Showing Dogs - I Would Like To Have A Go!!!

HI, I OWN A 3 YEAR OLD JAPANESE SHIBA INU, AND I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE A GO AT SHOWING HIM.

HOW DO YOU BEGIN, AND WHERE DO YOU FIND OUT WHERE THE SHOWS ARE. BEING A COMPLETE NOVICE AND NOT KNOWING ANYONE WHO SHOWS THEIR DOG, I FEEL IT IS QUITE HARD TO GET INTO. ANY HELP

Hi Shiba, welcome to Dogweb.

First of all you must be sure that the dog is Kennel Club registered, and the registration has been transferred into your name. Then you need to find out where your nearest ringcraft class is, the Kennel Club can tell you this if neccessary. Then you should have a look at www.prodogs.co.uk they list all the shows, and you can look down the lists for ones in your area.

You need to contact the secretaries of the canine societies to ask for the schedules, then you need to get your entries in before the closing dates. After that, Bob's your Uncle.

Good Luck

Dawn R.

Thank You, I Know He Is Kennel Club Registered And Also Been Transfered Into My Name. I Will Have A Look For Shows, Do You Think At 3 He Is A Bit Long In The Tooth To Start This ,

Its never too late!!! I know of a dog who didn't enter the ring until 2 years of age and is now a champion!!
I would suggest you first find a local ring craft class where they will show you and your dogs exactly what is expected in the ring.I know a lady who lives in Bristol..I can ask her where her local ringcraft is if you like.
I would also suggest you go and watch some shibas at a show....each breed is shown differently and so you will get the best idea from watching shibas! Can you make it to Crufts? You will also then see how 'shiba people' dress in the ring...again different breeds have different standards.
You can then either find shows from prodogs or look in the national dog papers.
Have a look on ebay too..you can find some good books on showing at very good prices.
Above all I would say ENJOY!! Take it as a day out and have fun.Some people are friendlier than others but don't give up at the first hurdle.Its not 1/2 as confusing as it all seems and things soon fall into place.
I'm more than happy to answer any questions you may have...so feel free to ask.
Also once you take the plunge,if you go to a champ show I can give you the name of a lovely lady who will be more than happy to give you some help.
Who bred your shiba? Whats her KC name?

Hi Shiba you are never to old to start..I would start with the little limited shows run by local canine societies that take place in the evenings and on Saturdays, they are great fun .

A quick way to find when they have a show is to type the name into Google eg
'Gloucester Canine Society' or the names of smaller Towns in your area and the details will come up. For the bigger shows Dawn has posted a link above

You may also find this article interesting..

My dog has just started showing a couple of months ago at 5 years old and she loves it!! She has learnt it all very quickly and although she'll very occasionally forget about standing and sit instead (she'd been taught to sit for 5 years!lol) she has come on so quickly and is doing really well and having a lot of fun!

Good Luck!!

Oooh, and i just noticed you're in Bristol. The ringcraft i go to is fantastic, they're so friendly and helpful! Its in Whitminster (junction 13 M5) so if you want to have a go there just let me know and i can PM you some more details!

No one has mentioned that shows with the contact phone numbers and addresses are published in the two dog papers, Dog World and Our Dogs, both are weekly and you only need to take one or the other. Along with forthcoming shows you get the critiques and breed notes and also general canine news and articles also useful photos of winning dogs for you to study.

Also not yet mentioned is that most ringcraft classes have a selection of schedules which you will need to find out which classes are on offer and to make your entry. Someone did mention companion shows and matches which you can enter at the time, companion shows are also in the dog papers and you can also find them in local papers, vets notice boards and in pet food shops.

Matches are usually run by ringcraft clubs and you will find out about these when you join a ringcraft class. Hopefully you will find a good one where people will also help you sort out the classes you should enter and be honest with you about how to get the best from your dog. From what I have seen the owners of Shibas show their dogs wearing the same sort of gear as we do, that is clean and tidy comfortable clothes nothing special.

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR HELPFUL ADVICE, I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE SOME DETAILS OF THE CLASS IN WHITMINSTER AND ANY OTHER CLASS LOCAL TO ME IN BRISTOL. I AM GOING TO CRUFTS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN YEARS, AND I THINK THIS WILL BE THE START OF A GREAT LEARNING CURVE.

I WILL LET YOU KNOW HOW I GET ON, THANK YOU

It is never too late to start showing! Some of the shows I've attended are great, some people make you feel welcome some are very competitive and act Crazy/rude like your a no body, Just hang in there. A tip I can give you is to teach your dog, The Stand. All my best.

You will meet plenty of new friends along the way, and whenever you turn up to a show alone you will always see a welcoming face, once involved with showing you cannot wait for the next show to come along fast enough, it really is a pleasurable and rewarding hobby.