to show or not to show???

i have a chin that was recently weaned. she was injured when she was a day old and made a full recovery except that there is a spot on her head where the hair came in light/white (she is a violet) and one of her eyes has always looked a little different and it gets crusty (i would clean it and a short time later it would be shut again when she first got injured. it is now open and does not fuse but does look different and does get a little crusty at times).

my question is if you would show her or not. i have heard judges several times refer to eye issues on the show table and knock them down for that.

she is still very young so she would not make it to any of the shows i hope to attend this year (unless MAYBE i go to mansfield...)

You'll just have to wait and see, Shelli. As you said, there's a long time between now and when she'd be of showing age. I have a female that was attacked by her mom when she was 6 weeks old last June - I'm still holding out hope that I can show her, if not at Nationals then at York.

I may not have an answer, but I have a question to add.....


Are judges that picky??? That may sound stupid but I'm still learning about the showing game. For instance,

My baby Sambuca is a big fluffy boy, not too bad quality fur for improper breeding (he was a rescue bred from a pet shop chin) but he has a kink in one ear. Always has (I think it's cute)

Would the judges look poorly on him for it??? I have been buffing up on terms and such as far as size and fur etc. goes, but wasn't sure if they pay attention to everything

I agree with the shows systems current stance on "eye issues" If the chin has one eye that is weepy ect it can get no higher then first . Two eyes is usually at least a second place no higher. A judge can only go by what they see that day. They have no idea of why the chin has a wet eye. And they don't want to incourage the breeding of chins with Mallocclussion. I would rather them error on the side of caution then to have a chin with bad teeth due to genetics place at the top of the show.

I don't have show quality animals personally, and I've only just attended one show, so my answer is not expert, but what I learned is that the judging is primarily pelt standard related - in other words, the quality of the coat and size of the animal. There was a chin missing most of an ear and if I remember correctly, that chin placed well. Comments did not center on face, eyes, tail, like I was expecting based on seeing dog/cat shows. Whether other judges have slightly different criteria, I do not know.

I would show her. You can always get the judhes coments on her coat and color even if he does dock her for her eye. And like Mishalaa said she may grow out of it yet.

Veronica said:

I don't have show quality animals personally, and I've only just attended one show, so my answer is not expert, but what I learned is that the judging is primarily pelt standard related - in other words, the quality of the coat and size of the animal. There was a chin missing most of an ear and if I remember correctly, that chin placed well. Comments did not center on face, eyes, tail, like I was expecting based on seeing dog/cat shows. Whether other judges have slightly different criteria, I do not know.

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Thanks! I've been to dog shows too-I think we were thinking alike...must be in the name (my middle name is Veronica ) I hope to one day show my squishy butt...Even if he didn't place well it'd be a good learning experience :thumbs:

I agree with Luke in that I agree with knocking animals down for eye issues. There are many reasons chins can have weepy eyes, but one of them is malo. Even though it may not be malo, you can't put a chin on the top of the table if you suspect it has genetic conditions. There was a chin at the Ryerson show in May that the judge said would have taken grand show if it weren't for the weepy eyes.

As for ears and tails - they're not judged. No genetic diseases are linked to ripped ears or missing tails, so a chin should not be knocked for it.

i agree that weepy eyes should be considered and noted by the judges. i was just wondering if to show a chin knowing that she will get dinged for the eye which is an injury issue.

mishala - i believe judges will comment on tails when they are corkscrew tails because of the damage to the fur on the back. other than that they are of no interest.

Isn't the corkscrew tail genetic(I seem to recall someone telling me that)?

chinchildren said:

mishala - i believe judges will comment on tails when they are corkscrew tails because of the damage to the fur on the back. other than that they are of no interest.

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You're right, I forgot about curly tails.

And, I remember reading they were genetic too, recessive I believe.

The chins are not judge for ears, legs or tails, except if the tail is curly and curls up onto their back-pushes down the fur. Weepy eyes will get marked down. other than thta it is based on what their pelt would be like.

Shelli, if you really just want to get the comments on her fur/shape/size then either show her or have her evaluated. I personally would have her evaluated. I speak from experience when I say they DO look at eyes and for good reason. I have a gal that I purchased from a local respected breeder. Before the show he informed me that she'd gotten dust in her eye and I believe him on the matter. But, she took a first...judges comments were that she'd have moved higher if it weren't for the wet looking eye. So they can and will knock for eye issues and I feel that they should. Judges cannot ever know for sure what caused the issue.