Preparation For First Show

[Elise+Hudson]

Thank you for all the advice given so far! I certainly appreciate everyone's opinions and I will take it all into account when I decide what I think will be right for me and my pup.

I am so thankful to all here who are so willing to help such a poor hopeless newbie! I may ask some stupid questions sometimes, and you are all just so helpful!

My breeder and I will likely not be attending the same shows, so I will be looking to all of you guys when I am standing there looking lost and stressed!

experiencedfun - I havn't even met my pup yet and I love him. I understand the world of dog showing can sometimes be quite 'cut throat' but I will always just do the best I can for my dog, and train and prepare him to the best of the ability. It is the same in horse showing, it is all just the opinion of the judge on the day of your dog compared to those around, which can change from weekend to weekend. :D

[Sayly]

You are physically picking your pup up from the breeder aren't you? Maybe before you do, contact her and ask if she is able to give you a little bit of hands on grooming demo when you pick him up? See what she does with her babies.

I wish you were coming to Albury so you could do the seminar and I'd be happy to show you what I do, but your trip sounds awesome!

[Elise+Hudson]

I really wish I were coming to Albury too, aside from all the great info I would really like to meet so many of you! Maybe we will be able to meet at another similar event another year?

I am physically picking him up from the breeder, although I will only see her husband as she will be out showing that weekend. I will continue to keep in touch with her over email and see if she can give me any tips through there.

I found some nice jackets at Millers today on sale I haven't bought any yet because I thought I would see if it would be acceptable. They are solid coloured and similar to a trench coat in style but shorter? So not a suit jacket, but still seems to be quite smart?

[Showpony]

I am so thankful to all here who are so willing to help such a poor hopeless newbie! I may ask some stupid questions sometimes, and you are all just so helpful!

experiencedfun - I havn't even met my pup yet and I love him. I understand the world of dog showing can sometimes be quite 'cut throat' but I will always just do the best I can for my dog, and train and prepare him to the best of the ability. It is the same in horse showing, it is all just the opinion of the judge on the day of your dog compared to those around, which can change from weekend to weekend. :D

Hi,

One thing to remember eventingpony........we all start at the same place....we were all once newbies. You actually have a slight advantage having shown horses, you already understand about judging, training, preparation, dealing with other exhibitors etc. There are alot of horse people that also show dogs, so dont be surprised if you bump into some that you either know or recognise. Really all you have to get use to is a different species, and after showing horses..........you will do ok and be fine.

[Larrikin]

I have always groomed my aussie pups the same as I would an adult.

I am a fan of Plush Puppy so I use their "Herbal Whitening Shampoo/Ginseng" on their whites and for the body "Natural BodyBuilding Shampoo/Wheatgerm".

On the day of the show I dampen the leg hair then use Wella Kolestral as a pre-chalker and then I use a fine white chalk to coat the white leg hairs. To do this I use a small slicker brush (my fav is Lawrence Tendercare Tiny). I then brush the leg hair up and hairspray (TRESemmé is preferred as it doesn't flake).

Slicker up the legs again to get the chalk out and fluff before going in the ring.

I use Bio-groom Super Foam to fluff up the coat on the day.

I also use PP volumising cream diluted with water in a spray bottle. I lightly spray this over the coat getting it right down to the roots, then I back brush(against the growth of the hair) using a pin brush. This is also great to use while blow drying.

Trimming is done to ears and feet, tidy up hocks but not too short, and sometimes pasterns if the dog lacks feathering.

Here is a great website for Grooming Your Aussie

I use a fine plaited kangaroo leather lead in purple, silver and white on my blue merle and a jewellers link chain.

Make sure you keep all training fun and don't over train your pup. Most of my training is done in the kitchen using treats.

Good luck with your new pup.

[SparkyTansy]

wow you guys use more stuff in your Aussies than we do in our Old English Sheepdogs. We use potato flour and water to prep at the show!

[Shaar]

I'm sorry Gayle but really?! MOST people start off grooming babies as they will an adult only on a smaller scale.

Yes really. Babies don't need powder, spray or any product. They need to be trained to stand still and enjoy being groomed, they need to get used to their feet and ears being trimmed. They don't need product through their coat though. And I take my grooming tips from the top Aussie breeders in the state.

There are plenty of ways to get a puppy used to being chalked without using chalk. Rub thier leg gently, back comb the hair on their paws. Use a water spray bottle sparingly on them to get used to the sound, but puppy fur and skin don't need anything extra.

This is what I did with my Crested pup, I never chalked his feet when he was a baby, he didn't need it frankly.

As a pup his hair was pretty wild and stuck straight out (as pups do), as it grew and started draping that's when I started using products just to give it a bit of "oomph".

Before that I had to still brush and comb his feet so he was getting used to having them touched anyway.

Everything else was done as an adults would be.