Yes, I’ve never understood this concept. Personally I find it much easier to run (or jog or whatever) in heels – medium or semi-high – than in flats. Hey, I spend all day on MY feet in MY job and can still tolerate the less than hideous shoes. Of course sometimes I do need to stick them in a big bucket of ice at the end of the day.

It is the dog who is supposed to be on display. The handler is supposed to be invisible.

Usually I wear Nikes, a long skirt & fancy top. If outside, I wear a hat so I don’t explode into a ball of fire. I don’t have to worry too much about color, as I show a white Standard Poodle.

What you are not seeing is that the handlers usually also groom the dogs, and cater to their every need. Most wear smocks to keep their clothes halfway decent, but the dogs still have ways of getting themselves–and you–dirty. The show officials prefer that you not fall on your face while gaiting the dog and so most people wear flats. And when you are on the grass at a park, heels are a definite handicap.

Hilary and Khazar are right. When I showed dogs, comfort and traction were the two great virtues of footwear. Aside from the issue of sore feet, falling in the ring is decidedly not superfantastic, and those mats and carpets can give you nasty rugburn.

i show dalmatians and they trot fast and shed hard. nora, hilary and khazat are correct in their posts. this would be a good one for The Manolo and that is to find the nice superfantastic shoe that goes with the nice attire that will meet the above criteria. surely this is a job for The Manolo’s talents!

Nuh-uh.
While I so often agree with The Manolo, I must disagree. I love the shoes you recommend, but consider this, in addition to the other comments. The rubber mats you run on with the doggies are grooved, and they are in disrepair. They’re laid over each other at the corners and sometimes along long edges of the ring, especially when they open things up for larger groups (working or sporting) or for best in show. The clubs are rarely as rich as Westminster, so those mats are used for decades, until one day they just fall apart. Only then are they replaced, with the same stuff. Again, I know of what I speak…my parents showed dogs, and they were executive members of a club. Luckily they had four children to set the shows up………

The shoes you recommend are lovely, but inappropriate for the general dog-showing wear. Westminster is likely an exception; there are probably fewer hazards, but who knows what your competition will do to you…..dog show people are vicious……

hmm… thought I posted but it is not here … anyway:

I liked Rockports when I was showing my dogs — comfortable, nonskid soles, not unattractive. Their current Carina Lily maryjane is the sort of thing I’d get for a show shoe if I were still showing dogs.

Hilary’s right, anything with heels or hard soles are going to be a disaster in the ring, especially if you have a large dog and really need to run with them. Falling in the ring is bad. Bad because it does not look superfantastic, bad because it upsets the dog, bad because you really can get hurt.

I’m afraid Hilary’s right — Westminster has about as much relation to ordinary dog shows as the Miss America pageant has to your summer camp talent show.

You wouldn’t compete in a triathlon wearing heels. Why would your walk, run, stand, bend, and lift all day at a dog show in them?

I wore Rockports when I showed my dogs. They had styles which were comfortable, nonskid, and attractive (their Carino Lily maryjane is a shoe I’d pick for dog shows). Did I mention traction is important? Because falling in the ring is not superfantastic, it freaks out your dog, and you can get really hurt.