If you have thought that you might like to get into dogs, but have not yet purchased your first one, allow us to give you a word of advice.  There are so many wonderful breeds, each with its own particular charm, that I’m sure you can find just the right breed for you.  However, decide on one whose size and temperament fit into your life.  Don’t get a Great Dane if you live in a tiny apartment, and don’t get a tiny dog if a high-pitched bark grates on your nerves.
Read the rest of this entry »

Here is a typical rule pertaining to dog shows: Rules Applying to Registrations and Dog Shows states that dogs must be on their benches during the advertised hours of the show.  The reason for this rule is that if the dogs were not benched, the spectator who pays admission to the show would not be able to see the dog he is most interested in.  If each exhibitor copied the other and absented his dog from the bench, soon there would be no dogs on the benches at all.

This rule works the biggest hardship on handlers because of the great number of dogs they take to shows, but they, too, must obey this rule else it would not be fair to the one-dog exhibitor.  His dog might be more tired from being benched than the handler’s when the two dogs met in the show ring.
Read the rest of this entry »

Here are the things to take along which are considered necessities: the identification card and dog show ticket, a water pan (although you can always use the cardboard ones supplied by feed companies at most shows), a sponge and towel, a bench collar and bench chain or wire bench crate, a show lead, and finally, a comb and brush.  If you use a tack crate (a crate with drawers), these very useful and necessary articles may be permanently stored in the drawers and will always be ready to go. Read the rest of this entry »

Assuming that you have entered your dog for a show, let’s hope you have investigated carefully, and that your dog has no disqualifications.  In certain breeds the Standard of the Breed (by which all judges are supposed to judge) lists certain faults as complete disqualifications.  Read the rest of this entry »

Letting a dog get over-heated, as the owner is awaiting to show his dog ringside, is one of the big mistakes the novice exhibitor makes when he is attending a dog show.  He is never aware of it until it has been pointed out to him, and then it may be too late. Read the rest of this entry »

If you get a crate with a door with vertical bars, be sure they are close enough together so that the dog cannot chew in between them or get his teeth around the bars.  Be sure the fastener for the door is a good one - it has been found that window locks make good fasteners - and it is wise to have a hasp on the door as well.  If the crate is a well made one, these things will be incorporated.
Read the rest of this entry »

When you are in the show ring, don’t waste your time looking aimlessly around.  While waiting for the class to begin, glance at your dog frequently to be sure he has not assumed a grotesque pose or that he is not getting into some mischief with another dog while you are staring into space.  Read the rest of this entry »

When it comes to dog shows, word “handler” is the person actually in the ring with the dog.  A “professional” handler would be a handler that shows dogs as his profession and he gets paid for being in the ring with the dog.  You who are not familiar with the word may misinterpret some of these statements.  When we say, “watch the good handlers,” we do not necessarily mean the professional handlers.  Read the rest of this entry »

Talking of equipment quite naturally leads to a discussion of crates.  A tack crate, with one or two drawers, would have all of your tools stored in the drawers ready to go at a moment’s notice when a part of a dog show.  It is not at all necessary for you to take your dog to a show in a crate or to have a tack crate; the majority of dog-show goers do not use crates. Read the rest of this entry »

Very few people realize just what a LARGE dog show is like.  Perhaps they have seen a local pet show or a small show in the neighborhood, but few have any conception of a really big show.  Let me tell you something about a large show.  As an example let us use the largest outdoor show ever held in the United States: the last Morris and Essex Kennel Club show in Madison, New Jersey, in May of 1957, at Giralda, the beautiful estate of Mrs. Geraldine R. Dodge. Read the rest of this entry »