.com Forum · Beginner Forum

i've been on this game for about a week,
& i have seen & learn't anything of how to move on from my breed etc.
i'm packing it in before i start, 'cos i haven't had any decent
directions at all!

i'm on two horse games, i've been on Howrse for 11yrs
but, even though i am a qualified canine judge in real life,
this game is so confusing even i couldn't even sort it out,sorry but this is a rip off.

https://www.showdog.com/forum/read.aspx?id=471707

This is a great beginner guide.
Looking at your kennel briefly, it looks like you have all source dogs. Source dogs are generation 0 and have very low SOP, so while they are good for breeding projects like you want to make your own line (this takes over 10 years) or reviving lost colors (usually takes about 2+ years with outbreeding to other current lines) or starting in a breed that has lost all current SOP dogs, source dogs are not great to use for show dogs (unless the entire breed is starters which most are not).
To get current SOP dogs you can check the sales boards. I would also just take a look at a couple of top kennels in the breed, see what SOP their dogs are at for your breed and that will likely be the competitive SOP.
You can tell the SOP of the dog by looking at the percentage above all the dogs listed traits. For example, in rat terriers my current highest SOP dog is 99.25, with anything above 99.00 being finishable.
Once you have your dog that’s competitive for showing you need to make sure their sessioned properly with condition, coat, show obedience and muscle tone at or very near 20. Once your dog is fully sessioned, they can start entering in shows at 14 days, until they are 120 days. Some judges have preferences so it’s helpful to click the judges names to see if they prefer owner handlers, handlers, males, females etc. That knowledge can give you a leg up when entering in shows.
Hope this helps explain a bit!

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posted by
https://www.showdog.com/forum/read.aspx?id=471707

This is a great beginner guide.
Looking at your kennel briefly, it looks like you have all source dogs. Source dogs are generation 0 and have very low SOP, so while they are good for breeding projects like you want to make your own line (this takes over 10 years) or reviving lost colors (usually takes about 2+ years with outbreeding to other current lines) or starting in a breed that has lost all current SOP dogs, source dogs are not great to use for show dogs (unless the entire breed is starters which most are not).
To get current SOP dogs you can check the sales boards. I would also just take a look at a couple of top kennels in the breed, see what SOP their dogs are at for your breed and that will likely be the competitive SOP.
You can tell the SOP of the dog by looking at the percentage above all the dogs listed traits. For example, in rat terriers my current highest SOP dog is 99.25, with anything above 99.00 being finishable.
Once you have your dog that’s competitive for showing you need to make sure their sessioned properly with condition, coat, show obedience and muscle tone at or very near 20. Once your dog is fully sessioned, they can start entering in shows at 14 days, until they are 120 days. Some judges have preferences so it’s helpful to click the judges names to see if they prefer owner handlers, handlers, males, females etc. That knowledge can give you a leg up when entering in shows.
Hope this helps explain a bit!

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This was me sorry it took me too long to type and timed me out of my post!

https://www.showdog.com/help/ <- this is also a good source to use if you have question on specific areas.

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Last edited by DetroitKennel on 11/23/2022 9:47:04 AM

Hang in there….lots of help given here.

Welcome to the game.

Carol

Welcome to the game!


Showdog is a numbers x strategy game.

This is purely my opinion, but if you're new you might want to sell your source dogs and check the sales page for dogs being sold by active breeders. That is where you are most likely to find show quality dogs (as mentioned before, source dogs aren't very competitive against more established dogs with better traits/sop).

Personally I consider this a "clicker strategy game". Clicker games have little interactivity and normally involve you just clicking some things. Strategy games involve a careful and well thought out plan of action to reach a specific goal. Showdog is both of these.

You need to plan out what shows you'll enter. What judges your dogs will do best under, while also looking at the competition in that show to see if your dogs stand a chance. To some extent you even need to plan out their nutrition (feeding is automatic, but you do pick what food they get).

I don't even need to mention that breeding takes planning (especially if you're a judge irl). Breeding from source (the equivalent to backyard bred dogs) can take literal years to produce quality, showable dogs.

The way it's a clicker game is that all you can actually do is session, show, and breed (you can control some things such as what food your dogs get and how your finances are handled).

Reason why I say you might be better off selling your source dogs and buying competitive dogs from established breeders, is because unless you are willing to get a subscription, you're strictly limited to showing. Free accounts can only breed 1 litter. But you can purchase and show dogs to your hearts content (max of 5 dogs). So if you want to partake in the showing aspect, that is your best bet. Buy dogs from an established breeder and show them. You can even message established breeders of breeds you like and perhaps be a handler for them (not sure how often this is actually done)?

If you want to be a breeder though, then it's a choice between buying high quality dogs and getting into showing right away (and using those high quality dogs to breed your own litters), or taking the hard route and spend years of careful planning producing an entirely new line from scratch, possibly solo. I'm currently soloing 3 projects, two with breeds who have almost no quality dogs and one to open up the lines because almost every dog in this breed is related.

Definitely check out that help section.
Feel free to reach out if you need more help :3

I also got timed out XD

I hope you won't leave. I started on ShowDog in 2008 because after showing Afghan Hounds for 30 years, I haven had any for about 25 and I miss the showing terribly. This really does help take its place in a weird way.

I have 5 kennels full of different breeds and 1 basic kennel. I hate the basic kennel and will probably close it. I hate the ads, I hate that you can't create your own food, I hate all of it. LOL.

It would be worth it for you to get one premium kennel where you can have up to 30 dogs to get a feel for the game in its entirety. It is totally different, trust me. I believe you can pay monthly and it would really be worth it to try it for 3 months or so.

I think pretty much everyone would agree that a basic kennel is a very poor representation of what the game is really like.

If you are looking for good quality dogs I would be glad to help. Feel free to look around all my kennels and if anything intrigues you, for sale or not, let me know. I think any of the premium kennels in any breed would do the same.

Okay. My kennels are:
Aldeberan
DoggyPanache
Fingerprint
Tarot
Xizang

Hope you stay

Well I didn't get timed out, instead I got a duplicate post. LOL

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Last edited by Tarot on 11/23/2022 4:31:43 PM

Since you're a basic player and have a pair of Weims, I would consider starting a line in the breed and work from there.

Right now, you can breed and produce several litters for a month as a basic. After all, you won't be able to breed as a basic. BUT you can session and work on getting your studs their CH title. Then (even as a basic) you can put those studs up for breeding.