Bulldogsworld.com presents
We welcome Judge Chris Neilson to the site for some "ask a judge questions". Chris is a licensed all breed judge and a Bulldog Breeder..
Among his accomplishments and under the kennel prefix Comepatabull Bulldogs, he has shown, bred and handled bulldogs to #1 in Canada,
1991,1992,1997,1998,1999,2000,2006.
He is also the President of The Confederation Bulldog Club in Ontario as well as President of The Ontario Breeders Association. He has agreed to generously offer to this site views for you all and can offer two opinions to bulldoggers, one as an all breed judge, and one as a Bulldog breeder judge. Chris has judged The New Jersey Bulldog Specialty, The Forth Worth Bulldog Club Specialty, all breed shows in Dallas, Bloomsburg, PA, Lansing, Michigan, Wisconsin, every province in Canada except Newfoundland, Australia including a Bulldog Specialty, and China. So please feel free to ask any serious question you may have. So ask your question as it relates to showing and a judges point of view.
Please feel free to click here and ask your question for the Judge to answer. You will remain fully Anonymous. Check back at a later date to see if your question is posted.
Volume 14 - September 2008
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Back to Bulldogsworld.com - Visit our Show Forum "The Winning Edge" - Visit our General Message forum
Past (archive) issues link at bottom of this page
Q- What age is a good time to start showing a dog? and is 6 years old to late to start.
A-Every dog matures at a different age. To me I always evaluate my dog at around 5 months old and decide if he is ready to compete as a puppy the next month. To show a dog as a puppy and to do well, the dog should be maturing and should not be going through the 'uglies'. Most bulldogs especially in the U.S. Where the competition is fierce need to be at least a year to be a serious threat for a major.
Going up against dogs in the open class with a puppy is very difficult. Your puppy needs to be of exceptional quality to be able to do this. You have to have a good look at your puppy and be honest with yourself with your evaluation.
A Six year old is too old to start. I'm sure in the past there have been exceptions to this, but I would say there would be very few. A bulldog is in it's prime from 2-4 years old. Before and after this age, can be difficult to contend.
Q- Do you see many bitches that look close like dogs.
A- For the most part no I don't. I feel that the rule of thumb is this: if you see a bulldog from a distance, you should not have to see it's 'parts' to determine the sex. If you cannot figure out which sex the dog is from a distance there is definitely something wrong in breed type. I have seen dogs looking like bitches and vice versa and of course this is never a good thing.
Q- what is the most prestigious dog show in the world and why.
A-I can only speak for the ones I have attended. At this point I have to say Westminster. Hopefully next year I will be going to Crufts which is the largest show and then I can compare the two. I have heard that the Eukanuba Challenge is also a very prestigious show amongst many others. I would like to offer a little 'biased' opinion by saying that the Bulldog National in the U.S. Has to be my most favourite to watch and compete.
Q- If you enter a dog in a class, and on show date she should go up to the next class, what do you do.
A-You must show the dog in the class it is entered in. This cannot be changed. The exception is if your dog finishes it's championship before the show date, you are allowed to 'move up' your dog to specials class.
Q- If a person has two entries in the same show and multiple entries in the same day. I thought one dog can only enter in one show per day per show.
A- Although it is uncommon to do so, you are allowed to enter your dog in more than one class at a show as long as they qualify. For instance you could enter your puppy in the junior puppy class and the American bred class.
Q- How did dog shows ever start or come about and do you have any history on that?
A- I am certainly not a historian and there have been many books written on this subject. However, I can shed some light on your question. Dog shows were created originally to evaluate and compare breeding stock. They weren't originally meant as a competion, rather a dog show was a place where you could go and see others in your breed. This is still the case, but most people now go with the purpose of competing rather than evaluating. Personally, I go to the Nationals each year, not to win but to see the other dogs. I want to see what is out there for stud for instance and I want to see in the flesh the dogs that I see in the photos to see if they are as good as they appear.
