Free Stacking?
by Dorothy Kendall, Orlane Lhasa Apsos
What’s the big deal about whether or not to free
stack your dog in the show ring … isn’t this about choosing
the best breeding stock at the shows? Yes, it is a dog “show”
and we want our dogs to look good, but why carry this into realms of
the absurd?
I like to see dogs sparring, but it’s difficult
to get Salukis to spar, right? How about Bulldogs? Now Terriers do this
without thinking, and look great doing it … that’s a good
thing. Even some Toys will spar, or look at each other with animation
… but Afghans look good in a stack or moving, but they don’t
spar – or free stack!
Let’s judge dogs on an individual basis –
Shelties are free stacked, and look good when standing waiting for the
bait. However, let’s not feed the dog in the ring, but use the
bait to get their attention! If a judge can only make a decision based
on which dog stands still the longest, why are we working so hard to
breed better animals? Does this mean that the whole lineup is so good
(or so bad) that this might be the only deciding factor? Cut me a break!
I love to watch dogs being shown naturally –
standing on their own, not being propped up, held together, and pushed
and pulled into some unnatural pose. As I get older, it’s also
easier to stand with my dogs, instead of kneeling – but you have
to have a pretty good dog to do this! I guess that’s the idea
of showing, though – taking in a dog that looks good without a
lot of extra handling. So stop worrying about free stacking –
unless of course, you plan to win the group at the Garden!
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