[MontanaRott]

So how are you who are showing raising your dogs? The reason I am asking is because there is a person who has an interest in Guerin and this individual was very disappointed with the critique Guerin got at the Nationals. So this person contacted us with an offer to "help" get him ready for his next outing. Well Phil talked to this individual last night and was told everything we are doing top to bottom, front to back, inside and out, is WRONG. And that if we continue to feed, exercise, train and spend time with him the way we are now, we had better be prepared for last place finishes and disappointment. We need to feed JUST kibble, and supplement with Peak Performance II, walk him 20 minutes a day every-other day, and kennel him outside and LIMIT time we spend with him and stop training for obedience and tracking. We have spoiled this dog by having him indoors and spending so much time with him and we need to make a decision now, do we want a show dog or a pet. We cannot have both. And it is an impossibility for Phil to owner handle him with ANY success in AKC or Sieger.
Well first of all showing is a HOBBY for us, not life or death and not a business. We do it to spend time with the dog and to have fun. If he never gets a working title or a point in an AKC show or a V rating in the sieger ring, SO WHAT!? HE IS OUR PET first and foremost. We will love him and enjoy sharing our lives with him no matter what. And this is not to say, we do not prepare for each endeavor, we do. But, we are novices, and we are trying to learn as we go too! We were also told, we had no business entering him in the Nationals, he was not ready and should have never been shown.
But after this enlightening conversation, I am just really wondering, how are you raising your show dogs?