Just reminding everyone its on now.

although it seems a bit of a joke to me....

taped it and will be watching it when Ma gets back from choir practise so *shhhh* no spoiling it for us ok ;)

i figured as much.. hence my lips or sealed.

Ok, finally got round to watching it (damn all this Final Year Uni work :rolleyes: ).  It was pretty funny watching that Giant Schnauzer being a juvenile delinquent at Ring Craft Class with all the other owners (and dogs) just looking at him disapprovingly haha  It made me wonder why on earth the people, as first time dog owners, would get a dog from a breeder who would only sell them that particular dog providing they agreed to show it   I'd have thought that a pet dog was hard enough work for a new dog owner!  The dog had gotten away with too much and needed sorting out anyway, and bless it coming good in the space of a fortnight just in time for his puppy class at Crufts :)  Though I can't figure out how it got a 1st place in any show in order to get there like! haha

Exactly, Peewee!  And he only entered one show and thats good enough for Crufts?  I was thinking, perhaps, no on else showed up at that show, and he won by default?

He didn't have to get a 1st place. ;) 1st, 2nd or 3rd in any of the relevant classes ...

he got a third to enter crufts- they said that in the programme

And there was only 4 in the class......

It happens a lot in the lesser/minority breeds. Like mine :D ;) There was no way that my young bitch should have qualified, considering she used to go round the ring on one leg (She should have been named zebedee :) ) However, we went to a show where there were only 2 in the class, and she was placed 2nd :) Obviously :D Pups do get away with a lot more than adults. Thankfully she has grown up a bit (missed crufts 'cos she was in season ) so we'll see how she behaves this year.

They might not be so lucky this year. He might not get place so high again.

A lot can happen in between qualifying and the day of Crufts as well! One that I bred qualifed by coming third out of three -and at the time she was overweight and had one floppy ear (ears should be up!) She looked pretty awful. A month before Crufts she looked a lot better and went BP out of 7 at an open show. Come Crufts she looked STUNNING, won the puppy bitch class, beat the dog puppy winner to go BP, a week later at an open show she went BP AND BOB, and a week after that BP and RBOB at another open!! I told her owner her pup was the ugly duckling that turned into a swan!

After all, if the dogs that qualify almost by default don't have the looks, they won't do well once at Crufts where the competition is bound to be tougher. :)

Can I just say that I thought Bailey was a typical Giant Schnauzer Puppy.  Alright he was a bit playful but he is a puppy afterall!!!.  Much better for him to enjoy his time at the shows and have fun at this age than stand like a statue with no personality at all.
I would never penalize a puppy for behaving like that......IMO that is how it should be.
Yes he qualified in a class of 4 by getting 3rd.  As Surannon so rightly says the judge could have withheld if they thought the dog was not of sufficient quality.  He also by getting 3rd at Crufts qualified for next year.....there again the judge could have withheld.  Yes there are many judges who do not have the courage to do that, but from what I could see of Bailey he was a good example of the breed and deserved his Crufts Qualifying placing.

However, we went to a show where there were only 2 in the class, and she was placed 2nd  Obviously

Not so obviously really.... judges can (and in my opinion should) withhold prizes if they think the dog isn't good enough to qualify.  Not saying this was the case with yours of course ;) but I do wish judges would be a bit braver and withhold prozes from dogs which are obviously not top class.

Debs

I agree. In cats it is very VERY common for prizes and in PARTICULAR CCs to be withheld . If aything you face a MUCH worse challenge if you turn up at a show and find your cat is the ONLY entry in its breed, as the judge will the mentally compare it to their picture of the ideal one as per the breed standard, rather than compare it to a less good cat on the day, and are then far more likely to have the CC withheld. In fact with one of my cats I used to say it'd pay off to buy a really rubbish one to enter in the same class as that way the good one would instantly look brilliant in comparison!

just out of curiosity marianne, do you breed cats and if so what breed? (genuine question, no retort to your post implied :))

I do yes, Persians and Exotic Shorthair. :)