Almost all dogs are out of coat during the hot summer months but the shows still go on -- and some are 4-5 day circuits and majors to boot. I'm wondering how one decides to enter or not since the dog is out of coat. It doesn't seem to make sense to enter -- yet, there's some large entries out there and points to be won. Do the judges view coat--or lack of -- differently during the summer since they're all pretty much the same? Thoughts, please.

I think the coat issue depends on the judge. However, the dogs are judged on the day of the show so whatever they have in terms of coat is what the judge will judge. IMO this is where a professional handler can help. They can oftentimes get a win on a good dog that may be going through a summer "molt"!

As an aside it seems like making sure that my dogs swim a lot during the summer seems to help keeping their coat.

Toni

If there is a major and you are entered, the only way you can win is to enter the ring! Anything can happen once you enter the ring but you must attend to get the prize!!

Toni

I have a boy who is always in full coat during the hottest months of the year and sheds in Winter, so I will show him during the summer.

Nice!!!

I had a dog in full coat at a May all breed show. All the other dogs had already blown their coats. My mentor was there and said I should have tried to take out more coat. Both winners were in summer coat. So I am still confused about coat. I was proud of my girl's full coat but she really looked out of place at that show!

If your girl has a nice, correct coat, you placed exactly how I would expect you to at an all breed show. Last.
All rounder judges don't know what to do with a correct coat. Sad.

SO TRUE!!!

Actually, there is a difference between being "in coat" and having "correct coat". Just because a dog is in coat does not make it deserving of a win over out of coat dogs. Even if the coat is correct, there are other factors that should be judged.

Last summer my bitch was bald. Balder than bald. There were bald spots on her sides. I showed her anyway and ended up going BOB and Group 4.

This past weekend I showed my puppy who is out of coat, but not completely bald and she won RWB and Puppy Group 1.

You never know what will happen if you don't enter the ring.

I completely agree. No coats here in the summer and so we miss out on several big specialty shows during the summer! I wish more specialty shows were held in the Fall and Winter or even early Spring.

Not many professional handlers handle at specialty shows because they do not free stack or handle the same as they do at an all breed show and breeder judges more often than not just put up their breeder friends, see this happen all the time. Professional handlers say that it is not worth their time or effort to show at a specialty show because of this.

Where do you live? We have rings full of prof handlers at regional specialties and breeder judges usually put up what they happen to like. If it seems to be a friend of theirs it might just be the type of dog he/she likes.
People who walk in the ring thinking that everyone's against them as the above suggests, lose before they even get started. Maybe that's not what you meant but that's how I read it.

As to coat, if your dog has a healthy looking coat in the summer months, it's worth a try to show him. Enter and see what happens. We oldies have always called it being "in summer coat". You can do well or even win if everything falls into place.

JMO -- This is what I was thinking -- because there are some big entries in the summer with shows in August like the ones in Canfield and Ballston Spa with breeder judges. All those dogs can't be in good coat so it seems like one or two of the posters who said -- get in the ring or you don't have a chance to win -- are the ones who have the right idea -- at least that's my take on it. Thanks for all the comments!

Just a curiosity.... how do dogs do when showing in hot weather?? Aren't you guys afraid of them getting too warm?
Of course we don't have that problem here in Iceland, so that's why I am just curious.

You can really tell if a dog is well put together when they are coatless! I hate those tiny little tails with out substance that could not power in the water, yet with they get those fuzzy coats it looks like a great otter tail! A good Judge will know if there is correct coat with or with out the shed!

I think "power" in the water comes from how they're made structurally and not just their tail.

Speaking of skinny tails, I have one here who is dead out of coat and her tail looks like a mouse's. When she's in coat (and she has a proper coat) it is as thick as your thigh. Have always considered that correct.

Don't show them unless you're proud of them. In coat, out of coat or in Summer coat....you need to know when it's right....and it can be any of the three.

You don't see many professional handlers at specialties in the NW - we do get a few from time to time but nothing like what one would see on the East Coast. The ones we do see usually are involved in the breed (mostly handling dogs they have bred or the dogs of friends)or have been involved at one point in time.

You know, the dogs don't "really" use their tails like boat propellers. Watch carefully.
I have many a time sat on the dock above my swimming Labradors and watched.
The tail just glides along behind them. I does not move. Why is this?

interesting that yours just glide behind them. mine use their tails and move theirs from side to side and on the turns the tail is on the side as they turn even. They most certainly use their tails.

Mine too.

Of course they do not use them like a propeller! Who said that? They do use them for balance and turns. Otter tail? The otter does not have two tons of dripping coat to give that appearance. Opinions are just that but please do not change my post to indicate I said their tail was a propeller, how ridiculous would that statement be? I swim my dogs all the time and they use their tails all the time, swim them a lot and you will end up with cold tail from time to time, not from the cold water but from over use of that tail MUSCLE! Rat tail on a Lab with out coat is not correct.

"Rat tail on a Lab with out coat is not correct."

Not sure if the above comment was directed at JMO. What I meant to infer was that when out of coat, even tails look thin. True rat tails in dogs are an entirely different matter. That term is usually used to describe a terrier breeds' tails and I wasn't implying that at all. Just that when out of coat, Labrador tails can look pretty thin even though they are thicker at the root. Maybe that makes better sense.