There is no doubt about it. Show dogs are breathtakingly beautiful, whatever the breed. This is especially true with cockers. A show-coated champion cocker is absolutely stunning, and most well bred cockers have a totally delightful personality that is completely captivating. How can you not fall in love with that plush face, long ears, and big brown eyes???
As with any competition, there are many facets, and the competition itself is not always just what it seems on the surface. Showing your dog is not for the faint of heart. You should know before you jump in, that showing can be a very expensive "hobby". Just keeping a cocker in show coat can be expensive, and very time consuming. Because it is so easy for that long show coat to become stained, tangled & matted with split ends, many hobby enthusiasts find that its much easier, and probably cheaper in the long run to hire a professional handler to show their dog and maintain its coat. Besides the overall cost of grooming, boarding, and actual show expenses, another factor to be considered is that it often takes 6 months to 2 years to finish a championship. This usually means that you will probably not see your dog (except at a show) until the dog has "finished". There are many variables in knowing how long or how much money it might take to complete a dog's championship... and often times, they have nothing to do with how nice your dog is. For example, sometimes a dog will need just one more "major" win to complete his championship, but for whatever reason, the shows that are available at that time are not "major" shows, so even though your dog won the competition, there weren't enough dogs competing at the show, for it to be considered a major win, and so he/she wasn't able to finish his championship.
Another factor to consider is that this typically a very competitive sport. Although there are many, many wonderful judges, handlers, and owners, there are also quite a few that would literally do anything to make sure that their dogs win. From friends, I have heard stories about food/water dishes being doctored prior to a show and even stories about handlers pinching/hurting, and trying to frighten competing dogs. From my own personal experience, I can tell you that I have received some serious threats on more than one occasion. I was once told that if I didn't give & sign over one of my champions, that these 3 breeders would band together & use their power and influence with AKC to make up stories and create trouble for me. At one point, I had to ask some of my friends to keep my dogs, because some breeders had threatened to steal my dogs, and I had heard from a reliable source that there was already a plan in place to do just that. Although I have more stories I could tell, not all of them are bad ones. My hope is simply that if you do decide that you would like to try your hand at showing, go in with your eyes wide open. Know that the stories you hear about are not necessarily exagerations, so protect your dog. If you decide to show, do it for the right reasons. Do it for fun and to get closer to your dog. If there ever becomes a time that it is no longer fun for you or your dog, then be prepared to get out.
On the up side, I've made friends all over the world that I've met through my dogs. In fact, before I had to step out of the show world because my Mom was injured in an accident, it was not at all uncommon for me to get a phone call several times a week, in the middle of the night from one of my friends from Korea, Japan or Germany. In stepping back from the show world, I've realized that for me, my joy is not about my having bragging rights about the number of champions that I have or have produced; but for me, it is about the people that I've met along the way. I love knowing that I have raised beautiful, healthy, sweet tempered show quality pets that have made such a big difference in so many lives. I want my pups & dogs to be like the "Velveteen Rabbit". I want them to have a "real" life, to simply be loved and cherished!
In many ways, I've come full circle. I started out raising a few litters of pups for my friends, and then I fell in love with the beauty and elegance of a show quality American Cocker, and felt the need to prove that I could show and raise champion cockers. Although I will occasionally sell a few of my pups into show homes, I believe that show quality pups should have the right to enjoy a normal life, making a difference in the world, one family at a time!
