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Location: Lincolnshire
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 6,218
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Sure you have reached the right decision for your bitch and also your standing within your breed. It would be very unfair to take her into a Junior handling class where there may be a novice handler and who knows what could happen.
Have never forgotten taking my 15 month dog into the BIS ring, the show was being judged on the Group system, so there were only 7 of us in the big ring. The gundog group winner was a nice yellow Lab, the trouble was she was mid season and we were stood behind her. Before I realised my young dog was on her back, the Lab owner was yelling at me, but not helping and all the rest in the ring were glaring at me. Needless to say the people outside the ring were enjoying my embarrassment. Every time I unhooked one front leg the other tightened and when I tried to get that unhooked the first one went back and the teeth were in her neck. Still no help from anyone and there I am pulling his back legs and trying to remove his front ones when eventually the steward came to help and between us I managed to get him off.
Needless to say he was then in no fit state to show and the judge did not even look at him, the Lab went on to win BIS and I hope the owner felt it worth my embarrassment and my dogs not eating for a week following to win that award with his in-season bitch.