It was with great disappointment that I learned that our biggest local open show has been dropped from the New Forest Show. The New Forest Show is a big county show, and has for the last forty years, housed the Christchurch and New Forest District Open Show. Always very well supported, and efficiently run, it now seems to be `undesireable` to the management of the New Forest Show.

I suspect because they think it doesn`t make enough profit for the show. How shortsighted. For every exhibitor, there is probably at least one paying visitor, usually more. Far better I suppose to fill up that space with cheap rubbish for people to buy, or to increase the size of the Member Lawn.

Well, I have been a member of the New Forest Society for years, and I shall NOT be renewing my membership next year. Surely a big rural county show should reflect the interests of the area? I can assure you that for every person riding a horse on the Forest, there are ten times as many walking their dogs - but then they are also trying to discourage that too! (:o|

-- Anonymous, September 29, 2000

Answers

We`ve also lost Romsey Show from the Broadlands County Show venue. That`s a shame - such a lovely venue. It has now been moved to an equestrian centre - hopeless for coated breeds. But in fact, that doesn`t matter, because Shih-Tzu have been dropped from the schedule! (:(

-- Anonymous, October 06, 2000

One of the reasons I think that Open Shows lost entries is because so often our breed has been lumped together with another Utility breed, sometimes not even that, or we have been given a judge who probably has little knowledge of our breed. A year or so ago I attended an open show and at the end of the classes a lady I had never seen before approached one of the competitors and asked if she could look at the dogs as she was judging Shih Tzu in a couple of weeks time, I thought this was an appalling situation, she obviously had either no or very little knowledge of the breed, she wouldn't even know if the dogs she had asked to study were good representatives of their breed. It is hardly surprising then that people have stopped entering. BUT, hopefully the new page on Sue Thatcher's bakalo site which lists open shows with a judge chosen from a club approved list of judges, which includes all details of the classes, venue, date, secretary, fees plus a downloadable entry form so you don't even have to send off for a schedule, we can only wait and see if this will improve things.

-- Anonymous, October 26, 2000

Hi Gloria - I agree with you about the general demise of Open Shows, and do think that the quality of judges could have a great deal to do with it. I also think that is a terrific service on Sue Thatcher`s site - most useful.

I have a query though, what is the criteria required to get on the Shih-Tzu Club judging lists? I guess, like most, it must include having judged a certain number of dogs/classes? Whilst totally agreeing that it is much more satisfying to be judged by someone accredited by the Shih-Tzu Club as `knowing their onions`, so to speak, it will become nigh on impossible to replenish the judging lists if entries at all the other Open Shows drop off. How will aspiring judges ever manage to get enough dogs/classes under their belts? What other criteria is necessary? Is their a combination of requirements, is the criteria flexible, and can the Shih-Tzu Club use their discretion in approving judges? Unless I am missing something obvious, I see a kind of Catch 22 situation developing.

Just as an aside, another reason which definately puts me off some of the shows here in South is the choice of venue. We do have some shows held at equestrian centres - need I say more! Beautifully groomed, long coated (and relatively short-legged) dogs, and dirty sand arenas just don`t make for a fun day out!

However, on my original point about the New Forest Show, and Romsey Show, the reason for their demise can have nothing to do with any of the foregoing. The entries are always good (I would guess at between 20 - 30) at every show. The New Forest Show is benched, quite a treat for an open show, and very popular with non-exhibiting visitors to the show. Romsey, though not benched, was also a very popular show. I suspect the reasons in both of these cases are commercial, though I don`t follow their logic. I am bitterly disappointed, and after twenty years of being a member of the New Forest Society and attending the Agrigultural Show every year for at least two of the three days, I will not be renewing my membership, and will most certainly be boycotting the show, unless, of course they see reason and reinstate the Dog Show.

-- Anonymous, October 27, 2000

The criteria for each part of the approved judging lists is printed in the Summer Shih Tzu News with the lists of names. It is not easy to aquire the entries to go up the lists it is true, but in the meantime you can learn by watching and forming your own opinions rather than reflecting what others think and do and I don't mean think and or do something different just to be controversial. One of the reasons we put on the seminars is, not only to inform but it is part of the criteria that you must have attended a seminar, best of all if it is a judging one. We review the lists annually and look at CV's, so it is essential to send one in before May, we have to stick to what our criterias lay down or there is no use in having them. I think for several reasons Open shows should have more encouragements for the exhibitor to enter, the venue is either a blessing or disaster, I judged at a horrible venue a few weeks ago, it did nothing for the dogs coats, and it made it hard on the exhibitors to put the dogs down in tip top order. It was the usual indoor riding school, cold and unfriendly with a dirty, reconstituted rubber surface that looked like wet sand. At least Godmanchester, although an equestrian centre, rolls the surface and it is actually quite good for the dogs they seem to like it although again it can be cold and uninviting. I have been told there is a venue in Slough that is very good and there are now several shows held there. I am still of the opinion that the lack of list judges in the past has discouraged entries, many times I have looked at the adverts for open shows in the dog press and at times every show that put on classes for our breed has had a judge that I have never heard of, I just don't think that does any good, I used to do open shows regularily, but in trying to just go under list judges did less and less that plus the dwindling entries makes it a waste of time, there is no point being the only one in your class, I think now it needs some kind of extra encouragement to get people back to entering. Unfortunately there are a lot of people who only seem interested in qualifying and that is yet another reason the open shows are suffering.

-- Anonymous, October 27, 2000

Hmm! I think your right about the qualifying thing. General rule seems to be - ringcraft - couple of open shows, just to warm the dog up - and wham! Straight into to the Ch. show scene.

Am I right in saying the KC changed the rules so that Best in Show qualifies for Crufts - or is that a total figment of my imagination? Maybe it was just a suggestion I read somewhere.

I have to say, I don`t know what the answer is with open shows, but they definately are struggling at the moment. I wonder if the KC is worried about it?

-- Anonymous, October 28, 2000

I went to an open show today at Newark showground, Notts, with a shih tzu judge, and only 3 entries, must have been so dissapointing for the judge, we had a nice day, and it was good to see Yvonne Martin go 3rd in the utility puppy group, but it seems to be the rule today rather than the exception that we have so few entries, What a shame.

-- Anonymous, August 26, 2001

What is the average number of shih tzu at shows in the UK? Shows here in the southeast US can be rather large, the one I was at this weekend was around 30 shih tzu.

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2001

Now I know where all the Shih Tzu went. We used to have a large entry like that here (Southern California) but now we are lucky to have 6

Sheila (Windsor)

-- Anonymous, August 27, 2001