Your first ribbon.
Or your next big ambition.
Maybe you’ve never stepped into a show ring. Maybe you’ve shown for years and are looking for your next prospect. We want to talk with people who are excited about good dogs and willing to invest in what they can become.
From developing a puppy to campaigning a special, let’s build a plan around the dog, your goals, and the role each of us will play.
Explore the ArrangementsUnderstand the InvestmentYou don’t have to arrive knowing everything.
Everyone starts somewhere. If you’re interested in showing, we would rather hear from you early than have you assume it is only for people who already know the sport.
You can learn to handle your dog yourself, work with a professional handler, or use a combination of both. We can discuss evaluating prospects, preparing for the ring, finding guidance, and choosing a realistic first goal.
What matters is a suitable home, a willingness to learn, and a commitment to the time, care, and expenses involved.
We’re making a breeding decision, too.
When we select a show prospect, we compare proportions, bone lengths, joint angles, movement, teeth and bite, temperament, and overall breed type. We’re looking for the dog we believe best represents the standard and what we want to carry into the next generation.
These are the placements we prioritize as we evaluate a litter. Sometimes, placing a puppy in the right show home means releasing the very puppy we would otherwise keep.
That is why the agreement matters as much as the purchase price. We may help make a prospect more affordable while retaining an agreed breeding interest. In return, the owner invests in raising, preparing, and showing the dog.
A puppy is still a prospect. Our evaluation is an informed prediction; development, health, adult dentition, temperament, and ring results can change the plan.
The price follows the agreement.
We do not add a single “breeding rights fee” to every dog. The price depends on the individual prospect, its stage of development, and what each party contributes or retains.
Show Partnership
A reduced purchase price may be available when we retain a defined breeding interest and agree on a showing plan.
That interest might be a puppy back, retained stud use, or another specific arrangement. Co-ownership and decision-making are discussed before placement.
Breeding Partnership
For owners who want to participate in the next generation with us. We may agree on a share of a litter, such as half, with the expenses and responsibilities clearly defined.
If you cannot whelp, raise, or place puppies, we can discuss handling that work through the whelping side of our Legacy Program.
Outright Purchase
Selected dogs may be considered for approved homes without future puppy-back, litter-share, or retained breeding obligations.
These purchases are individually priced. Registration, breeding permissions, and all remaining terms are specified in the agreement.
A puppy prospect and a finished dog are different purchases.
There are meaningful steps between a promising puppy and an established special:
- Show prospect puppy: early promise, with substantial development ahead.
- Older, evaluated prospect: more information about structure, teeth, movement, and temperament.
- Started or pointed dog: ring experience and some demonstrated results.
- Finished champion: championship requirements completed.
- Established special or national campaign prospect: mature qualities and results that support considering a larger competitive goal.
Age, evaluation, results, and the breeding interest being transferred all affect the purchase discussion. We do not promise every category will be available, or that every champion is suited to a national campaign.
Buying the dog is the beginning.
The purchase price and the cost of showing are separate. Entries, handling, conditioning, boarding, travel, and other expenses can accumulate whether your dog wins that day or not.
First: the championship.
An AKC championship requires 15 points, including two majors under different judges and points under at least a third judge. An exceptional dog can finish during one multi-show weekend or cluster. That is possible, not something we ask a new owner to budget around.
It can take 20–30 individual shows or more. Those are shows, not necessarily weekends: several shows can take place within one cluster. Competition, available points, judges, maturity, and presentation all affect the journey.
Then: Grand Championship and a specials career.
A “special” is a champion continuing in Best of Breed competition. You might enjoy selected shows, pursue a Grand Championship, or consider a broader campaign.
The AKC GCH requires 25 Grand Championship points, three majors under different judges, points under a fourth judge, and defeating another Champion of Record at three shows. That is a different goal from earning a national ranking.
Beyond the title: competing nationally.
Pursuing DPCA Top 20 status means competing for a place in a ranking against other Dobermans. It is not a fixed point target like CH or GCH. Qualifying for the Top 20 and winning the Top 20 event are also separate accomplishments.
A national campaign can involve an extended schedule, travel to competitive entries, professional handling, conditioning, photography, advertising, and win bonuses. For Great Danes, we discuss the relevant breed rankings and goals separately.
| Expense | CH effort 25 shows | Additional GCH effort 20 shows | Specials season 100 shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entries at an assumed $40/show | $1,000 | $800 | $4,000 |
| Handling at $125/show | $3,125 | $2,500 | $12,500 |
| Boarding allowance | $1,500 | $900 | $7,500 |
| Allocated travel allowance | $2,500 | $2,000 | $15,000 |
| Other expenses allowance* | $750 | $800 | $6,000 |
| Illustrative total | $8,875 | $7,000 | $45,000 |
*Other expenses may include training, conditioning, grooming, photographs, advertising, or contractual bonuses. These assumptions illustrate spending, not the number of shows needed to achieve a title or ranking. Actual fees vary; specialty handling and bonuses can add costs. Dog purchase, routine ownership costs, breeding expenses, and the owner’s own travel are excluded.
