SHOWING AND JUDGING DOGS.

THE DOG HAS, OF COURSE, LONG BEEN RECOGNIZED AS MANS BEST FRIEND, BUT UNFORTUNATELY MAN HAS NOT ALWAYS RETURNED THE COMPLIMENT. HOWEVER, WHERE EVERE MAN CHOOSES TO LIVE IN THE WORLD, THERE TO ACCOMPANY HIM WILL ALWAYS BE FOUND HIS DOG. NO ANIMAL HAS CHANGED HIS ORIGINAL ROLE AND HIS WAY OF LIVING OR HIS SHAPE AND SIZE TO THE EXTENT THAT THE DOG HAS DONE IN ORDER TO ADAPT HIMSELF TO MANS WAY OF LIFE AND PARTICULARLY TO MANS INTEREST. THERE IS NO ANIMAL THAT TREATS MAN SO UNDESERVEDLY AS HIS GOD. THE DOGS LOYALTY, FRIENDSHIP AND TRUST ARE SUCH THAT NO ONE CAN CLAIM TO HAVE LIVED WHO HAS NEVER KNOWEN THE LOVE AND COMPAIONSHIP OF A DOG.

THE EARLY EXHIBITIONS BECAME MORE SELECTIVE UNTIL THEY TURNED INTO SMALL SHOWS JUST FOR DOGS. TO START WITH THERE WAS NO GOVERNING BODY SUCH AS THE KENNEL CLUB AS WE KNOW IT TODAY. THERE WERE FEW RULES TO BE ADHERED TO, AND THESE WERE MADE BY THE PROMOTERS, WHO RAN THE SHOWS ENTIRELY FOR THEIR OWN GAIN AND PROFIT. THERE ARE OF COURSE, NO LONGER ANY PRIVATELY ORGANIZED SHOWS IN BRITAIN, SINCE ALL SHOWS COM UNDER THE STRICT JURISDICTION OF THE KENNEL CLUB. ONE OF THE EARLIEST RECORDED CANINE EXHIBITIONS WAS HELD IN THE BAR OF A PUBLIC HOUSE IN DENMARK STREET IN LONDON. WHICH WAS ORGANIZED BY A CHARLES AISTROP, A MOST NOTORIOUS CHARACTER, HE HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN THE PROPRIETOR OF THE WESTMINSTER PIT, THIS WAS A PLACE WHERE BEARS AND BADGERS WERE BAITED AND DOG FIGHTS AND RATTING TOOK PLACE.THESES CRUEL SPORTS WERE ABOLISHED BY LAW IN 1835.

WITHIN A DECADE THE FIRST OFFICALLY ORGANIZED DOG SHOW WAS HELD IN THE TOWN HALL OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE ON 28th AND 29th JUNE 1859. THIS SHOW WAS ORGANIZED BY MESSRS AND PAPE AT THE SUGGESTION OF MR R. BRAILSFORD. THERE WERE SIXTY ENTERIES OF POINTERS AND SETTERS. THERE WERE THREE JUDGES ALLOCATED TO EACH CLASS. ONE OF THE JUDGES OF THE SETTERS SUCCEEDED IN WINNING A FIRST PRIZEWITH HIS POINTERS, WHILST THE JUDGE OF THE POINTER CLASS TOOK FIRST PRIZE IN THE SETTERS. ONE CANNOT HELP WONDERING IF THIS WAS A PRECEDENT SET FOR ALL TIME!!

THE FIRST ALL BREED DOG SHOW HELD AT CHEAPSIDE, IN BIRMINGHAM, INCLUDED CLASSES FOR MASTIFFS, NEWFOUNDLANDS, BILLDOGS, SHEEPDOGS, DALMATIANS, TERRIES, TOY SPANIELS AND TOY TERRIES AND THERE WERE ALSO A FEW FOREIGN DOGS, THE MOST POPULAR BEING PUGS AND THE ITALIAN GREYHOUNDS. IT IS INTERESTING THAT ONLY ONE CLASS WAS HELD IN EACH BREEDAT THESE SHOWS. THE DOGS WERE UNIDENTIFIED, SINCE THERE WAS NO FORM AS YET FOR REGISTRATION, SO THAT THE DOGS WERE QUITE SIMPLY NAMED BY THEIR KENNEL NAME. AS CAN BE IMAGINED, THERE WAS SOON A CONGLOMERATION OF "SPOTS", BEAUTY'S, " PRINCES" VICS, ECT, WHICH WERE THE POPULAR NAMES OF THE TIME. SO IT QUICKLY BECAME OBVIOUS THAT SOME FORMOF IDENTIFICATION WOULD HAVE TO BE WORKED OUT. BUT THIS SOMEWHAT NATURALLY TOOK A CONSIDERABLE TIME.

AS I WENT THROUGH THIS BOOK, READING THE BEGINING I RELIZED THAT REALY NOT MUCH HAS CHANGED SINCE THE BEGINING. MOST OF THE DOG SHOWS TODAY ITS PLACES FOR FACES:: SOMEONE LIKE ME WHO IS NOT KNOWEN DOS'NT REALY STAND A CHANCE. EVEN IF YOU HAD THE BEST DOG IN THE WORLD IT WOULD BE VERY LUCKY TO BE PLACED. IT ALL DEPENDS ON WHO IS IN THE RING WITH YOU. AND WHAT FAVOUR THE JUDGE OWES TO ANYONE , WHICH I FIND VERY SAD AS ALL DOGS SHOULD BE JUDGED ON ITS OWN MERRIT NOT WHO IS AT THE END OF A LEAD.

A NOVICE CAN LEARN A TREMENDOUS NUMBER OF EXCELLENT TIPS ABOUT HANDLING DOGS BY SIMPLY STANDING AT A RINGSIDE AND WATCHING, HE WILL RELIZE THAT THERE IS NO RELAXING FOR THE SUCCESSFUL HANDLER . MOST NOVICES CAN COPY A GOOD HANDLER, IN ANY CASE IT SHOULD ALWAYS BE POSSIBLE TO GET SOMEONE WHO IS A GOOD AT HANDLING A PARTICULAR BREED TO GIVE A FEW WORDS OF ADVICE. BECAUSE IT IS ESSENTAIL THAT THE HANDLER SHOULD KNOW WHAT HE/SHE SHOULD BE DOING. A BEAUTIFULLY TRAINED DOG WITH A NOVICE HANDLER IS JUST LOST WITHOUT THE COMMANDS HE IS USED TO.THE BEST WAY FOR ANY AMATEUR TO LEARN TO HANDLE ANY PARTICULAR BREED, IS TO SPEND TIME WATCHING CAREFULLY EITHER PROFESSIONAL HANDLERS OR EXPERTS ACTUALLY SHOWING THEIR DOGS IN THE RING.