On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.
From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.
ema
This year’s AKC Meet The Breeds show at Javits Center ended with an unexpected twist. As much as I adore my annual frolic with a ton of doggies fest, for the fist time ever I considered not going back next year. Allow me to explain.
My first show was the January 2020 one (you know, how you mingle for hours, unmasked, in a crowd, at the start of a pandemic. I was OK, but to this day I cannot get over what a close call that was.). From the very beginning I loved the dogs and hated the crowd. My dislike of the crowd only grew over the years, but I always considered that a me problem. Until this year when it dawned on me: What if the doggies feel the same way I do?
To be very clear, I never once saw a dog in distress. They have snacks, water, take naps and pipi breaks, and everybody showers them with love, compliments, and belly rubs. And I know that dogs are pack animals so, as long as they’re with their person, they are happy.
What I’m unclear on is what effect does being exposed to a huge crowd from 9 AM to 4 PM have on them?
The main problem is the layout of the show area. It’s a huge open space, a rectangle with rows of tables on two sides for the dogs. This exposes the doggies to a constant, pulsating stream of people. Other places like the Met and the orchid show are crowded too but, because of the rooms and corridors layout, the flow of people is intermittent.
That’s not the case at the dog show at all. It’s a relentless moving mass of people. I just don’t know enough about dog psychology to determine if this is upsetting to the doggies.
So, what do you think, real problem or am I just projecting my dislike of the crowd unto the doggos?
On my way to the event I was kept under very close observation by a super cute subway doggy (11s).
In case you were training for the FDNY Fire Marshal job, I must alert you to a newly introduced requirement: 10 push-ups (21s) with a Lab on your back.
(And if you want more proof that dogs rule and people just drool, read the comments for that clip. Quite a few are criticizing the guy for the form of his push-ups. Who does that?)
I am not a big fan of dress up unless it’s Halloween or a special occasion. For some reason there were quite a few doggies in costumes this year. The poor pugs are always adorned, and the St. Bernard looks dignified no matter what, but the Old English sheepdog just looks embarrassed.
A dog and his person.
For the record, I do not shove my camera in the doggy’s face. I stand at a respectable distance and, if the doggy wants to inspect my camera, who am I to discourage that? I only wish I knew how to focus for such extreme close-ups.
Hey, buzz off, this is mine, ALL MINE!
The highlight of the show is the agility course. This year there was a National Champion, and he was great. Unfortunately for him, he paled in comparison to the undisputed wiener of … everything. (33s)
Baud
I’d imagine dogs are like people. Some love crowds and some don’t.
sab
I used to live in Las Vegas NV. They have a Dog Fanciers park that allows dog training. My dog at the time (dog love of my life, long since over the rainbow bridge) was a big sassy german shepherd.
She happily trained with the various tiny dogs, but she wanted to be next door with the police dogs doing bite work. The various policemen there kept trying to buy her. They thought she was perfect.
She was my baby, so I said no.
A couple of years later I moved her back to Ohio and snow. Adopted her a puppy. She was very happy, and a very good mom
ETA Her puppy lived to the ripe old age of sixteen. Also a good dog.
sab
My German Shepherd loved crowds. Every time she stepped out of the house she felt she was on stage. Such a ham.
sab
My current dog, a pitbull, hates crowds. People and dogs scare her. She wants to be home safe with her cats.
p.a.
When I see goldens out in public spaces “doing their duty” (dooty?) to me, they always look embarrassed compared to other dogs. Other dogs: yep, here I go! Goldens: you get to do this behind closed doors, why not me!?
sab
@p.a.: There is nothing you can do to embarrass a golden retriever. For them, life just happens and it is mostly good.
sab
6 am and the robins are really chirpping.
MagdaInBlack
@sab: Yes, here (Chicago) too. I hear one ambitious robin singing
Sky in the east is not even pink yet, ffs.
Baud
@Baud:
Sorry, that should have been in the previous thread. Please delete, any front pagers who are around.
WTFGhost
I would guess that city dogs don’t have a problem with it, because they get the same sort of stimulus while going out for a walk, but suburban, rural, etc., dogs might need to be trained to handle it.
From what I gather, dogs are very much like humans, insofar as, once you know what they need, and you provide it to them the way they need it, they tend to relax. So if a dog needs a lot of reassurance, when it’s noisy, and a constant promise of more reassurance through the day, as the noisiness rises and falls, well, you provide the dog with that. At first, you need to give lots of reassurance, all through the day, but, later, they just need the promise that it’s there, if needed, and they’re more comfortable. Soon, they might not see it as a concern, just like city dogs. And anyone with a dog at a dog show probably knows if they have a problem; they’ll communicate distress, if you know what to look for (though “what to look for” might be breed, and dog, specific), so once a handler/caregiver sees signs of distress, they can go through the various methods of de-stress.
Anne Laurie
A show dog competing at Westminster loves crowds like a actor loves an audience… although, of course, even the most avid LOOKIT MEEE!!! exhibitionist has their ‘off’ moments!
sab
Showdogs love crowds. That is what makes them successful showdogs. Shy dogs never win any competitions.
sab
When I lived in Nevada and was active in GSD stuff, we managed to schedule a local GSD show between other stuff happening between other stuff in California.
Nevada is rarely suitable for dogs. Summer is blazingly hot. Spring and Fall have roaring winds. I don’t know what the problem with winter was. I found it to be pleasant.
Anyway, we had our dog show between two more impoetant California shows.
The wind was howling. Lawn chairs blew by. Sand blew by. Tumbleweeds blew by.
All the dogs put their ears flat against their heads against the wind.
