trolley cages overturn, but have seen several nasty spills with the "trolley/cage/load of stuff stacked on top and tied with bungies"  type of set up.  I agree they are useless on the benches, but they are fantastic for open shows, and it is often not possible to have a different show set up for different types of show.  Perhaps this is a case for the show organisers to start thinking about changing set ups, allowing people to book either a bench space or grooming area space?

Even with large breeds they are a great way for bringing htem into the showground especially if you've got a knackered back and a mother who has had health problems and needs her own chair and also if you have blood sugar problems and need to bring your own food etc :)

THere's no way that they could be put on benches.  I usually put mine at the end of a benching set where there's always plenty of space of if there's enough room in the gangway, which there normall is at shows they are put at the front of my benching.

The worst is when they're not only blocking access to the ringside but also contain what sounds like several ravenous territorial tigers. Getting an inexperienced puppy past them without it being terrified into the middle of next week and possibly have its show career blighted can make for a lot of bad feeling about the damned things.

The problem with putting them in front of your bench is that they narrow the alley ways and make it very difficult for the rest of us to move around with our dogs - to  be honest if people are not going to use benching then it needs to be done away with and the extra space gained can then be used  for this type of 'show cruiser' ( Loving that phrase Gwen ! ) - it surely must be against fire regulations to block up  pathways like this .

It is  a good point about how some dogs behave in their trollies too - yesterday a huge one  with two Rotties in was parked by the Saluki ring and the dogs were  growling and jumping at any other dogs that went by - several Saluki exhibitors complained and the owner was called to stop her dogs doing this but it is not uncommon to see this kind of territorial behaviour with Toy dogs as well .

I think that show societies need to change their layouts to suit the changing needs of their exhibitors - if 'show cruisers' are the way forward then they must be properly catered for - not just squeezed into existing crating areas .

Yvonne

There are just as many dogs who lie in these cages and do not make a sound, my girls just lie there and as I say if the alleyway is really narrow then they go at the end of the benching as not to cause any problems. 

I had a nightmare morning at Driffield, a show we usually love. We seemed to be benched in completely the wrong area for our ring and we couldn't get our dogs in and out of their benches easily because of the trollies which were EVERYWHERE, in the isles, at the ends, in the walkways (which had signs saying do not block!) Just because a lot of people are now doing it doesn't make it right we all deserve to enjoy our hobby.

ok granted I had had no sleep as I was helping my friend whelp her litter all night and I was trying to help all our new show family members get sorted on our breeders behalf...so I may have not been my usual happy-go-lucky self but still I do think it to be quite annoying.
Paula

I remember it well, Paula - it was my first time showing for about 10 years, and I was astonished at how chaotic all the trollies made the whole benching tent, and how difficult it was to find one's bench for a bit of peace and quiet away from them. There were never so many trollies evident when I was showing Clover, Beattie or Harry.

I used to swear (loudly, to ensure people heard!) at all trolleys whenever toy day was the same day as pastoral. Couldn't understand why people didn't just bring the dogs in on leads -they still have legs, after all. Then I started showing Papillons and now I get it. For a start, having a dog around 8 inches tall with a long mainly WHITE coat and white paws means that if it even has rained slightly, if they walk in to the show they end up such a mess they cannot be shown. And there is very definitely a limit to how many dogs you can carry -in fact when you have all the other show gear (bag with all the stuff, chair to sit on as a minimum) you can't even really carry even one.

Then you have the fact that even if it hasn't rained and is wet and dirty on the ground, there are giant puddles of pee that could stain their paws in an instant, not to mention badly picked up piles of poo that could get paws dirty quickly. But more than anything else there is the safety aspect. Today I quite happily walked two Papillons on leads from the car park to the entrance of the hall at Boston -then both got picked up as not only was there pee and water at the entrance, but the moment you get inside you are surrounded by people who don't watch where they walk, and don't watch their dogs -and you don't want an 8 inch dog being stood on either by a human or a big dog. It must be absolutely overwhelming for such a small dog to be in the middle of everything. Now the ones I show, they are fine, they don't scare easily (they live with big dogs, after all -far from all toy breeds do) and in fact the puppy LOVES it -but I will still not walk her too much due to the risk of being stood on. We're not just talking the risk of a sore paw, we're talking the possibility of broken bones and backs.

