I can't help but notice as I look around at kennels that pretty much everywhere I look, puppies are sold on limited registration and spay and neuter contracts only. How is someone suppose to get started in showing? I've explained my interest with a couple of kennels, but had no luck in getting a puppy. I've gone to shows and I've owned labs in the past. Any answers out there?

Keep trying is my advice to you and you might try joining a club, you will find someone that is willing to let you have a chance at it :}
Aloha,
Jackie

You say you have explained your interest to breeders but were clear about telling them that you would love one of their dogs or were you vague about it? When someone tells me they are interested in showing I don't assume they would love one of my dogs.

You have to be open minded to a co-ownership too. I know AKC has full or limited agreements and limited can't be shown and I wouldn't want to give full rights to a newbie either. Be open about that.

Go to shows, see the dogs you like, lurk the internet, join a Club, email or call the person you admire but yet when talking to breeders don't insist too much, patience is a virtue.

In many cases, that is posted for the puppy buyer that is looking for a pet only. Said puppy buyer will have no interest in showing their pups and the breeder wants to be sure they don't breed indiscrimantly. In some cases breeders will work with someone like you if you they feel you have good intentions at heart and they see that.

Don't be set on the colour or sex of a pup, try to be willing to work with what a breeder feels is the right situation for you.

I also suggest you continue going to speciality shows, joining a club and getting to know other breeders in or a little out of your area. You will find someone that feels comfortable with you and your goals. Give it some time and earn the trust needed with the right breeder.

I've sold 2 puppies on co-owns with people who were interested in starting out in the world of showing. I worked hard to keep in regular contact with the puppy buyer, gave info on where to go for handling classes, offered to go to classes with them, etc. I did a lot of things to encourage both of them to get started. Neither of them did a thing to prepare for showing. Neither have even gone to a show to exhibit. The only show they went to was the first one where they watched and it sparked an interest. These days, I don't take many people serious when they say they want to start out in showing. I think a new person needs to put in lots of efforts like becoming active in a local club (even if you don't have a labrador), learn from shows, and visit a breeder on many occasions before even buying a dog. If a new person is serious what speaks the loudest about your intent is your actions. All those actions you take even before buying a dog. Nothing wrong with tagging along w/ a breeder to a show for a day. If a breeder travels with multiple dogs they will always welcome the extra hands of help and you'd be surprised what kind of great conversation comes along through spending the day with a breeder and not just an hour visit to their home.

look at it from a breeders standpoint too, or the other side of the coin. I almost always sell only on limited registration (unless it's a breeder friend) and I have very few litters. I had a lady that didn't have any dogs, but she wanted a black female pup. She had shown another breed years ago and was very familiar with the show ring and rules. She explained that she wanted to get back into the ring and show this dog but wasn't interested in breeding her, and would I mind giving her full registration. I did. She was sincere, and lived close to me. Well, guess what? She has never shown the dog, but she bred her and the b*tch just had her first litter at 15 months old. And worse yet, she now has a website and she charged $900.00 for the pups. I will NEVER do this again EVER. Why don't you consider taking limited registration and then having it reversed if the dog clears everything at two years of age, and the breeder is willing.

I will help someone out who shows a genuine interest but I will not sell on full reg. to someone who has not proven themselves. I will either sell on ltd or in the case a bitch, on co own only until I am satisified that the criteria we discussed has been met.
I have been burned, and I'll do my best that it never happens again.
I'd rather they all go as wonderful pets except what I keep right here rather than find out a 15 month old bitch just had a litter of pups!

Remember... those limited regs can be reversed. So perhaps you can buy a decent dog/bitch on a limited registration fully disclosing your desires and intentions. ie: Tell the breeder - "I want to prove myself to you that I am serious about breeding and showing and if I do, would you consider reversing the registration?" Then attend handling classes, play around at the puppy matches, go to shows (meet the breeder there) start in obedience, watch, learn, prove yourself and learn the ropes.

Then if the dog/bitch ends up worthy of reversal and you have proved yourself to the breeder, gotten the pre-lims and you and the dog look like a good bet - they will change it to a full registration. If not, then surely you will be at the top of the list for another dog in the future.

Just some ideas....
Valerie - Bibsmom

I actually was wondering the same thing.

