To rant about Crufts?

[GreenSnot]

I want to rant about Crufts.

Firstly - the judging. Every year the judging is completely biased. Yesterday in the working group when the judge was introduced as a breeder of Samoyed dogs I said to DH immediately “the winner will be a husky type dog”. Sure enough, the winner was the Siberian husky with a similar husky type dog coming second. I think it was the Scottish terrier a few years ago where the breeder was introduced as a breeder of Scottish terriers - of course the Scottish terrier won. It’s ridiculous and so fucking obvious!! I’m in a lot of Facebook dog breed groups and they were all saying which dogs would win the various groups as it goes by who the judge is, who they know and who is friends with who. They were all right! The dogs who they said would win, won. Will the bias and unfair judging ever stop??

2nd point - why the fuck do handlers drag their dogs around by pulling on their necks making the dog run in a stupid unnatural gait? Surely the whole point is to see how the dog moves naturally? Yesterday behind us a husky was choking due to the way it’s neck was being pulled and the Dobermanns were running around looking like they were being literally hung. Why don’t they let them move naturally?! Surely that’s the whole point??

3rd point - still ridiculous levels of sloping backs on the German shepherds making their gait look like the dog is lame. Will this ever stop?!

AIBU? Anyone that agrees with the way crufts works please inform me of why I’m wrong!

I'm very torn about the KC. It could be an incredible, open-minded force for good if it unglued itself from firstly some of the breed standards (or habits of judging) which result in dogs that are just not functional and who suffer as a result, and secondly gave up on closed studbooks and allowed much more outcrossing. Breeds are great for predictability of size, coat, temperament and working ability (provided the dogs are still bred with the last two in mind, and not just for appearance).

Currently, the best thing the KC does is maintain pedigrees. This is very helpful for breeding decisions (to avoid inbreeding and to look for certain traits) and for knowing what lines (and thus what possible traits) are in your puppy.

@Flapjacker48

"The posters spouting the crufts and kennel club propaganda may wish to apply to Putin's cabinet ASAP."

Love this!

I agree OP. And why does KC encourage the breeding of sloped-backed GSD? It looks awful

[quote EdithStourton]@MrsLegend
She wouldn't know
You'd be surprised. To a dog, a certain pattern of preparation tells them what is in the offing. My dogs knows the difference between me getting ready for a walk and going for a long training session. I think the older one has also worked out the difference between training session prep and prep for going beating.[/quote]
I read that as your dog knows the difference between training prep and getting a beating

[quote MrsLegend]@DogsNotMen

*Crufts is an amazing experience, I would recommend going and you will change your mind. The dogs are so loved, and most dogs love showing. One of mine would be horrified if I left her behind.
*
Ha ha! Are you serious? She's a dog. She is not going to be horrified if you didn't take her to Crufts. She wouldn't know!!!!![/quote]
If they were getting other dogs ready to be shown they would. One of my dogs knows if I'm leaving for work at the office or working in the warehouse, I have no idea what signs I give off but somehow he reads me. He likes coming to work in the office and dislikes the warehouse and on warehouse days he refuses to leave the house. He reads me in a way I don't understand.

Regards Cruffs I think heath implications need to be prioritised more. But these fashionable cross breeds have more issues

My dog knows whether we’re going for a walk or not depending on what I wear. She used to bring me her collar but then she figured out that bringing me my waterproof boots stood a better chance of getting her wishes communicated.

We should be there today. I’m gutted to miss it.
Yes there are rubbish (biased) judges. Yes there are some handlers who don’t show as I would like (on a loose lead)
The KC needs an overhaul. The breed standards and health tests required to breed need looking at. They should do much more to promote good practice and shut down puppy farmers. They won’t. It’s just a money machine.

My girl knows the show bag. If that came out and she wasn’t put in the car there would be no calming her down. I said to her this morning “trot trot” which is what I say to her before we move in the ring and her ears pricked up.

She would know trust me

@Newfluff "If they were getting other dogs ready to be shown they would. One of my dogs knows if I'm leaving for work at the office or working in the warehouse, I have no idea what signs I give off but somehow he reads me. He likes coming to work in the office and dislikes the warehouse and on warehouse days he refuses to leave the house. He reads me in a way I don't understand."

Awww 😊

Ours used to love walks and rush to the door whenever you were going out, BUT he absolutely knew the days when he had groomers or vet appointments (which he hated equally) even though we avoided using any words that would give it away. On the days of the appointments he would hide from us and no amount of convincing him that we were just going for an ordinary walk could fool him

I'm surprised. I thought crufts had been discontinued years ago

Ours used to love walks and rush to the door whenever you were going out, BUT he absolutely knew the days when he had groomers or vet appointments (which he hated equally) even though we avoided using any words that would give it away

Exactly some dogs are so clever, I've done the same tried to think in my head I'm going to the office, I wear the same clothes, take the same stuff but he knows, there is obviously something I do without realising that means he knows.

( some because his sister is the complete opposite)