# for those like me that dont know much ....



## uniquelovdolce (Mar 10, 2010)

how does your fluff become a show dog? 

what is it to "finish" ?

other than the awards do you get anything else?

what does it mean to stack ? 


just curious :blush:


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

A dog becomes a show dog when someone decides to show him. Usually he's assessed by someone who knows dogs well enough to decide he could be championship worthy and his pedigree is worthy too.
Finishing means to acheive their championship.
Stacking means to stack them on the table or in the ring free standing - so it shows off their outline and head. They are posing.
WHen a dog wins a placement in the ring they get a ribbon, and subsequently more ribbons if they win more that day at that show. Handlers are often given bonuses by the owners/breeders of the dog they are showing for them when they finish or if they go best in show, etc. Handlers are also paid for their grooming and handling. If you show your own dog there is no money usually other than perhaps some cash in a sweepstake at a specialty, but that's not always done.
Sometimes little gifts are given to the winners by the club giving the show.


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## ilovemymaltese (Oct 9, 2008)

Here's my simplified version, I do not show dogs though, so I'm no expert. Maybe someday. LOL

how does your fluff become a show dog? *You buy a show quality dog/puppy from a breeder(lots of $$$$)* 

what is it to "finish" ?* They are finished when they become champions.*

other than the awards do you get anything else? *Sometimes you get money in big time shows if you are Best In Show overall(based on from watching dog shows on the TV) Mostly its for reputable breeders who want to get their breeding stock evaluated(to better the breed) and to get titles on them. But some people do it as a fun hobby too. So, yes, people spend all this money for the love and dedication for the breed.* 

what does it mean to stack ? *Hard for me to explain this with pictures but its for the dog to stand comepletely still with it's back feet slightly more behind the rear to be evaluated by a judge. *

*ETA: It's kind of hard to tell when a maltese is stacked because of all the hair, here's another picture for you: *


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

I'm glad you're asking questions!

When i first joined this site, I was clueless. Knew nothing about the breed or anything - this site was a bad influence, hahaha. A member posted some pics of their show dog and I looked at my pet maltese Lucy and thought 'hmm.. i wonder is she is show quality' She was but I had shaved her at 6 mos and so i needed to regrow her coat. it didn't work out to show her but my 11 year old daughter shows her in junior showmanship and they have done REALLy well (Marina is the #1 maltese junior for 2009) 

Now to your questions (keep in mind I am not an expert and am fairly new to showing/breeding!) 
*how does your fluff become a show dog*? 
Any dog that is AKC registered (with full registration, not limited) is technically 'eligible' to show in conformation showing. To have a nice show dog though, sooo many things need to come together. The bite has to be level or scissor (preferably scissor), proper coat texture (not cottony or curly) good structure is important, tailset, topline, an outgoing temperament, etc etc and so much more. The majority of dogs from backyard breeders/ puppy mills are not usually 'show dogs' since their breeders don't breed to better the breed or are concerned about breeding to the standard. 

To 'be' a show dog, basically you just need to enter them in a show. If you're trying to show a dog though in poor coat condition or too off the standard, some judges WILL excuse you from the ring and not give you a placement. That is never a fun thing!!

Showing is all about evaluating your breeding stock against the standard and other maltese, so you want the best possible example of this. 

*what is it to "finish" ?*
To finish means to get a championship on your dog, you need a certain number of wins against a certain number of competition to have a finished champions. It's 15 pts total with two majors under two different judges. 

*other than the awards do you get anything else?*
No, not really. but you have the satisfaction of knowing that your dog is 'worthy' of being bred, especially if you've won against stiff competition. I just finished my first dog that I bred and showed all by myself, which can be a difficult thing to do. 

*what does it mean to stack ? *

I'd never heard this term either before joining this site!
here is a quick article I found
Conformation Stacking

here are some pictures of my 11 year old daughter showing our first maltese Lucy at the Eukanuba championship in Long Beach










Here she is hand stacking. Lucy is set up squarely so she presents a nice picture









And here she is 'free stacking' Lucy where Lucy is being baited and is watching her, still set up squarely. Lucy is nice and 'square' with a very level topline, so she looks good from a side profile. You want to learn to stack your dog to 'hide' things that aren't their strong points and show case their 'good' points. 

Are you interested in showing? This breed needs new people so let me know if I can help in any way!


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## uniquelovdolce (Mar 10, 2010)

thank u all for ur information ! and for answering my questions soo quickly . im telling u i love this place.. i am not interested in showing , sounds fun i just dont think i would have the time nor doi know if my pup would be worthy lol but i love learning about this... it is fascinating to me , ihave loved maltse since i was a little girl not quite knowing they were maltese. 

tell me something how the do the fluffs learn to behave in the ring . ? they look like pros..
bellaratamaltese ur daughter n her dog look amazing !!


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## Deborah (Jan 8, 2006)

When you got Lucy were you planning on showing her? I ask because one of the first things most people do is to spay their dogs.

I always enjoy your posts about showing.:wub:


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

Deborah said:


> When you got Lucy were you planning on showing her? I ask because one of the first things most people do is to spay their dogs.
> 
> I always enjoy your posts about showing.:wub:


When I got her, no, i had no intentions of showing or even how to find a good breeder, I just lucked out and wound up buying from a good one! she was purchased as a pet with limited registration and I almost bought from a pet store but the one available was on hold for someone. Boy, that was lucky for me!

I got Lucy at 4 mos and had her scheduled to be spayed at 6 or 7 months, but she was sick on spay day so I postponed. At 7 mos, that is when one of our members (mayrie) had her boy Nacho finished and I thought hm... that might be fun. So I held off on spaying her because she was going to be shown. That didn't work out (she started balding) so I had her spayed at about a year old, i think. At 4 mos old, i wouldn't have had her spayed right away, I would have waited a few months. Plus she was tiny when I got her. 

