Mood:
rushedTopic: Reflections
In late January, Wrath, Gossip & I hit the IABCA (International All breed Canine Assn- based in Germany) show ring. What a BLAST... expensive... but a BLAST nonetheless!! First, I'll give you a breakdown of the weekend & then, for those interested in trying one of these International Shows, I will give you the scoop of how to get started.
First of all, it was a 2-day event- four shows total. On day 1, I showed both dogs in both shows. Both Gossip & Wrath won their respective breeds. Wrath also took a Hound Group 1 in the Bred by Exhibitor competition. In show two, again- both dogs won their respective breeds & Wrath took a Hound Group 1 in Bred By Exhibitor. This time though, Gossip took a Hound Group 2 in the open competition. This was the highlight of the day because there were 9 breeds represented and MANY dogs to beat to get there! =) Both Dogs received V-1 (excellent) ratings towards their International title.
On day two of the competition, I had Wrath sit out Show 3 because there was an additional "rare breed" competition attached to that show that was going to keep me busy with Gossip. Gossip won his breed, took a Group 2 in the Open class, and a Group 1 in the Rare Breed Hound group. This took us to the Best In Show Rare breed competition. I am quite PROUD to announce that Gossip won Reserve Best in Rare Breed Show!!! Again- both the group 2 AND especially the RBIS were huge-- many, many dogs were beaten to get there. SO proud of my Gossip boy!
Finally, show four: Gossip & Wrath both won their respective breeds again, and Wrath took Best Bred By once again! This time though, it was WRATH that placed in Group. He took a Group 2 win (again, there were 9 breeds represented & many dogs in those classes). SO proud of my young dog! =) Again, the boys ended the competitions with V-1 (excellent) ratings.
When we walked away from that show, both boys had completed their IABCA/UCI International Champion title and we had several nice placements along the way. All-in-all, a very nice experience for our first ground show.
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Interested in showing towards your dog's International title? Here's the jist of what you need to know:
Cost per show is $31/dog/show (unless you get in on the holiday special @ $25/show- which is available around Christmas). There are generally 4 shows/ weekend. You will also need to register your dog with IABCA either before the show or within 40 days thereafter. Registration is $30.
Once you have achieved a title, you will need to pay a $40 title processing fee. Remember, this is a title based out of Germany so your paperwork will pass through many hands (and a country or two) to make it's way back to you. I suggest that you turn in your V-1 ratings (you will need 3- V-1 ratings/title) at the show so that they will print you a temporary title certificate (quite nice) right on the spot. It will take 8-12 months to receive your actual title paper work back from Germany.
There are 18 tiers in IABCA so once your dog has achieved one title, he may begin working on the next leg. =) Happy showing.
