I was wondering how do you get your chi registered and papers??
and then how do you get him/her into doing shows? does he/she have to have papers to do a show??

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Pets are not disposable because your lifestyle has changed." ~ Anonymous

Your dog should have come with KC registration papers, if not I am sure as long as you know the Parents KC details you can register your dog.

You can attend ringcraft classes where they show you how to present your dog for the judge. Don't need to be registered for these.

Then its a case of finding out what shows are running within your travelling distance. Dogs need to be registered with the KC to compete unless its a local show like companion classes but I guess your looking into the Open Shows etc

I love shows but I am not competitve and just go for the fun, whether I come 1st or last I don't care, I won't stress myself out if I don't get placed or do get placed but not as well as hoped, I have witnessed some get really angry because their dog didn't win.
I used to get stressed when competing with horses and lost the fun factor, so now I keep the fun and go home smiling rather than frowning... got too many wrinkles as it is

Cheers

Deme x

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Just realised your not in the UK, so think its the AKC you need to contact to register your dog, not 100% sure but someone here will be able to guide you

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First your dog must be AKC registered or Canadian KC registered. Those are the only two reputable registries in this part of the country.

Registration is required for dog shows, but most importantly - your dog must be bred to the standard. That means it comes from parents who have been bred to the standard and so on. In order to find a dog of this quality - most likely the parents will have been shown and finished. (Finished means that they have their championships or at least are pointed.) You want to see many champions in the first few generations of the pedigree. If there are just a couple ch titles and they are further back than grandparents - their quality will be really dilute.

If a breeder tells you that a puppy they have for sale is show quality and they don't show dogs themselves, I'd take a pass. How do they know? Showing their dogs is important if you want a dog that will win in the ring.

There aren't any 'fun shows' or 'companion shows' where you can just go to shows for fun here in the US or Canada that I know of.

Showing dogs takes commitment and good financial backing.

If you want to show dogs for "fun", I suggest obedience, agility, rally, etc.

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"Having heard all of this, you may choose to look the other way.....
but you can never say again that you did not know." William Wilberforce 1759-1833

I knew someone would give good advice for you and Tracy knows so much and has helped me loads.

I know I say I only go for the fun and Tracy says if you just go for the fun stick to companion shows etc (which I do with Jake) but what I meant was though yes I like to win... don't we all... I don't beat myself up over it like I used to with the horses if I am not placed. So by fun I mean I want to enjoy the day and not get myself all stressed.

I get loads of enjoyment watching others showing their dogs but then I never tire of watching those cute Chihuahua's

Lets know how you get on

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thanks guys I wish i could find out more about lolas back ground I know her parents are defiantly not show dogs Lol

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Pets are not disposable because your lifestyle has changed." ~ Anonymous

With absolutely NO intention to offend at all, I have to disagree with this statement:

"In order to find a dog of this quality - most likely the parents will have been shown and finished. (Finished means that they have their championships or at least are pointed.) You want to see many champions in the first few generations of the pedigree. If there are just a couple ch titles and they are further back than grandparents - their quality will be really dilute."

Looking at a pedigree to see how many red CH's there are tells me nothing about the quality of those dogs nor what quality they throw. I've seen MANY finished dogs that I believe should NOT be bred at all. Any dog that is AKC registered is eligible to show in conformation classes and a good handler, professional or not, has the ability to make a mediocre specimen look great in the ring and achieve its championship. That same mediocre dog probably does not belong in a breeding program.

Several of the nation’s top producing bitches have never been shown. Pittore’s Flamingo Dancer is one example of a bitch who was a beautiful specimen and produced many finished CH’s but she was NEVER shown. Her value was in the whelping box. Many top champions never produce well. Using the logic of looking for the red CH’s in her pedigree would cause a person to think she was of lesser quality when the opposite is true.

A red CH does not indicate quality at all. It only means that dog looked better on any particular day than others it was competing against. Remember it is one judge’s opinion on any one day that this dog looks better than the others. If I take a mediocre dog into the ring one day against other dogs that are of significantly less quality, I can win. But does that mean my dog is a great specimen and should be bred? No.

The quality of each individual dog with the red CH determines the quality of that pedigree. The CH itself doesn’t mean it is great quality nor that it will produce great quality. Good begets good and just because something has a CH doesn’t mean they are “good”. You want to look for a dog that is typey (looks like a Chihuahua) and is sound and meets as many of the breed standard characteristics as possible.

If you want to focus on pedigrees, then I would try to find pictures of all the dogs in the pedigree and make yourself a picture pedigree. That will show you the quality of each dog in the line and what characteristics flow through the breeding.

Forgive me if I have rambled on too much but this is one of my “hot” buttons. When I first started, I too got caught up in looking for the red CH’s in a pedigree and ended up with some messes. I’ve learned a whole lot since then. Also, I really hope that I didn’t offend anyone because that is certainly not my intent. Thanks for listening...

My point was that a NOVICE person looking to get into showing wants to buy from a person who shows her dogs. Now are there exceptions to this? Of course! You gave some great examples of dogs that haven't been shown that have produced well. Many of the qualities that make a good brood bitch (longer back for example and at least 5 pounds) could make her harder to finish in the show ring. There are many champion bitches out there (and dogs too) that have their championships that should NEVER be bred. I agree with you there.

However, I was trying to help a person who has no idea about showing. That person would do well to go with a proven show breeder if they want a dog to show. Perhaps, as time goes on, and they can hone their eye - they may be able to spot a show quality puppy out of a litter. But in the beginning, they are going to need mentoring and guidance. And if they want to show their dog - they need to buy from someone who also shows their dogs!

I can't tell you how many people have come to conformation classes with a pet quality puppy that they are wanting to show. When questioned, they will pull out a pedigree that has a couple champions way on back in the line and they will point out that the breeder told them that their dog was from a "champion line" and they sure could show it! Sure - they can show it. But they probably aren't going to win.

Really? A champion behind a dog doesn't indicate quality at all? Sorry, but we will have to disagree on this one. Especially in a breed that is very competitive like Chihuahua's. Sure, there may be a savvy handler who can get out there and finish a mediocre dog. But on the whole - I believe that YES - you can assume that a champion title does mean that the dog had enough good qualities to earn its championship.

If a beginner is buying a puppy to show - they need to buy from people who show. Having a mentor be able to evaluate puppies and to hold their hands at ringside while they learn the ropes is invaluable. That's my point when saying to buy from breeders who show their dogs if you want to show.

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"Having heard all of this, you may choose to look the other way.....
but you can never say again that you did not know." William Wilberforce 1759-1833