[JeanieK]

Originally Posted by Woogie Man

I don't mean to imply that the show world is full of sub-standard dogs, but I think the focus has become skewed towards the 'beauty pageant' aspect of it. As a result, you have people enhancing dogs, hiring well-known handlers and shopping for venues to get points. It's called politics, but it really does seem more like a silly game,

If you looked at the part I copied from the Polish K.C., you'll see that a dog can be judged to be excellent and not win a title. This could happen in a field of very strong competition. While the dog may not 'win', consistent 'excellent' gradings would, in my mind, validate a breeding program. It shouldn't be all about the 'win' at any cost. If a dog can't be shown in it's natural state with good competiton and do well, then that owner is only fooling him/her self.

Unfortunately, the American system is set up for one to have to 'play the game' in order to do well. This is sad as I see it as detrimental to any breed. A cynic could say that championships are questionable under a such a system as ours and that is unfair to the truly great dogs being shown.

One other thing...did you notice that, under the FCI system, a health certificate must be presented before showing any dog?

Very well put.