Does anyone think that there is anytime it is acceptable to take an in season bitch to a show?  Someone I know who has only been showing for a short time was due to take her first homebred pup to Border Union - very excited at the prospect, but the pup came into season last week.  I sent her a message saying I was sorry she would be so disappointed, and heard back that she was still going as at least 3 other friends had told her it would be OK to take her this week, but to give Blackpool next week a  miss.  The pup would be 4/5 days in season today.  I convinced her it was a complete no -no, how unfair it was for the breeds following in the ring, for dogs benched near her, and this it was simply bad form and not done.

It is something I have never given 2 thoughts about, but now I wonder, have I been too strict about this, would anyone else consider it OK to have taken the puppy bitch to a show in season?  Am I being old fashioned?

I have never taken mine when they have been in season. It isn't fair on the male dogs and their owners as the smell of an in season bitch is a major distraction and mine are always a bit tetchy when in season and wouldn't show their best. Showing is expensive but I think its something you have to put up with if you have bitches. I don't enter shows around the time they are due to be in season but you can guarantee they will come in the month before or after:(

I would not usually take a bitch of mine if in season -it's not even worth considering as far as I am concerned. Not fair on the dogs OR the bitch that will be followed around. I had one come into season AT Crufts one year -not in when we arrived but was after judging in the afternoon!- and ti was a nightmare trying to get her out of the halls as every male dog there was made a beeline for her! However at Crufts this year there was a bitch at the very height of her season (flagging like mad) in our breed, not just benched and shown either but being walked round the rings and everywhere. So we decided to make use of her and let our male dog spot her and then he was very alert in the ring looking out of it for her, using his ears better than he often does, and winning his class. I did feel sorry for the dogs following her class the next day though! Can imagine there will have been a fair bit of ground sniffing and heads down. :(

I did it once when my bitch came into season on the day of a club show and two mths early. I put her straight in the car afterwards.
I remember showing my dog one time at LKA and there was a huge mess on the carpet from the previous breed, that bitch must of been so heavy. I had to stand my dog there and i couldnt keep him still, its not fair for the dogs.

In a large working breed that I have a lot of friends in, and that are short-coated and bitches nether regions very visible, it seems to have been quite routine to show them in season (well up to about 5 years ago anyway).

There is no Kennel club rule against it in conformation showing as there is in other disciplines or as there is in other countries so obviously the powers that be see nothing wrong in it.

I can see why some exhibitors may decide to do so seeing as they know full well others will do so, and of course that judge may not come around again.

It can't be much fun, and you certainly will not endear yourself to fellow exhibitors.

It's a difficult one if the rules allow it.

But is it just a matter of consideration? Would not the bitch be more open to infection if taken to a show whilst the uterus is open?

Have to say I found that both dogs and bitches were upset but the presence of an in season bitch in the area, understand it is hard to leave the bitch at home but never could understand how people even consider it acceptable to bring such a bitch to an open show, there may be a small excuse to take her to a breed show or even a championship show but an open show, beats me. Have to say I have never knowingly taken an inseason bitch to any show is is unfair all round.

Glad to find that the bulk of the opinion so far agrees with me.

I never ever take any of mine to a show if they are in season.  Annoys me those people who say that they keep them well away from the dogs so they don't know.  I can say that this is not true, one of my previous males who was a stud dog, stopped showing forever when someone had an in season bitch at the show, every time afterwards that I took  him to a show he was just searching and trying to get out of the ring looking for a bitch.  Think he thought that dog shows were now a place where he could find a new mate grrrr.

>Annoys me those people who say that they keep them well away from the dogs so they don't know.

They'd have to keep them about 4 miles downwind ...

Another one here who is in full agreement with you.

I show bitches & dogs so have both sides of the coin. I have lost lots of money at champ shows, when sisters come in season together!! I have had trouble with my male as he has smelt in season bitches!! I also think it is not nice for the judge to go over an in season bitch. I had one at the show I judged last weekend & made sure I wiped my hands before going over the next girl!!! It also can affect a bitches movement, for obvious reasons, so why bother!!!
It is a big no-no in my book

It would be helpful then if the majority of exhibitors feel it is unacceptable that there was a rule as there is in obedience etc, then it's a level playing field and not do as I say ans not do as I do.

I was showing a friends male who won the CC, and the bitch CC winner was well and truly in season, which made the challenge for BOB interesting, as he almost lapped her, and a slip of the lead ;)  might have broken the no mating bitches at shows rule.

Of course the very start of a season can easily be missed if it take the owner unaware (coming early), but most dogs don't get worked up about the first day or two.

One of my puppy owners on arriving at a club show found blood on her puppy bitch.  The male she had travelled with had taken no notice and she was shown in the bitch classes after dogs, and put back in the car, no other male appeared to notice either.

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">But is it just a matter of consideration? Would not the bitch be more open to infection if taken to a show whilst the uterus is open?

I can see it being any different than those who take mated bitches to shows, what sort of infections are you exposing your bitch & her puppies too?   At cats shows, no queen that is pregnant or has kittened up to 12 weeks previously, can be shown.    Although cats in call can be.

Well most people do not take their mated bitches to shows do they?

