There is a great deal involved in waging a successful show campaign. I will attempt to chronicle some of the lessons learned along the way. This story will be outlined from my personal involvement, which contains many twists and turns by all the participants, both human and canine.

A Dog News ad during Tryst's campaign, with an excellent photo, text, and eyecatching presentation - the elements of a successful ad.

I was blessed to have had what I think is/was the most helpful tool that contributed in such a positive manner. That is EXPERIENCE. The experience was gleaned from the Kennels founder, Sunny Shay. She had made the mistakes, suffered the hardships, and persevered with eventual great success. Granted there have been many changes to the way things are done now, but the basic elements must still be in tact. In short they are: a quality dog, a capable handler, and the time and funds to commit to the effort.

Lets start with knowing when the "right" dog comes along. For me personally the "right" dog was already there. Sunny had big plans for a young male out of her Ch. Boy Blu of Grandeur. Having great instincts and confidence in her Grandeur Line, Sunny had predicted a future with Blu Shah of Grandeur. One must utilize every indicator that is available before sticking your neck out there.

First, would the "family" see what you see. I can remember Sunny and Roger having me out to the house to see Blu Shah at about 6 weeks. Roger says Sunny was hesitant in having anyone see this puppy because she would be upset if they failed to see what they saw in him. Well, I would have had to deaf, dumb, and blind not to be in agreement with what Sunny "instinctively" knew. This puppy was special. A few others close to Roger and Sunny would be asked to give their impression as well. Everyone was equally impressed. [Predicting how successful a young puppy will be is impossible to do. After finishing many dogs from puppy class and seeing almost each and everyone develop into grown adults, I could be confident about who displayed the proper characteristics from an extremely early age. I will never recommend holding back a good young dog. Having shown a dog with Specialty appearances only, finishing him with 5 majors, only to lose him soon after.We should have stayed on course…showing what we bred, when we could, winning when they did.]

Showing the strength of the Grandeur lines, and proof that the potential shown as a puppy remains into adulthood.

Next came a few match shows as part of the learning phase. A word of caution here, most local matches are judged by Local people, many without sufficient knowledge to accurately evaluate young dogs. Luckily Sunny knew those who could and those who never had the ability. Blu Shah had his share of defeats at the match show level.

Since all the performace tendencies seemed to be present, a "debut" was planned. Do you sneak to a minor show with skimpy competition? Not Miss Sunny Shay! We travel to a major specialty weekend with strong competiton and powerful opinions in the sport. We are talking entries that exceed 100. The results were impressive for a 6 month old puppy’s first "real" shows. A best in Sweepstakes, Best Puppy in Show at the specialty, and Reserve to the Best of Breed winner ( Sandina Spellbound) under Ramona Van Court, who’s opinion was legendary. When she (Ramona Van court) took Blu Shah center ring in the Winner Class for him to free-stand along side the older males, something special was noticed. That’s where the next level of critic’s were given a chance to make determination. How did "outsiders" see him. Many handlers with experience were quick to acknowledge his potential. Contemporary breeders shared their impressions. He seemed a natural in holding a correct outline and displayed that elusive character particular to the Afghan Hound, especially on the move. I have coined the term "Universal Qualities", and consider those to be a mandatory components for any dog with "specials potential."

Okay, so now the potential of a youngster is substantiated. What’s next. A brief tour of the classes is required. If the "tour" isn’t brief, then maybe you’d better reexamine that potential. Blu Shah was virtually undefeated in the puppy classes, with a best of Breed and Hound Group placement at 7 months. Had Sunny not passed away the day she showed Blu Shah to the last points she would win with him, he would have finished even quicker than he did. He won 2 specialty majors and was finished at 17 months.

Both Belle and Sal were #1 Afghans in consecutive years. One year, they were first and second to each other.

Circumstances were somewhat disjointed due to the death of Sunny. Some decisions had to be made that might not have presented themselves otherwise. The choice to exhibit the new Ch. Blu Shah was done sooner, rather than later. One of the biggest drawbacks was that Sunny knew more than her critics, and we didn’t! she had a long list of judges that she couldn’t wait to have them see this dog. Some names she shared with us, others had yet to come up in conversation. There were those that she would hesitate to exhibit too, and the same held true as to who they were or weren’t. She did tell us you don’t rush to show to EVEYONE. Get the opinion of the most respected and wait until those who might be borderline start to ask about your dog. That usually meant that they were anxious to see what all the "talk" was about.

