The American Beagler Forum

Ok This is a Question that i have wanted to ask for awhile now.
How do the show folks feel about Championing a dog out before they are a year old???
This is why I am asking. I aint tryin to step on anyones Toes or be an a$$ BUT i have seen more and more young dogs finishing thier tiltles before they are a year old and A LOT of them LOOk like Crap at 1 1/2 to 2 years old.
If anyone has been around hounds for awhile they know what I am talking about!!! you know that little bitch that had the great movement last year and then you see her again and her front has fell out or the angles have finally developed and you can see that she elbows out paddles ect.
or that nice little male that was at such and such show finished with three majors in a mo and you see him a year later and caint believe its the same dog!!! Do you all believe we should have 2 CH classes a puppy and then an adult?
The reason I am askin is that a lot of dogs are gettin thier CH and you go to look to maybe consider doin a breeding! get there or see a pic and kindly BOW OUT Or folks are buying these champions for breeding stock and thinking they are getting a SHOW quality dog when in reality they are not any better than some mature PET quality dogs.
So What say yall.
TC

Regretfully, I agree with you. AND,,,, Beagles in particuler have this problem.
I can also remember the day when no judge in their right mind would put up a dog that wasn't at least a year old.

tom

I would agree too. Championships should not be given until 2 years old. Don't know how you would get that changed though. Lots of pepole would fight over this! I also think a working and confirmation title should be looked for. That would really be a challenge to the status quo. Carolyn

I would like to see ONE major have to be earned at 18 months or older to finish a dog.

Honey Pot Hounds wrote:I would like to see ONE major have to be earned at 18 months or older to finish a dog.

Now I LIKE that idea!!!!!
Now here is another ? for you.
Do you think that if we as Beagle owners were to Petition our AKC rep We could get something like this going? I bet Hunters And Trialers outnumber the Show folks 3 to 1
Maybe if enough members were to contact Eddie Dziuk Delegate to the AKC .????????????????? Aint this how you go about making a Rule change?
I personally think you would start seeing a lot better Dogs in the ring!!
Maybe later we could ACTUALLY start educating Some of the Judges on PROPER conformation to!!!!
Oh Well probably just another pipe Dream!!!
But then again So was Movin to KY
And I am just takin a break from loadin the truck!!!!

Do you think that if we as Beagle owners were to Petition our AKC rep We could get something like this going

Nooooooooooo,, need to petition the NBC, not AKC.
A change of that nature has to come from the breed clubs.

tom

We have a female show champion that is 9 yrs old, and finished before she was a year old,that can still go around the ring and stack herself like she did when she was a year old.

To me, if you have a dog with the proper CONFORMATION it makes no difference if you finish it at 6 months or 6 years of age.
The only way the conformation will change is if the dog gets hurt or has some kind of illiness. Dogs can fall apart if they do not have good conformation to begin with or are not taken good care of.
If I have a dog that finished before a year old, and I might have one right now, I may go ahead and special the dog.

There is a difference between show quality and pet quality at any age!
If you finish a dog at 6 months, it does not mean the older it gets it will become pet quality dog, unless it gets hurt or becomes ill.