Showing... Um, How?!!

Hey,

I posted in another forum about someone suggesting trying showing with my black lab pup. We haven't made our minds up about whether this is a good idea for him but i was hoping to get some information. The friend who suggested it may be worth it said that you can take the dogs to classes to get them used to the handling and stuff.. I've never heard of these so are there many of them and how do i find out about them?!
He's a very calm, laid back puppy which i suppose is good but are there any reasons he wouldn't be any good for showing? (very broad question i know, but i know nothing!!).
Obviously, if he was to be shown i wouldn't handle him myself and would probably try to find a professional handler to do it, any ideas where you can find these?! The owner of my pups sire show him, would it be worth asking them if they'd do it?
Also, he's 14 weeks now so too young, but what age is best to start taking him to the classes and shows??

Sorry for all the dumb questions but if we're going to show him i'd rather make sure that 1) he's good enough, and 2) that we do it properly!!

Thanks for any replies!

Jessica

Firstly your dog needs to be KC reg.Then if you contact the KC they will give you a list of ring craft classes in your area.This is where you learn how to show your pup.Go along to some shows aswell and watch..its amazing how much you can learn.
Thirdly get some schedules by phoning the shows secretaries(list of shows can be found in the national dog papers or try www.prodogs.co.uk) and fill in the entry form.
Send it off with your payment and GO AND HAVE FUN!!
Your pup is old enough for ringcraft now.
Have a go at showing yourself....if you find its not to your liking then ask round and someone will oblige.However its not hard and its great fun.

To add to archers post, your pup must be 6 months of age before it can be shown at a KC show, if your breeders show then contact them, get their advice, they may have sold your pup as a pet and have a reason for this, if they are involved within the breed they might know if the dog has a fault ie undershot/overshot jaw. unless you have a real good quality dog I would not bother with a professional handler, it may cost you a small fortune in fees. showing dogs is not that hard, you just need practice, and going to ringcraft classes give you the opportunity to get this practice.

Mo

I believe Jessica bred the pups herself

Hi,

Thank you for the replies! I just thought i'd mention that we bred the dog ourselves (we own the mum) she is just a well bred pet but the dog we used is a show dog who has apparently done very well which is why i thought of maybe asking them.

I shall find out about the classes, and hopefully go along to a show and see how we do i guess! I suppose it would be nice to handle the dog myself as it does look like fun!!

Thanks again!

Showing is great fun.You get to meet loads of people with similar interests and its just a nice hobby.
It really isn't as 'serious' as it all looks...its fun and most dogs love it.Don't worry about handling yourself...we all have to start somewhere and no one will laugh if things don't go 100% to plan.The best thing is with a puppy is that judges make allowances for them and so you can both learn together.
The breeder of one of my boys brought out a new pup about a year ago...she walked in the ring and once she got to the judge she rolled on her back for a tummy rub!!!! LOL

Yeah, thats the one thing im worried about!lol My pup will do ANYTHING for a tummy rub!! Im guessing that theres smaller less 'professional' shows that we could start at? Id hate to look like a complete idiot infront of all you professionals!!lol But as you said, everyone has to start somewhere and hopefully if Riley likes it we might do them regularly.. If it doesn't take at least we tried, right?!

One thing though.. How do i know if he's good enough to show? He has good breeding (so im told) and he looks nice to my very inexperienced eye, but i wouldnt have a clue if he wasn't the right type for a show dog. Is there any general rules to go by or will we just get told if hes useless? lol

And i was kind of hoping it wasn't all as serious as Crufts.. Nevermind the dog, i'd be terrified going there knowing nothing!!!!

sorry about my mis understanding re your puppy, I really meant for you to ask the sires owners lol if you know them well, it may help looking at your particular breeds standard, you should be able to find it by doing a google, or go to your breeds website they normally have the standard available to read. the only way really if you dont know if your dog is to standard is to take it to a few open shows and enter it into a few BREED classes, your pup will be then compared against other dogs of its own breed, if you dont get placed the first few shows dont panic you cant always win, but if you are consistantly losing there may be a reason for this so if the judges are breed specialist, after judging politely speak to the judge and ask his/her opinion, explaining you are new to showing, most judges are happy to talk about the breed they are judging. good luck you will enjoy it I have made many friends over the years on the circuit, my dogs love it, and I also get to spend some mum daughter time, as my daughter shows one of my dogs for me. remember never to take it too seriously,enjoy your wins and forget the losses

Mo

Thanks mo

We've decided to take him along to some ringcraft classes and a few of the shows and see how we do! As you said, if we're not doing too well after a few shows then there's probably a reason. If he's not good enough its not a problem and he'll just be a pet! But if he is, you never know, maybe he'll be at Crufts next year! lol Aim hight, right?!