Following on from the "critique" thread - is it me or does anyone else think that fewer open shows seem to be advertised in the papers? There seem to be more companion shows than ever, but where are the open shows? I only get DW but there certainly seem to be less shows advertised in there and unfortunatley, shows are not advertised on the internet version of OD.

Think that is the result of the Kennel Club cutting the show societies down to 1 a year unless they make 5 entries per class. Lots have dropped a show and some have replaced it with a companion show because they can now keep some of the money raised which goes to help towards the Open show. Add to that that some of the venues have closed and others have now become too expensive.

Not sure what the KC had in mind but it seems to have lost us a lot of shows, some societies have found it difficult to keep a committee interested and busy with only one show, leading to some badly run shows because those doing it are inexperienced and I think it has cause some venues to look elsewhere for lettings as they are no longer getting shows every weekend. Can't think this is what the KC had in mind but it is what it has caused.

We dont seem to have an increase in Companion shows up here, but we do have quite a few limit shows now.  Advantage is the society needs fewer judges, smaller venue, and still getting reasonable revenue, plus, of course, big entries can be shown to the KC as a way to get the extra open show back.  Someone told me that one of the reasons behind the minimum entries/losing a show reg by the KC was to help the up and coming judges, who were often travelling long distances to find only 1 or 2 entires to judge.  Not sure if that is true, but if so it does not seem a valid reason to me to cut shows, a better way would be to encourage shows to appoint better judges to attract an entry, rather than giveing classes to someone as an additional breed, who has no knowledge or interest, so attracts a very poor entry.

bye
Gwen

The show I am secretary of did hold an Open show & a limited show each year for a few years, but it was getting more & more difficult to get judges & entries, dispite keeping entry fees to the minimum etc

So now we hold two Limited shows & hold them locally We have a reasonanble paying entry & the shows are much more fun than the open ones.

We get a judge from a reasonable distance away & vary the judges by breed/group

The other alternative was to close the society altogether

Last summer there hardly seemed a weekend without a show or even two at Newark - even a few midweek evening ones, but I've hardly seen any in the paper!

It was Newark I had in mind too, always used to look and see what was on when I had a free weekend and phone the Sec. to see if they needed and extra stewards, but so far this year the only shows they have had are ones I am exhibiting at. Lets hope we do not lose that venue from lack of use. :(

I agree we are trying to chase the last few Jw points and have only managed to get two opens for the whole of August. One was today the other the day before the SKC.  The current flavour of the month at the champ shows is making it difficult to get them.

I suppose my pups could be said to be the current flavour of the month :D  We have won 7 champ show classes where CCs have been on offer (6 puppy and one Junior) two at shows without CCs, and two at Open shows.  The open show classes were Junior and Post Graduate.

Now that sounds like 25 points doesn't it???  Nope only the Junior class at Champ show, and the two at Open shows count as having more than 3 in class, so she has 5 points.  Quite right you may think but she had beaten two puppy bitches at her first champ show (they gave us MP and Pup and she won both) and she also beat the puppy dog winner (he won Puppy and Junior), so had beaten more than 3 dogs.  At her most recent champ show she in effect beat the puppy bitches, puppy dogs, and all the male entry excluding the CC winner (the dog Pup got the RCC and she beat him for best puppy).

She has 5 more champ shows before she reaches 18 months, and probably a couple of Open shows.

She is a POTY finalist and has a Puppy Group 3 at Championship show, and yet she will not get her Junior Warrant.

Her mother didn't either even though she is a Champion 3 times over, and had won her first CC in Junior.  She had 32 points, but only had 6 out of her 10 Open show class wins count with enough dogs in the classes.

It's all a complete nonsense, Brainless. The longer I live the more convoluted it all becomes.

Good Lord Brainless. So glad I don't understand even the basics of gaining a JW. Because if I did I would have gone GaGa. ;)

Karen