So. I have a friend at work who shows/breeds Frenchies. She wants me to show Keeva in conformation, just for fun, and I'd like to do it for handling practice, just to get my feet wet in that world.
She came to work from a show yesterday, and said, "Oh, I went and saw the Cardis! Keeva needs to put on weight to show in conformation." And then she dashed off and I didn't get a chance to reply.
Honestly... wtf? I know that Cardis are shown fat - the show Cardis I've touched have not had papable ribs, they were so fat. But WHY? And if you believe a dog is at a healthy weight (notice she didn't say Keeva needs weight in general), wtf would you pack on pounds for the ring, and why would judges favor that? It just seems absurd to me.
I mean, it doesn't really matter because I'm keeping her at working weight and that's that, but I just... I don't get it. And I'm not trying to offend anyone who shows their dogs - I think it's another fun thing to do with your dog, and I was looking forward to it, even with my fugly sport Corgi, LOL. But I just don't get it.
I mean, this is Keeva's weight right now:
Her ribs are right beneath the skin, and yes, you can feel her spine and hip bones. But she's ultra muscular and already eats 3/4 lb of meat a day. I think she's very healthy looking, and I guess just find the whole "show weight" notion silly... I dunno. Thoughts?
She came to work from a show yesterday, and said, "Oh, I went and saw the Cardis! Keeva needs to put on weight to show in conformation." And then she dashed off and I didn't get a chance to reply.
Honestly... wtf? I know that Cardis are shown fat - the show Cardis I've touched have not had papable ribs, they were so fat. But WHY? And if you believe a dog is at a healthy weight (notice she didn't say Keeva needs weight in general), wtf would you pack on pounds for the ring, and why would judges favor that? It just seems absurd to me.
I mean, it doesn't really matter because I'm keeping her at working weight and that's that, but I just... I don't get it. And I'm not trying to offend anyone who shows their dogs - I think it's another fun thing to do with your dog, and I was looking forward to it, even with my fugly sport Corgi, LOL. But I just don't get it.
I mean, this is Keeva's weight right now:
Her ribs are right beneath the skin, and yes, you can feel her spine and hip bones. But she's ultra muscular and already eats 3/4 lb of meat a day. I think she's very healthy looking, and I guess just find the whole "show weight" notion silly... I dunno. Thoughts?