Many people watch Animal Planet and think it would be TOO FUN to own a show dog.

 AND IT IS In my opinion

It is also full of disappointment, heart ache and failure.  
It takes commitment that MOST owners are not willing to make, draining your pocket book and leaving you (at times)  wondering WHY?

Not every dog makes the cut. . . TO ME there is  just no such thing as an "all show litter"  if you consider all of the pups in one litter as show potentials. . .you are not managing your program well.  How can they ALL be the best?  There ARE special once in a life time breedings where the majority of the pups are of unusual perfection, this is not often.  There is also a HUGE difference in SHOW MARKED and BEING CONFORMATIONAL CORRECT.
Just because the paint is perfect:  a house may not be built CORRECTLY. 
Structure is the most important part in a breeding program.  A breeder should be able to tell you EACH puppies fault ( and  all puppies  have them)

GO HERE for descriptions and pictures of Great dane Colors

KNOW your breed standard:
Great Dane STANDARD

Great Dane ILLUSTRATED STANDARD

KEY WORDS TO KEEP IN MIND:
Great Danes are a Square Breed
They should have a great deal of BONE and SUBSTANCE
fluttering lips are undesirable

OTHER things to consider:
Show dogs can not be spayed or neutered. 
The purpose of showing in conformation is to show your breeding stock OR potential dogs to be used for breeding.  
The AKC requires that they remain intact. 
If you would like to participate in other canine sports ( obedience, Agility, Rally. . .) you can do this with a spayed or neutered dog and they do not even need to have full registration to do this.

As  breeder's we want to see our very best shown and hate to see new owners give up before they have even started. 
This is why we wrote this page, to illustrate what it takes and what we require.  Most danes are not competitive until they are 2 years old. . . this means 2 years  of training and showing that may not accomplish ANYTHING. . . this is one ot the reasons why we say it takes commitment.

What it takes to own a show dog

A pretty face and a nice build does not make a show dog. Hard work, TRAINING and perseverance are the key building blocks. Once you bring your puppy home you have to not only do the "normal" training ( leash, crate and potty training) but you also have to condition, socialize, groom and train your puppy for show. This may not sound like much but it HAS to be started young.

Conditioning: exercise. To put it bluntly. No young danes should not be forced to exercise, but they do need regular walk and play time. The rule is as much as they want to. This not only will make your life happier ( a tired dog is a happy dog) but it will also help build muscle and strengthen structure.

Training: This includes learning to walk well on a leash, learning to stack in the correct show stance, allowing people to go over your puppy ( including looking at the bite) and learning how to move in pattern. This is a daily task ( 5-10 minutes per day) You will also need to find and ATTEND a local handling class as part of YOUR training.

Grooming: Nails Nails Nails. They need to be done AT LEAST once a week, preferably twice a week ( every three days) . Dogs should be washed when they are dirty and trained to be easy bathers. Before shows whiskers need to be trimmed and ears need to be cleaned up.

SHOWING: there are many shows here in Texas, some times as many as one a week end. You will have to travel to most. This will mean you need a dependable car. You will also need a folding crate and grooming supplies. You will have many times that hotels do not want a giant breed staying in them and you will have to crate your dog at the show sight. CRATE TRAINING IS ESSENTIAL!

You will need to purchase show collars and leads. . . all of this ads up quick. A typical week end runs $100 per day-- AT LEAST.  You have to add in gas, hotel prices, and you will have to eat. . . this does NOT include the price of a professional handler. . .this is if YOU show your dog.

 You also need to budget for entry fee's. Around $25 per show ( most shows are Sat and Sunday so $50 per show week end PER DOG. We go to an average of 2 shows per month. .. 24 week ends a year, 48 times to pay PER DOG. Average of $1200 per dog per year in entry fee's alone.

Not all area's have as many shows as we are fortunate to have.  You may end up having to travel farther, put in a greater effort and it can get discouraging.  Trying to balance life on its own is hard enough.  You need to make sure you are ready for the commitment required and hopefully you will at least walk away with an appreciation for the hard work that breeders put into their dogs when they show in ANY event.

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