The GCH example is additional to finishing a championship. GCH progress can occur within a specials season, so those two columns should not automatically be added together. A $45,000 season does not guarantee Top 20 status. Owner-handling and local travel can change the budget substantially.
Reference points: AKC championship requirements · AKC GCH requirements · DPCA Top 20 rankings. Published handling schedules used as examples: ADAMAS Canine Pro and Robert Scott. These are references, not handler recommendations or quotes for your dog.
Sometimes one detail keeps tipping the scale.
We bought a bitch who was an exceptional-looking show dog, but she had a missing tooth in an unfortunate location. She had roughly 40 show entries and 20 reserves. Judges told us that tooth was the detail that tipped the decision toward another dog.
The AKC Doberman standard calls for 42 correctly placed teeth and disqualifies four or more missing teeth. Having fewer missing teeth does not automatically disqualify a dog, but it remains a fault a judge can weigh.
That experience is part of why we talk honestly about the investment. Being a beautiful dog, being eligible to compete, and consistently winning are different things. We can evaluate, prepare, and make thoughtful decisions. We cannot promise what a judge will decide.
Agree on the plan before the puppy comes home.
- Showing: the initial goal, who handles, who pays, and when we review progress and spending.
- Breeding: health and maturity requirements, approvals, any retained interest, and exactly when an obligation is fulfilled.
- Puppy or litter shares: selection order, expenses, and what happens with a small litter or no suitable puppy.
- Whelping and placement: where the dam stays, who provides care, who markets the litter, and who supports the puppy buyers.
- Changes to the plan: what happens if the dog does not mature as hoped, cannot safely breed, or the owner’s circumstances change.
Our aim is a defined commitment with review points. A championship or breeding should never become an unlimited obligation simply because the original plan did not work out.
For those who love the pursuit of winning.
Some people want their first ribbon. Others want to put an exceptional dog in the ring with the best in the country and see how far it can go.
If you understand the excitement of owning a racehorse—the preparation, the team, the anticipation, and the moment your animal enters competition—you understand much of the appeal of campaigning a special dog.
The Draggin Triple Crown is our ultimate competitive undertaking. It is for partners who want to back that ambition with us: selecting a prospect we believe in, assembling the right team, and pursuing the major achievements defined in the campaign.
The experience matters, too. Show attendance, updates, recognition, and your involvement with the dog and team are part of the partnership discussion.
Our Triple Crown concept includes the dog retiring with its sponsor family and a future puppy under the agreed terms. The campaign scope, breeding arrangements, and overall budget are developed separately from a straightforward show-dog purchase.
We cannot promise the wins. We can agree on the goals, the resources, and the work we will put into pursuing them.
Explore the Draggin Triple CrownQuestions Before You Begin
Can I show a dog with limited AKC registration?
Not in AKC conformation breed competition. Limited-registration dogs can participate in many other AKC activities. If you want to show in conformation, tell us before placement so registration and the agreement fit that plan.
Does full registration mean unrestricted breeding rights?
No. Full registration and the terms of your purchase agreement are separate. A fully registered dog may have contractual breeding conditions, co-ownership, or retained breeding interests. We explain those terms before placement.
Why might a show prospect cost less through a partnership?
Because we may retain something of value, such as a defined puppy-back or breeding interest, while you commit to the dog’s development and showing. The lower purchase price reflects that exchange; the obligations must be clear.
Do I have to raise and sell a litter myself?
Not necessarily. We can discuss taking on the agreed breeding coordination, whelping, raising, and puppy-placement work. Those services, expenses, and any litter share are negotiated together so neither party assumes the other is providing them for free.
Do I need a professional handler?
No. Owner-handling is an option. We can discuss your goals, available guidance, and whether professional handling would be useful for part or all of the plan.
Can you guarantee a championship or Top 20 placement?
No. We select prospects using our experience, but development, health, competition, and judging affect results. We agree on the effort and review process rather than promise a title or ranking.
Tell us what you want to pursue.
Tell us which breed interests you, your experience, whether you want to handle yourself, and what you hope to accomplish. If you’re new, say so—we welcome that conversation.
For an experienced exhibitor or campaign partner, tell us about your goals and the kind of ownership and breeding arrangement you want.
Doberman QuestionnaireGreat Dane QuestionnaireEric & Courtney Leffler
info@draggin.net · 832-477-0033