So the winner of best puppy turned out to have floppy ears. Disqualifying for a german shepherd. But the judges hadn’t known because every single dog in the competition had their ears flat against their head: too much wind
ETA My girl couldn’t compete because she had no papers. Also ( less officially) because she was too big and homely.
Barbara
My dog wouldn’t do well but I imagine that any dog that made it to this competition has been in a lot of dog shows already where they have done well in spite of being around a lot of strangers.
ema
Thank you all!
JB
My current dog has never seen a human that he didn’t want to meet. He seems perfectly happy at dog shows unless he has to stay in his crate while I have a look around. A couple of years ago he got shredded by a loose dog near our house, so now he’s scared of large male dogs he sees on the street, but he’s perfectly relaxed about the other guys who are competing.
eclare
Gawd those are some noses who need boops!
stinger
Love the photos, especially the closeups!
Dogs are as individual as humans. A decent owner is aware of a dog’s discomfort, whether with streams of people or anything else, and will not enter or remove their dog from the situation.
Geo Wilcox
@sab: Yes they do, they sometimes do not do well when their show career ends. It can be a hard transition to “normal” life.
Show dogs go every where and see every thing and have been trained and temperament tested, The breeder we got our Swissie from shows all the time. She tests her puppies and keeps the potential show dogs for people who want to show while the other puppies, like ours, go to non show homes.
So to answer your question, a show dog is made from day one. They are made for what they do and LOVE it.,
WaterGirl
ema, I always love the places you take us to, the awesome photos, and especially your narrative!
To answer your question, I don’t think show dogs mind the crowds. They start them when they are young, and if a dog is stressed in that situation, I think they decide that this isn’t a dog for them to show.
These guys know the drill and they are so proud of themselves. They are fine. I think you can continue to go to the dog shows with a light heart and peace of mind. Plus, I just checked your BJ contract, and I believe you are legally obligated to go and to share the dog show with us every year. :-)
Miki
Westminster is one of the very few benched shows left, and requires dogs to be on an accessible bench the entire day they’re showing except a short time before ring time and when they’re actively showing. Being benched allows more interaction between individual dogs and spectators.
I love going to dog shows and have found almost all exhibitors and dogs enjoy interacting with polite spectators – just not as they’re preparing to enter the ring. I usually spend a lot of time wandering around the grooming area and stopping to chat/ask questions. It’s fascinating.
And yes – dogs that are shown generally have rock solid temperaments for that environment. If they don’t, they can’t compete.
They Call Me Noni
The little wiener dog doing the agility course is everything!
JeanneT
I had 2 dogs that I did obedience and rally competition work with. The first was a collie, beautiful and fastidious; she HATED performing in dog show spaces. So I looked for small shows to finish her 1st level title and then retired her from competition. The second was a field-bred Labrador retriever, so streamlined and leggy that people thought he was a greyhound cross. He was the most joyful dog I’ve ever worked with. He adored dog shows and he loved performing in the ring, somehow managing to do everything I asked while also grinning and waving at the spectators. Judges would dissolve into giggles as he pranced through the course. I still miss that boy!
Gabe Nichols
@WTFGhost: I’ve had a series of dogs in the city where there are often large crowds as we go for walks or even just in the park to hang out and it really depends on the dog. Most have been really chill, a few absolutely love it, and one, A Great Dane, simply couldn’t adjust and I had to find him a new home in a more secluded area where he would be happy. I imagine that the show dogs fall mostly into the first category as either excessive enthusiasm or excessive discomfort would be marked down.
Matt McIrvin
In January 2020 we went to Singapore (a business trip for my wife, vacation for me and the kid) while COVID was raging in Wuhan. I later found out that the first known case of COVID in Singapore was someone who flew into Changi Airport literally a few hours after I flew out.
In the fall of 2021, emboldened by COVID vaccination, we went to an anime convention at the Javits Center that my daughter really wanted to attend. That turned out to be the site of one of the first major Omicron outbreaks in the US, and I remember feeling so guilty afterwards when my COVID-cautious online friends went on and on in response to the news story about dumb and irresponsible it must have been for anyone to go to a convention like that. It was that general feeling I had at the time that to the people I knew in real life, I was insanely over-cautious, but compared to my online friends I felt like a MAGA plague rat.
Bunter
As someone who has volunteered every year at a breed booth (except this one where my breed opted out), not all the dogs are show dogs. All the people are volunteers from the respective breed clubs. Most of the dogs enjoy it but they do get tired, you can see how most clubs try to have a large number of dogs so they can shuffle who is front and center. While most are show dogs, some are pets, but all come from reputable show breeders. Also, there are “shy” show dogs. My boy LOVED the people, decided at some point that he hated the ring so I retired him. I’ve had friends who had dogs that loved the ring and hated the crowds.
All that to say, this year’s Meet the Breeds was really off. Way too many people, lots of breeds missing, not enough space for the spectators to walk around, so much given over to the rings. Unless my breed comes back and needs volunteers again, I also will probably not go back. Westminster though? Yeah, I’m always there for that show, even though I have thoughts on that too.
ema
@WaterGirl:
Hey, if it’s in the contract I better keep going. :-)
ema
@Bunter:
Thank you, I am glad to know I’m not the only one who thought there was something off about this year’s show.
Bunter
@ema: My best friend and I volunteer every year (fun fact, my bloodhound was the first bh invited to the very first MtB which was something like Responsible Dog Owner Day and in Madison Square Park) and she (friend, not dog) was also not really up for whatever this year was.
ema
@Bunter:
Yes, it’s a shame, because it could be so much better if they just limited the number of people allowed in.
Bill Hicks
Mmm, pipi breaks, I hope it was wild raspberry, but the dogs probably prefer something more savory.