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THE SILVER SPOON THEORY


If you been 'in dogs' for any length of time, you have certainly heard the expression 'he/she was born with a silver (name the breed) spoon in their mouth'.
This expression, of course, refers to a person who was born into the dog game. Perhaps one (or both) parents are/were breeders, exhibitors, judges or a combination of the three. Nothing invokes more envy than when you are beaten by a silver spoon baby. Let's face it, no one gets to choose their parents. Wouldn't we all have loved to be the one to whom Bob Forsyth or Annie Clark invoked their genius? If your answer is no, get some show guppies!

Get a grip, people! Of course these folks can beat you! They have spent their entire life 'in the sport', getting to see all the greats of your breed, studying the greatest handlers to ever live, learning their tricks of the trade! Those of us who weren't born into the sport spent most of our childhood weekends playing Capture the Flag or Kick the Can! We had no clue about dog shows. We were too busy tripping over our own shoelaces!
So just what do you expect to happen? Do they always have the best specimen in the ring? No. Do they always win? No. But if YOU go in the ring against them with a defeatist attitude, it shows to both the judge and the other exhibitors. Now you are in a negative zone which goes down the leash. What can you do about it? Stop acting like a fool. Show your damned dog.
If you are at ringside and you see the silver spooner coming, do you drop your head down, sigh and say 'oh well'? Well STOP THAT! In that case, you should be beaten. Sure judges are supposed to judge the dog on the day, but if you don't have confidence in yourself or your dog, who will? If you don't believe that your dog is worthy of the win, then stay home on the couch eating bonbons and watch the shows on your big screen.
I am living proof that if you hang in there long enough and get the best dog your money can buy, you WILL succeed.
So raise your glass to the Spooners! Get to know them. Their knowledge is invaluable. And you might not only learn something, you could even gain a great mentor and friend.


HAIL TO THE SPOONERS!!