New member - GSD owner

[KYS]

Welcome to PetTalk. : )

[wolfsoul]

Welcome to PT! I grew up with German shepherds but made the switch over to Belgian shepherds. I also show, but mine aren't champions yet -- Solo is only 9 weeks old, and Visa has 5 points towards her Canadian CH from one day of showing -- I plan to finish both her and Solo next year.

[barongsd]

Welcome to PT! I grew up with German shepherds but made the switch over to Belgian shepherds. I also show, but mine aren't champions yet -- Solo is only 9 weeks old, and Visa has 5 points towards her Canadian CH from one day of showing -- I plan to finish both her and Solo next year.

Good Luck in your quest for the Championships. Do you show in the AKC also? Have you ever tried the UKC? Thats a fun registry to show at. Our Baron is pointed out in the AKC, just needs his "majors" but I don't have the time or money to go chasing after them ... lol .. I have seen some awesome Belgians at the shows. They are a nice looking breed but I confess I don't know much about them ... just that they are beautful animals.

[rutylr]

Showing Belgians in UKC is very hard.Not all Judges have the breed.
The best show to show them at would be premier in June in MI.
The Belgians have to be critiqued,so it is hard to find shows with them in it.

[barongsd]

Showing Belgians in UKC is very hard.Not all Judges have the breed.
The best show to show them at would be premier in June in MI.
The Belgians have to be critiqued,so it is hard to find shows with them in it.

Been to the premier a couple times ... Baron was Best Male the last time we went and that finished him. I would suspect that a good Borzoi judge might be hard to find since they are kind of a "rare" breed ... especially hard in the UKC like you said ...

[borzoimom]

Been to the premier a couple times ... Baron was Best Male the last time we went and that finished him. I would suspect that a good Borzoi judge might be hard to find since they are kind of a "rare" breed ... especially hard in the UKC like you said ...

I think rotlvr has rotties. Thats okay- I am learning who has what also..
Borzois are too bad, but it is hard in Canada to get enough at shows for points. The east coast in the US usually has enough at shows, but really- everyone looks for the National speciality shows.. Since they mature sooooo late in coat, we were not ready for my two to take them this year.. ( ...dreamsssss of next year.......)

[barongsd]

I think rotlvr has rotties. Thats okay- I am learning who has what also..
Borzois are too bad, but it is hard in Canada to get enough at shows for points. The east coast in the US usually has enough at shows, but really- everyone looks for the National speciality shows.. Since they mature sooooo late in coat, we were not ready for my two to take them this year.. ( ...dreamsssss of next year.......)

I am so confused!!!

[rutylr]

Been to the premier a couple times ... Baron was Best Male the last time we went and that finished him. I would suspect that a good Borzoi judge might be hard to find since they are kind of a "rare" breed ... especially hard in the UKC like you said ...

There are quite a few Borzoi's out showing in UKC.
Like Borzoimom said I have Rottweilers.
UKC Judges can pretty much Judge every breed(once they become a Judge)except,APBT,AE,TFT and BSD.These you have to be sponsered by a breed club,take a test and apprentice under three Judges before being Okayed to Judge those breeds.Except BSD there requirments to Judge that breed are stiffer so most new Judges don't even try to get them.

[KYS]

I also grew up with GSD's. I have a soft spot for them.
In fact I almost got a GSD from Winifred Strickland "Wynthea Kennels" but
I decided not to go out of state and waited for one from
a kennel in Northern CA. I can't remember the kennels
name anymore. That fell through and my back up was an akita breeder whom I met a dog show.
That is how I got my first Akita.

[wolfsoul]

There are quite a few Borzoi's out showing in UKC.
These you have to be sponsered by a breed club,take a test and apprentice under three Judges before being Okayed to Judge those breeds.Except BSD there requirments to Judge that breed are stiffer so most new Judges don't even try to get them.

Not just that, but the judge must have priorly owned and bred Belgians (used to be just owned, now you have to have bred them). You can't have the same two judges for every show so it's very difficult to find new ones. Most shows will not offer a Belgian class because it is too expensive to fly in judges who are able to judge Belgians. The Belgians get "assisted animation" critiques and they take forever and require a seperate ring -- it takes up too much space, time, and money for all that. By the time that show has ended and the BIS and everything else has been named, often times the Belgians are still not done being judged -- excluding them from winning BIS. It is all because the UKC Belgian club wants the rules to be as close to the original ones in Belgium as they can be. As a result of having only breeder judges, we may get the occasional person being biased and picking a dog by it's lines.

Do you show in the AKC also? Have you ever tried the UKC?

I doubt I'll show Visa through AKC -- she has a bad experience last year at a show and no longer enjoys the show atmosphere, so as for now I'm planning on finishing her with CKC and retiring her from the ring. But who knows, she may have a turn around and suddenly love showing -- then I would definatly do AKC with her. Solo I want to do AKC with for sure. As for UKC, way too much commitment for me. You'll get the occasional one in WA that offers a Belgian class, but they are so far and few between that it would take me years and years before finally finishing my dog unless I went to the East coast. Not only that, but my dogs probably wouldn't do very well in a UKC show conformation-wise. CKC and AKC typically enjoy all types of Belgians, but UKC has the habit of only picking the very typey European Belgians. My dogs are American and Visa isn't typey in the least.

We are considering starting a UKC club locally, and I really do think it'd be a great idea. I don't have anything against UKC, just the UKC Belgian club. They make it ridiculously difficult to finish your dog. I would likely only be involved in the sports.