At his first show he was Best of Breed over the current Number One Afghan Hound, Ch. Sandina Spellbound, who hadn’t competed with him since that day in Atlanta. He went on to place second in the Hound Group behind the Nations Top Hound and the Top Winning Whippet of All Time. By the end of that event, A well known All rounder told me, "that dog will be a Top Winner…but if Sunny was still alive he’d be the Top Winner of All Time." Soon after, Jane Forsyth had expressed interest in leasing him for her most famous client, Mrs. Cheever Porter. Roger opted to have me continue to show him, and Jane became a constant source of advice on campaigning a special. She would tell Roger that the expected percentage of Bests to Groups won should be 1 per 6 ( at that time there were only 6 groups). I was also informed about never having a special have an accident( clean-up ) while in the ring. Something that carries through to this day. The grooming had to be "perfect", the teeth better sparkle , and the dog had to be in peak "condition" at all times. ( more on conditioning later) That required road work , free running exercise, and a glorious coat. Jane would also prepare us to spend a year getting to Number One, a year as the Number One, and a year coming down from the Number One spot.

We would win our first Best in Show the following August. Many more Bests were in our future. Blu Shah was exhibited during a very "High" time for the Breed. The Afghan Hound that broke the long-standing Best in Show record was a competitor, as well as many others with a strong presence in the Groups. A great many Afghan Hounds were winning in every area of the country. He would win under many of the same judges that had recognized some of the other dogs in the rankings. Now it’s easy to say : " if I had know then, what I know now….things might have been different!" That’s the reason for this article! Someone once said…if "Blu Shah" were any color other than black, "Pepsi" would still just be a "soft drink"…it was said in a positive manner, from a "Family Friend" not meant to diminish the great achievements made by Ch. Kabiks the Challenger: AKA: ‘Pepsi."

This ad was criticized for being grainy and, when originally printed, it seemed that the eye color was lighter than his actually were. That's why you shouldn't believe an ad until you see the dog in person!

During these years Afghan Hounds were winning almost 40-60 hound groups each per year. Remarkable numbers for the Breed. Pepsi would be the Number One Dog of All Breeds and retire with a Westminster Win as the Top winning Afghan Hound of All Time.

Once the commitment is made, certain steps are followed. One being a successful "Advertising Campaign." Here are a few important things that should be addressed before you start to advertise. The most important: NEVER USE A BAD PHOTO! (Thank you, Ned Kaufman)Better to repeat a photo than to use one that isn’t good. In the advertising world it is a know statistic that someone has to see an image at least NINE times to commit to memory. Be prepared to remain consistant, both in format and in frequency. I have always preferred not to do anything that would require the reader to either turn the page ( a horizontal ad, in a vertical magazine) or make them read to much copy. Exception to these would be a cover ad where it could be easily views regardless of the direction, or sometimes in a Breed specific magizine additional copy can be used for detailed background information.

Most judges who your ads are being directed to are those at the Group and Best in Show level. They either need to be aware that a dog of quality is being recognized or if they are not from your respective group, shown that knowledgeable judges are acknowledging his merits. This is where advertising a win under a prominent authority has great influence. Some judges will take notice of a dog that such an authority rewards. It’s human nature to do so, and not necessarily a bad thing. Personally I have looked forward to seeing some dogs for that very reason. Most times I was impressed when I got to see them in person. Too many times I have also seen a dog that in person is much better than the ads published.

Another important criteria: Be Accurate about what you advertise. I’m not saying one can’t be creative, just make sure it’s accurate. If you say "undefeated" it had better be correct because there is always some out there who will know its not! I loved to work the numbers to be as effective as possible. Example: In 20 Breed wins in the last 30 days, Blu Shah was awarded 20 Group Awards and 4 Best in Shows. I didn’t mention that not every award was a first. A 2nd place is still an "award". Get the picture? Also I might have been to 22 shows and not win 2 of them, but the wording accents the wins only. Here it becomes important for Impeccable Records. Not only if your in the running for Ratings, but to be able to keep a log of where you stand in the overall picture. Another "statistic": you need to win almost 10 Groups a month to be the "Quaker Oats Winner". And if your winning that many groups you will be winning the expected amount of Bests. I tried to keep a theme or format that stayed with the dog during their career.

A Triumph ad - TR's wins were always Triumphant!

