Your breeder will have discussed with you before you chose your puppy what would be best for you-pet or show prospect. Below we look at the two categories in detail.

A pet quality puppy is one that the breeder feels will not cut the mustard in the show ring. The simple fact of the matter is that no matter how carefully you plan a breeding, you will end up with some puppies, usually 80% or less, that just don't quite match up to the breed standard. This could be irregularities in size, colour, bite, movement, conformation or attitude. Your breeder will explain precisely if possible where your pup falls short. You are not getting a bad puppy (usually!) - just one that differs from the show prospects in any of the above mentioned areas. You should still get a full health guarantee stating any and all possible problems associated with your puppy, and whose responsibility it is when and if those problems do occur. There is usually nothing to be ashamed of in having a pet puppy - they can be just as loving, perhaps more so without the stress of the show circuit the show prospect will have. The pet puppy may not be as drop-dead gorgeous as the show prospect, although in many cases the drop-dead gorgeous puppy may turn out to have serious show ring faults once he or she matures, such as missing teeth, bad bite or poor movement. Any conformation faults should not cause serious problems for the pet puppy. Bite problems can be moderate or serious. Your breeder should explain in detail what kind of bite problems your pet puppy has and whether or not they will affect your puppy's quality of life. Overshot and undershot jaws and missing teeth are the most common bite problems. Depending on the severity of the bite problem as a puppy, adult teeth and jaws may be adversely affected or marginally affected. Same with eyes. Your puppy will have his or her eyes certified by a canine ophthalmologist between 7 and 10 weeks of age. Any congenital defect will be apparent at that time. Again, your breeder should explain any and all eye defects and possible effects on the dog throughout his or her life. Cataracts and progressive retinal atrophy are some of the more common defects detectable at your puppy's first eye exam. Some of the early (juvenile) cataracts may lead to partial or full blindness in the adult dog; progressive retinal atrophy (or PRA) will lead to blindness. Some lesser defects include iris coloboma or misshapen iris, usually only a cosmetic defect; persistent pupillary membrane, usually self-correcting; entropion and ectropion of the eyelids, correctable; and eversion of the third eyelid, correctable.

Movement faults cannot always be identified at an early age, although some serious faults will be visible early on, usually around 7-9 weeks of age. Cow hocks, fiddle fronts, straight stifles and weak pasterns are usually apparent by 8 weeks of age. More subtle faults, such as out at the shoulders, close behind, parallel rears, over-reach and under-reach may not be apparent until the puppy matures. As your puppy goes through growth spurts, movement can be golden one week and beyond horror the next. Experienced breeders will ride out the storms of early puppy hood and reserve judgment until the puppy reaches 10-18 months of age in evaluating movement. As for colour faults, again, the breed standard sets the rules for allowable colours, and your breeder may know at birth which puppies aren't going to meet those rules. In the Aussie, excessive white is by far the most serious fault. In the case of both mother and father being merles, this could be a fatal fault. Merle-to-merle breeding can result in the defective white merle syndrome, in which the puppy has no colour in the areas around one or both eyes, white bodies with some colour splashes, white ears or a hyper extended white collar. Reputable breeders consider carefully the merits of a merle-to-merle breeding and are prepared to euthanize the white puppies at birth. In addition to colour faults, blindness, deafness, deformed heart, kidneys, lungs and missing livers can occur in defective whites, usually leading to illness and death before 6 months of age. In the case of a merle-to-tri breeding, excessive white can occasionally occur, usually in the form of some white splashes on the body, white on the ears, extended blazes and collars. These are not the same as the defective white merle syndrome, and usually don't lead to any of the problems cited above. They do disqualify the dog in the show ring however. An experienced breeder knows the difference, and will explain to you what kind of colour fault your puppy has. Excess dilution of the black in blue merles and of the liver in red merles, especially on the show (left) side and head is usually a disqualifying fault also. This dilution is expressed in blue merles as having brownish-grey or greyish spots instead of black, and in red merles as tannish to light pinkish spots instead of dark liver. 

In conclusion, the difference between your pet puppy and a show prospect puppy mainly has to do with conformation and colour faults. Your puppy is still a fine family pet, and is capable of doing everything the show prospect puppy can do except excel in the show ring. Your breeder will explain the differences between your pet puppy and the show prospect puppies he or she has, and probably reassure you that your puppy will always be a champion to you!

And, in ASCA shows, there is now the Spay/Neuter class for any altered dogs to enter. It is a fun, easy to do class, and the winner of each class then competes for Best Altered honours. It is a fun way for you to get into the conformation ring without a show quality dog, and maybe help you gear up for that time when that "once in a lifetime" conformation dog comes along.

You have purchased what your breeder, and perhaps several other breed people have decided at this age demonstrates he or she could have what it takes to become a breed champion in the conformation ring. This decision is not arrived at arbitrarily. A reputable breeder knows that improving the breed should be his or her goal in a breeding. That breeder also knows that putting a particular dog into the breed ring is also putting his or her name and breeding program into the public view. Putting clearly inferior dogs into the ring is not good advertising. Thus, the selection process.

