LOVED the foxhound!

I loved the Foxhound, too, and the Harrier, and the Treeing Walker Coonhound. I'm seeing a pattern here, LOL. I guess I like tri-colored hounds. Who knew! But I guess I'd have to give up my aspirations of competitive obedience if I owned one of those!

I didn't pay much attention to the toy or non-sporting groups. Just not a lot of breeds I'm interested in there. I'm not a small-dog person -- yet.

In the herding group I liked the ACD, Beauceron, Entlebucher Mountain Dog. I paid close attention to the Canaan Dog, since some questionnaire I once filled out told me that would be the best breed in the world for me, LOL. I also think if I ever wanted a short-legged dog, I would seriously look at the Swedish Vallhund.

Of course, overall, it's impossible not to notice that the dogs we see in a show like this are of a very different look and type than what most of us like to see in a good working/sporting/performance dog. And I can't help feeling the grooming on some of the dogs is way, way overboard. But of course that's a big part of AKC conformation showing.

I was surprised on the Malinois BOB. The #1 Conformation Mal in the country was BOS and if you stand the two of them next to one another it's night and day in terms of 'look' and structure to a degree which was interesting. Neither are particularly similar looking to WL Dogs, unsurprisingly but of the two the BOB was closer than the #1 dog which is a decided trend away from the 'fluffier' dogs. The bitch who won, for interest's sake's sire isn't too far from me. They're big into herding with their dogs, both practical and competitive.

I can't get excited about the cattle dogs since I like mine best and most I see look absolutely enormous to me.

I have bad personal experiences with Bichons and OESs so either of them winning would be fine with me. One more crappy attitude-d, backyard bred dog on a grooming table won't make a difference to me. I like Foxhounds too much to root for one to win especially since they make absolutely terrible pet dogs.

I kind of get a perverse joy out of the poodle grooming. I wouldn't go back to their grooming area without a ventilator and eye-protection.

Pumis are my latest random breed interest.

I confess I'm rooting for Fifi to go all the way...

Cheri, saw an article today saying "smart money is on Fifi."

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2013-02-11/westminster-dog-show-viewers-guide-the-smart-moneys-on-fifi-the-doberman



PS

Because of the loss of her owner, I inherited a very elderly and wonderful Bichon in 2000, a bit before the time of J.R.'s historic Best in Show win, and J.R.'s attitude, his demeanor, was such a kick ..... I actually kinda followed his "career" after seeing his 2001 Westminster win.

"When he won at Westminster, J. R. celebrated by jumping inside the sterling bowl he had just been presented, raising his front paws and beating them in the air like Rocky, his signature gesture." (NY Times, on the death of his breeder, 10/17/2001)

J.R. won about a zillion Best in Shows, I know now, but I'm such a non-show and non-toy-breed person that I knew none of this .... just that hilariously joyful and cocky attitude. And also that I watched the show on TV mainly because there was this new tiny member of my household, way up in her teens but still a feisty lady, my first toy breed --- and one of her breed was having such a wonderful time in the spotlight.

I liked the swedish bohund, a dog I've never heard of before.

How do you live with some of those coats, like the pekingese? How does it pee?

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

How do you live with some of those coats, like the pekingese? How does it pee?

I've wondered that, too. And how do they make puppies?

It's a politically controlled beauty contest!
I put a CH on five different dogs of four different breeds in about a 10 yr period. Not to very hard to do with good dogs but once you get to the "specials" class the big name breeders with big name handlers rule. I had a few nice group wins and placements but I started getting beat by dogs that had never even gone reserve to me in the classes. It can still be fun if you understand the realities.
Westminster is the USA dog show mecca with ALL the big guns.
As to living with some of them, it's often that some of these dogs like the Peke never live a normal life without darn near living on mattresses.
I had terriers. With my Kerrys there was a ton of scissoring just like a Poodle. With my Border terriers it was hand stripping their coat 2-3 times a week to keep it "rolled". Same with my Norwich. More then once I went from the hunt field to the ring doing nothing but giving them a good brushing to get the loose dirt out. I LOVED a good, hard terrier coat! My White Bull terrier was an easy groomer but you could see some of them in the ring and the chalk would just billow off of them. Illegal as hell but with the right handler things like that get overlooked.

Another thing about the Peke and other heavy coated HEAD breeds. If the head is correct the rest of the dog doesn't always count. Most Pekes are horribly deformed under all that coat. Sad isn't it!

First Best In Show at Westminster for the affenpinscher since their introduction to the akc.