2 July 2006 - SKC Dog Show!

It is my bulldog's second show and after 2 months of show training, we are hoping that he is ready. Then a couple of days before, noticed that there are bald patches appearing on his body and it seemed to get worse. So saturday, brought him to the vet and found out he got Demodex! It is a kind of mite problem which is no contagious but is hereditary. There is no definite cure, the only way is for increase his immunity system so that the body can kill the mites off themselves! Damn! and the show is tomorrow! So after the vet, was advised by Carole to seek advise from a professional expertise. Very bad comments, saying his condition quite bad and so on and so forth. So we decided to go back to our show advisor so see since he is the person who imported the dog and been guiding us in the show preparation and training.

met him late at night and after viewing Julio, he said it looks better than he expected and he mentioned that it is possible to hide them with a bit of make-up.

So next day, went to Singapore Expo about 9am and was quite anxious.

The first show was by a Japanese judge. She seems to like Julio. Since Julio is the only Bulldog puppy so naturally it is a walkover to get Best Puppy in Breed.

However was a bit disappointed that we could not get Best in Breed overall as there is another competitor which is a mature Bulldog. And I heard that dog was awarded Best in Show before!

Then, the surprising thing is, since Julio is Best Puppy in Breed, then he is set to compete in Best Puppy in Group Stage, which is all the Best Puppy in Breed from the Utility group compete for the Best Puppy in Group. There were altogether 3 competitors, Julio, a Chow Chow and a Shih Tzu. Guess what? Julio got Best Puppy in Group!! This is a massive encouragement! Cos then he will need to stay the whole day to compete in Best Puppy in Show!

Anyway, there are 2 show going concurrently, one by the Japanese judge and one by an Australian judge.

Ok, for those who are unfamiliar with Dog Shows. Let me try to explain. Hope I get it right, else those show enthusiast will blast me! Dog show is like a beauty contest. Every dog breed has what we call a Breed standard, which is the best template of a dog for that breed. In the show, judges will based on their knowledge of that particular breed standard to judge and rate which dog is closest to that standard. It is subjective though cos there is no judge that is an expert in all breeds.

So the judging starts with the handler "stacking" the dog. Stacking means positioning the dog in its best standing posture. The judge will look for bone structure, shape and aligement of body, limbs, face, etc.

Next, the judge will look at the face closely and the teeth. Different dog breeds have different jaw set, depending on the function of the dog. If the dog is aggressive or shy and does not want to show their teeth, it is considered an disadvantage and points will be deducted.

Then the judge will feel the body for proportionment of the bone structure, limbs, etc. If it is a male, the judge will also feel the testicles for 2 descended testicles. Anyone missing is considered a fault as well.

Lastly, the handler will move the dog around the ring so look at the movement. As usual, different dog has different movement requirements.

So for the Australian judge, Julio only got Best Puppy in Breed. So as I say before, different judge has different opinions.

Maybe one of the reason is that the other bulldog competitor is already an adult and proven winner so sometimes judges doesn't want to take risk to award a puppy better than a mature dog??!!?

Anyway, it has been a motivating and enlightening experience so definitely you will be seeing more of Julio in the SKC shows in the future!

Below are some misc pics of him during the waiting time throughout the day. As you can see, other than those short time of showing, which is about 15-30 mins per show. Other than that, it is waiting and waiting and...

And more waiting....................................

And more waiting..............................................

and more waiting....................................................................................................................