I have to say that having been a regular visitor to Discover Dogs over the past couple of years, a lot of the folk I have talked to on the stands are rude, ignorant, and too busy chatting amongst themselves to talk to folk looking at their dogs. It might help if they reminded themselves that by being nice to folk means they will be more likely to be heard when they talk about the downsides of breeds. I visited most stands today with my daughter, who asked every single person before stroking or approaching the dogs, and some ignored her and went on to be downright stand offish if we asked any questions.

Thanks to the Dally stand (as always friendly) and the lady with the pugs who let Moll "hug a pug" - very much appreciated :) Also, the gorgeous Mal who Moll stroked and had her pic taken with.

And to the lady who rolled her eyes when Mollie had her pic taken with her Italian Spinone - you do you breed and your club no favours. If you don't want to be sociable then don't do it

What does everyone else think?

You're right. If you're doing DD you are representing the breed, so you have to be chatty and friendly, to people of all ages. Several years service in the Diplomatic Corps, based in trouble-spots around the world, is good training.

Well, what a crap attitude that lady had :(
Like you say , why do it if you dont want to be talked too and bothered :rolleyes:

I am going to send an email to the breed club. We went up twice and the first time she only started to talk to us because her dog (who had been sitting beautifully outside the stand, without a lead) came up and said hello - I had to work really hard to get her chatting. Then we went back to get a pic because I was so taken with him - and she ignored us - and then rolled her eyes at her friend when she saw Moll having her pic taken - am savage.

I went to Discover Dogs in London this past November and had a good time.  However, I felt the same as you.

There were many booths were the breed club members seemed to be more interested in talking to their friends. Some of them were downright unapproachable.  It really annoyed me when there was one dog to represent the entire breed and the person at the stand in some cases was holding the dog and engaged in deep conversation with a friend or two.   It made me wonder why they were there at all.  And certainly if a dog is going to be stressed out by the crowds and needs to be held they should have not brought them to the show.  

And then there were the exceptions - like the Glen of Imaal terrier stand.  One of the breeders at the booth actually spent time searching for a curry comb so she could show me how to use one and how to groom the breed.   Plus, she answered a bunch of questions for me. The people at the Greyhound rescue booths were fabulous. Almost made up for the rest who just wanted to socialise with their human pals. 

Stacey

oooooow errrrr !! i shall have to be on my best behaviour on sunday when doing the beagle stand!!........but joking aside,i have noticed it too,it makes me wonder if they are only there for the free entry,car park and lunch!.....however on the other side i also had many good experiences.....i hope if lots of people read this they think on and lift their game as afterall we are suposed to be breed representitives!
Roll on Sunday !!
Pauline

And then you get people like me who could talk for England, Scotland and Wales (and any other country) about my dog and i'd love to do that!!!
Talk about my dog all day? Oh yes please! :D :D :D

Yeah, me too.

I have to say that the danes on the stand were truly awful today aswell (while I am in such an tetchy mood :D ). There was a boy who had no muscle tone and splayed feet and a bitch who was overweight. Why don't people exercise danes?

Where do they get these dogs? Breed classes? Shows?
Ok i will start a petition to get myself and your dog (Chloe) on next years discover dogs lol :D
And we can snarl and scoff at the treats on feet (little dogs) ;)

The people that help 'dog' the stands are normally from
breed clubs committees or members of the breed club that's helping
dog the stand that particular day.
They should have extensive breed knowledge/experience, and be able to talk to anyone
their dogs should have excellent temperaments be good representative's for their breeds
and be used to busy environments.
So hence most dogs that are on the stands are show dogs, ex-showdogs etc.

I qualified to help out at DD in London 2002, I helped dog the Boxer stand.
Was supposed to be at DD London 2003 but Abby was a little poorly :(
I can talk the hind legs off a donkey :) So no problems there :D
I don't mind talking to anyone of any age, and my Boxer Abby is a wonderful
ambassador for the breed, she loved showing off her high-five, low-five trick for the kids
and even took part in a childrens school project video that day as she high-fived for the kids.

