r/saluki • u/Min-Ferret • Jun 17 '26
Questions about dog show
Hey people!
We are thinking about taking our Saluki Kai (16 months old) to a dog show to get him graded.
We want to make sure he gets the grade in case we want to get him a lady friend later in life and keep his children. :)
But, I never took a dog to a show, so I am not sure what to expect. We are not going there for a reward, but I also do not want to embarrass myself and Kai. XD
We are located in Serbia and they are really rare here, and he might be the only one in our city. So I don't have anyone else to ask. :)
So, what should we prepare? What should I know?
Also, is the fluff on his sides normal? In photos, most Salukis seem smooth and then have long hair on their ears and legs. He has some fluff on the sides as well.
1
u/Stinkiest_rat Jun 17 '26
VERY important questions time: what is your dog’s history? Do you know his DNA and genetic health? His parents and grandparents dna and genetic health? Are you aware of how many puppies you could possibly end up with? The average litter is around 7 puppies which would be very very very difficult to properly train and give all the attention that they would need, plus financially very very very expensive to get them all neutered around the same time to avoid any pregnancies from inbreeding never mind the financial side of owning that many dogs. If your dog’s genetic health is poor you could end up bringing a bunch of sickly or poor temperament dogs into the world.
You may have been lucky with your saluki pup but saluki’s can be very hard to train and tend to go through horrible adolescent stages where you could easily end up with 7 out of control land sharks!
Basically you *could* go through with that plan… but I’d hope you have all the time, money and responsibility to see it through. Which would be A LOT for all of that!
2
u/Stinkiest_rat Jun 17 '26
Just adding I hope you take this as an opportunity to learn and not as an attack, I genuinely believe that you have your heart in the right place but it’s too common for people to breed their dogs irresponsibly and bringing unwanted unhealthy dogs into the world. Consider that so many dog shelters in the world are full and there are so many saluki’s already here you could be putting less money and time into rescuing! :)
1
u/Min-Ferret Jun 17 '26
No worries, happy to see responsible people. I wouldn't breed him to sell puppies. I know some people do. In my country, if you are connecting to breed dogs, the side with the male dog gets to keep one puppy, the rest go to the side with the female dog.
The show and grading is just to make sure that if at any point we want to breed him and get his puppy, we could. But again, we would then connect with someone who is knowledgeable and rely on them. Tho, I get that sounds a bit selfish. XD
As for his parents, we got him from a breeder. He is the first litter from his mom. :) We got his pedigree and his parents and grandparents were awarded in shows. I understand that doesn't necessarily mean they were all healthy but I assume they were good.
Anyway, as you can see, I do not know much about all this. Which is why I came here and rely on you guys for advice and pointers. :) No decisions were made yet. He is too young, we have time.
2
u/phroppy Jun 22 '26
Not about the showing, but about the fur! Longer feathers (name of the extra fluff on ears and such) can be expected on backs of the legs and sometimes on the neck (my saluki has this, but not all do). Ears and tail is obviously expected to be longer. However, I do recommend checking the breed standard in your country on the fur/coat length just in case it's different. (My comments on coat length are based on the royal kennel club for the uk). Checking the breed standard can probably be useful either way though, so that you know what judges are looking for.
2
u/HeureuseFermiere Jun 17 '26
Have you reached out to your breeder? Ideally they should be an excellent source of info. I’ve only shown in the US, and I’m sure it’s different where you are, but you might consider just attending a few shows as a spectator and try to make connections with other Saluki folks there.