>I was partial to the Golden which is always a losing proposition. When you think about how many other Goldens the one in the center ring has beaten to get there you have to wonder why they never get chosen?<
Goldens aren’t my breed. I have pinged the FR Golden go-to (LOL) to my Post. Bryt, can you shed some light? I will say that even though a breed might not get into the group placements, competition within its breed at the Garden is still important to those who specialize in a given breed.
I know that Goldens vary quite a bit from individual to individual. A few years back, there was quite an effort to breed them down in size. Personally, I like the big ones. There is a local kennel here whose Goldens all look like their legs have been chopped short, and they all have very thick, very abundant, very blond fur. Honey Lane is their name. I can spot a oney Lane dog walking down the street.
My Golden was a rescue, on the tall side, red flat coat, does not shed as much as my previous curly coated Golden did. Those are just the obvious differences. I’m sure that the judges are also looking for bone structure, etc. — all those traits that we cannot see readily.
But, with the number of Goldens that are registered and the number that compete in shows, you’d think that at least a few would get to the BIS ring. But, they never seem to. I used to watch the dog shows on Animal Planet every Sat. morning. (They don’t seem to be on anymore.) The Golden you see in the Group ring has defeated probably at least a couple of hundred other dogs to get there. But, somehow he is NEVER judged worthy to continue to BIS.
Other breeds seem always to be in the BIS ring — poodles, for example. I’ve seen shows where there are 2 poodles in BIS — a toy and a standard, both black! And I’ve seen those ugly Pekes win more than I’d like. They say that it has been a while that a Peke has won at the Westminster, but they’ve won the Eukanuba in recent years.
My brother in law used to handle and show professionally, but he is no longer with us so that I can ask these questions. I suspect that the judging is highly political, however.
Oh, the golden world buzzes about it, hopes, complains, and then, they never do win. If you look at the stats terriers seem to have the advantage at 45 wins, altho sporting comes in second (at 19) but those seem to be mostly spaniels.
Some people say the quality in goldens is not there, but that’s hard to defend when it really IS difficult to get a CH on one these days, with the numbers as they are. When I started in goldens in the 1980s people really did bring their pets to the shows to show. I don’t see that anymore. The competition is always keen and I have had nice dogs who don’t finish.
All I can say is, it’s just a combination of the judges they choose and the dogs that are there. BTW labs have never won BIS either. And, while its quite an honor (I wouldn’t mind having a dog win, heck, winning the breed there would be a thrill) it is just one show. You don’t win money (bad thing about dog shows, it’s all outgo, no income) and after a pretty short while, you are yesterdays news and it’s on to the next thing. And you still have to scoop poo. :)
Sorry I couldn’t be more enlightening. But to be honest, we all wonder about it.