by Jo Barnes –
These fellows are stars, with gorgeous hair, perfect teeth and smoldering, soulful eyes. And ladies, if they like you they might lean forward, look deep into your eyes and … lick your face!
Banner and Eddie are local golden retrievers who will be competing in the upcoming Vancouver Island Dog Fanciers Association Annual Conformation Show held in conjunction with the Greater Victoria Dog Obedience Training Club Obedience and Rally Trials May 27 to 29 at the Saanich Fairgrounds. This all-breed event is part of the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) spring series of shows and points earned count towards the national championship.
Dogs come from as far away as Australia and Asia, with professional handlers; others compete with the help of local amateurs like Andrew Coss, owner of our featured retrievers, Banner and Eddie.
“Showing dogs is one of the few sports where amateurs compete right alongside professionals, and being competitive, I enjoy that aspect,” says Coss. “I was looking for new challenges after retiring from coaching soccer after 35 years. I thought, what the heck, I’ll give it a try. I went to classes and went to conformation shows to watch the handlers with their dogs.”
The May Conformation Show has various breeds of dogs being evaluated on how well they conform to their established breed standard. Points are awarded for things such as head shape, bite, ear set, tail, feet, and coat condition.
“You want a dog that stands and looks proud, one that resembles the perfect silhouette for their breed,” says Marilyn Clayton of North Saanich Dog Obedience Club.
The Obedience and Rally Trials are team events where dogs must perform specific exercises under the guidance of their handlers: to sit under different circumstances, to follow alongside the handler and respond to various commands.
Training for shows involves dedication. Most dogs and owners take weekly classes and have varying goals.
“For obedience and rally, dogs need to learn how to do behaviours in front of other people and other dogs,” says Clayton.
“The breed standard for golden retrievers is to show them in working condition,” says Coss, “So this involves lots of long speed walks, field retrieving and swimming.”
Handlers want their dogs to look their best, which means detailed grooming routines. “Some dogs need stripping (pulling the dead hair from the coat) and scissoring,” says Janet Lynch, owner of Groom That Dog. “Others like golden retrievers are bathed and table dried. A product like mousse is put in their coat to get the hair to lay flat; we have powerful dryers to dry the coat in the direction we want it to go.”
Showing dogs means long hours and dedication, sometimes with big dividends. Coss’ retrievers are both Canadian Champions and Grand Champions. But there are other rewards, like travelling as a family and making lifelong friendships.
Says Coss: “We’ve been very blessed; all of our Goldens love showing and travelling. If they didn’t, we wouldn’t be doing this.”
For more info about the dog show, email showsecretary@bcdogshowservicesltd.ca or call 778-395-3647.
Photo by www.nuttycake.com.