Example: for Triumph of Grandeur the page was always titled with "TRIUMPH at Cobo Hall" his win was considered a "triumph" and it was eye catching and bold. Tryst of Grandeur always had a slight provocative and/or innuendo via a cute comment or saying. Example: "it’s good to have a choice…it’s great to make the right one!" or "it’s one thing to say it..it’s another thing to be it!", the concept had unlimited potential and attracted a great deal of attention. As they say: "when they are talking about you…you must be doing something right! Her advertising generated tremendous conversation…many sent me great "one liners" and lots of judges asked who was my advertising agent…which there was never anyone but myself and Roger involved.

So now what’s more important? Number One in the Breed or Number One in Group/All Breed points. Personally…you should win both! It’s important to fully understand and evaluate the level to which you feel you can reasonably achieve. To many a breeder, it’s their goal to finish a championship with strong major wins. For them a specialty has more merit than a win at an All Breed show. Most will set their boundaries and try to stay within them. Once in a while a breeder might have two excellent dogs, which makes it difficult to promote both, so they consider letting one go out with a "backer". These backers are usually very knowledgeable dog people that desire to see dogs they feel have exceptional quality promoted at a "Higher Level." Afghan Hounds in particular have been very successful both Professionally and Owner handled. As Lois Boardman once said:" a good dog will win some of the time…a Great dog will win most of the time." As the Grandeur dogs continued to be presented, (at the All Breed and Specialty level,) it became obvious, recognition from the Breeder/Judge was matched by that of the All Rounders. This perfect balance resulted in guaranteed success. Indeed, the Number One Afghan Hound in BOTH Breed and All Breed standings for 10 consecutive years was a Grandeur Afghan Hound.

On to the amount of shows required to "bring it all home." More shows than you can imagine. Be prepared to be in attendance in excess of 100 per annum. You will quickly forget that there are Birthdays, Graduations, Holidays, and your weekends somehow became Tuesday and Wednsday, unless of course there was a circuit in Idaho! If you’re winning like crazy, it will go incredibly fast. There is a divide as to starting at the smaller less competitive show opposed to the huge "Mega Event." A modest win at the bigger show can stimulate good "word of mouth" from those present, but a BIS sign at a 500 dog show is just as impressive as a BIS sign at a 2,000 dog show. This is a hard area to offer advise. Both have their respective virtues…my answer again…win at both! It matters not, because if your determined to get the "Quaker Oats" your going to be at both (and all) shows available.

This ad features one of our favorite headlines - the concept continued with many subsequent ads, whose headlines included: When You Do Things Right, You Earn A Reputation! Many Were Called, One Was Chosen. Clearly one of those rare experiences that puts everything in focus. If Something Stops You, It's Asking You To Look At It! If You Can Only Choose One, Choose Well! Uncommon, Unparalleled, Unlike the Rest. If One Victory Says it All, This One Does! after coming out of retirement, we used comments such as... If, Indeed, things do get better with age, TRYST should be pretty close to perfect by now! Let's Tryst Again... What Makes a Legend Most. and the last ad: The most conclusive act is that you did it right!

Be careful to remember that the most important win of the day is the Breed win…if you don’t win that, the day ends very early. Of course that almost always happens when the breed is at 3 PM and the Group First, because when you win the breed at 8AM and your group is last, surely you will go second! Murphy’s Law rules the dog shows!

Lets talk about the Judges. They will never cease to amaze me. I’ve been walked in a group one week, and go Best under the same judge the very next weekend. Everyday is a different day. Just because they didn’t carry you out of a strong breed, that doesn’t mean they missed your dog. It just means they like the other better, on that day, for whatever reason. Many judges have to make a decision in a timely manner, and if they took 20 seconds more it might have gone the other way. If you lost to a exhibit you felt worthy, then you find that judge again. If you loose to a bum, avoid that judge. They seldom change their stripes.

Be mindful that the knowledge applied at the breed level is the most important. That judge SHOULD reward the best example of breed type, the dog that can do the most to carry the breed further, than just a fancy performance. Performance can be subjective on the day. A correct shoulder, sound gait and intense breed details will contribute to the breed for years to come. To many judges lose sight of that at the breed level. One of the most often asked question for me has been: "do you show differently in the breed than you do in the Group or Best in Show?" The answer is YES! For me the breed competition had your dog being compared to others in relationship to the Standard, and highlighting specific features was critical. In the group and Best rings if was vital that a "spectacular performance" was expected. At that level your dog is not always compared point for point to the breed standard, but in relation to "is this Afghan Hound a better Afghan Hound than that Basenji is a Basenji?" What is most important at this level is your dog must be incredibly sound in both body and mind. No Group contender will be rewarded if there is any signs of shyness or weakness on the move. Many a judge will have an "imagine" of a great dog in their mind, and that becomes the basis for a decision.

