Dog Shows

Preparations for Dog Show

Preparations for Dog Show

Probably the best thing for a beginner is to study the principal exhibitors and, having made your choice, approach that person. Put your cards on the table and ask whether that owner has any stock available. Fully explaining the purpose for which the animal is required. If unable to offer anything, it is highly probable that this exhibitor’s Kennel will contain stud dogs and the owner will know where puppies are available or expected by his stud dogs and will be able to give all sorts of useful advice to the beginner. It is rather a question of finding the right person in the first place. That is half (if not all) the battle.

However, use your judgment of the human race which at this stage is probably better than your unaided judgement of dogs. Fortunately there are many more honest people in dogs than dishonest ones, I am indeed happy to say. Experienced or inexperienced, it is nevertheless possible to be proved very wrong where all classes of animals are concerned. How often can one read of highly successful race horses passing through the rings at yearling sales with little or no interest on the part of the discerning bloodstock people gathered at the ringside. Equally, some very highly priced and much ‘sought after’ youngsters just never achieve anything on the race course.

A dog is bought primarily as a pet, he turns out rather well and is shown and that’s how it all begins, the owner’s choice of a breed being fixed from the very beginning. But not always is this the case. There are the people who decide to embark upon dog breeding and showing and have no settled opinions as to the breed to take up. These are the readers who may, I hope, be helped a little by this section, for the matter really requires a good deal of thought.

When puppyhood has gone, exercise and plenty of it they must have, can this be organized for them? The odd quarter of an hour on fine days before the rush for the business train just will not do. Of course, if help in the family is forthcoming or if labor is available in the shape of kennelmaids the whole vista is changed. One final thing before leaving the ‘big uns’. If showing is to be seriously undertaken a roomy means of transport, in the way of a van or estate car, can be considered an essential very big dogs however good and handy they may be, present problems on railways and insurmountable ones if the owner has several dogs entered for a distant show. I once knew a lady who at a time of terrific enthusiasm would take three large hounds from the south of England to Glassgow or Edinburgh shows, traveling overnight in the guard’s van, sitting on rugs with the hounds.

She deserved all the cups she could win but she’s not in dogs how! Before passing on let it be said that if the requirements- financial, space and food of these big dogs can be supplied, my reader will be able to make a selection form some of our loveliest representatives in the world of dogs, the owning of which should five both pride and pleasure, but in fairness to the dogs themselves, be fully prepared to provide them with what they require.

Big shows make a practice of supplying benching space for each dog. This is a very costly business. At the time of writing there are only two firms who contract this work, which demands a good deal of labour since all these portable bences have to have the necessary transport and staff to erect them, either on the morning of the show or at our biggest shows, the day before and them have to be dismantled again after wards. The cost is customarily carried by the exhibitors, the usual cost being at present time about 45 pounds per dog, payable at the time of making the entry. However, at the smaller shows, one frequently finds that the shows are described as unbenced, which means just what it states and owners have to take entire charge of their dogs, very often making good use of their estate cars or vans if more than one dog is being exhibited by the same owner, always providing of course, that there is parking space on the ground where the show is taking place, or outside the hall when the event is an indoor one.

Dogs are like people. Looking their best, certain individual specimens will appear better carrying rather moiré weight than others. Only your personal knowledge of your own dogs will tell you this with experience. The coat of any dog should shine with fitness, and experience has taught me that this is only an indication of inside health. In my opinion the feeding of the occasional raw egg is a wonderfully beneficial coat conditioner.

This plus a clean exterior, regular brushing or grooming with a hound glove, finishing off with the bare hand will be all that the easy coated breeds require. A day or so before a show, a good bath followed by careful rinsing and drying should produce a dog that any judge can handle without soiling his hands. This I might say, as a judge, is something quite easily overlooked and one frequently finds one’s hands absolutely dirty after handling just a few exhibits. I suggest bathing a day or so before normal luster. Some coats, such as a corgi’s tend to fluff up over much immediately after bathing. Collie people are rather chary of this as bathing tends to make a coat somewhat ‘Wavey’ which is not desired.

