Showing animals

I agree with you 100% Piglet. Guinea Pigs are good for nothing but pets. They can't herd sheep, guide the blind, carry a rider, pull a cart, rescue a drowning person or catch a criminal.

I have never seen the point of showing Guinea Pigs. It is a totally self centered "hobby" that I'm certain the GPs don't enjoy...all for some stupid ribbons.

Yup, It's just the owners own selfishness. They breed for pathetic reasons, for example, to get the right width of a stripe on a pig...What is the need? Just let your pigs be, we wouldn't like it if we were tagged and examined by judges would we. We'd prefer to lie on the sofa and eat (no.....that's what I've been doing all day!)

Personally I don't see the point in showing guinea pigs. But I do, however, see a point in showing some other animals. I personally have been involved in showing dogs and horses.

slap_maxwell said:

Personally I don't see the point in showing guinea pigs. But I do, however, see a point in showing some other animals. I personally have been involved in showing dogs and horses.

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I think dog showing is a completely different thing because most dogs enjoy going to the shows. They get to be with their humans and see other dogs.

I see dog and horse shows (and some other large animal shows) as completely different.

A GP having spots, stripes or curly hair doesn't make it any more special then a plain old GP.

A dog's ability to herd, lead the blind, retrieve, rescue, etc...are useful skills that the dogs usually enjoy doing. I prefer "function shows" over beauty shows but most dogs seem to enjoy both. An unhappy dog will not show well. Thus will not win. I have known show owners and these dogs have fabulous lives.

I feel the same about horse shows, prefering function over beauty. I love to see a well matched horse and rider perform dressage, jumping, cross country. It's teamwork. A horse that does not trust and respect it's rider will not perform well.

I do wish they would make the overuse of crops a fault though. I hate to see Thoroughbreds and Standardbreds being smacked with those crops. I understand the "grazing encouragement" of the crop, that doesn't hurt. But those riders that are using all their strength to beat on the horse with a crop....Give me 5 minutes with them and that crop and they won't be so eager to use it as much.

Fortunetily in the Thoroughbred racing industry they have new regualtion crops that are made of a special foam so they don't hurt- but make noise instead. In the Standardbred industry, you are only allowed to use the crop in certain places (ie. not between the legs).

I almost always carry a crop/whip with me when I ride/drive. I rarely smack them with it, but I do "show it to them" a lot.

I show my guinea pigs. I find showing them enjoyable. To show a guinea pig they must be fit, healthy and happy about being handled by humans.
I would never show my guinea pigs if I thought my guinea pigs were stressed by the situation.
Emma x

Yah, but like my originial question what is the point? Are you honestly showing your pigs for their pleasure or yours? *cough* the latter *cough*

I've been to a few cat shows. I find the cats in cat shows are quite happy too. You really can't have a function show for a cat. Beauty shows are function shows for them. They get to do what they do best up untill showing. Sleep.

But I find it's not a question of beauty over function. It's a question of whether or not that species likes attention. Cat's love attention. Heck they demand attention. Guinea pigs don't. Most of them just want you to feed them and then leave them alone.

Yes I do! I am glad to see that my guinea pigs are a good type for there breed standards. I do not show that many 'pure breed' guinea pigs but I also enjoy entering my 'pets' into the pet classes. Pet classes are judged on friendliness, cleanliness and healthiness, not on the breed standard.

Emma

Hm...I've never actually been to a show so I don't know what the actual conditions are like.

So, you breed purely on the basis to get pretty looking pigs? I'm not being patronizing, just curious.

Well, no I dont breed to get pretty guinea pigs, but ALL guinea pigs are pretty no matter what is in there lines the perfect 'purebreed' or the most mixed up 'mongrel'. I am not here to cause arguements I was just wanting to put my views across. I know people in the guinea pig showing world can come across bad but I am NOT one of those people! I do not kill my guinea pigs if they are mis-marked/boars/not what I am looking for. I have known people who do this and I DONOT AGREE WITH THIS.

DON'T JUDGE ME, BECAUSE I DONT JUDGE YOU

guineapigqueen said:

I do not kill my guinea pigs if they are mis-marked/boars/not what I am looking for. I have known people who do this and I DONOT AGREE WITH THIS.

DON'T JUDGE ME, BECAUSE I DONT JUDGE YOU

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Using all capitals is considered shouting. Please refrain from "shouting" on the forums.

You are welcome to stay on the forums but do not expect anyone to support you in breeding/showing dicussions. There is nothing you can say that will change our opinions on this matter. The majority of us do not agree with breeding or showing GPs. I recommend you get off those subjects and stay off of them.

I posted this in your introduction thread but I will post it again here to make certain you understand where you are.

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Here is a quote from the owner of this site about this forum. This way you will know where you stand and how the majority of us feel about breeding and showing.

"This forum is run by a guinea pig rescue and is a rescue-friendly board.
Intentional breeding and/or showing "how-to" discussions are not welcome in this forum.
For more information on breeding, see Cavy Spirit's Breeding page.
What does it mean to be a so-called responsible breeder? Read this page to find out.
For accidental pregnancy information, see this GuineaLynx page"

The links above do not work because of the copy/paste. Here are workable links
https://cavyspirit.com/breeding.htm
https://cavyspirit.com/responsiblebreeder.htm
https://www.guinealynx.info/breeding.html

guineapigqueen said:

I show my guinea pigs. I find showing them enjoyable. To show a guinea pig they must be fit, healthy and happy about being handled by humans.
I would never show my guinea pigs if I thought my guinea pigs were stressed by the situation.
Emma x

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I agree with you there. Please no one be against me for my beliefs though. I have been to shows and will be going to one next weekend. The animals are all in good condition (otherwise what is the point in showing?) The judges don't always judge the purebreds you know, they look for well cared piggies aswell - and they can be total crossbreeds. When I walk round, I find all the owners cooing at the pigs feeding lots of fresh food. They are really caring people. I don't think you can judge a show till you've been to one. I went to a livestock show the other weekend and I thought that was much worse than a guinea pig show - the cows could hardly stand in the enclosures!

Sabriel said:

I've been to a few cat shows. I find the cats in cat shows are quite happy too. You really can't have a function show for a cat. Beauty shows are function shows for them. They get to do what they do best up untill showing. Sleep.

But I find it's not a question of beauty over function. It's a question of whether or not that species likes attention. Cat's love attention. Heck they demand attention. Guinea pigs don't. Most of them just want you to feed them and then leave them alone.

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My guinea pig, Chico, is much more demanding for attention than my cat!!

Thank you very much for agreeing with me.

I joined this forum to give advice and recieve advice from fellow guinea pig lovers, not to cause upset.

Well, we're not causing fights with you. If you had read the rules before hand you would realise that we don't like showing or breeding.

Sorry, but one thing I cannot stand is the breeding of pet quality or "mixed breed" guinea pigs.

I am glad that I have put my views across and I think I will stick with another forum who respects everyone beliefs.
Thanks for you opinions and nice meeting you.
"Guinea Pigs are not just pets they have feelings too" - my quote on guinea pig life