Absolute hypocryts!! Nothing like dressing your dog in a dress with rediculous bows sticking out of there head and rediculous poodles shaved to conform.I guess that's bettering a breed showing it off so you can reep the awards to have valueble pups when bred. But my goodness don't show your dog in a REAL show and it's abuse. You breeders are darn right rediculous and rude.
Let's have a little chat about
ridiculous and rude.
Last time I checked SHIBAS are not required to wear DRESSES AND BOWS to compete in conformation competition.
In fact...last time I checked NO dogs were required to wear dresses and bows to compete.
Poodles are shaved as such because it's a nod to their history. The breed is German, with the origin of their name being "Pudel" (roughly translated as "puddle.") They are water retrievers. Coat was left on the chest, hips, head and ankle joints to keep these most significant areas warm. (Heat escapes INCREDIBLY quickly from the chest and head- as a distance runner braving all sorts of weather you BET I know this to be fact. On cold days coach advises me to wear a hat and a long-sleeve t-shirt). It's no mistake that the original WORKING Poodle breeders kept hair in these areas. To ignore doing so would mean hypothermia. And I assume we can all agree that a dead dog is a useless dog?
But imagine how hindered the dog would be if he were to keep hair ALL over his body? It would drag him down. So the breeders shaved down the hair in areas that weren't essential to protect.
As far as those high topknots- they allowed the hunter to see the dog at all times when in the water- you can't very well miss a dog with a topknot like that.
Now of course it's more stylized- we have the French to thank for that.
But if you think that dogs can't perform their original function PURELY because of a haircut, well you would be dead wrong. I know several people in Poodles who have worked their dogs SUCCESFULLY in full blown show coat.
Furthermore...Poodles never have bows in their topknots during competition. Perhaps you were thinking of Maltese or Yorkies?
I have to ask, have you ever BEEN to a dog show?
Judging from your approximation...probably not. Once again...if you haven't a flaming clue what you're talking about, it's best to say nothing. What you are describing sounds a lot more like a PET PARADE. Which is very different.
My dogs go into the ring as they are. It is against the rules (and the very nature of my BREED) to so much as trim a WHISKER. So I don't.
Beyond conformation, my dogs are trained in agility, and after I finish up undergrad in a year, will begin tracking.
They're already fabulous hunters- the dead birds, opossum, and rodents in my backyard are testament to that.
Get the REAL facts before you besmirch the hard work of other people.
And by the way...what do you possibly mean by "reap the rewards?"
You couldn't possibly mean money, could you?
We pay to ENTER dog shows. You certainly don't earn any money by winning. And good breeders are lucky to break EVEN.
OFA, CERF, bloodwork, STD testing, show entries, proper diets, stud fees, care of pregnant bitches, and the sheer amount of TIME we spend with each puppy ENSURES that we make nothing.