The Ring

It's a true testament to genetics but at a glance sometimes I mistake Archer for Halo. He is almost the same height as her and has a much more similar head to her than either of the other dogs. Plus, he can strike a pose in an instant that Leeloo seems inexplicably incapable of (see the coonhound from the other day)and Raimi, while regal eye catching poses are his forte, they *do* have to be from the right angle and trust me ... I edit and deliberately photograph him from his 'good side' as often as possible!




Archer, like Halo, looks so good whenever he stands still that it's hard to take a bad photo of him.It also helps that both Halo and Archer tend to stop and look before moving into action whereas Raimi and Leeloo are act first and deal with the consequences later. This makes catching photographic moments easier with a dog like Halo and subsequently a puppy like Archer. Don't the next two photos smack of the some sort of genetic marvel?



So I look at these photos of Archer, just like any breeder, and think "He will KILL IT in the ring" and then the night before a show the dog you see here will have been replaced by a changeling and I'll end up in the ring with a dog that won't stack, won't let his teeth be examined, won't gait, and, if I'm really lucky, will act like he's never even been on a lead. People practice like crazy with their burgeoning show dog at handling classes and at home with high hopes that the show will come and your perfect show dog will emerge victorious. Bah. Nerves, anxiety, noise, smells, stress, the surface, the light, the people ... all often combine to create a maelstrom of disaster at the end of the lead. Novice owners and handlers have it worst but I am not immune to show ring jitters ... I just I hide it well. Also, I don't really train puppies for the ring. Tut tut tut. I had Archer at the Pictou show and took him in the practice ring a few times, stacked, gaited, had someone examine him a couple times and well ... whatever will be will be.

I have said it before and I'll say it again - too much pressure is put on puppies to finish. Champion puppies will be the end of the breed if it is done for multiple generations. Large breed puppies as babies are *nothing* like their adult selves. Dog shows are to evaluate breeding stock which means breeders who consistently show and finish puppies have had no evaluation for their adult dogs. Some are specialed but most puppy champions are not.

Where does this leave poor little Archer who's first show is in 4 days? Well, he's as ready as I've seen fit to shift my arse to train so ... wish us luck!