At birth, obvious pet quality puppies are noted. Mismarks, if not the defective white merle from a merle-to-merle breeding are the first and most obvious to be given pet status. Heavy dilution is also obvious at birth. Some obvious structure faults can sometimes be seen at birth also. Serious defects such as cleft palates can be detected during the first few hours of nursing and are usually euthanized as soon as possible. For the first three weeks of life, puppies are carefully watched for developing traits, such as large bone size, aggressive nursing, independence and vocalizing. At three weeks of age, some eye defects can be seen such as malformed or missing eyes. Colour cannot usually be told yet, nor can the more subtle defects be noted. At four weeks, more of the personality is becoming visible. Puppies will start to engage in "king of the hill" contests, trying to establish pack leadership, if only for a few hours or a day or two. A consistent contender for pack leadership will bear close watching to determine if it just a highly spirited pup (good show prospect) or an overly aggressive one (would take serious, strict training to do most things). At five weeks, when weaning begins, again, personality is being observed. Who gets the lions share of the food? Who is taking charge of a pan? Is any one pup bullying others for their share? At this point, some of the more subtle eye defects such as iris colobomas and entropion and ectropion can be noted. Also, eye colour is starting to become discernible. Bites can be evaluated. Some movement faults can be seen. Fiddle fronts and weak pasterns are starting to show. Body structure is becoming more defined. Ear size is notable. White blazes are starting to size down and collars disappear if they were very thin at birth. At six weeks of age, serious movement faults are becoming apparent. Bites are changing, either becoming worse or sticking to schedule and staying fine. Puppy teeth are almost all in, except in the slower pups. Eye colour is 90% discernible. Attitudes are becoming more defined. Very outgoing pups are watched carefully, especially those who have none of the obvious faults yet. Does the pup like to strut his or her stuff? Does he or she strike a natural, four-square stance when stopping? Is he or she attentive to everything that is going on around them? Curious and investigative of new and strange sights, sounds and smells? Loving of attention? These are the kinds of pups breeders watch very carefully. At 8 and 9 weeks, movement and structure can be seriously evaluated. It is at this time that the breeder may X-ray the pup for full adult dentition, known as the puppy pre-eruption series. A series of 6 X-rays of the pup's mouth are taken by a qualified canine orthodontist to confirm that the puppy will have all of his or her adult teeth. Should the films show that the pup doesn't have all his or her adult teeth, the pup is then relegated to pet status. For Aussies, 8 weeks of age means his or her first dog show appearance. ASCA has two classes for puppies-2 to 4 month old and 4 to 6 months old, divided by sex. The class winners of each sex then compete for Best Puppy honours. If Best Puppy goes to a female, the judge will then select Best Opposite Sex Puppy from the two male class winners. This is a good indication of how your puppy stacks up against the competition at his or her particular age. This is NOT a guarantee that your puppy will continue to win as an adult. Many puppy class winners fall apart as adults, because as they grow and mature, everything changes. Movement, structure, attitude and bites can all change for the worse. Having the best possible parents helps, but realize that there are many generations of ancestors behind your pup, and that undesirable traits from any one or many of them could make an appearance at any time in your pup's life. That is why your pup was sold as a show prospect and not a guaranteed champion.

If you are buying your first show prospect, your breeder will discuss his or her wishes for your pup's show career with you. Reputable breeders will help you as much as possible, not only to make things easier for you and your pup, but to help them get that pup out there and shown to evaluate him or her. If you purchased a female, there might be a provision for a breeding and/or a puppy from her in the future. Same with a male, and that includes "stud rights", an agreement where your breeder retains the right to use your male as a stud dog to selected females. This is usually given with a reduced price for your male pup. The breeder is gambling that he will turn out to be what the breeder wants, and that people will want to use him in their own breeding program. In both cases, the breeder will make the final decision as to whether or not your pup is breeding quality, generally by the time your pup is two years of age. By then, the pup will have been shown for almost two years starting from 2 months of age, and may have finished his or her championship. Other breeders and judges will have given their opinion on your pup, bad or good, and your breeder will take these opinions in consideration in making a final decision. If the decision is that the pup is not really breeding quality, the breeder will have you spay or neuter your pup at that time. This does not preclude you from showing your pup in the spay/neuter classes, obedience, stockdog trials, flyball and agility, all of which the Aussie excels at. At that point, as many experienced breeders will tell you, you just go on, look towards the future and other dogs, explore other possibilities and perhaps other lines. It takes hard work to be successful in the breeding of ring champions, and it certainly doesn't happen overnight in most cases. Most Aussies are family pets first, showdogs second. They sleep in bed with their owners, work the ranch on Saturday and proudly strut their stuff in the ring on Sunday, amuse the crowd watching the obedience trials, prove themselves in the stock arena, go home and share a beer with the ol' lady and then hit the hay, snug under the blanket with head on their master's pillow.

With your show prospect puppy, there will be more expenses than with your pet puppy. Shows, for one. Most ASCA shows are quite inexpensive, usually (except for Nationals and some Specialties) in the $5-$9 range, with a break if you have entered your dog in more than one class. AKC shows range from $18-$21 (and you get a whole lot less for your money, believe me). Then there are travel expenses (especially if you make it a family fun vacation to travel to an away show). Special food supplements for the best possible coat. Regular dental cleanings to keep the pearlies white. Show tack (collars, leads, combs, etc.). Special shampoos and conditioners. All of it adds up, but a lot of it is a one or few time expense, such as the tack. And, unless you really get bitten hard by the bug, you won't find yourself going to a show every weekend like some of the highly motivated "trailer racers" do. Sometimes it is fun to plan a vacation around a show someplace you would like to visit, especially if your dog is a well-behaved family member and a joy to travel with-and you enjoy showing him or her off to everyone!! So, these are a few things to consider....

One of the best, easiest to understand books for showring beginners is called DOG SHOWING FOR BEGINNERS by Lynn Hall. I highly recommend you read this, and talk to your breeder.