Special Feature
Choosing The Right Show Dog Breed For You
If you have thought that you might like to get into dogs, but have not yet purchased your first one, allow us to give you a word of advice. There are so many wonderful breeds, each with its own particular charm, that I'm sure you can find just the right breed for you. However, decide on one whose size and temperament fit into your life. Don't get a Great Dane if you live in a tiny apartment, and don't get a tiny dog if a high-pitched bark grates on your nerves.
Once you have decided which breed you want, please do some studying about what is right and what is wrong for a dog of that particular breed. Read a book on your chosen breed, go to shows, watch the judging, talk to the breeders. Be sure you don't buy a dog which has a disqualification for his breed and, you will be ever so much happier in the show game if you at least start out with a dog which has no serious faults. I cannot tell you here what the disqualifications or faults are, as there are more than one hundred breeds for you to choose from and each breed has its own particular faults.
When you are ready to buy, go to a reliable breeder and tell him that you intend to show. A sincere breeder would not sell you an inferior animal if he knows it is to be shown. Many people when they are buying a dog ask for “just a pet,” thinking they will get the animal cheaper.
A good breeder wants his stock shown and does not want to be embarrassed by having a dog of his breeding with a serious fault show up at a show, and by the same token he does not want to sell a top dog to someone who will never show it, as for all practical purposes the dog would be lost to the show and breeding world. He would rather sell you a good dog for less money if you promised it would be shown. If he is a big breeder, he cannot possibly get all the dogs he raises to the shows under his own name, and he is always looking for someone to come along who is interested in showing. He will not give the dog away, because experience has taught him that the dog receives better care if he has been purchased and he has a much better chance of actually getting into the show ring when the new owner has paid something for the dog.
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