I currently have a pet quality lab that has a CD, RN, CGC and is entered in a tracking test coming up for her what will hopefully be her TD.

I am very interested in showing in conformation with my next dog.

As a breeder, what level titles would you want to see on a pet quality dog before you would consider selling a show quality dog to the owner? CD? CDX? UDX?

The titles are a good start. However, it's not all that necessary. Continued committment is the most important.

Where are you located?

I was in college and couldn't have a dog, so I e-mailed Laura at Kelrobin (it was Woodhaven at the time) to see if she knew anyone in my area who might want someone to put obedience titles on their dogs. She sent a few people my way and the first one to contact me was Karie Byers (Karimar) who lived about 1/2 hr. away.

I finished my first CD for her on the first day of the bitch's season--she was bred that season, and I brought my Rusty home just over a year after I met Karie. I now also have my foundation bitch from her as well, and a very close friend.

Sometimes you have to be creative in getting people to recognize you, and you have to PROVE that you are not just another person that "thinks" they want a show dog, until they realize that it's not as easy as it looks on TV. Putting a CD or JH on a dog that you might already have (or borrowing a neighbor's or friend's dog, even if it's not a Lab) will show that you know what sort of dedication goes into competing with a dog and will help prove yourself.

Now I understand why breeders in Europe get so many inquiries from abroad about a "starter Lab" of show quality. Over here we only sell full registered puppies as our buyer laws does´nt give us the right to set any limits for something a person purchase.
With other words, if you want a Lab to show and for future breeding, study the abroad kennels and approach some of them. I am sure you will get serious help from many breeders

I would suggest finding some bitches from breeders nearby that you would really like a puppy from and then contact the breeder and tell them how much you admire the bitch, and why, and what you would like to do with a puppy from them if you could have one.
Some breeders show more actively than others and keep more show prospects than others but smaller hobby breeders do not have the room to keep all their prospects and would be very happy for you to keep one on a co-own.
This worked for me, you do have to wait a while for your puppy and it will most likely be a co-own but for me it was definately worth it.

Don't give up!! It took me about three years of going to shows and research before I found a breeder that I trusted and who trusted me. Always be open about what you are wanting and tell the truth!

My only regret was that I didn't attend any specialties. I really wish I had gone to more when I was learning. My advice is to find some specialties and go,go,go. Learn what you like and who breeds the dogs you like. There are many breeders out there willing to give us newbies a chance!!! Good luck!

PS- thank you to all breeders who are willing to take a chance on us!!

Melissa Doshier

You've gotten some great advice, pointers!!!

Don't be afraid to keep trying!

A lot of us have been "burnt" in the past and are still willing to help new to the breed folks!!

hang in there

bev

In the world of dog showing and breeding the majority of people who get into this hobby are out by five years. This is an actual statistic. Therefore my show dog that I have ten generations of breeding into and I sold to a newbie is now after that five year period, just a pet. Is that a bad thing for the dog, no not at all- its great for the dog but one of my pet quality puppies would have made just as great a pet.
I want to know in the case of many people who call me and have never been involved in showing a dog, just how they came to the realization that they want to show dogs. Also what do they know about dogs, how they think, how to feed and care for them, how to understand and train them, how to deal with the problems they will face as a breeder/owner. Its true this is not brain surgery but it is serious business, especially with the changes in dog laws we are facing all over the country and the number of puppies that end up homeless. I think we all want to protect our breed and be as responsible as we can in where we place all of our dogs and especially the ones that are going to be bred. So for me, I want to see that new person have done something else with their dogs before they decide to show/ breed - I want to see them do obedience, or agility , or field work, get involved with a club and other breeders- let the breeders get to know you and know you are really serious and committed and meanwhile you will find out for yourself if you are really serious and if this truly is something you want to do. We have helped a lot of young people start out but we have also sold a dog or two to a new person who seemed to be going in the right direction and then it turned out that the main thing they wanted to do was just get a lot of bitches and breed a lot of litters. They have done little to show their dogs but keep breeding. That is extremely disheartening. Some of the very best dog breeders I know started in obedience. I kind of wish everyone still was doing some of that before they dove into conformation showing.
Judy