# Does my Golden have what it takes??



## Scarletts_Daddy (Sep 4, 2008)

Well lets make this simple. Were there any conformation dogs in your pups pedigree. Are the parents of your put registered on k9data? These are just a few of the things you can do yourself to find out.


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

I would suggest you ask your breeder. They will be very helpful and very upfront about whether or not your dog is CONFORMATION show quality.
I promise you, your dog is obedience show quality. Also agility. Also tracking.


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## KodyBear (Dec 2, 2008)

Thanks for your help !


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

So to further the discussion along. KodyBear asked how do you find out if you dog is show quality.

What if your dog (well my dog) comes from a long line of hunting and field trial dogs? What if I want to know if my dog has what it takes in the show ring? I already know he will do it in the field... I just want to know if I have a chance at one of those unheard of Dual Champs! How do I find out about his show potential?

Randy


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Klamath Gold said:


> So to further the discussion along. KodyBear asked how do you find out if you dog is show quality.
> 
> What if your dog (well my dog) comes from a long line of hunting and field trial dogs? What if I want to know if my dog has what it takes in the show ring? I already know he will do it in the field... I just want to know if I have a chance at one of those unheard of Dual Champs! How do I find out about his show potential?
> 
> Randy


 

One way would be to know the dogs behind your pup for several generations and understand what the breeders of those dogs were striving for. If enough of those breeders were concerned with the "Breed Standard" (and not just the part that states "primarily a hunting dog"). Then there would be a chance your pup could be that "Dual Champion". 
Just as it would be possible for dog from a long line of show dogs to march up favorably in the field trial game. But again the breeders in the generations prior would also have needed to have been breeding ot the "Breed Standard" even that part that states "primarily a hunting dog". 
The other would be to have your dog evaluated by a person familiar with that venue. It is usually very hard for someone who is not familiar with a venue to make an accurate accessment. Kind of like the person who says their conformation Champion dog would be a GREAT field dog because he loves to fetch tennis balls ALL day long.


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## Klamath Gold (Dec 26, 2008)

WHAT? You mean just being pretty isnt good enough?

Poor Rooster.... everyone is against him. There's always the 2010 Derby champion, we'll shoot for that.


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Klamath Gold said:


> WHAT? You mean just being pretty isnt good enough?
> 
> Poor Rooster.... everyone is against him. There's always the 2010 Derby champion, we'll shoot for that.


Oh trust me "Purdy" is always good enough! :wave:


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## Jersey's Mom (Nov 25, 2007)

Great advice so far. If you find you're getting favorable reviews, you could also see if your local golden club sponsors a CCA (Certificate of Conformation Assessment) event. It's sort of like the WC of Conformation in that your dog may pass without necessarily being "Champion material," so to speak (not meant to be an insult... my boy is from mostly conformation lines, he's wonderful, but I don't predict he'll ever earn that elusive Ch). What it does is give you a great opportunity to have people knowledgeble about the breed take a good look at your dog and how he/she measures up against the standard. They're generally wonderful about explaining to you the dog's strengths and weaknesses, it's a wonderfully educational experience. Here's more info about the CCA (there's even a link to search for upcoming events near you): http://www.grca.org/events/cca/

Julie and Jersey


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## Bogart'sMom (Sep 16, 2005)

Julie, good advise.
But like some one already wrote, there are obedience events, RallyO, Tracking, Field work, doggy freestyle (Bogart loves that) agility and soooo much more. How about Therapy dog work?


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## Golden Leo (Dec 3, 2008)

I find this thread interesting....
I must admit that I do it another way. 
When I was first looking for show quality puppy I looked for kennels that have the type that I prefer. And I didn't care if the parents are Ch or not. I wanted good angulated, short body, big bones, level topline, very nice head and great temper puppy. ( a bit too much LOL) I waited for 3 years for that kind of puppy, more or less I got it, for now he's great, will he be a ch or not I don't know, but from now what I can tell he will be very good looking dog. I looked at tons of puppies from champions, world champions, famous kennels... It doesn't matter what titles dog has, it matters how he looks like and to whome is he bred. I have seen some kids from world champions that are some of the worst dogs I have ever seen. But pedigree is important so you know what can you expect from puppy... If they have gorgeous heads in generations there is very little chance for puppy to have untipical head. (for example)
You need to learn how to look at the dog to see the good things and bad things on him, there is no dog that has only good things. Show dog doesn't only have looks but he needs to have great temper and wish to show off.
And Julie gave great advice, take him to expert and comment with them and learn... I learned most of things from breeder.
At home I have 3 dogs, only one of them is "show dog".  But all 3 of them are amazing pets!


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