blustaff Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Hi i have started showing my stafford, i enjoy it so far and am amazed at just how well some are trained for the ring. my main problem is getting my boy to hold his head up and have "presence" in the ring, he is a quiet dog so getting him to stand tall is proving quite hard. he is 18 months old and i understand its going to be harder because of his age. so i was just wondering if anyone has any tips or suggestions ? food doesnt really work well because of the 12 months obedience i did with him, teaching him to sit for food squeeky toys didnt work either , i need to get him excited to be there lol thx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SkySoaringMagpie Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 Hi Bluestaff, if you taught him to sit with treats you can also teach him to stand with treats. Just stop rewarding any sits and start rewarding stands. My only other advice is to get someone to video you, and ask yourself whether you look confident and happy when in the ring. If you aren't, there's no hope of the dog getting there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roughstock Posted October 11, 2010 Share Posted October 11, 2010 The best way to achieve anything in the ring is to have the dog enjoy himself. You need to have a good connection with the dog to keep them happy as well. Staffords tend to just love being with thier owners any way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparkyTansy Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 Hi Bluestaff, if you taught him to sit with treats you can also teach him to stand with treats. Just stop rewarding any sits and start rewarding stands.My only other advice is to get someone to video you, and ask yourself whether you look confident and happy when in the ring. If you aren't, there's no hope of the dog getting there. Agree with this - if he is happy to be rewarded for food, teach him the word or signal for stand and reward that, just like you did for sits. If you did 12 months obedience with him, you would have taught him a stand... ensure you communicate exactly what you want with your dog and you can reward that behaviour when you get it. I did obedience with my English Setter (extremely food motivated) before i started showing (he was around 9 months when we set foot in the ring) and he never sat, despite already knowing automatic sits by that stage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blustaff Posted October 12, 2010 Author Share Posted October 12, 2010 thanks guys, i agree with the stand for food, eventually he will work it out lol we were up teaching stand when i stopped going to obedience, and because i had no intenetions of showing him we taught him to sit for everything as soon as we got him at 8 weeks old! i am probly not looking like i am enjoying it in the ring because at the start its quite stressful until i learn just where i am meant to be and what im meant to be doing lol but i will continue to learn and gain more confidence along the way! i will practice the stand/stack for the ring....we will get there eventually lol thanks again! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RallyValley Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 Your dog will learn that show lead and show ring means no sitting! I never rewarded my boy for any sits wearing his show collar and lead and on show grounds and in the last few shows he has sat once in the ring when I was an idiot and gave my sit hand signal by accident! He was sitting for food ect when i got him at 8 weeks and at home is expected to sit for food, to be let out of doors ect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brightonrock Posted October 12, 2010 Share Posted October 12, 2010 Another thing that works is just once ask a confident Junior Handler to take him in ( after practising before ) and take the opportunity to see what he is like in the ring and what he instatly responds to and work from that. You have to make it a very happy time for him, a special time he looks forward to, have fun Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austerra Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 (edited) May be think about going to some show classes to get some advice on how you are handling. If you are in Melbourne, a few people conduct them: eg Ashley Reid at Clyde, Lea Cogley at KCC Park Edited October 13, 2010 by Austerra Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntia Posted October 13, 2010 Share Posted October 13, 2010 Hi, I live in Gloucester NSW, 1 1/2 hours north of Newcastle and 50 minutes west of Taree and Forster. Does anyone know of a group or club that does dog show training in this area? I am new to showing as well and would love to go to some lessons to "perfect" the craft!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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