Looking for information on Showing Saint Bernards

[PurpleRaine]

My Sister in law is looking into showing Saints and is trying to find a breed club near Buffalo, Ny she may be able to join... Any suggestions?? according to her the nearest one she has found is 7 hrs away... Also are the number of overall points and majors required to finish a dog the same with every breed or do they vary based on breed..

[Swissies4Me]

Also are the number of overall points and majors required to finish a dog the same with every breed or do they vary based on breed..

Points and majors vary based on breed and also by state. AKC bases points and majors on entry numbers in the breed and the state. You can find all that information on AKC's website. Amanda (gotbigdogs), who owns and shows Saints, will definitely be able to point you in the right direction as far as a breed club, and probably a lot of info on showing Saints in general.

[sam.i.am]

Is your sister a breeder of Saints? I've never heard of anyone looking to finish a dog before they started other than someone looking to breed. Anyway, why doesn't she contact the local Buffalo Kennel Club to see if they have contacts for a Saint club in the area?

[PurpleRaine]

I was hoping to get a hold of Amanda.. I just didn't know if she had joined the forum or not.....

[Hounds_N_Leo]

I would rather have someone interested in showing before they breed than breeding before or instead of showing, sam LOL!

nothing wrong with being interested in breeding purebred dogs if one is looking to do it properly. Best way to do that is seeking out others who can show the way...and a Club is a nice starting point for many folks.

[PurpleRaine]

Is your sister a breeder of Saints? I've never heard of anyone looking to finish a dog before they started other than someone looking to breed. Anyway, why doesn't she contact the local Buffalo Kennel Club to see if they have contacts for a Saint club in the area?

I don't have all the details, all I know is that she has always had an interest in showing and has recently taken a particular interest in Saints and has asked me if I could help her gain information on what it takes to show..... As far as a local Buffalo breed club, I haven't be able to locate one just yet.. neither has she... but we are searching..

[sam.i.am]

I apologize if I am remembering this incorrectly, but I seem to remember that you felt that your SIL was not a responsible dog owner in the past. This is the reason I was asking if she was thinking of breeding a breed that she is just now taking an interest in.

[Swissies4Me]

Also, I just re-read your post and realized I may have misunderstood your question and answered incorrectly. For all breeds to finish their CH they have to obtain 15 points with at least 2 majors from 2 different judges. My answer above was explaining how they get the points and that does vary by breed and by state.

[PurpleRaine]

I don't recall ever saying she was an irresponsible owner, I may not agree with some of her past choices and may have vented about them a time or 2 but I wouldn't call her irresponsible... and that I know of she is not looking to breed just show.....

[ToBScholarly]

Erin, who is not on here much but just recently posted pictures of her dogs with flowers petal headbands, lives in Buffalo and is involved with shelters and rescues. She may know of a club through her contacts.

[ShilohsGirlJen]

My reccomendation is to go and watch a few shows. She can find out where they are by checking out the listings on the AKC website. She can walk the area and see what others are doing. I have only showed in Obediance and that takes a lot. She will also need to take conformation classes and basic obedience classes to have a well behaved dog. Not only will she be showing the figure of the dog but should also be showing the correct behavior for the breed and showing that big dogs can be well trained as well as nice looking. It also takes a lot of time and money.

[mezmerelda]

Sam - I felt the need to delete your last post. I do apologize, as I feel your concerns may be a little valid. But I don't want this board to become a drama filled place where we publicly attack people, members or non-members. Many of us are aware of Teresa's history with animals, but I'm not sure that her question justifies your response. I understand you have an issue with her and her credibility here, but it is not the point of the thread. If you want to have that discussion with Teresa or anyone else, please conduct it via PM or email.

To everyone else - I am not 100% comfortable censoring this post. If you have an overwhelming urge to see what was written, please contact me or Sam via PM.

[gotbigdogs]

First off, we started showing dogs with out any intention of ever breeding. We started to show for the fun of it, then to see if our dogs were even WORTHY of breeding. (and the worthiness question doesnt stop at the show ring) Dog shows are essentially evaluating breeding stock against other breeding stock. Showing can also be a lot of fun and I know a ton of people who do it just to do it. I will say showing saints leaves a lot to be desired some days it sucks . There are a ton of politics and a lot of back stabbing a lot of conformation people are not nice. She should get a show quality saint from a reputable breeder... that breeder should mentor her. There is only one NY Saint club and thats the Saint Bernard Cluib of the finger lakes, next closest is my club, New England SBC. Showing is super expensive which makes the politics all the more expensive. To finish a dog show entries have cost us over 2800 not counting gas, hotel, travel time having to do so much traveling for enough points. Majors in Saints are few and far between. If you arent a good handler, you will need a professional handler, they are expesnive too. A lot of judges only put up professional handlers, again with the politics.

I would say attend some all breed dog shows and then attend a specialty... not many specialties up there though. We have 2 in NJ in Sept and 2 in Mass in November. Although we are hosting Nationals in NY next year.

[mezmerelda]

The politics and back stabbing are not unique to Saint shows. That's just something that seems to go with the territory, IMO.

[PurpleRaine]

Thanks for the replies!!!!

[gotbigdogs]

LOL you are correct..

The politics and back stabbing are not unique to Saint shows. That's just something that seems to go with the territory, IMO.

[Lora]

Hence the reason I never tried my hand at it and never will. I would love to but just cant handle the catty BS especially since I'd be paying to have someone be a jerk to me. I can get that for free right here at home

[ShilohsGirlJen]

Even when showing in OBD, I had several people make coments about Lowe. She was not worthy to be showing in their opinion. One person even commented about the fact her eyes were a little off in color. Ok so they may be a shade too light but we were not in a Conf Show Ring. I was asked several times how I got a mutt into the ring. This was before the AKC's change in mixes showing in OBD. People at times were rude and abrupt. They glared and turned their noses up at us. That said I had some really great experiences. I think watching others is very helpful.

[mezmerelda]

Any sort of dog competition is wacky. It kind of reminds me of the shows on TV I've seen about mom's having their girls in beauty pagents when they're 3 or so. It's silly. But at least the dogs don't (usually) go all diva on you. I met some great people while showing Indy my first time. Complete strangers were very supportive and very helpful to me. It was a small showing for Swissies, and the Swissy people that were there (with one exception) were so great with me. The thing is, those people would still be great now. That's the type of people they are.

[ALDOGMOM]

The people I've known over the years that were competitive had thick skin and deep pocketbooks...

I would love to do some obedience with Bogey (especially now that the AKC will let him compete) but I don't have the time to devote to it...