The only thing is when the stand is busy and there are only 2 people manning the stand,
you want to give people equal attention and some times it's just not possible when you have
3 deep or more around the pens.
But it's a fantastic day to share your love and knowledge of the breed which you are 'exhibiting'
for the people to get to know and of course to give a warts and all report on the breed so
that they can make up their minds as to which is really the right breed for them.
But agree you have to be a really personable person and your dog has to enjoy all the fuss too
Not too hard where Abby's concerned, she loves being centre of attention :D
Just have to be prepared to lose your voice where you talk so much :D

ankle biters :D

I have to say though that I just loved the Spinone - gorgeous boy. And I also really loved the pugs - and the folk on there were so friendly "you want to hug a pug?"...one poor woman was like "ooooh yes please, doesn't matter what age, sex....just give me a pug!" aaaah bless

There has been a few times when I have been doing a lot of reading and research on a breed that I have like before going to Crufts discover dogs and have been given the entirely wrong information when asking the people that were manning the breed stands ( when I was looking to buy the first newfoundland I was told that they needed lots of excersise when they were young to build up there muscles when they were young as if you did not do it then it was a waste of time trying to do it later!! I have had tibetan mastiff's since 1987 a chap I did not know that was manning the stand in 1996 told me if I joined the club I would be able to find out a lot more. I had won BIS at the Tibetan Mastiff club show, Best bitch at Crufts, and best Rare breeds, and 18 best of breeds and BOS at champ and open shows that year. I think that the stands should not be manned by people that have just come into the breed experienced people should be there to give people the correct advise as these occasionse can decide someone wether the breed will suit them or not

There has been a few times when I have been doing a lot of reading and research on a breed that I have like before going to Crufts discover dogs and have been given the entirely wrong information when asking the people that were manning the breed stands ( when I was looking to buy the first newfoundland I was told that they needed lots of excersise when they were young to build up there muscles  as if you did not do it then it was a waste of time trying to do it later!! I have had tibetan mastiff's since 1987 a chap I did not know that was manning the stand in 1996 told me if I joined the club I would be able to find out a lot more. I had won BIS at the Tibetan Mastiff club show, Best bitch at Crufts, and best Rare breeds, and 18 best of breeds, best rare breeds and BOS at champ and open shows that year. I think that the stands should not be manned by people that have just come into the breed, experienced people should be there to give people the correct advice as these occasionse can decide someone wether the breed will suit them or not

Oh Cloeh you should hae come to see us, you can't shut us up about the breed.  Mind strangely this year I found a lot of people came over, looked at and stroked the dogs, but didn't ask anything or look as if they noticed the humans in the booth.  Many just took one of the leaflets and wnet away??

I have been every year since it started and this was the first time like this.  Maybe it was because it was the first day???

I think the woman who rolled her eyes sounds absolutely dreadful - i would be fuming as that is SO rude and very unfair to Moll who was obviously being very well behaved. I definitely agree, a letter to the breed club will make you feel better and maybe do some good somewhere along the line.

I hope the people representing the BSds are approachable. Are the Discover Dogs lot there all 4 days, or just on the day their breeds are at Crufts?

Lindsay

Hi Lindsay,
The booths should me manned on all 4 days..thought i do know it is sometimes harder to get people on the stand on the day that their beed is being shown, as most are showing or want to watch what is going on.
Karen.

Thanks for that info Karen :)

Lindsay

Where were you Brainless? I called over at the stand, and there was an Elkie gnawing something (an irritating visitor perhaps?) but no people to be seen. :(

Oh Damn that means I must have been taking the other two for a loo break.  Only way the other one wasn't offended was to give a big rawhide to chew.

Oh Drat!

You must have still been on your break when i popped round with a couple of valls for your lot to play with!  there was nothing there at all!!

oh well, always next year!

Hi Chloe,
I remember thinking the same things a few years ago, when discover dogs first started, now i man the booth at Earls Court in November, i normally do one day on the Bullmastiff stand with my girl Lollie and i do try and speak to as many people as i can, as i know just what it is like to be ignored etc.
Sorry you had such a bad experience with some of the people. (come and visit me next time, i try and give awarm welcome to all).
Forgot to say you can take as many pictures of Lollie and your children as you like, she loves posing for pictures and children!!
Karen.

