first time at dog show

[Ana]

Hi everyone,

We are taking Thai to his first dog show this coming sunday here in Athens in the category 'minor puppy' but I'm worried as I have only done this once with my english setter long time ago and I'm not sure how to do this right. What do judges ask of minor puppy? Does he have to know how to 'pose' and run in the ring as adult dogs? I've been trying to teach him that last couple of weeks and he got it almost but he's too playful to do it properly and will only do it if there's food involved :) Also we were practicing at home and god knows how will he behave among so many dogs at the show. Any last minute advice on this matter is more than welcome
Thanks!

[yvonne]

just try to let him stand , if he can pose then you can try that but if not just let him stand still and make it nice for him , i learn my puppies to stand to do it every day just for 1 minute and if he does what i ask him i say good boy , if not i let him go and try later that day again , i do not get angry , just praise him when he does it okay and afterwards play with him .
i never work with treats only with my voice

[Henk ten Klooster]

Ana a good judge will see what your puppy is like without stacking it.... There is no need to pull on a head and hold a tail. Most setters know from birth how to stand up alone...So don't copy that system and have fun!

[colette tuite]

Ana,My advice would be to not be the first in the ring to get a chance to see how other people are doing it,and then to pretend you are an expert.Try not to appear to be a novice as this gives the judge an easy reason for not putting you up even though your animal may be better than the experienced handler. Dont be afraid to hold your pups head even if you stand in front of him ,if he stands 4 square.Dont worry too much about his tail as this will not have feathering yet.Little things like gently extending his neck and not over extending his behind can make a big difference.Try to get someone to take a photo of how you show him so you can learn from your mistakes.Rome was'nt built in a day.
I have the same problem myself with my 5 month pups.I hav,nt progressed beyond 1 minute yet with the girl and i am lucky to get that.They will be going to their first show in 3weeks time.

I wish you the best of luck try to enjoy the experience as you will be nervous.

[Melinda Auld]

Best advice I can offer would be to have fun with him. I don't mean play with him in the ring, but don't ask too much of him - he's still a baby. Setters learn very quickly to "switch off" when something isn't fun. As long as he moves nicely on the lead, and can stand nicely while the judge examines him, I wouldn't ask any more of him. As you go to a few more shows, you can begin to ask a little more from him each time. And practice, practice at home! I used to do things like put my hand gently around my dogs' mouths and say "teeth" just to get them into the habit of being "mouthed" by the judge. Over time, you can begin to examine the teeth for a few seconds. Same goes for standing and stacking. Don't expect a baby to have the same attention span as an adult. Just ask that they stand still for 10 seconds and then reward them for a job well-done. You can increase the amount of time you expect them to stand still as they get older. I hope the show goes well!

[Carmel Murphy]

Dont expect too much from a baby and all will be well!! I try to arrive early to the show and let the pup get very used to the sights and sounds before going into the ring!! Also practice somewhere near the ring and he can get used to standing with distractions but just a few seconds at a time and loads of praise!!! Most judges are very easy on baby pups and they dont expect perfection at that age! Just enjoy and good luck;o))

[Dee Rance]

Hi there Ana, just go and enjoy yourself as Henk said a good judge will see beyond all the Minor Puppy antics, very few of the 'babies' behave themselves and this is how it should be, they are babies and most of all should be enjoying themselves.....go and enjoy....and very good luck to you and him...do let us know how he does. ;0)))

[Ana]

Thank you all for loads of good advice! You helped a lot!I'm gonna start practicing now and will let you know how it went :)

[Dee Rance]

Amen to that Susann

[Ana]

Hi everyone!
We went to the show yesterday and it was great fun!Made some new friends and I can't wait to do it again :) Thai got some great reviews from the judge- very very promising pup, and won best minor puppy. In pre-puppy show he took 3rd place among 9 different races of puppies (I'm still not very familiar with the terms here) and he was the youngest of them all, only 3 and a half months old. We'll take him again in May just so he can get used to it and get even better in time. Thank you all for help

[colette tuite]

My advice would have been very different if i had known your puppy was only 3.5 months old.In England you cannot show a puppy unless it is 6months old. I am glad you enjoyed the experience and got placed at so young an age.Well Done.