Saturday, September 18, 2010

What to buy, conformation people?

As you can tell from my blog, thus far I've been a "performance person."  I have pretty much every imaginable bit of stuff one needs to do dog agility, obedience & rally.  Teeters, tunnels, utility articles, etc.

What I don't have is "conformation stuff."  Since Rip is supposed to be a conformation dog, I guess I should get some of that.

So my questions for all of you conformation folks:

What dog stuff can't you live without?
What websites do you shop at?
What other stuff do I need to show in conformation, too?

To give you an idea where I'm at, I don't even have a grooming table....

Thanks in advance for your help.  And if The Husband is reading this, I promise to sell some stuff on eBay to get the money to pay for it all :)

10 comments:

  1. A table and a dryer were my first purchases, both off eBay. Table was (and still is) a good purchase, but don't buy a cheap dryer. I was shunned at shows for having such a squealy dryer.

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  2. . . . or just get a handler who will train, wash, dry, and show your dog. Okay, sometimes I bathe and show my own dog -- but the other stuff is more fun.

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  3. I would go to a dog show and buy a chain collar and show lead...
    Table and arm are good to have, and a dryer, like Janet said. I had a Metro Air Force for years and it was fine.. I have a Double K dryer now and like it quite a bit.
    Product for the coat I have found is regional... some people use stuff and some people dont. Talk to the local dog show folk and ask some questions - or better yet, hang out with them as they are getting ready for a show - you can watch the whole thing :)
    Good luck with little Rip - he's a doll! :)

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  4. Things we use the most: grooming table (from Craigslist), grooming arm, leather lead and show collar (all from show vendor), and a good dryer. We did without the dryer for a while and now I don't know how we did it.

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  5. Move back to the PNW and bum off other people ;)

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  6. Table w/grooming arm, dryer, greyhound comb, nice pin brush and boar bristle brush (beauty supply store for a nice but inexpensive one), a small electric trimmer for shaving out pads, show choke and lead - I wouldn't invest in a nice leather one until Rip is older; no sense in having him chew a $60+ lead when he can chew an $8-10 one :). A gear bag to carry all this crap - I use one designed for scrapbooking because it's got lots of small pockets and the like that hold brushes, combs, towels, etc. Clothes in colors that complement your dog w/pockets for bait.
    I believe there is a Yahoo list where people trade dog show equipment - that might be a good place to look for some of this too.

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  7. Once you get a table and dryer, you'll wonder how you did without. Even for dogs who are "just" performance dogs.

    Especially the table.

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  8. How about this? You're in my neck of the woods and I would love to let you run through my grooming/show stuff and give you an idea of what is the short list as well as the long list for conformation showing? I've got a good handle on the best buys-show vendors and online around here and love to pass those on to you.
    As well, I could certainly use the services of The Child to socialize the Dirty Dozen puppies down here!
    Drop me a line if you are interested! fogebotom@yahoo.com

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  9. Lani, I am not as close as Cindy, but also show down your way occasionally, and would love to share space and equipment as you get going. I rarely use my table at home, but I use my dryer all the time. I would start with the dryer, and show lead and collar so you have them to practice. I hope you love showing and get hooked!

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  10. Ditto what everyone has said so far. I would add Dremel tool for nails, if you don't do that already. I resisted for a long time, but now that I grind nails instead of clipping, I can get them so much shorter and prettier.

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