From dorothysdog.
It says in the description of this video:
When you go to a big dog show do take some time to look around you, away from the ring, it reveals a whole different experience for the dogs than the action on the green rug. And even in the ring some dogs clearly loathe it.
I feel sorry for these bulldogs.
I’m not sure what the point is.
The dogs look bored and a bit shagged out.
Right now all of my dogs are lying around the living room looking bored and/or asleep. We’ve had a rather long day of chores.
This does not mean that they are unhappy.
I object to the proposition that a dog who is bouncing off the walls all the time is “happy.” Generally the opposite is the case.
And most pet dogs are bored most of the time. I bet while dorothy was capturing that video, her dog was at home being bored, just not on camera.
The issue is that the Labradors aren’t panting at room temperature, but the bulldogs are gasping for breath.
One of the bulldogs is panting, the rest are sleeping or looking bored. Gasping for breath in a bulldog or other brachycephalic isn’t rapid panting, it’s long hard, labored wide opened mouth breaths, usually with the head elevated, almost always standing
The one panting bulldog is breathing fast and is either hot or worked up, but not gasping for breath. He needs cooling off, and may not have a great airway, but he’s not in imminent danger in this video.
So 9 bulldogs by my count, only one panting. And a big emphasis with how “sad” the clumber and the labs are. And the “filthy” wet spot in front of the clumber which is almost certainly water as etiquette and the the ire of benched neighbors means urine is cleaned up.
I was just getting more pathetic and resigned looks from my 7 year old bulldog in the kitchen ’cause I would not give her a french fry. And my toy fox bitch put on a big pathetic show of shivering in the “cold” because I kicked her out of the kitchen. It’s still 85 degrees so I’m not buying her schtick either.
As for the two bulldogs lying down with their owners outside the ring. Mine are trained to do that. You don’t want a dog wound up and panting in the ring if possible so teaching them to down and wait is a common strategy.
So to me this is more like a PETA type “look how cruel dog shows are with the doggies in crates” blah blah blah
My 8 year old male who retired 3 years ago still gets taken to shows because he has a fit if he cannot go. Only gets that way if he realizes I’m heading to a show, not out for other reasons. He goes into a crate at ringside while I show, lays down and sleeps. He does not seem to feel particularly abused by the process.
It doesn’t look right to me. This dog can’t cool itself, and it’s smaller and shorter-haired than the Labradors in the same room.
Maybe my heightened sense against exaggeration is on overdrive. I’ve been around Boston terriers and boxers, but I’ve never been around bulldogs. I’ve never felt that there was anything wrong with those other breeds, but something about the bulldog affects me.
But the other ten bulldogs are just hanging out with no obvious panting or anything else.
Panting boy is overdone but the others shown look rather balanced from what little I can see
http://retrieverman.wordpress.com/2009/01/17/new-standard-proposed-for-labrador-retriever/
In any breed, fat never looks heavy boned, it looks squishy.
A dog in good weight and hard muscle will look heavier boned. And just generally better. same for humans as I remind myself before every swimsuit season! :-D
“On a related note, well muscled and fit should be a basic part of any breed standard.
And the most basic component to judging any dog in the ring.
Think about it, you cannot properly condition any dog which has orthopedic, spinal or airway issues. It is also difficult to condition a dog into good muscle tone.
Health, most of the time you know it when you see it.”
Gah, that second to last sentence should read:
“It is also difficult to condition a dog into good muscle tone if it has digestive or immune system problems”
it’s not desirable, but he also may have gotten himself really worked up emotionally. Seen it from many dogs of many breeds at dog shows, the vet, in the park
Not saying it’s fabulous, but it’s not an OMG! moment either
He’s too over done and wrinkly for me type wise.
Knowing the british dogs, he could easily be 70-75 pounds, and most bulldogs are double coated even if they don’t look it. I have an 82 pound rescue dog here right now whom most labs could step over, very thick boy and I groomed another dog’s worth of fuzzy undercoat off him last week, even though it’s summer.
When I just watched it again there are 11 bulldogs if you count the one in the ring and only one panting. Most just looking ho-hum or relaxed, with the one with her head turned. So one out of eleven looking a little stressed.
Frankly I was a bit surprised at how out of condition the labs looked, but they could also be older veterans or not representative of the bulk of the entry.
When the KC proposed rewriting some standards, it was asked that the Labrador standard penalize excessive weight. In show Labs, lots of “bone” is desirable, and one way to “add bone” is to make them fat.
On a related note, well muscled and fit should be a basic part of any breed standard.
And the most basic component to judging any dog in the ring.
Think about it, you cannot properly condition any dog which has orthopedic, spinal or airway issues. It is also difficult to condition a dog into good muscle tone.
Health, most of the time you know it when you see it.
None of those dogs are in distress. They are bored, or resting. You don’t want a dog that is bouncing off the walls outside the ring at a show, you want them to save that energy to ‘on’ in the ring. Most dogs learn quite quickly to stay quiet in their crates and outside the ring. None of those dogs ‘loathe’ being there. You cannot show a dog that loathes showing, they drag around the ring and never look good, so unless you like wasting time and money, you leave them at home. Lots of dogs get retired from the ring because they hate to show.
Retrieverman, if you want to see dogs in distress at a show, go to an outdoor show someplace very hot and humid. I can guarantee you will see the one idiot who stands around blabbing with their friends while their black dog roasts in the sun and pants like a freight train. When I was showing I lived in Florida, and while most of the exhibitors took proper care to keep their dogs cool, there was always that one idiot.