I have a little bitch pup here and have been so excited to show her, shes been planned for a long time. But now as her first show is coming up soon im starting to feel scared about it and is driving me nuts. I dont know whether its because of something similar to the other recent thread, that i recieved so many negative comments on the dog im showing at the moment (when he was young), was told he was not show worthy and even was told when older he missed out on a place because he mouthed the judge! No he did not! :(
I dont know, have any of you been like this?

Anne.

> I dont know, have any of you been like this

Yes! Every litter, every pup :-)   

Really?!

It must be part of the excitement thing then : /

No matter how long youve been breeding dogs or how happy you are with the puppy you have kept, there is always that worry that no one but you will like them.

The more successful you become the harder it gets....expectations are higher.

such an interesting thread - I'm going through the same thing!

Its the culmination of all that you have planned, executed and hoped for.
Several sleepless nights, blood sweat and tears in many cases -  and then you take them out for all your peers to see how successful you have been.......and you wonder why its a bit more tense than going out and buying one :-)

Yep you pick your baby to pieces, or if you don't you worry that your becoming kennel blind as you think they are nice, and by it's first show wonder if you should really take them in, and then feel quite surprised if they do OK ;)

The worry is even worse if you have sold a pup to someone wanting to show it.

Lol at least with Hetty (1st of my breeding I've kept, and a big mistake breed standard-wise, bless her) I know I definitely shouldn't take her anywhere! Mind you even then I keep thinking 'if I could get a little weight on her she might not be so bad....' :-p

Wow these replies really make sense, Toolz - yes its so different from buying a puppy, you have that kind of 'cushion' thing from the breeder and now i feel like im all on my own even though im not if you know what i mean.
Brainless - the kennel blindness has crossed my mind also. and didnt know this is with every litter, this my first.

Its a bizarre hobby isnt it!

Thankyou for the replies.

The worry is even worse if you have sold a pup to someone wanting to show it.

Can I ask why that is? Obviously never bred and only ever brought in puppies I wonder what the breeder is thinking, so this would be useful to know.

> The worry is even worse if you have sold a pup to someone wanting to show it.
>
> Can I ask why that is?

Well if the pup does not fulfuill it's early promise you have disappointed someone other than yourself.

And those who don't know, think showing is about ego....lol
If only they knew what it really takes.

I'm about to breed my first litter and might keep a pup, I imagine I'll be going through the exact same thing if I do! Chin up, I'm sure you'll do wonderfully. xx

Ahhh so i am human after all lol. Took my boy to his 1st show at Welsh KC and i couldnt believe how nervous i was. I've been showing my FCR for 2 years (not all that sucessfully lol) and handled for others. But i completely forgot everything i was a wreck lol but to my amazment he got a 2nd in minor puppy and 3rd in puppy (he was just 6 months bless him) so not only is this the 1st dog i've bred its the 1st dog i've qualified for crufts :) (god help me at crufts i'll be jelly lol)

Isnt it wonderful when a plan works out? :-)

> The worry is even worse if you have sold a pup to someone wanting to show it.
>
> Can I ask why that is?

It can be embarrassing if the 'show pup' turns out to be a bit of a disappointment. As a breeder, I might not show one that hasn't fulfilled its promise, at least not straight away (sometimes they improve as they mature). But if I've sold it to a novice exhibitor, they may well show it anyway. It's even worse if the pup was sold purely as a companion but then appears in the ring!

friend sold a pup as a pet only as she really did not like him kept his sister who she thought had potential, at 15 months old she saw the male she sold as a pet and as her jaw hit the floor she realsied the ugly duckling had turned into a potential winner, so she persuaded the couple to show him and now three cc later  she is still kicking her self for letting him go but she is so proud of him, that was a few years ago and we still remind her every now and again.

Now I am feeling sorry for my pups breeder I hope she isnt feeling to awful atm. I love my baby to bits and if she shows well thats great if not i still love her and certainly wont think I have been let down by anyone

That is the kind of home I prefer the dogs are companions first and foremost, and the showing is secondary.  The first and most thing is that they love the dog for itself, anything else is a bonus.

I'm taking our new hopeful to a rally tonight & feeling rather nervous!!

Thank you Brainless:)

For me seeing your own breeding doing well and giving their owners fun is far more satisying than my owned/bred dogs winning. I get such a thrill seeing dogs we bred, but dont own, having success.

And even better you get the satisfaction without paying the entry fees, doing the driving etc ;)

AND the owners buy you  a coffee to celebrate !!

If only you were in my breed Wirelincs... I just can't find any good breeder who feels that way and will let a good 'un go!