Given at the right time, however, bathing smartens up a dog very considerably especially where the coat carries a lot of white, and all, the chalking (permissible in some breeds) fails in its try to point over an unprepared base or, I believe if a woman tries to put make-up on top on an uncleansed face!

The rug or blanket for the bench, benching chain and reliable collar which cannot be slipped, the show lead, whatever you may require in the way of grooming materials which must, of course depend on your breed. Some food for the dog, a small dish for water on his bench and don’t forget a little bait to encourage him to give his best in the ring a little well-cooked liver perhaps, cup up into small pieces. Don’t over do this, by the way. I seem to remember a lady who entered the ring with seemingly everything but the kitchen stove, large pieces of meat, bones to be followed by bouncing balls, little toys that squeaked – all being offered to the exhibit in a spirit of frenzied excitement.

A glance at the classification will show you that sex and it is the customary procedure for all the ‘dog’ ( as distinct from ‘bitch’) classes, right down to open dog, to be judged first. If therefore, we are only showing a bitch, we can probably take advantage of the late arrival ruling which may well be of considerable help since, naturally this means a later start-advantageous for those of us who live in ‘do it yourself’ homes and if the show is quite a distance away. Of course, if the time factor is of no great consequence it is well worth while trying to see as much as well worthwhile trying to see as much as is possible, for that is the way to learn.

Firstly, the bench allotted to our exhibit will be devoid of any form of bedding. Neither will the exhibitor be allowed to bed down the dog on any hay, straw, wood, wool, fibre or anything of this nature for very obvious reasons. It will be agreed that this is only a very should precaution against fire which is in every person’s interest. It is advisable, therefore, to arrive with some sort of comfort and warmth for the dog in the shape of a rug or blanket.

Don’t forget the regulations require that an exhibit is chained to the rings on the bench. This ruling is often not respected nearly as much as it should be, and the dogs can be seen tied up with light show leads or quite thin exercise leads. I feel this is a rather risky procedure on the part of the owner. How easily can an excited or nervous puppy or young dog. Disliking the noise and commotion and finding its owner is not in sight, bite through its lead and escape from its bench and run wild getting more and more agitated as various people pursue it.

It is never advisable to leave a novice dog for long or drift away too far. The general atmosphere added to the barking of other agitated or excited dogs, tends to make life pretty trying until he becomes a hardened campaigner, by which time he will in all probability jump up on his bench, take a rather bored look at the overall picture, promptly turn his back on the whole proceedings and go to sleep.

WELL-BRED DOGS

A brief guide to some of the most popular dogs in the sven purebred groups.

SPORTING DOGS

Brittany 30-40 pounds. Happy, alert, compact dog. Popular hunting dog.

Cocker Spaniel 22-28 pounds. Smallest sporting dog. Sturdy. Popular house dog. Affectionate and loyal. Requires grooming.

German Short-Haired Pointer 45-70 pounds. Good hunter. Easy to train. Good family pet. Does best in country rather tan city.

Golden Retriever 55-70 pounds. Good hunter. Very intelligent. Used as a guide dog for the blind. Great family dog that excellent with children. Needs exercise. 

Irish Setter 50-70 pounds. Very popular dog. Good sense of smell. Good hunter. Temperamental ,but good with children.

Labroador Retriever 55-75 pounds. Very intelligent. Used as a guide dog for the blind. Good hunter. Fine family pet and gentle with children. Needs exercise. 

Springer spaniel 45-55 pounds. Very intelligent. Used as a guide dog for the blind. Good hunter. Fine family pet and gentle with children. Needs exercise. 

Springer spaniel 45-55 pounds .Very intelligent. Fast Good bird hunter. Affectionate. Loyal family pet but somewhat stubborn. Needs exercise. 

Weimaraner 55-85 pounds. Intelligent affectionate animal. Good house dog but not terrific with children. Needs exercise.