# How do you know if your dog is 'Show Quality'?



## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

My boston bulldog is of course the best dog ever  As I'm sure every pet owner feels is the same for their dogs.. but when I found out that english bulldog x boston terrier are considered designer dogs and even show-worthy, I started to wonder if my boy could make it?

I don't have any plans to enter him at the moment, but just wondered what you thought? 

He is neutered and I know in some shows that means automatic disqualification, but like I said, I don't have any immediate plans to enter him. 

Heres a photo: 








He's currently 6 months old.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

When you say dog shows do you mean conformation shows like Westminster or something like that on tv? If so those shows are only open to pure breds. Generally you must purchase a dog from a show breeder that competes with their dogs to even have a chance. Not all well bred dogs are show quality so most of theirs will go on to pet sport homes. 

One thing we did with our show dog was to take him to a show to get evaluated by some well known toy breed handlers and people. They will point out faults and give you a good opinion about whether the dog is finishable or not.

Even though your dog is a mix you can show in performance shows like agility or obedience or many many other events. I highly recommend it. Training for something like that is a great way to give your dog something to do. It's also great for socialization.


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

Enter him in what? Conformation? Or Performance Events? 

He is a mixed breed, there are no standards for mixed breeds, so he couldn't be shown in conformation. You can't even fully register him with any legit Kennel Club. 

You can however compete in things like Agility, Coursing Ability, Obedience, Rally, etc by getting an Canine Partners number, where he would be listed as an All American Dog in any catalog of the club's show he is entered. 

Conformation shows are for purebred dogs, they are a tool in evaluating breeding stock. As Laurelin says not all pups from show quality parents are show quality themselves. Most breeders pick out the bests ones, the ones that most represented said standard for show quality, others go to pet homes. The breeders usually keep the best one for themselves, usually, not always I know some that will give up the number one in certain circumstances.


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

Oh okay, I was under the impression that being this mix specifically that made him an "Olde Boston Bulldogge" which I'd read online to be a designer breed and show dog. When I say show dog, I just mean one that competes in shows in general because I don't actually know enough to differentiate between the types of shows. 
He wasn't bought from a reputable breeder, in fact I know he was likely a backyard bred puppy. 
We inherited him when his previous owner left an abusive relationship and didn't have the time to dedicate to the puppy (he was born October 15th and we received him January 4th) and she had bought him from a lady on kijiji who was selling them as "miniature bulldogs".
When I googled her name on his vet papers, nothing came up other then lawyers.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

"Designer breed" and "show dog" aren't really linked in any way. For conformation shows, like you would see on tv with Westminster, the dogs must be purebred and conform to their breed standard. A designer dog is a mix, and therefore doesn't have a breed standard and can't be shown. "Designer breeds" really aren't any different from any other mixed breed or mutt, except that the breeds that make them up are known and in other mixed breeds may be unknown - it's really a marketing term more than anything.

Any dog, designer breed, purebred, or the muttliest of mutts can be shown in performance events like obedience, rally, agility, etc. These events are really fun to get involved with and a great way to do something fun with your dog. If you're interested, I definitely recommend finding a local training place that can get you started on the fundamentals of the sport of your choice (most start with the same basics).


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I don't know. . .where do you read that "designer breeds" are show-worthy? I suppose they might be some kind of organization out there that does conformation-type (I don't see how they could do actual conformation shows, but something similar) shows for mixed-breed dogs, but probably not many. He's a cutie anyway.


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

Interesting.. 
Thanks folks! 

And yes he's definitely a cutie and always aims to please, he's a really fast learner too! I was impressed!



Willowy said:


> I don't know. . .where do you read that "designer breeds" are show-worthy? I suppose they might be some kind of organization out there that does conformation-type (I don't see how they could do actual conformation shows, but something similar) shows for mixed-breed dogs, but probably not many. He's a cutie anyway.


I'll try and find it again.....................


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## packetsmom (Mar 21, 2013)

I have a mix and even when I do get a purebred, I plan on getting a pet-quality one with a spay/neuter contract from their breeder. I'm just not interested in conformation and breeding.

That being said, I plan on working towards the Canine Good Citizen test for my dogs and I'm hoping maybe to do rally with them, which is like a dog show, but for obedience. If you think of conformation as being about how a dog "looks," then there are plenty of other dog sports and titles a dog can get which relate to what your dog "does."

In most cases I know of, to compete in what most people think of "dog shows" (conformation), a dog has to be intact and registered with a kennel club as a purebred of that breed. So, this excludes dogs that aren't registered with the proper kennel club (this is done at birth), dogs that are spayed or neutered, and all mixes. These same dogs that can't compete in conformation can compete in dog sports and other events like obedience, rally, and agility, among others, and gain titles.

He is a cutie, for certain, and there still is a lot you can do with him outside the conformation ring.


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## BostonBullMama (Apr 20, 2013)

packetsmom said:


> I have a mix and even when I do get a purebred, I plan on getting a pet-quality one with a spay/neuter contract from their breeder. I'm just not interested in conformation and breeding.
> 
> That being said, I plan on working towards the Canine Good Citizen test for my dogs and I'm hoping maybe to do rally with them, which is like a dog show, but for obedience. If you think of conformation as being about how a dog "looks," then there are plenty of other dog sports and titles a dog can get which relate to what your dog "does."
> 
> ...


The sports and such sounds fun! He's such an eager learner and I know he'd have a lot of fun with it. Maybe this summer we'll work on some "show tricks" and see if we can find something local for my beautiful neutered mutt to compete in . Mutts are the greatest.


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