International All Breed Show

Turbo and I had a great weekend! We went with friends Coleen & Carmine to an International Dog Show. I handled one of their Miniature Australian Shepherds and gave dog showing advice to help them get started in dog showing. It's been years since I attended any AKC shows so this was fun and interesting. The International methods of showing is a lot different. I like it! The judge has the opportunity and obligation to interact with exhibitors. They even have a critique card they fill out to give their impression of structure, behavior, and movement. This is much different than the AKC method of allowing a judge 2.5 minutes to examine and determine the quality of one dog against all others it's competing against. My opinion is that it's much better for the breed if each exhibitor is held to the standard and is given honest opinion to the quality of their dog.
It was especially fun to see a few old acquaintances there as well. We got to see Cody's breeder, and tell her all about his wonderfulness. Best of all was seeing one of my breed mentors and friend, Pat from Wenatchee! We were able to sit down over dinner and talk about old times and re-establish contact.
I also was introduced to a new (to me) breed known as the Icelandic Spitz or Icelandic Sheepdog in the person of Galdur, who stole my heart and left an impression on me as to a breed I would like to get to know better and possibly own. Sunny, funny, and what a honey, Galdur climbed into my lap like we were old best friends. What drew me to him was his similarity in looks to Turbo! You know, I always refer to Turbo as my "Giant Mountain Pom", well he could actually be a "Micro-Icie". Here's pictures to prove my point:
Galdur


Turbo

Their main difference of course, is size, although structure is similar. Galdur is about 18" tall, Turbo is about 14". Galdur's weight is about twice what Turbo's is. They have similar coats, in length, depth and texture. The Icie is a bit more rectangular and Turbo is a bit more square. The Icie has double dewclaws in the rear and Turbo has none. The similarities are there because the genes are there. A thousand years ago, the forefathers and foremothers of Poms and Icies were common stock! Some were shipped off to Iceland, others off to Pomeroy, and differences began to show as form followed function through the ages.
The show was fun to attend, and makes me want to show more. If Galdur's temperament is representative of his breed, then I want one and I want to get back into showing! It would be fun because then Coleen, Carmine and I could show together and yet not really be competition against each other!
So, all in all, Labor Day Weekend was fun for me. Thanks, Coleen and Carmine, for inviting me to be a part of your dog show adventures!