A question for all the people that show Yorkies
 

I recently went to a dog show and couldn't wait for the Yorkies to come up. While I was waiting I wanted to walk around and ask some general questions to the people that were showing their Yorkies. I was close to 2 1/2 hours early because I didn't want to bother anyone while they were trying to get their dog ready. I approached the first lady that was in the process of putting a top knot in and asked her if I could ask her a few questions about putting in a top knot and watch her. She told me to go watch the S***zu*** people because they put their top knots in the same way. She wasn't very nice and I was so embarrassed I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me.


My question is to the people that show.....is it considered rude if someone comes up and asks a question well before you are due in the ring? How do you handle people that want to ask a general question about your dog?

Sadly, it depends on who you approach. Many of the "Professional Handlers" can be very rude. They often have many dogs of different breeds they're obligated to show that they're paid to do and don't take the time to be kind to mentor anyone. The owner/handlers are much friendlier and don't mind talking to people or giving advice. That's not to say all professional handlers or owner/handlers can't be snobs too !! Look for friendly faces. The best time to approach these people is after ring time.

I wondered if my timing was off and I should have approached her after the ring. She had 2 Yorkies to show and maybe she was stressed out. I just didn't get a friendly vibe from her after I opened my mouth. She was an owner/handler and her husband was helping her. I probably won't try talking to anyone like that again.

My DBF, Galen and I went to a show yesterday. We had a great time. I went to see the Biewers. It was great and the ladies were wonderful. I learned so much. . . Thank you ladies !!!

And my DBF went around and talked to everyone . . . And I mean everyone. . . Not one person was mean. And he even messed up a BRT face a little. The breeder was like don't worry about it. The dog seemed to love him lol So I guess it depends on the person, I think. And trust me he asks lots of questions and so do I.

I don't show at all but can imagine how I might feel under the circumstances you described but just ignore my comments if you prefer as I don't qualify. I imagine the dog handler was working, perhaps professionally on the job if she were hired to show another person's dog, very tense, hurried and maybe she felt bad or something and was "in the own zone" with her dog but to be frankly rude at a bench show is wrong, as is rudeness almost all the rest of the time - unless someone says something very ugly to you first. I thought a bench show was to encourage people coming up and asking questions!!! Still, I probably wouldn't have approached a handler actively prepping their dog before a show. I'd maybe wait until they were done and maybe just standing around and ask if I could get a lesson later or something.

People showing their dogs have lots going on at the time of a show and if probably is not a great time to chat. They have a great deal invested and may be very goal directed at the time.

Might be better to try to talk to show folks that live in your area at times other than at shows.

Hopefully some of the YT people who show will join this forum and give you more information.

I don't think it's rude but I've always heard to wait until after the show. Being relatively new to the ring (been showing for a couple of years now), I get really nervous before the show. Trying to get the top knot up, trying to keep your dog still while doing it. It can all be a little stressful. I still always try to be kind to others but some people might be so stressed out that they have a hard time. Or maybe you just ran into someone who wasn't very nice. I wouldn't give up but I'd probably give people some space and just watch until after the show.

The only reason I picked her out to talk to was because the other people hadn't shown up yet and she was putting a top knot in. I asked her if she minded if I watched her put in the top knot and that is when she told me to go watch the S***zu people because they put their knots in the same way. Maybe she was nervous putting in a top knot....I don't know.....maybe she just didn't like me coming up at that time. I will probably not try to talk to anyone again at a show. I'll play it safe from now on and get my information from YT.


I will say that I sat about 20 feet from her and watched her from a distance put the knot in and she was yaking it up with other people around her and didn't seemed stressed at all.

Now we get more of the story from you it sounds as if she just didn't want to demonstrate the topknot to you or talk to you. Maybe the others she was talking with were acquaintances or other handlers and she felt comfortable with them or maybe she was just a rude person to selective people or didn't like a stranger approaching her. Who can know why people do what they do?

Jeanie, this has been bothering me since Saturday. I guess I need to just let it go.


I am normally a shy person and it takes a lot for me to approach someone I don't know and begin a conversation. The next time I go to a dog show I will try a different approach and try to ask any questions after the show. I didn't even get a chance to tell her how cute her Yorkies were and good luck to her showing.

I know how you feel - I'm shy and I hate rude people but sometimes you just never can know what makes them act the way they did w/out knowing their situation. Maybe she just found out she has a dread disease and is scared witless or her kid is getting in trouble at school and failing or her husband lost his job the day before or told her he's leaving her. When people are rude to me, I try to cut them some slack and wonder what they might be dealing with where possible. It's easier on me. But if they keep up the rudeness or get ugly, I usually answer back in kind.

I do think that it is best after the showring to have a chat. There are some such seasoned exhibitors that they don't feel nervous at all, but I think for the most part many of us (including me) suffer from nervousness before the showring. How-ever there are kinder ways of handling the situation of course!

A compliment first about their dog is almost always appreciated. Make it sincere and honest! Stand back from their dog if there is space try not to stand in front of the dog, but by the handler/groomers side. Some common sense other practicalities, if the groomer is ironing the coat don't take this time to try to strike up a conversation, their focus and eyes, need to be on what they are doing. If you see that the dog is becoming agitated by your presence then gracefully exit with a cheery good luck in the ring. Such as tossing their head, moving the head around to see you, shifting their feet etc.

LOL so what did you think about the BRT? Was this a UKC show? Do you remember the dogs name or the breeders name?

From my limited show experience and from hanging out with some of the best exhibitors, here's my take. I don't think asking questions is necessarily rude, but it can be very distracting. It might be better to just find a point - not too close - where you can watch unobtrusively.

Grooming for shows is serious business. You have your few minutes in the ring to exhibit the dog that you have spent hours, months, years growing, grooming, etc. Many breeders are so focused on their dog(s) that they just don't have the time or patience to talk to visitors before their dog goes into the ring. And if they win their class, then the re-grooming starts for the next class, group, etc. All of the hurry up and wait that occurs during dog shows is exhausting for both the exhibitor and the dog. And if they don't win their class, either they are focusing on the competition, reviewing what the judge likes for future reference and/or they are packing up to leave.

I guess the best way to approach an exhibitor is by admiring their pooch, asking if you can take a picture (shoot we all like to have our dogs admired). Shoot, I love the breed and will talk to anyone anytime, but that's just me. However, I will never ever disclose the little grooming secrets entrusted to me. Some of those "secret" techniques learned over the years by trial and error mean the difference between winning and losing in the ring and it took a long time to earn the trust of my exhibitor friends.

For many of us showing is a hobby, for others it is SERIOUS business, attaining the #1 Yorkie being the ultimate goal. The former are more likely to talk to you. Those in the latter group have so much time and $$ invested that they can't afford distractions that may cost them a class.

If what has been told to you was told in confidence "ie never tell this practice" then of course you are honor bond to uphold the confidence.

But if not, then you share as you wish. I for one, even if it might mean my competitor could equalize an advantage I might have, will always share my knowledge, such as it is. There is so much to learn just watching handling from the ringside, of course that is not grooming, but it is a very important faucet of showing, that I have learnt and seen for myself some of the "tricks" of the trade.

For me good sportsmanship includes teaching those newbies to the ring and making them feel welcome. They are after all the future of our sport.