Lucy loves to show and loves the attention, so she is a great dog for Marina to show in juniors. Plus she can hold her own as far as being a lovely example of the breed!  She is non-reactive with other bigger breeds in the ring and focuses on marina (and the bait in her pocket, LOL)


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## Deborah (Jan 8, 2006)

I always thought all dogs could not be altered before being shown. So I learned something new today. Your daughter does so well in the ring.:wub:


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

Deborah said:


> I always thought all dogs could not be altered before being shown. So I learned something new today. Your daughter does so well in the ring.:wub:


For the conformation ring, the dogs are required to be unaltered, but the rules for junior showmanship are a little different. If the dog is eligible for obedience, then they are eligible to show in juniors, where it's the handler that is judged, not the dog. Well, it's supposed to be the junior, LOL. Having a nice dog helps present a prettier package for the judge though, so the dog you are showing does count for something.

I am actually glad that Lucy is spayed since Juniors cannot show a dog in junior showmanship who is in heat. This way, we don't have to worry about it! 

Marina definitely outhandles me now - and that is fine with me, LOL!


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## Cosy (Feb 9, 2006)

Debbie, they cannot be spayed or neutered for confirmation, but in Juniors it's really the handler being judged so the dogs can be spayed/neutered.


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

Conformation is the only part of the dog show where they cannot be spayed or neutered. In addition to Juniors competition, AKC shows also include obedience and rally-o, or agility and earth dog and all those other events. In fact, it isn't even necessary to have an original AKC registration certificate at all to compete in those other events. AKC rules allow dogs with an unknown pedigree (such as rescue dogs) to compete in all of the following AKC events, with a special registration number called the ILP (indefinite listing privilege): 

Agility Trials 
Obedience Trials 
Tracking Tests 
Herding Tests & Trials 
Earthdog Trials 
Hunt Tests 
Lure Coursing
Junior Showmanship 

In order to obtain an ILP #, you must provide a statement from your vet that your dog has been spayed or neutered. You also must provide pictures to prove your dog is the breed you are applying for.


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## uniquelovdolce (Mar 10, 2010)

interesting ! thanks for answering my questions


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## mi_ku_5 (Jun 2, 2008)

Not to be argumentative but can't dogs shown in the veteran's class be altered? I believe they have to be Champions as well. So if bought a retired show/breeding dog and wanted to show it just for fun, you could do so in the veteran's class?


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

mi_ku_5 said:


> Not to be argumentative but can't dogs shown in the veteran's class be altered? I believe they have to be Champions as well. So if bought a retired show/breeding dog and wanted to show it just for fun, you could do so in the veteran's class?


Oooh, good post and good question. This answer is partially true. Here is the line from the rule book:

_Neutered dogs and spayed bitches would be allowed to compete in Veterans Classes only at independent specialties and/or those all-breed shows
which do not offer any competitive classes beyond Best of Breed._

In other words, at most shows it would not be possible to show in veterans class if the dog were altered. Also, it is possible to show in veterans with a non-champion. 

Veterans class is not something I am very familiar with, so there may be someone who has more experience who can explain it better.


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## Rocky's Mom (Apr 10, 2010)

uniquelovdolce said:


> how does your fluff become a show dog?
> 
> what is it to "finish" ?
> 
> ...


Great question...I learned a lot too!


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## mi_ku_5 (Jun 2, 2008)

CloudClan said:


> Oooh, good post and good question. This answer is partially true. Here is the line from the rule book:
> 
> _Neutered dogs and spayed bitches would be allowed to compete in Veterans Classes only at independent specialties and/or those all-breed shows_
> _which do not offer any competitive classes beyond Best of Breed._
> ...


Thank you so much for the reply! Do group shows go beyond Best of Breed? I'm just wondering what shows those would be besides specialties. I'm guessing "independent specialties" would be those that aren't held at the same time as an all breed show?


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## Delilahs Mommy (Nov 22, 2009)

Great post and info!! I learned a lot too!


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## lilygirl (Jul 7, 2010)

Who did you take Lucy to when you wanted to find out if she was worthy? My daughter is begging to show Lily. I am concerned she might be young at 9. havent done any kind of showing before so all the info is great.


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

lilygirl said:


> Who did you take Lucy to when you wanted to find out if she was worthy? My daughter is begging to show Lily. I am concerned she might be young at 9. havent done any kind of showing before so all the info is great.


9 is when my daughter Marina started -it's a great age, IMO. juniors is TOUGH and I was glad she started at the bottom of the age requirement. It has taken her a few years to get it, showing wise. The older the kids get, the tougher the competition seems to get!

When I first decided I wanted to show Lucy, it wasn't for juniors but for conformation. To be evaluated for show, I took her to the breeder who owned her sire but I'd had her shaved so we had to wait for her coat to regrow. 

My suggestion would be to find a show in your area and see if there are any maltese entered, then go and talk to them, and maybe take your girl and see if they can look her over for you. 

how old is your pup? In juniors, the dogs don't have to be show quaality, although it helps to present a nice pretty picture.

let me know if you need anymore help with this! There aren't many maltese junior handlers, so it's always nice to have more out there!


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## spookiesmom (Mar 28, 2010)

If I'm not mistaken the rules have changed and an altered dog can go in the conformation ring. I'm thinking the first of July changed.

There are other fun things to do with your dog, obedience, agility, talley. Again you do it for the fun of it, you can earn titles and ribbons, at the least spend some quality time with your baby and meet other doggy people


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## spookiesmom (Mar 28, 2010)

Oops! I meant ralley


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