Mmmm, I won't be letting my dog be pulled around by kids all day tomorrow,  they are NOT there for that!!  Some breeds are not that sociable and people should respect that, different breeds have different temperaments and that is the whole idea of discover dogs, to discover what they are really like.
Dawn.

My daughter doesn't pull dogs around. Neither did I see any other children pulling dogs around. The very fact that she asked before even stroking gave the handler the opportunity to say no if needs be. The dogs were considerably more sociable than the handlers - which seems to be the impression you are giving Dawn? If you have a breed that isn't sociable - then surely you shouldn't be taking it to a PR event? And if you do, then its basic courtesy to explain why it isn't sociable.

We met a mixed reaction yesterday .Big thumbs down for the giant schnauzer people who i found rather rude.The spinone couple were wonderful with us however ,we had a good 10 min chat and i left with loads of info. The irish water spaniel guy was very good but new to the breed.standard schnauzer man needed prompting but had his dog doing tricks and singing when we left and a big thumbs up for the rough collie lady who we couldent get away from, what an enthusiast.Fav dog had to be the russian black terrier wow he was georgeous.

Erm Chloe, don't you realise there are MANY breeds that are NOT sociable to strangers?  Some of the hound breeds are very aloof and "off" with strangers, would you consider this to be of bad temperament?  You state the look on one womans face when a photograph was taken of HER dog, did you ask her permission first?  People do tend to "Assume" that they can touch, feel, stroke every dog there, this may not be the case and "common courtesy" as you call it, should be on your part.  People doing discover dogs should be polite and I agree with you on that score, I also do not believe I gave any other impression in my previous post, I merely pointed out dogs are not there to be messed around with all day, look with your eyes not your hands, then ask if it is ok to touch, this goes for ANY dog, not just dogs at a dog show!

The temperaments on pedigree dogs are there as a breed characteristic, many people ignore it which is why so many breeds end up with bad reputations and a high incidence in rescue centres.  Maybe if more people took notice of what people who owned these breeds told them we wouldn't have such a huge rescue problem in this country.

Now we are both on a high horse Chloe!!! :D
Dawn.

The whole point of DD, Dawn, is that it is the 'meet the public' bit! The dogs (and owners!) have to be sociable - that is what they are there for! If the breed is 'aloof', fair enough, but the owner should make up for it. If they don't want to mix with the 'great unwashed', then they shouldn't volunteer. It is where a breed's reputation can be made or lost.

Erm Dawn, if you read my posts you will see that Mollie asked permission each and every time BEFORE asking to even touch a dog - so don't you get on your high horse with me - and yes, we ASKED and YES her dog was OUTSIDE the stand sat greeting strangers. READ my posts before you jump onto a thread making comments about my behaviour.

I couldn't care less about breeds that are not sociable - if they are not interested in being stroked then the owners only had to say NO to Mollie when she ASKED. It would have been nice to have had more than monosyllabic answers to my questions about Spinone's - but hey, if thats the way they want to behave then I am sure there is a much more friendly puppy farmer round the corner waiting to answer folks questions :rolleyes:

Discover Dogs is always my favourtie parts of  Crufts, and I really hope that I'm not disappointed this year.  Am really keen to find out mor about French Bulldogs so hope the people there are willing to answer questions - after all I thought that was the point!
And to me Chloe, it sounds like Molly behaved perfectly, the people you met have only made themselves look stupid, especially as you were only there to appreciate their dogs.

If a dog has any aggressive tendencies at all then it shouldn't be anywhere near an event like Discover Dogs regardless of its breed.  They are so crowded and busy with adults and children alike behaving in all sorts of unpredictable ways.  You'd have to have eyes in the back of your head if you didn't want your dog approached. My own neice had a screaming tantrum when she was a tot in there one year and had to be quickly removed :(
Discover Dogs is where people should be able to get a real 'hands on' experience of the breed of dog.  Touching enables you to have a feel of different coat textures, body shape etc...  To some - that's important.
If you're not prepared to put yourself out then you shouldn't do it.
Lara x

Wow Chloe, well done, you have really excelled yourself!  I have no time for your attitude, you will note I did say people should be polite whilst representing their breed and its a shame if some people were not.
Dawn.