By the time you’re in for Best in Show…hold nothing back! You run faster than you should, the crowd senses a great performance and is quick to show their encouragement, and all that generates the excitement that can carry the momentum.It is truly a thrill to win a Best in Show! I would like to inject here that with along with the honor of such a win, comes the responsibility to the "public." The public love’s a winner and I was taught by Sunny to share that moment with them. No dog at that level should be wary of having people come close up and ask questions or want to pet the winner. I always enjoyed that the best, and resented those who wouldn’t allow the public to share the experience. That meant a lot of "photo ops", and conversations with those seeking information. To me a vital part of what we do is how the public perceives us.

Now lets address the requirements of proper conditioning, both mental and physical. Every dog will need different types of "conditioning." Sunny swore that Ch. Shirkhan of Grandeur never left the couch, and this dog was ALWAYS hard as a rock. Some dogs are blessed with that kind of Natural Muscling, other’s need to be worked on a regular basis. One must be equally aware of the physical as well as the Mental conditioning particular to each dog. Triumph was very smart dog. Aware of every movement within 100 feet of him. That could make him seem inches taller and it was thrilling to look at, but ask him to run full tilt towards those ring barriers (which he knew he would hit at that speed) and he would give you a lesson in humility. I would have him jump those baby gates in the yard until here caught on that when he got to the gates he could always just hurdle over them. Same was true for him about running under a flapping tent in the wind….he knew something was falling and he wasn’t going to put himself in that position to be the victim. So now you know why I had umbrellas or flags in the kennel at any given time. By the way, a knowledgeable sighthound judge would understand that kind of reaction and seldom be bothered by a dog who displayed good instinctive reactions. Others would be less tolerant and quite often missed the better dogs. Ch. Blu Shah of Grandeur was the KING! He knew, I knew and it seems many judges knew it when they saw him. He didn’t require anything more than someone to hold the lead. But you couldn’t tug or force him to do anything…he called the shots.

Emphasizing the dog's strengths photographically, and stating something very special about her in the text, makes fanciers and judges alike take notice.

Tryst was the ultimate show dog. She always had the requisite enthusiasm. She preferred only a dead loose lead, and sometimes she could recreate the rules as she went. It was always a challenge. But being in the ring almost 3 times a day, at least 3 days a week, 48 weeks out of the year, she could do whatever she wanted. I had many sessions with the likes of Jimmy Moses and Gene Blake sharing their "secrets" from everything from special collars to the use of reverse logic on them. Every dog had slightly different quirks, and it was imperative to acknowledge them early and work through them in short order. There is one fact that was shared by all of the most successful dogs. That was correct, impeccable TEMPERAMENT. No dog with anything less than a perfect temperament would or should be placed in that scenario. These dogs were hardly ever ill, they always ate on the road, slept when it was time, and had wonderful "hotel manners". Maybe it’s the breeds sensitive nature that makes all this seem even more impressive. But so much of it comes from a consistent routine that remained intact generation after generation. I guess the saying "if it ain’t broken, don’t fix it" worked for us.

In closing there is one other Major Decision that is the hardest of all to make. Knowing when to call it quits! We respected the "advice" of a year up, at year there, and a year coming down. It seemed uncanny how the judges seemed to follow or know the same time frame. When a dogs best judge knocks him down a peg, you know it’s time. It’s the hardest part of the "Campaign". Of course there are exceptions to every rule. Some bitches fell short of obtainable records because of breeding responsibilities. This is an important part of the princlipes of the sport…to continue to breed quality year after year. That in itself was a factor. What should you do when a great dog was of age during the peak of another’s career. Breedings had to be regulated so as that didn’t happen often. Back to when does one stop? If you have been successful in the ratings, and you are still in the same position ( physically, emotionally, and financially) another dog should be in the wings. The process repeats itself, the only exception being if for some reason the general consensus of the same previous critics are not as encouraging. Give that hopeful at "Limited Run" and be prepared to be totally honest in your objectivity. One of the more endearing comments that was to be made to someone who expressed displeasure in our dogs continued success was, "be thankful they show dogs of correct breed type, it would be awful if they were winning with incorrect dogs that others might relate to."

The crowing glory to all the extended efforts was the ability of those wonderful dogs to be equally successful as producers. For that we are indebted to our mentor Sunny Shay for educating us on the breed specifically and the world of Dog Shows in general. This offering is just one of the ways we can share the experience. I hope it has shed some light on what is in your future.