Mmmmmmmmmmm.......do they not?

Don't know Christine you tell me, would have thought that for at least two weeks following mating you would be wise not to but then we all have our ideas of what is best for our dogs.

Seems very common in the USA (as is showing in season buitches) seen several adverts boasting of bitches winning while 6 weeks in whelp!

I would take a mated bitch to a show up to three weeks post mating (before implantation), so in effect there is only a week and a half taking the season into account, otherwise no.

I certainly know of mated bitches being shown in the critical 3 1/2 - 5 week window when any infections can cause the most damage, and after that they would usually be showing the pregnancy.

I was unfortnate enough to have a bitch in season benched next to my male. I had an awful time, he spent the whole time trying to climb over the divider. I told the bitches owners when she finally came back and she just said she thought she had finished. Obviously not! I just got my things together and decamped from the benches but he was out of sorts for the rest of the day.

> she just said she thought she had finished.

Now that's a difficult one, if you do not own males and the bitch has gone past 21 days and shows no discharge she has finished her season.  Now I know many males are desperate for bitches that have just finished their seasons, but a bitch owner can hardly be held accountable for that, as far as they are aware the bitch has finished.

I have had pointed looks and grumbles from male owners ref a bitch that was well over a season, and even ones that are spayed.  I have also had dogs interested in a bitch who then comes in season a few days/weeks later.

> So we decided to make use of her and let our male dog spot her and then he was very alert in the ring looking out of it for her, using his ears better than he often does, and winning his class.

Perhaps we should link this to the double handling thread :-D

I know at least one nice male who is easily bored by showing and is at his best if there is a bitch in season.  We even took some swabs to a show once to tempt him with.

So it's just swings and roundabouts really.  It's not against the rules, unlike some of the other activities going on :), so it's just something dog handlers have to work on with their dogs just like dropped titbits, squeaky toys and hairspray clouds :)

Impossible with most juvenile males and how do you work with it, how would you train, you would need to have ripe bitches around for training - the mind boggles.

And as I said before it upsets some bitches as well.

My youngster is at her peak now and all she wants to do is ride anything that comes within reach, don't think she'd show very well, LOL 

Mind you it's infuriating loosing around £30 entry fees (class and repeat entries), and not even go.

I wouldn't take an in season bitch to a show but know that there are people who do do it. Heard a conversation once between 2 exhibitors[not my breed] that one was taking the bitch she had just come out of the ring with to be mated on their way home so she must have been at the height of her season, they realised I had heard what they had said and just grinned at me and walked off.

So far I have only shown my male but do keep a bottle of Vanilla Extract in my dog bag in case there happens to be an in season bitch near him, also use it at home[tried all sorts including Vicks to mask the bitch smell] to stop my lads getting worked up when the bitches are in season, pretty sick of the smell by the time every thing is back to normal.

I wouldn't do it as a rule - I did take my girl on day 21 once as there were separate dog and bitch classes and there was obedience too and I'd been waiting for a year for that show! But I wouldn't take a bitch on day 5 onwards. My boy was always unmanageable at shows if a bitch in season was around, so I wouldn't do it to someone else.

I wouldn't risk taking a potentially pregnant bitch to a show, far too precious to risk anything happening. Better imo to play safe rather than look back and think 'If only'. But then I'm a paranoid mother lol.

Well it looks like the majority of us CDers share similar feelings about this, I am so glad as was wondering if I had been unduly harsh in telling my  novice friend that it was just not on to take her puppy.  HAd not considered the in whlep bitch thing - but I too am a very "clucky" expectant owner, so that is a no for me too.

I missed Crufts this year because my girl (Only one I had entered) came into season (3 weeks late) and she was at her "peak" the day of the show. You would be surprised at how many people told me I should have still brought her as I had paid my money and wouldn't be breaking any rule. LOTS of people in my breed do and even CH show Judges. If the KC make it a rule and refunded you then that would be fair on everyone.
Paula

i wouldn't take one in season to a show but plenty of people do. My first BOB at a champ show was ruined by the hairy bitch in front of us in BIG ring  , who was in full season.

ditto mine was in season for Crufts, in the event I didn't make it with the other as we broke down 20 miles from the NEC :(

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">Now that's a difficult one, if you do not own males and the bitch has gone past 21 days and shows no discharge she has finished her season.  Now I know many males are desperate for bitches that have just finished their seasons, but a bitch owner can hardly be held accountable for that, as far as they are aware the bitch has finished.<br />

My FCR finished her season about 4-5 weeks ago but yet there is one male that is convinced she is at her peak.     So it's not allways the fault of the bitch owner!

Inexperienced dogs can get so confused!  We did a pug walk yesterday I took 3 including my retired 8 year old girl.  Think she must be coming into season as one of the boys (who has done 2 or 3 matings but is not at all switched on when it comes to the whole sex thing) was convicend that the purpose of the event was to bonk Mildred.  Luckily she is very able to express her feelings about this kind of inappropriate behaviour, but she did get back to the car covered from ears to tail in pawprints.  No sign of anything to me, but Cedric was raring to go!

This is just a pet WHWT who's hormones are surging at the moment, poor Melody gets hounded all walk.  :-(