How Often Do You Show A Pup

[MishB]

Hi,

Im brand new to showing. I have my first show coming up on 5th May, my pup will be 20 wks old (5mths). I have been to a couple of show handling classes and all is going well. He is a very excited & happy puppy and loves everything and everyone.

I am wondering though how often should I show him before he is 6mths? I know he is not eligible for points until he is 6 mths, hence my question, but how well behaved is he expected to be at that age? Should I be getting in now & getting experience or do the judges still expect a bit of inexperience when they are in minor?

Im going through my diary at the moment and wondering if I should be entering more or not worry too much about it?

I will have only done 2 shows when he gets to minor puppy class, is it worth me entering only championship shows or entering open shows as well?

What would the more experienced show peeps recommend for a newbie? I dont want him getting 'over' the showring but I also want to learn as much as I can

I would also like to add that as a completely new person to dog showing, that the advice & offers of help I have had already by everyone so far has been fantastic!! You are a very welcoming bunch so thanks :D

[SparkyTansy]

I think it really depends on the breed, and your individual dog. Lots of shows as a baby puppy, done the right way, will be fine, but it can also cause them to dislike showing, particularly if you are nervous and stressed and give them the wrong message about being in the ring.

Generally, a judge does not expect a puppy to be a robot at its first show, but you should aim to ensure that the pup can move at least a few steps at a trot without bouncing or twisting, or refusing to move :laugh:. Same with standing. Most judges are incredibly patient when going over baby puppies and usually do so for the benefit of the puppy.

In minor I guess they have a few more expectations on them but most judges again are patient if a minor still plays up a little bit. I think most judges prefer to see a puppy having fun over a puppy that looks bored.

My first weim I trained to within an inch of her life - i was out everyday practicing. Shows were a breeze but she hit her teens and shows were boring. This time around with my young girl, I did a few sessions on stacking and then left it to a day or two before a show (or on the day of the show) to do some training... She doesn't always behave perfectly but she enjoys it a hell of a lot more than her mother. I'd say she's also attended maybe half the number of shows than her mother did at the same age.

[Dogsfevr]

I prefer to show babies often but with it being fun.

The problem being in Perth that our shows start to get less from May so it often comes down to getting the experience whilst you can .

Also its coming into winter so undercover can be a whole different experience .

I don't believe in showing a baby if it isn't some what trained to walk on a lead,stacking still should be taught but most babies get all excited when the judge goes over & that is no drama.

As for practicing i rarely train unless i feel said pup needs a little work,generally its covered in every day things & standing in my breed with grooming from 8 weeks.

As for minor class they should have more manners still fun & in some breeds its often this class you make skip & do other things as they go through the fugglies

The reality is from 6 months they are able to gain points & so the dog should be able to do all the basics well but with a 6 month age mentality .

If it can't walk or be examined chances are you won't get awarded points .

[dogsaremyworld]

I believe that the more times he is exposed to the ring as a baby, the more comfortable he will be with it as he grows.

I love showing in baby puppy, you can make it really fun for the dog and yourself, and overall it is a great experience. He should be at least lead trained, and beginning to stand on the table to be examined, and stacking. But don't take it too seriously, after all it is only baby puppy and you are not eligible for points. In minor, I think most judges accept they are still young. Depending on your breed though, and mine is one which this happens, a well behaved minor can win challenge, and even BOB over older competition. Training is important as well as show ring time, so make sure he is well socialised, meeting lots of people, as well as practicing being examined, and gaiting on a lead.

Hope it all turns out well for you and your pup. Just remember you only have a month left in baby puppy, so use it to your advantage, and get him out there, and HAVE FUN!!!!!!! If it was me, I would be entering as many as possible, including Open Shows, not only for your dog, but YOU as a new handler as well. The more times you do it, the less nerve racking it becomes. Just remember, don't take it too seriously, have fun, keep the energy fun for your dog, and he won't get over it.

Edited April 26, 2012 by dogsaremyworld

[kosmology]

You also need to take into account the experience you gain as a handler by attending shows early on. The more shows you attend, and the more training (from decent training sessions) you get the more confidence and skills you will gain. This travels down the lead, as they say, and it's true! It also depends on your pup's attitude. Mine was a nervous little thing at first (at training) but was fantastic at his first show at 4 months. (I also took him to puppy school before he started show training). He's got better on the table since and is even better around the ring after I did some extra training with a more helpful trainer. Once you pick up a few things then you can adapt it to suit yourself and your dog and go from there :) I hardly train at home anymore (except to make him 'earn' his titbits), but maintain a strict lead training regime on his daily walk and briefly train at the shows. He's a Minor, and I'm a newbie, and he won his Class In Group a couple of weeks back.

