Pekingese???

[elleng]

Thats a DOG???
(Sorry, folks.)

[GoCubsGo]

1. Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that.

I was pulling for the German shepherd or the Dobie--or any of the other big dogs. It was disappointing to see that the caterpillar with teeth won.

[elleng]

2. First beautiful prancing dogs really got my attention,

GSD, Dalmation, Irish, Dobie. Liked the Kerry Blue too.

[kas125]

3. Nope, if it weighs less than my cat, it's not a dog. But did you see this guy?

His story is amazing - http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/02/dog-goes-from-craigslist-to-westminster/

[elleng]

4. Thanks; missed that story.

Handsome!

[ceile]

7. Wonderful!

Great story!

[Curmudgeoness]

14. What a happy story! Why am I crying?

What an incredible dog!!! And what an incredible doggie daddy!!!

That dog was the saddest looking dog in the "before" pictures....he looked so miserable. But not anymore!

Wow!

[TorchTheWitch]

5. Most of the time I can't figure out what the judges are thinking

This was really the first time I think I can remember though that I just couldn't pick a favorite out of all the Akitas. There was one or two that I wasn't all that thrilled with, but for the most part they were all pretty much equally wonderful to me.

Usually when it comes to Best of Group or Best in Show I just can't figure out what the judges are looking at. Seems like my thinking and whatever the judges are thinking are totally opposite.

[elleng]

8. Its conformity to the Standards of the breed,

and there's too much involved with that for mere spectators to 'get it.'

[TorchTheWitch]

10. well, there's a lot more involved with that

Which makes the difference between a champion show dog and one that isn't. Movement, temperment and "style" are also key. If the dog trots about lazily, doesn't look like they're either interested or even payng attention it isn't going to matter how much their body type conforms to the standards of the breed. It's often this kind of stuff that puzzles me as to what they're thinking in chosing one breed of dog over another. Frankly, I thought that Peke looked like the laziest and most unexciting of the bunch competing in Best in Show, so I can't for the life of me figure out how it was chosen. And with such hairy breeds how can they even decern movement to begin with... they can't even see what their legs are doing.

And if the better dogs are supposed to be the ones that conform to the standards of the breed, then what's with all the topiary shaving, ribbons and bows, etc.? If the dog is supposed to look like that then why permit all this to be done to them rather than breeding them that way? For example, if the standards of the breed require a short tail, why is it permitted to acquire a short tail by cutting it off? If the standards of the breed require topiary hair then why is it permitted to have it cut that way? For a lot of reasons, breed standards are rather nuts with a lot of breeds.

I don't know. I often just don't get the whole showing thing at all sometimes.

[elleng]

11. I think 'standards' include 'attitude,' as well as mere physical conformity.

Note here, my family's dog/breed:

http://www.akc.org/breeds/bedlington_terrier/

Selecting Best of Show from among Bests of Breeds is, I'm sure, a very difficult task.

[Curmudgeoness]

13. I had a friend who showed dogs,

and there are so many hidden agendas involved. Judges all have certain dogs that they are partial to, even though they are supposed to be unbiased. I know that they would want to know who was judging before they even decided whether to attend some shows, since some of the judges would never be fair to their breed. Judges also like certain people who show dogs, and will show preferences to those people.

And it isn't always all the dog that is judged. If the person showing the dog doesn't have a "certain look", the dog suffered. This was years ago, and I remember that men would often do better with the judges than women. I don't know how it goes today, but I am sure there are still all these factors that have nothing to do with the dog.

[TheCruces]

15. As far as I'm concerned the whole conformation dog show needs a major overall

If not to be absolutely gotten rid of.

http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/pedigree-dogs-exposed/

It's based on the British Kennel Club, but the AKC is no better. These dogs are at best watered down and useless at their original purpose and at worst absolutely crippled (GSD, English Bulldog, etc).

[ceile]

6. I know!!!

The dobie was all over that. Thought for sure she'd(?) take it.

[Coyote_Bandit]

9. Yes!

Peke's are great dogs.

I dated someone for a long time that had a couple of peke's - as did the parents. Gentle but spirited dogs with the most expressive faces. They had theirs groomed and trimmed regularly and they did not otherwise require a great deal of grooming.

I had hoped the wirehair dachshund would take best in show.

[elleng]

12. Happy to see this, the 3d pro-Peke post I've seen.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

16. I love Pekes

They're very spirited dogs - very protective of their person. They are great lap dogs. I adopted one from a co-worker about 15 years ago knowing nothing about the breed. I got involved in Peke Rescue while looking for another one to adopt. My first one went to the Rainbow Bridge several years ago. The 2 I have now don't look anything like Malachi other than having long hair