what makes a successful show chi in your area? i know that looks is very important but is personality more important than looks? for instance, would an ok looking dog with a superb personality beat out better looking dogs? or does it depend on the region and the number of competitors? i ask bc i love looking at show chis. you know how some people can go to the race tracks and figure out which horse is likely to win? im trying to be like that with show chis...i thought i knew what a successful show chi looks like ( from talking to decorated show breeders and looking at pics of show chis) but i am realizing that is not the case. so, what type of look is successful in the show rings in your country? is it the shorter muzzled look? the pointed nose? i always thought," the bigger the head, the shorter the muzzle the better!" but is this not always the case?

Definitely the saucy expression and the obnoxious personality. Any Chi who enters the ring and is like "hello I'm here!!!!" is a winner.

For example: this little guy is not very typey, therefore judges would mark him down for that. But his personality is INSANE and he has such ring presence it's crazy. I've seen him in the act a few times and he just thinks the world of himself and struts his stuff, even with a hopeless handler he still wins because he is a real show man.

However, this little girl wins for her looks. She's a beautiful girl and looks just like a Chihuahua should. She is also very feminine and judges love that.

If there was a big personalitied Chihuahua and a typey Chihuahua standing side by side and the judge had to pick out of those for BOB, the judge would choose the typey one because at the end of the day it's more about looks than personality but the judge would definitely have a tough time picking it.

Which is why I think a Chihuahua is such a hard dog to show, they need the beauty AND the brains LOL

In Australia, the Chihuahua should have big, dark eyes, large ears, short legs, a stocky body and a giant round head with a 90 degree angle from their snout to their head.

ok that makes a LOT of sense. see, ive never been to a dog show so all i have to go on are pictures. if someone would have told me that first dog was a CH, i would have suspected them of having "kennel blindness" or something. see, i would not have thought that second girl would be the #1 LC in Australia, either, bc she has a muzzle. the ones i see who do really well tend to have very small muzzles...im learning so much!

in France we like *very* short muzzles and a small, compact body. Chis in the 5lbs+ range rarely bear a chance here whereas they are preferred in other countries like Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands.
Attitude is also very important.

It is also very tough to become a French Champion because there are only two possibilities a year. You have to win one of those two specific shows to be able to obtain the title, which is why there are so few French champs out there. I wish it would be more like in other countries, where you have to have a certain number of CAC's but that's not going to change !

the chis in france sound beautiful

I think temperament is very important after all it is a dog "show" if they are not showing they are not doing what they are there for.

I would say that they type and confirmation would still have to be there at champion level though.

In the UK it depends on the judge - some like them stocky while others like them fine boned.
Some like ultra short noses while others prefer a little longer.

I think most countries breed standards are similar - it is just how the individual interpretates them

i dont know. that was what i thought until i saw 2 show dogs who were absolutely UGLY. the surprising thing was they actually did well in their countries. i didnt trust my eye, though, bc i do not show. so, i talked to a guy i was put into contact with bc he has the #1 LC in the US. and he confided in me that certain countries do have pretty ugly show dogs...and just bc its a show dog doesnt mean its a beautiful dog

while we are on the subject, can someone please tell me the difference btw "typey" and "breed standard"? bc i was under the impression that "breed standard" meant "show quality"...and that "typey" and "breed standard" could be used interchangeably. But i realize, maybe that is not the case bc i saw a dog that a lady was planning on breeding bc she thought the dog was "typey" but the dog didnt fit what i thought a breed standard dog should look...
or am i getting it wrong? does"breed standard" means the dog looks like a chi and therefore a "pet quality" is also a "typey" chi..but a "show quality" is a dog who EXCEEDS the standards?

if my question doesnt make sense, i could rephrase it. And i know im asking lots of questions but that is only bc i really do take a HUGE interest in akc standards bc i really do love this breed and i love learning about how the chi should look. i could spend hrs looking at beautiful chis and learning about them

In some countries the quality of dogs are not as good as others - so what wins in that country is the best that is available to that country unfortunately sometimes they are not quiet what is the standard in other countries.

Personally I would say that "breed standard" and "typey" are the same thing. Plus the fact a dog can meet breed standard and NOT be pretty.

Some people use the words typey or breed standard to try and sell the "product" ie a puppy or a stud. If a dog is typey, to me that means that it is of breed standard type. All you have to do is look on epupz etc, where they advertise a puppy which "is of breed type, stunning, show quality" - who gives them the right to state this if they are not a show judge? some poor person will come along and buy this puppy because of the rubbish they have written only to find that they have paid a lot of money and it isn't good enough to show.

Any dog can be shown providing it meets the criteria, KC registered, not a banned colour, within the breed weight etc. It does not mean however that it will win.