My breeder advised me to enter a champ show where the stud owner (at time of mating) of my dog will be the judge.

My plan was to have no more champ shows until Crufts. I think it was more of a suggestion really. She said she wouldn't enter under him though and not sure that she knew that I talk to the guy every show I see him at.

What are your feelings on this? My dog is just a year old.

I don't think I will enter anyway, next year plan to do only champ shows so will leave him to Open shows until Crufts :)

There's no reason why you should avoid showing under this judge. There's every chance that your dog will appeal to him for type and there isn't any rule to prevent you from entering. Have fun.

Dawn R.

My plan was to have no more champ shows until Crufts.

Bit off topic, but a year old dog, who will be at Crufts for the first time, I would always take to LKA as it is such a good "dress rehearsal" with less people and crowds. There is a huge leap from the summer outdoor champshows and open shows, to indoors at the NEC.

Thanks for the replies.

Marianne, I was considering it but then when you count in the petrol etc and the week before Christmas, my mum said she wouldn't be up for spending that money when it could be used for other things. Plus, Christmas is at our house this year :p

I might mention that the deadline is next week and see how she reacts. Was planning to go next year.

my mum said she wouldn't be up for spending that money when it could be used for other things.

I would say that it would be money very well spent.  As Marianne says, the NEC is not like any other show venue and I would definitely take a dog who hadn't been there to LKA for the experience. :)

As a buyer, the owner of a stud dog may not know you or your dog from Adam.

As a breeder who has visited the stud and kept an offspring and no doubt kept the stud dog owner abreast of its progress...I would still enter because by not doing so you are calling the persons integrity into question.

As a judge, it does put you in an impossible situation...damned if you do & damned if you dont!!!

Hi all, thanks for the advice.

Think I will stick to my original plan just in case. Won't be going to LKA after another chat with my mother.

There's a breed champ show before Crufts so will go to that. We'll get to Crufts early so will have plenty of time to settle down :)

Decided not to show under the judge as my dog is already qualified and I'm new in the showing world so don't want to do anything that can be "frowned upon" or put the judge in between a rock a a hard place!

It varies from breed to breed.  In my breed with numerically low numbers we all know when a dog is shown under a judge who owned it's sire, and it is considered unethical to do. 

I too have a numerically small breed. If we didn't show under the stud dogs owner then our numbers wild be so low that we could lose classes. Yes people will talk, but then will go out and do it themselves at the next show ;-)

I don't show but I thought all dogs were supposedly anonymous so how would the judge know an entry was sired by their dog?

Ditto to LindyLou! :) In my breed all the breeders will know pretty much all the breed specialist judges and so you will very likely have had some sort of interaction with many judges, such as using their dogs.

I don't show but I thought all dogs were supposedly anonymous so how would the judge know an entry was sired by their dog?

There can only be anonymity to a certain extent, as dogs are almost always handled by their owners in the UK, and sometimes a breeder will handle for a puppy buyers. So if the judge knows the person in front of them with a puppy used their stud dog a couple of months longer ago than the pup's age, it's pretty obvious. :) With a numerically bigger breed, and pups handled by people not known to the judge, no they may well not know until they see the catalogue after judging.

Same in my numerically small breed, we would be hard pushed to find a breed specialist without some part of their breeding in your dog, surely if you've bred a dog to their type to that would be preferable to show them.

George, I speak to the judge-to-be lots, so he sees my dog lots and knows he is sired by his dog.

And potentially has already made up his mind long before you spend out to enter and travel.
It doesn't always work out just as you expect.