Today's Dog Show Lesson
First there are many classes divided by sex with one winner from each class and division.
Then all the winners and seconds go back to the ring:
WD - winner's dog - the best male picked from the winners
WB - winner's bitch - the best female picked from the winners
R - reserves - 2nd best of each sex (two ribbons)
BOW - best of winners - the best of the two winners
Then the WD and WB go back to the ring with all the champions:
BOB - best of breed - the best dog of that breed in the show
BOS - best opposite sex - the 2nd best is picked from the sex opposite that of the winner
There is also a BPY but I don't know what it is yet - maybe best puppy.
July 2002
This was our first show - on our own turf at Longview - and I had no idea what I was doing. (I still don't but I don't think it shows as much.) We won two points by the skin of our teeth.
December 2002
It has been six months since our first show and I have been been so busy with "odd" happenings in my life, we have not been able to attend any shows. I entered a show in Gonzales, LA, for the Pearl River Club in December but was unable to attend. It worked out okay as Oak was the only IW entered. We still have two points from our first show.
January 2003
We attended the Nolan River show in Glen Rose, Texas. My brother told me to drive west until I get sleepy then drive about two hours more. It's kinda funny, I just realized I have never been to Dallas and I have never been farther west than I-35. I've lived in Texas all my life. It's just too darned big.
My brother decided to go with me to the show. His 8 year old daughter lives in Waxahachie so we stopped for her and drove on out to Cleburne to the motel. I don't know what I was expecting, but I did NOT expect the place to be full of dogs!
The pine trees end before you get to I-45 and then the land is pretty much flat for quite some time. This is the first time I ever went down Texas' escarpment. The land suddenly drops hundreds of feet. Since it was night I could see millions of lights, the suburbs of Dallas and Forth Worth.
We had to be ringside at 9 Saturday morning so we got up early and drove to the county expo center at Glen Rose. It was a pretty day and the expo center is big for such a small town. We had one dog and two bitches in regular classes with one dog and one bitch champions. We made it through our open class (alone again) and then didn't get the the BOW so no point. Omigosh, back at the motel I realized we got the BOS! A point!
On Sunday afternoon, Oak was bad in the ring and tried to run from the judge. I was mortified. After we made Oak stand still and let the judge touch him, I had to take him around the ring again. I bent over and hugged him for a few moments, spoke softly and told him he was a good, good boy. It is our way of smoothing rumpled feathers. When I stood again and told him to move out, he performed perfectly. The judge told me that he was awarding the ribbon in spite of Oak's behavior and I think that embarassed me the most. We got the BOW and the BOS! Oh, we were the only male, the other one was absent. We now have four points.
February 2003
Our third show was Southeast Arkansas at Pine Bluff. My uncle went to this show with me and did all the driving. Both days were morning classes. Southwest Arkansas looks much the same as East Texas, tall pines and winding roads.
Upon arriving at the convention center we noticed jet trails all over the sky. A few minutes after we entered the building an announcement was made about the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster. The jet trails were the result of so many military craft being in the area. That evening we learned that the shuttle pieces fell heavily in our own neck of the woods.
This event turned out to be a major, two dogs and eight bitches. On Saturday, Oak growled at Charger and I put him in a corner for five minutes! I told him he was the worst dog I ever met and he believed me. We left with the Reserve and I was so disappointed. My boy IS the best! Maybe I should not have told him he was horrible. On the up side, he has never growled at another dog.
Sunday was different. We won the class AND the BOW! A FOUR point major, that brings us to eight points. For the first time, I feel good about showing my farm dog.
March 2003
Ft. Worth was heartbreaking. The judge didn't even look at us after I spent a fortune having Oak professionally groomed. He was stripped and clipped and polished and beautiful and lost. There were eight dogs and eight bitches, another FOUR point major for the boys. Our old pal Charger got the points.
Sunday only had seven dogs and eight bitches, down to three points. (Charger was a new champion and did not show in Open.) Oak got 2nd out of two and we tucked our tails and went home.
Fort Worth was such an ego smash that I did not attempt another show until the fall. Knowing what I do now, I should not have given up so easily.