I don't have a trolley but both my husband and I are now realising just WHY we need one -it would make life so much easier, and safer. You can't bench an 8 inch dog without any type of cage, that's neither safe nor comfortable for them, and they do need a rest during the day. Mine will sleep on the floor ringside, but it's not as relaxing as sleeping in a soft bed in a cage.  We bring one cage big enough to fit on one bench and two dogs can go inside it, the second bench is used for the show stuff, so yes we do use the benches -now. But there is no denying that a trolley with space for several dogs and a rubber mat top for grooming, on wheels, would be beneficial to both us and our dogs. And that would not fit on a bench.

So I can see both sides. I get the "dog inside a cage exploding when walking past" when I show Malinois and it is really annoying -not to mention those left unattended and barking non stop.  But now I fully understand why toy exhibitors do use trolleys.

Bringing in crates, trolley's etc are all well and good but to start blocking the gangways in between the rings is not fair, I found it very difficult to walk through them at Boston as well as all the spectators and dogs being groomed etc without toes or paws being stepped on. The benching areas need to be widened if people are going to be using anything bigger than a bench if its inside, its easier to utilise space outside.
I know people want their dogs closer to them whilst they are at the ring watching the judging or just don't want to walk far, however some showground aren't set up to cater for this and its not fair on the dogs.
I have decided not to enter any more shows at the East Of England Showground when being held inside, it was crazy having soo many breed on top of each other within a very small space..

There must be someway of having crates and trolley'd dogs to be placed in another area and also a grooming area away from the ringside too...Something for some of the general CH show committee members to think about..

I'm not saying show cruisers should be banned - they are clearly popular and I can see how they make things easier but I fail to see how we can accommodate them and still  have room for everything else -in my opinion  they MUST be restricted to areas well away from the ringside  if only for the safety and comfort of all the other exhibitors !.

Toy dog trollies are not quite such an issue as those monster trucks containing breeds such as Beardies, Samoyed or even as I saw at Boston  Newfies  - just manouevering them around the hall was a nightmare making it really difficult for dogs on leads to walk safely - it's real issue that should be seriously addressed.

I'll admit I just don't understand why I can manage  walk my two Belgians into the show along with my other 'stuff' and others cannot do the same !

Yvonne

I was not there but i hope that some of you complaining will put your complaints in writing to the comittee, or at least mention it to the comittee or write it to the letters page in the dog papers, just saying this as the comittee may not read these boards and may not of even realised the problem, i do not just think it is this show over the last few years i have noticed it happening more and more at most shows, the benching empty and the rings full around the edges, some people want benching , others do not , what about getting rid of the benching in one tent and just have it for people with cages and trolleys grooming tables etc, i know it may not be near your ring but why not give it a  try and see if it works any other ideas on how to solve the prob, i know it is a prob i have large working breed and he walks into the show, is benched  sometimes in a cage sometimes on a benching chain, then i have a utility breed they also walk into a show and i have a trolley that carries the 4 cages my seat and i then set them up on the benches i only use the trolley as i can't carry all the cages in with me so would mean trips to the car and leaving some of the dogs in the car while i did this and then i would hate a call to say dogs left in car etc. not sure what the solution is though about the over crowding that is happening at the shows

I'm sure I remember that some trolleys used to fit under the benches; do they not do that any more?

Not a reply to JG but an open comment. I asked why the big dogs needed huge trolleys and I am still not sure what the need is, why are dogs being groomed at a show you do that at home and surely a dog can lift a foot for it to be wiped clean, scissor work should not be needed on a Newfie if it is correctly prepared for exhibiting before it arrives. Keep the mobile platforms for home grooming and bring your dog to a show in a show prepared condition only needing a last moment tidy.

I can understand that exhibitors of a number of small dogs may need a cage for safety but there should be no need to cage the larger dogs they should be able to walk a few hundred yards and are not in danger of being walked on.

I'm sure I remember that some trolleys used to fit under the benches; do they not do that any more?

You'd be hard pushed to even fit a small bag underneath a bench -nothing really goes. But the trolleys of today are not collapsible anyway - the whole point of them is that the dogs stay in them.

But yes -I fully agree that there needs to be space for them elsewhere -maybe clear space INSTEAD of benching, like at continental shows. (But the planning needs to be improved as some continental shows I've been to have been dreadful for having cages everywhere.) And no, I don't get the need to put big dogs in trolleys, not at all. For those with paws/legs that could get dirty, we always used to see them wearing coats that kept everything clean. To put a Newfie into a trolley is just ridiculous!

> Keep the mobile platforms for home grooming and bring your dog to a show in a show prepared condition only needing a last moment tidy.

