Don't normally get down about this kind of thing but sorry I'm going to have a bit of a moan:) Over the weekend I went to a Companion Show ( one I had never been to before, it was a lovely venue, well organised, with very nice rosettes and prizes ) it started really well but then went down hill. I won the Adult Handler and then got Reserve Handler in Show ( I was so chuffed as I have never ever won a handling class let alone get Reserve in show ).
I got chucked in the AV Sporting not too bothered as it was a big class with some very nice dogs. I then did the Companion Dog Club classes I entered 4 and were chucked in all of them and in every class the Judge keeped on placing the same dogs ( it was so obvious ). As I started to observe a little more I notice that everyone seemed to know each other and one women I was chatting to me said these shows are always very clickly and she never does that well. I then did the AV Open class which had very average dogs in and we got chucked out of that too, I was so disappointed by then I left feeling so down, my poor boy didn't really get placed in anything :(
What disappointed me the most was not getting placed in the Best Condition class as I keep him in tip top condition, his coat is lovely in shinny, lovely teeth, lovely clean ears, short nails. I give him fish once to twice a week to keep his coat nice, I brush him twice a week, he's very fit nice firm muscles. I really pride myself on how well I look after him and how I present him, I guess I'm so down because I felt like he was unfairly judged as he always get placed in this class and has often won. I know this happens sometimes and I shouldn't take it personally but I have and can't seem to stop been anoyed about it.
Should I not bother to go to this show again or give it a second chance?

Dont feel so down about it .
I have been to a few of the companion shows and have also found that everyone knows each other.
They all seem to frequent the same training classes or Ringcraft classes and partly that was the reason why I decided to do the open sooner but then I found that it happens in those shows too to a point .
Just think how many other people went home thinking the same as yourself  put it down to experience and I would enter again it will probably be another judge next time.
As I've had said to me many times on here.... you take the best dog home.

congratulations on winning the adult handler very well done.....I wouldnt even attempt that one !!

Roni

It isn't surprising that people get to know each other.  The likely people to enter a local show are the ones who train locally.

Hiya, don't feel down.  My bitch gets regulary placed at champshows and then can get chucked out at companion shows beaten by a dog that is not showen above companion level because owner knows it's not good enough!!!!!!  We don't go complaining.  You always take the best dog home with you.

I also went into a handling class few weeks ago and came 5th, beaten by handers unsure of what to do (now I'm a good handler and have been handling since I was 3 and have been training for the past 5 years now aswell!) We all have off days at shows!  I was just nicely remined all week how I got a 5th ((and fiona, you still have my rosette!))

You already had won something, don't worry, you can't have everything.  Another day a judge will be on your side.

Good luck next time. 

I would give it another chance Bertbeagle, i always gave a show three chances (Ripley Village Show had five and i never got a thing with any of mine so i definately would not go there again), but its amazing how it does change from one year to the next.  I also had areas i did well at, always did well with Muppet at London way events or those Herts way, not so good Berks & Surrey way.

I found it harder to get a place when it was run by a training club as most of the places went to club members, but i always met up with friends and we had a good day anyway. 

So don't give up plenty more good shows to come.

Thanks everyone :)
I'm feeling much better now, silly of me to get down about it as we have all experienced it so I'm going to chalk it up as a bad day! I think I will go back to there next show as there will be different Judges as it was a lovely venue and very well organised.
I most definatley take the best dog home, he's such a good boy I love him to bits!

I know how you feel - my boy always gets chucked out of Handsomest Dog and he's the most gorgeous boy ever! I had the opposite problem yesterday when I judged - I really wanted to give the Cav bitch 1st in Prettiest Bitch, but I had already given her 1st in Friendliest Dog, and she is owned by a fellow club member, so I felt I had to give Prettiest Bitch to someone else and just give her 2nd. I justified it by saying she is a few pounds overweight!! There'll probably be a different judge next time.