Good - I'll be asking the relevant breed clubs to come and have alook at this thread aswell - I am sure they will be interested to see which breeds have been represented fairly and which clearly are not. I couldn't care less whether you have time for my attitude - I'm not the one on here with a problem.

<<People do tend to "Assume" that they can touch, feel, stroke every dog there, >>

Exactly, Dawn! That is what Discover Dogs is for!

I've covered DD for Schips for a while now and can see both sides of this issue. The pen is there for a reason the dogs have a lot to deal with on the day which is fine but it has to be remembered that they need to rest in between times too, as a handler if I have my dogs OUTSIDE the pen then I am giving permission to all to stroke and say hello to my animal. 

Yes it is polite to ask and yes Schipperkes are one of those breeds described as 'aloof with strangers' not aggressive or of bad temperament but need time to susse a person or situation out, those that are very aloof stay in the pen and are presented to the public in my arms when I am happy that they are ready, even they warm to all the attention as the day goes on.  I have had parents shout at me because I've said No to their little darlings strangling my dogs (they call it a hug even when the dogs tongue is hanging out!) saying that we should not have dogs there that don't want to be touched by their children - trouble is even the best natured dog in the world gets tired and fed up and needs that down time just like us to recharge it's batteries.  By the same token I've gone to visit other breeds and found them to be 'ALOOF' even with a fellow breeder so god knows how the public are supposed to learn anything from such people.

I love doing it and I hope everyone who comes to me enjoys their time with us and the dogs and goes away with a basic understanding of our breed.

I have no problem with people getting cross with inconsiderate visitors to their stands. However, the attitude that people shouldn't go and say hello to a dog outside the pen, having asked before touching and asking questions really annoys me. I have forwarded this thread to the KC and I am about to send it to various Breed Clubs so they can see for themselves which areas need attention. Discover dogs is there for the public - not for the breeders to have a jolly :)

The prison officers and their dogs were great, in comparison, even offered for Mollie to stand and hold the GSD's lead to have a pic taken alone - now thats good PR for a breed and for their job :)

Chloe, going completely off the point, but just to say I had a look at your website and the champdoggers photos they're great!
Really nice to see who everyone's talking about.  I've got a couple of Chloe the dobe you could add if you like?

Sure, mail them through :)

I agree with you there Chloe, I think you SHOULD get in touch with said breeds whose representatives were rude or unwelcoming.

Aggressive tendancies, well NO dog should be there if that is the case, and of course I NEVER mentioned that, BUT I did say some dogs are "aloof" or do not want to be touched and people should respect that.  All the dogs there should be typical examples of their breed in looks and character, this I believe is the ONLY way it should be. 

People who do DD put a lot of time and effort into doing so, often travelling huge distances so people can see these dogs and be told of how the breed truly is.  I think we should be grateful that there are so many willing to do it, Crufts would not be the same without it.

Going back to the photo point Chloe, I can still understand how somebody would be cross if you took a photograph of their dog without first asking permission.
Dawn.

Most of us are very friendly on the Spanish Water Dog Stand :d  I won't bite your head off, honest.  I'll be there late afternoon tomorrow with Ickle Man and his great, great grandma Dilita.  Just got back from Crufts and I'm just about to bath Dilita now.

I must be mad.  Anybody's welcome to come and say hello tomorrow, my allotted time is 3 - 5 pm tomorrow.

Diane

We did the discover dog stand with the Tibetan Mastiff's last year in the breed standard T.M.'s are said to be aloof, There was a lady with a serverly disabled child, the child took a shine to the dog's and the lady ask if she could let the boy touch and feel the dog's as he signed with a board. the lady and the child spent most of the day with different dogs as we changed every couple of hours, the lady ask each person that was on the stand and not one refused to let her child in with the dogs, only dogs that the owners knew were  trust worthy manned the stand, and I think that the lady went on to buy a puppy when one was available