You say that Jean and I agree with you, however when I asked one exhibitor why not do just that they said that the coat moves place and you start seeing bits you've missed after the journey and no a quick brush won't do.. I was at an open show very recently and this lady had 2 Beardies, when they weren't in the ring they were being groomed to the enth degree, literally hours. They would groom one dog for a long period of time, take it down and groom the other and then go back and forth between the 2 dogs, even in the ring they were being brushed out, far too excessive imo..
Newfies are heavily sculpted these days, the amount of scissoring required, well I was shocked..

>You'd be hard pushed to even fit a small bag underneath a bench -nothing really goes.

My showbag and lunchbag fit underneath the benches fine. :-)

>I fully agree that there needs to be space for them elsewhere -maybe clear space INSTEAD of benching

Oh God no, small unbenched open shows are bad enough, but unbenched champ shows with the much higher number of dogs would be a nightmare.

however when I asked one exhibitor why not do just that they said that the coat moves place and you start seeing bits you've missed after the journey and no a quick brush won't do

What nonsense, why not groom take the dog for a walk and check for strays - there is so much American type grooming in the show ring these days it is beginning to be more about the grooming than the dog, it is time that judges cracked down on it by placing the dog their hands tell them is correctly made not the one who has the best groomer. Winning should be about conformation, type and movement not about scissor work and back combing.

Also wonder if a dog needs an odd stray hair given attention why it needs a trolley, people managed on the floor for years so are we now unable to bend for a short while.

> Newfies are heavily sculpted these days, the amount of scissoring required, well I was shocked..

The one thing is feeding off the other.  They groom the dog to within an inch of its life because they have been able to bring all but the kitchen sink and they have to bring all but the kitchen sink because they now want to groom the poor creature to within an inch of its life. 
Oh for the old days when it was the dog that counted :)

> To put a Newfie into a trolley is just ridiculous!

There is also the issue of the dogs being able to loosen up their muscles after a long car journey.  I used to travel to shows with a lady with nearly always 6 Finnish Spitz entered.  She had just a small bag with a chamois, brush and comb and their leads an benching chains.

We always walked the dogs around the car park and/or showground before making our way into the show/benches so they could really stretch their legs.

Surely it can't be good to run the dogs around the ring when they have not been warmed up first?

A Toy dog can warm up in a smaller/shorter space I suppose.

Oh God no, small unbenched open shows are bad enough, but unbenched champ shows with the much higher number of dogs would be a nightmare.

LOL well at Boston on toy day there were only us with Papillons that used the benching area -nobody else in the breed! (Well we saw a couple walk past, but not stay.) There was a lone Bedlington in the next row, other than that I didn't see a single used bench in our area. It was totally deserted. The trolleys would have fitted nicely instead of the benches.

very rarely does anyone in my breed use benching,the exception being crufts and LKA ,Ie shows at the NEC. I would happily use it but then I'd be billy no mates all on my own and part of the joy of going to the shows for me is chatting to my friends and watching them in the ring and the benching is sometimes no where near the ring we are in.

It does seem silly to provide benching for toy breeds, which isn't used as it is an expense which is added into the entry .I really don't know what the answer is but I agree that the trollies do often  block up gangways however having said that like marianne said earlier it is no fun trying to walk into a crowded show with an eight inch high dog as most folk are so focused on getting to where they need to be that they don't even see the dogs.

I always like to walk mine around at a show but really do need eyes in the back of my head.and on the subject of dogs barking etc in crates ,twice this year my dog has been upset by dogs being left near the rings unattended whist we were in the ring.At a recent show the judge stopped the class and got the steward to speak to several owners of terriers that were causing a ruckus and terrifying the chin pups that were being judged.Also one silly person left their poor dog strung up on a grooming table and wandered off.The dog was barking a lot but imagine the outcome if it had tried to jump off the table.It surely would have been strangled poor dog.

Oh my god, I'm entering my pup into my first and her first show on 3rd March, what am I letting myself in for??!!

Oh my god, I'm entering my pup into my first and her first show on 3rd March, what am I letting myself in for??!!
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Don't worry if it were that bad we would not all be doing it, like most people we like to have a good moan.

What show are you doing? Go and enjoy.

Going with a client who has dogs entered on 29th Jan to watch and entering at Romford as pup will be just 6 months then!

Have fun !! - it's  a great hobby despite all our gripes from time to time - be warned though that it's incredibly addictive - once you're hooked you'll find yourself with a houseful of dogs and spending every weekend driving miles to stand in  a muddy field, crowded hall or  freezing equestrian centre just to  take home a piece of card ( if you're lucky ) -but along the way you'll make some great friends, see some stunning dogs and have the time of your life

Enjoy !!

Yvonne