Retired show dog

[WhitherShallIWander]

Has anyone ever adopted a retired bred show dog?

My SIL is thinking of doing this & I never knew it was a thing. Anything I can warn her about? Or just tell her no.

She’s not on here so I’m not worried she’ll see any negative advice & I can let her down gently if necessary.

[SqueakyChicken]

What breed?

Completely depends on who the person is. If they’re a decent show/breeder it will be a win-win. Well socialised dog, friendly, used to different people, other dogs. Bound to be of good type and usually health tested.

On the other hand, if they are “serious”
showers and kennel their dogs, they’re likely to be nervous, skittish and the rest. I rehomed one of these types. She was stained yellow from wee, spent a huge amount of time on her belly and was food aggressive as I think she must have been fed in the kennel with all the other dogs so had to fight for food.

She’s actually turned out to be a lovely dog, but took a bit of work compared to the first type would have been...

[WhitherShallIWander]

Thanks - will pass info on. She’s only thinking of it & will research first (hopefully)

[ScreamingValenta]

I think this would be very breed-dependent. A dog that has been bred to an extreme of its type for show purposes might have health problems associated with the extreme features.

[WhitherShallIWander]

It’s Either a Shih Tzu or a Lhasa I think

[ScreamingValenta]

If it's a Shih Tzu, she should check for any breathing issues caused by the short face.

Lhasas can suffer eye problems but are fairly healthy as far as I am aware.

[WhitherShallIWander]

Great thanks

Will pass on

[tabulahrasa]

“I never knew it was a thing“

It’s not, usually...

So I’d be wondering why they’re not keeping it.

[WhitherShallIWander]

tabula me too. She’s unconcerned but I’m not sure.

[AvocadosBeforeMortgages]

20 ish years ago family got an ex show dog at 18 months old. Breeder was legit, dog was going to go to Crufts but it turned out he hadn't got the aptitude to be a stud dog!

Fantastic dog, temperamentally bomb proof and didn't have anything wrong with him until he died at 14.

We couldn't have had a better experience, but of course that's no guarantee that the dog in question will be similar.

Which dog shows has the dog entered (I'm presuming it's not waggiest tail at the village fete), and why is it being rehomed are two of the questions I'd be asking.

[SlothMama]

If I were her I would go and see the dog in it's environment, see how it interacts with other dogs and people. Some show kennels can be awful at socialising and training for anything other than for the show ring.
Particularly the breeds you've mentioned as they can be very temperamental.

[WhitherShallIWander]

Thank you - good advice. I’ll get to dig a bit more.