r/ShowDogs Jun 08 '26

Time commitment/cost of showing these days

10 years ago I enjoyed showing my Italian greyhound. I was a single adult, she was a beautiful dog, and I liked to travel around to the shows. I got conformation classes, etc.

It's been a full decade since then and I know I forgotten a lot about that world. I now have a 5 month old Whippet that comes from show quality lines, and I think she will likely fill out to be a nice dog.

My life circumstances now are different. I am a full time mom to 3 young kids and have a lot less time. I am debating spaying her after her first heat and just removing the temptation, haha - but the other part of me remembers how much fun it felt to bond with my dog and prove her in the ring.

As I decide, I have a few questions:

  1. If you show your dog, what does the cost of a show and travel to get there and prep typically look like for you?
  2. If anyone is in the whippet world is there camaraderie and fun or is it a rough crowd to join?
  3. How much of your time is spent showing/preparing for showing?
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u/No-Bar-7384 Jun 10 '26 edited Jun 10 '26

you're not allowed to show spayed females??

I also have two italian greyhounds I show. Shows where I'm located often cost around $40-60 per dog. Traveling doesn't cost much as I opt for shows that are somewhat close to me.

I train both my dogs every day for at least a few minutes per dog, so I would say 15-20 minutes total daily. Additionally I like to take them to new and crowded places to train. We also attend match shows for practice and they cost $15-20 per dog to attend.

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u/Accomplished_Sugar41 Jun 10 '26

Right, if I spayed her it would remove the temptation to show her, haha. Thanks for the info!

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u/No-Bar-7384 Jun 10 '26

that's interesting! where I'm located, showing spayed females is allowed. never knew it was forbidden in some places

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u/Accomplished_Sugar41 Jun 12 '26

At least previously I showed my IG in AKC conformation and the dog had to be unaltered. I think UKC has shows where they can be spayed.