Charlotte no longer enters beagie in the prettiest bitch since they told her she looked droopy.  Everybody knows she is the prettiest bitch in the whole wide world. :)

If its any consolation Bertbeagle we lost at a open yesterday to a dog which I was not impressed to lose to.  I am convinced it is because my daughter is a child and am nearly at the point of giving up beagling and just letting her have my next dalmatian puppy.  At least she did well in junior handling.  :(

I suppose it depends which side of the fence that you sit.  When my daughter's dog won her first CC with 10 year old daughter handling, I was told that the judge gave her the ticket "because she can't have her own children!!" Yep, that's exactly what was said!! :(

I think it does depend on the breed.  If someone went into dalmatians with a child handling then it wouldnt stop them being placed.  I am just a little bit hacked of with it at the minute.  I dare say I will get over it but even the most avid showers of us have our bad moments. I was waiting for a mini schnauzer but the beagle come up first and I didnt think it through. :(  I dont know about your breed Val but whoever gets the CC in dallies it is always because...... 

There's always a reason thomas-the-spot, sometimes real, sometimes perceived!! ;) 
I've deliberately not judged because I wanted my dogs to win or not or their own merits.  But in 20 years 5CCs, all with BOB with 2 bitches, usually in the line up, rarely thrown out, is OK for me, doing it straight!! :)

I will say that is something we can say that anything we have got has always been on our dogs own merits.  We arent on any comittees, we dont judge, our stud dog is not owned by anybody important so therefore I know my dogs get anything they get because the judge genuinely likes them.  :)

Why are people so rude and make those type of comments, I guess they are just jealous! Especially when you dog gets a CC, what a silly thing to say, "because she can't have her own children!!" your daughters dog got a CC because it earnt it ( sorry couldn't think of a better word ).

The dog showing world can be so funny sometimes all you can do is laugh and I'm going to take the good days with the bad and there are always more good than bad. :)

Beagles definatley have the cutest little faces and lovely velvet ears, this sounds silly but sometimes I look at my boy and think wow he's mine, my beautiful boy!

Nice and nasty in all walks of life bertbeagle!! :)

After I had judged my class yesterday one of the lower placed handlers was moaing because the dog that won has I think already won out of the class & that the handler should have done a training round-which is insulting to IMHO. The dog was a gorgeous X breed only 16 months old & handled by a lovely unassuming handler, why shouldn't she work her "freebies"(classes entered before the dog has won out at shows between the qualifying date for the show & the show itself)& if their dog is better it wil beat it. Neither of the moaners would have won & the 2nd & 3rd handlers were really nice & the third dog is a bitch with sight only in one eye who was b gorgeous too

My Cav won out of Maiden in his first show after Puppy, and he won out of Novice a week after, and out of Graduate and Post Graduate 6 weeks later!! So if we hadn't taken our freebies we've had been in trouble. Bad enough stuck in Limit with a 16 month old dog as it was!!

I love my beagies ears and her gorgeous little face.  I know everyone of her faults and I know she will never be a top winning beagie I accept that BUT when a dog who is not better than her beats her I get upset for my daughter.  :(   If it was me showing I would just have a grumble but unfortunately when its your child you have to teach her to be a good loser. 

Hi Karen,

Try not to be disheartened - especially as your daughter will pick up on it too ;)  Some judges do automatically penalise kids and some judges are swayed by "cute kid syndrome" - both are equally as bad but fortunately thin on the ground and not the norm.

I remember when my daughter was doing JH - it can be heartbreaking but, I'm sure like me, you've learnt to put a smiley face on when it's been "one of those days" and also learned to control the beaming smile a bit when it's been a very good day ;)

>when its your child you have to teach her to be a good loser

Very true but importantly we have to teach them to be "a good sport" - regardless if they are first or last :)

Regards, Teri 

Karen,
As a fellow beagle owner, my youngest is a 3 year old bitch who has a very pretty face and has never won prettiest bitch.   You just have to laugh at some of the "pretty" bitches that do get placed though!

sarah