My Beardies

[Centennial]

Deleted

 

[MamaSheepdog]

They are beautiful, and the ones I have known had such sweet temperaments. I love Beardies- but we live in the mountains and have tons of foxtails, so it is definitely not the right breed for our area. Maybe they can herd your bunnies for you! :lol:

 

[JessicaR]

Beautiful dogs!!

 

[skysthelimit]

They are beautiful. They are an owner handler breed right? Sure wish German Shepherds were. Best wishes.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

Haven't met a Bearded yet that I did not like!

 

[JessicaR]

They are beautiful. They are an owner handler breed right? Sure wish German Shepherds were. Best wishes.

Sorry to hyjack the thread but... Why arent GSD's owner handled? People in UKC handle themselves all the time, its against the rules to have a proffesional handle your dogs. I do plan in the (distant)future to show GSD's and there is no way could i afford to hire someone to show for me.

 

[Centennial]

They are beautiful. They are an owner handler breed right? Sure wish German Shepherds were. Best wishes.

Sort of.. It's not like the Gsd ring but in the past few years all the owner handlers have disappeared. There are only a few left in my area and the rest are handlers. Luckily I am a groomer and I have worked for three handlers so I feel like I'm on par with them and I do beat them semi often in the classes.

Jessica, akc is different than ukc, it is much more formal and competitive so a lot of owners hire handlers in breeds with large entries. Anyone can owner handle in AKC, but you will be competing with top pros so you have to be pretty proficient and have a good quality dog. Nothing beats the feeling of winning wih your own dog, I'd never hire someone to do something I can do myself!

 

[skysthelimit]

They are beautiful. They are an owner handler breed right? Sure wish German Shepherds were. Best wishes.

Sorry to hyjack the thread but... Why arent GSD's owner handled? People in UKC handle themselves all the time, its against the rules to have a proffesional handle your dogs. I do plan in the (distant)future to show GSD's and there is no way could i afford to hire someone to show for me.

AKC specialties require big rings. Most people can't physically keep up with a gsd to run the ring, also, most gsd's do not pull out in front of their owners when they run, and that is the way they are shown, so unless you are an exceptionally good trainer, a runner, and can train your dogs to pull out in front of you, they don't show well with expression with their owners.
Also, a lot of judges are not real keen on placing newcomers, they like familiar faces, so most times a well known handler is required to win majors. With that being said, I did put three points on my boy, but at a specialty he strolls beside me like a lazy Sunday walk.

 

[JessicaR]

They are beautiful. They are an owner handler breed right? Sure wish German Shepherds were. Best wishes.

Sorry to hyjack the thread but... Why arent GSD's owner handled? People in UKC handle themselves all the time, its against the rules to have a proffesional handle your dogs. I do plan in the (distant)future to show GSD's and there is no way could i afford to hire someone to show for me.

AKC specialties require big rings. Most people can't physically keep up with a gsd to run the ring, also, most gsd's do not pull out in front of their owners when they run, and that is the way they are shown, so unless you are an exceptionally good trainer, a runner, and can train your dogs to pull out in front of you, they don't show well with expression with their owners.
Also, a lot of judges are not real keen on placing newcomers, they like familiar faces, so most times a well known handler is required to win majors. With that being said, I did put three points on my boy, but at a specialty he strolls beside me like a lazy Sunday walk.

Ok I understand that, i know I have problems with my shelties, they always want to stay right beside me :roll: And yes most AKC judges can be a little biased towards certain handlers :x

 

[skysthelimit]

Do beardies require a great deal of grooming? One always assumes that with long haired breeds, but shepherds require as much as if not more than some long hair breeds. Just curious.

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

Ok I understand that, i know I have problems with my shelties, they always want to stay right beside me :roll: And yes most AKC judges can be a little biased towards certain handlers :x

Don't get into that with me!!!


When I first started showing, it infuriated me when a judge I had in the breed ring, during group, visibly shrugged her shoulders, and placed the first four PRO handlers!!

I had wondered about the jockeying for the front of the class during breed-- That judge's name was the first on my list of 'do not show under'

 

[Centennial]

Do beardies require a great deal of grooming? One always assumes that with long haired breeds, but shepherds require as much as if not more than some long hair breeds. Just curious.

Well, it is a lot of brushing, but there is no clipping or scissoring or any real skill involved in their grooming. I bathe and blow out mine once a week and I rarely touch them in between that time. I imagine if you let them go for a couple of weeks, the amount of work would skyrocket. They might get a little tangled around their faces but I don't ever let it get to the point where I'm spending hours dematting. It helps that they have slightly coarse hair so it doesn't tangle up as quickly as a Poodle or Shih Tzu. From bath to finish, I can do one in about 1 to 1.5 hours. To me, that is not a LOT of grooming. It just takes a lot of willpower and dedication to keep up with it. I find that harder than their actual grooming. The hardest part is putting them in the tub!

Of course if you are showing them, the majority of the care is protecting their hair from breaking or staining. A shaved down Beardie takes 18 months or longer to grow a show coat, so little things like itchy skin or fleas can damage their coat and keep them out of the ring for months, if not years. I think that is the hardest part of owning a breed like this. They have to wear boots when it rains, any signs of fleas will give me an anxiety attack, if they so much as lick their feet I feel like I have to bathe them immediately. I don't really ever take them for romps in wild fields or woods because it can rip out their coats. And when you walk on public roads, you're always looking out for gum on the ground. My worst nightmare!

 

[Frosted Rabbits]

Gum is easily handled by mineral oil, cooking oil, etc......

 

[fuzzy9]

Wow, they are all beautiful dogs!!