I hope everyone is gearing up for the AKC Classic to be held in Long Beach next month. It will be televised later as a 3 hour special. The new and novel aspect of this show is that top winners from around the globe have been asked to compete in special classes and special awards.

A highlight of the show is competition for Best Bred By Exhibitor groups and a BBE Best in show with a rich award. As usual there will be a "Meet The Breeds" displays throughout the facility.

HBO just ran a special about Ingrid Newkirk and PETA. It supposedly was a balanced treatment of the Animal Rights Movement. UGH!

Good news! Eight more magazines have agreed to carry my "From The Skeptic Tank" column. That makes 29 publications. They include both Breed and All Breed magazines.

Have you noticed how many Parent club websites are seriously out of date. This is a disservice to their members and certainly makes it difficult to contact them.

The judges' website is carrying a query called "I wish." Members write in what they wish exhibitors would do correctly. Some even suggest what judges could do better.

Some breed websites are decrying the unfairness of the current point system and suggesting changes. With majors so hard to find in some breeds there is much feeling about automatically awarding BW to the dog earning the lesser number of points. This should create quite a controversy.

The annual Dog Writers of America writing contest is underway. Winners in the many categories will be announced at the awards dinner during the Westminster week.

I know that many of you want to win in the show ring; you want to breed top dogs which can compete with the best of them. You want the acclaim that comes from being a winner. How oh how do you go about doing all that?

For many it is like the three blind men approaching an elephant. One touches the trunk and says that an elephant is long and eats with its snout. Another touches the tusks and says an elephant is hard, pointed and sharp. The third touches the tail and is convinced that an elephant is very thin and has a funny smell. Each comes away with a distinctly different idea of what an elephant looks like.

If you live in a remote area of the country the dogs you see, as winners are your idea of perfection. You breed to them, you raise their liters and perhaps you also can win with them in your own bailiwick. Given the opportunity to go to a regional or National specialty and you feel like you are in the land of OZ. These dogs don't look like anything you have seen. Something is wrong!

Lets face it, you need to clearly visualize what your ideal dog should look like before you begin to breed and show. Now the problem is how do you get one like that?

Breeding top dogs can be a challenging task. There are books that can help you get an idea of what your breed looks like and tips on how to perform the various functions necessary to becoming a good breeder. However, book learning alone won't do the trick. You need expert guidance early in your career or you will become so frustrated that you will become one of the great number of people who drop out within three years for lack of success or understanding why you have not succeed.

How do you go about getting THAT help that can put you over the top? The best approach is to find a mentor that can help you. Easier said than done. Top-flight mentors are in short supply. Many do not take the time to help the novice; they are too busy with their own dogs or careers. Some will take the time but you need to make sure they are truly experts and have been successful in their own programs. Beware of the self styled experts who are delighted to gather a coterie of novices around them. These novices become used and get little of any real help.

As the cost of showing dogs increases and more and more people opt out of the game there are fewer majors available and the competition becomes even tougher for them. What is the solution?

How about a professional mentor? We have professional handlers, professional judges, professional groomers , professional photographers and professional superintendents. Why not professional mentors?

I have given this subject much thought over the past few years and decided that it is the best approach to stem the dropout rate and to truly educate today's breeder/exhibitor. We have all kinds of classes and seminars for judges; we also have schools for groomers, why not go to the core of the sport, the breeder. Over the years we hear numerous complaints about judges not understanding our breed. Judges, on the other hand are vociferous in stating that breeders bring poor specimens before them and give them limited choices to select from.

Given the fact that there are no regularly scheduled seminars or classes for breeders or any official list of mentors whom you can reach at any time, why not launch a professional mentor program? Well, we have. It is called WinningSolutions.info. You have either visited the site or already ordered one or more of the Special Reports or the new e-book "The Road to Success in Pure Bred Dogs."

The website contains detailed breeding/exhibiting information. The reports give you an organized plan and advice on how to be a success in the dog show game. That's how to play a winning game. Your best source for all that help is as near as your computer at. http://www.winningsolutions.info. One winning breeder states " Dr. Grossman's website is about as close as you can get to having him in your living room."

In addition to these Special Reports, Dr. G is available by phone to answer specific questions and available to do seminars on a wide range of topics. He is the author of a syndicated column now running in 24 magazines titled "From The Skeptic Tank." He is approved by the AKC to judge BIS as well as all Sporting dogs. The author of five best selling dog books he has been president of the American Spaniel Club for four terms and judged in 14 foreign countries.

Phone: (800) 209-6694
Email: agrossman@WinningSolutions.info

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