I went to a dog show last weekend and won both days. It stunk.

The dog in question needs two singles to finish. He also happens to be the grandson of my very firsy 'show-quality' bitch. That lovely little girl hated conformation, so we went to work instead. She earned her American and Canadian CDs, a CDX, an HIC and is OFA'd both ends. Naturally, as I was driving home Sunday, my thoughts turned to her, and how much fun we had earning those titles.

For me, the main difference between conformation and obedience (or any performance title for that matter) is the relationship between my dog and I. At last weekend's shows, I handed my dog to a someone and watched from the outside. There is no control over what happens from outside the conformation ring. (Of course, some could argue that there really is no control from inside that ring either.) But at least in obedience, it was me and my dog. We were competing against only ourselves, trying to best our previous scores or garner the final leg on an elusive title. When we lost, we didn't really care because we had fun.

We had fun winning too. And there is comraderie around the obedience ring. Perfect strangers are often elated when you finish a title. One judge was literally moved to tears of joy after my old girl and I successfully completed our CDX in Maine many years ago. These people truly appreciate the effort it takes to do this work. They implicitly understand the dedication and the drive.

Now, I am NOT saying that there isn't work involved in showing in conformation. I also know first-hand how hard that is. But in conformation, I'm finding people who really aren't so thrilled when someone wins other than them. I'm finding gossip, bad manners and just plain nastiness. I'm finding handlers who yell at owners, often making them cry. And I see way too many dogs who look as though they would rather be at the vet than in that ring.

That is just not fun. Not for me, definitely not for the people getting yelled at, and it can't be fun for those dogs.

So here I sit at a crossroads. Eight years of paying serious attention to conformation, finished champions, futurity and maturity wins, a RFB, and a nearly complete ROM on my first homebred bitch. I am on the brink of doing something really special. I can feel it. So why am I so miserable?

On the drive out of the showgrounds on Sunday, I spotted a dozen or so people in a nearby field with their dogs, blinds and other Schutzhund equipment set up. The people were laughing. The dogs were LOVING the work. I wanted to pull in, but I was afraid they would laugh at my American stock.

On the long drive home, I thought about my girl. In October, she took Best Veteran in obedience with a score of 191.5 (out of 200). She will be 12 on Spetember 18 and we will very likely be back out again this year. You see, she loves it. And I feel so good having fun with my dogs.

Conformation entries are down and specialty clubs are folding. I wonder why?

Send me a note with your opinion to gsdbydesign@aol.com.

Note: The German Shepherd by Design is in no manner expressing that all handlers yell at their clients.