Chows are very Aloof.But if khan and I where out walking past a school and he heard children.There was no way I could get him to move till he had been to the railings and all the children where all over him.
Its was a pleasure to see.
I have in the past met children who are frightened of dogs.They are not frightened of Khan because he looks and acts like a big teddy bear.
Children will get away with a lot more than adults will with Chows.
When Chang was a puppy there was little girl next door he used to get hold of her nappy and pull her back to him.Whenever she was poorly she used to cry I want my Changie.
All my dogs have always loved children.Wouldn't want them any other way.
I have responsable breeders to thank for that.
Chow

  i was playing with the spanish water dogs,    :D.     i also got to cuddle the mexican hairless-theyre like hot water bottles. seriously, i thought it might of been the heat in there but theyre like it all the time---in the sussex booth the breed smiles, it was lovley to see,. as weve just lost an oldie that smiled. -its a lovley quirk. ------ its one of the best bits about crufts meeting all the different breeds where they cant escape, !!!!

Reading this thread I was being a bit put off about going to Discover Dogs, but thanks to Chow, Britney, Diane and Dizzy I am more inclined to go again now.

I realise that in various breeds they are described as a loof, but I would have thought the dogs chosen to man (or should I say dog :) ) the stands would be the ones that are the exception to the rule as you do get them.  I am glad to hear they only do it for a couple of hours though.

When I take my daughter to shows she always asks before stroking, and I know it'll be 50/50 she'll get a yes, I have to say though if I was at Discover Dogs I'd expect the odds to be increased to yes.

If we were stroking a dog that is normally aloof though, I'd expect to be told that 'they're not all like this'.

We were going to go today - but as I can't move without saying 'ow' we'll have to wait till next year :D

PS - Diane - was it one of you SWD's on the telly the other night?

I'll pop along tomorrow Diane for a cuddle :)

If you take your dogs to represent their breed at Discover Dogs then you have to expect the public to want to stroke/cuddle them.  If you had come to the vallhund stand on the thursday not only would you have been invited to do this but we also invite all children visiting (and adults if they wish) to get in the pen with the dogs for a cuddle ........ oh and there were six of them in there for them to play with.

However, it is a very long day for both the dogs and the humans so if the dogs are sleeping or the humans actually being given 5 minutes to have a lunch break whilst still staffing the stand then surely it's not too much to ask that you bear with them whilst they finish their mouthful!

I have found in my breed that people use it as an oppurtunity to promote their kennel and sell puppies. They have even handed out business cards, Jan

If that is the case Jan then you should report those individuals to the KC as they are not allowed to do that - we can't even give details of Rescue out to enquiries under KC rules for this event.  The only information any booth should or is allowed to give out is that approved by the KC in their leaflets written by the clubs, it should give details of the sec's for all clubs in the UK dealing with the breed and general information ie personalities, breed history etc.

I found 10 out of 10 for the Malamute people at DD- they were really nice followed by the BMD- then the rottie people- the bullmastiff people couldn't have given a damn really - I just hope this was just a few off minutes and that they were okay with everyone else- can't see it though :rolleyes:  One of the Bernese jumped up though and gave a little girl such a scare- shame really as she was probably just over excited- for this reason I could never do it with Kassie- she'd be jumping up and getting them all wet behind the ears, covered in hair etc and I can't see everyone appreciating that............but then again that is the point of DD so the public can meet the breed, warts and all :-D

Stacey x x x

Forgot to add- I met a bloodhound too :-)  Was very impressed- I think they're great but after a lengthy conversation with the owner- I know I could never have one :-)

Stacey x x x

HI Mygil,i quote   " and we snarl & scoff at the treats on feet (little dogs !!!") were these remarks made before" Pickles " bacame part of Dolly's life ? LOL,was it Chloe who asked you if you were not worried about Dolly swallowing Pickle's ? LOL ,hope you are all well ,and would love to see the photo of them both together ! Take care Sue & Lola xx

roflmao did i say that?? Noooo surely not, yes it was before Pickles came along.
Pickles is in the vet's right now after we had a bad night with him being sick and the runs so he has had to go on an IV drip for some fluids.
Terribly worried for him and it just goes to show how robust Danes are! But i miss him he has been on my lap since we got him and my laps cold now :(