Edited April 26, 2012 by kosmology

[Bjelkier]

I prefer to show babies often but with it being fun.

The problem being in Perth that our shows start to get less from May so it often comes down to getting the experience whilst you can .

Also its coming into winter so undercover can be a whole different experience .

I don't believe in showing a baby if it isn't some what trained to walk on a lead,stacking still should be taught but most babies get all excited when the judge goes over & that is no drama.

As for practicing i rarely train unless i feel said pup needs a little work,generally its covered in every day things & standing in my breed with grooming from 8 weeks.

As for minor class they should have more manners still fun & in some breeds its often this class you make skip & do other things as they go through the fugglies

The reality is from 6 months they are able to gain points & so the dog should be able to do all the basics well but with a 6 month age mentality .

If it can't walk or be examined chances are you won't get awarded points .

I agree with this ^^

I also like to get my babies out a lot. And although they don't have to be perfect it sure does help your chances if they can walk on the lead without being a total nutter and stack at least a little. And I've never believed that if you have a well trained baby it's somehow not enjoying the ring and wont be a good show dog. Make the experiance fun for them and they will have a blast (although I will say some breeds are harder then others)

My first show Samoyed didn't get intot he ring until he was 8 and I really regret that. It was very hard to go up against the other dogs who had so much more experiance then he did. We didn't win anything for quite awhile.

Get yourself out to as many shows a possible for the experiance, it will be worth it later.

[MishB]

Thanks, I am definately going to enter as many shows as I can get to because I could definately use the experience.

We have been able to get to 2 show handling classes, first time he was great, let the lady touch him, trotted around, & Iwas even able to stack him for a short time.

The second week complete opposite he wouldnt let her anywhere near him, did not want to be touched at all, no idea why as she was gentle the previous week. He seems to have developed a dislike of being touched anywhere near his head, & I know that he hasnt been mishadled by anyone so hoping its teething and a stage he is going though. He was also dreadful to lead ( I used a soft martingale the first wk, changed to a slip collar & lead all in one the second wk cos I found the martingale difficult) he refused to move, then tryed to run off, then decided that he wanted to bark at the other dogs, then didnt want to know me at all which is really unusual for him, he is so attentive to me usually.

I have gone back to the soft martingale now which has seemed to fix the refusal to walk with me at all, he didnt like the other lead obviously!

I am doing a lot of hand feeding him now too, and click treating for letting me near his face. Hoping this helps.

Hopefully the judges will be understanding of our lack of manners for a while, is it better to go in more Open shows while he is little, a bit of a brat & Im so new to this? Because he wont be up for any points will the judge perhaps cut me a bit more slack, I dont want to get berated by a judge at a Championship show for him not being better behaved, or is there not a lot of difference?

[Dogsfevr]

Your pup will be teething so most likely has a sore mouth .

I would also suggest instead of stacking pup on the floor for examinations that you place pup on the table,there will be no issues doing this & pups find it less daunting being at a neutral level whilst small .

Once pup has more confidence in the exam routine on the table then you can start going on the ground again .

If person at training say s no ,tell them this what you want to do & you can do it at the shows as well

Edited April 28, 2012 by showdog

[mirawee]

In regards to shows at your level do both Open and Champ shows if you can fit them in :) Particularly in the baby class there is no real difference between the two - and depending on the Club running it you can get better prizes in Open shows as well

My new pup has her first show this Sunday :) She will be about 3.5 months old. She then has the two shows the weekend after before a month break with her 4th show being in Victoria! Then another month break before she has her last shows in baby with another 3 shows over 2 weekends. I think there are only 3 shows she misses out on that she is eligible for (including this weekend just gone) but I have other things on :)

As showdog said, you can table any breed of dog and I have seen several baby puppies tabled for examination in breeds which are stacked on the ground usually :)

In terms of training I put a fair bit of effort into my girl initially because unlike every other one of my dogs she has immediately sat or dropped the moment she stops moving from the day I got her! Even now her default position when she is "excited" or wants to work is to drop and stare :p Stupid sheepdog instincts But now she rarely gets any specific show training unless I am having a practise run of someone going over her and that is fairly rare :)