September 2003
Our first time outdoors was the Tyler show, just up the road at Canton and Jack went with us on Saturday. The hounds were shown outside and everyone else got to stay in the A/C. We were really shocked when we realized that this show would be a major if everyone attended. Everyone did. On Saturday, there were six males, three females, no champions - ANOTHER four point major for the boys. We got 2nd out of three and Reserve.
On Sunday, Jack had to work and missed Oak getting his second major. We also got a BOS! Oh, we were the only male, okay. Up to twelve points now, only three to go.
November 2003
The Cen-Tex show at Waco was a lot closer than I thought. It only took about 2-1/2 hours to get there. Class was not until after lunch so we left early Saturday morning. Three dogs attended but two were puppies and we won everything. Our first BOB, I'll take it anyway.
Group was awful. I've never been in group and only watched it once. Oak got a treat from the lady behind us and then wouldn't stay in place, he wanted another. I couldn't watch the judge and him at the same time and I missed seeing her first cut. I left the ring with everyone else in case she had dismissed us. I hope I never have to go to group again. We did get a point.
On Sunday, we added Sallee to the contest and we got the BOS. One of the puppies did the splits in his class and the owner asked to be excused. The pup was fine but it was scary seeing him fall like that. He missed the mat completely and slid on the polished floor. We got another point - only one more point to go! I wish there were more majors available here.
February 2004
Dad volunteered to go to the Faith City show with us and he bought a camcorder to film it. I was so excited because there would be two dogs and two bitches - good for a point each day. It's a long drive from here to Wichita Falls. Dallas on a Friday night is no place to be but Dad insisted we go that way. It's funny, when I take someone with me, they always know a better way and it takes forever. I pick the shortest route even if it means slower speeds.
When I saw the competition on Saturday, my heart sank. I could not have picked Oak over this puppy. He was barely 18 months old, still a little uncoordinated, and HUGE. He's still the biggest IW I have seen in person. I bet he weighed at least 150 pounds and wasn't finished filling out. He made Oak look like a puppy. Aside from his size, he was also a pretty boy, a nice light red wheaten (strawberry blonde comes to mind). We got 2nd both days and the other two boys won once each. Sallee got the BOB both days. I am fond of Sallee because she has been at all the same shows and I was present at both her majors. She's a champion now, we still have to get another point.
April 2004
The Royal Casino Cluster in Bossier City, LA, is even closer than Waco. Dad and I drove over there Saturday morning for our late morning class. Three dogs and three bitches - no champions - good for two points. Oak fairly dragged me into the ring, I think he was in a hurry to get it over with. The girls didn't get to attend and the other two boys were puppies. We got everything - another BOB and our last points. Oak had become a champion in 15 shows. I did NOT go to group. I know it's bad etiquette but I just didn't have the nerve for it. I was ecstatic that Oak got his championship.
Summary
We got four BOS ribbons and two BOBs. Both BOBs came from shows with no champions and no bitches. Our first major came from beating one dog in our open class and getting the BOW over a bitch. Our second was won by beating two dogs in our open class and two puppies in the winners class. In 15 shows, we came home with no wins 5 times, just default ribbons because there weren't enough dogs to get them. In all, this doesn't say much for the Oak dog but we'll take it.
Remarks
I have tried to keep this light-hearted and amusing. I LOVE Irish wolfhounds. I read about them, study pedigrees, look up diseases and defects that appear in them, and generally revere them. I promised myself that if I got a dog and did not neuter it, I would show it. Oak could have gotten his championship much faster if I had been able to do my part. I am somewhat clumsy and extremely shy and infinitely lazy. Now that I have several shows under my belt, I hope my next experiences in the ring will be smoother. I know what to expect and maybe I will not hyperventilate should I ever find myself in group again.
I will be getting a new bitch puppy in the spring. Oak will be almost six then and I am already worrying about losing him. The new puppy will help when it is time for him to go to the Bridge. I have always said that Manny was my hearthound, that Oak could not take his place. Oak has made his own place in my heart. Move over Manny, there is room for two.