# Just entered my first show



## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Ahhh!! So scared. My handling class trainer was pushing for me to enter something sometime, so I can figure out what I'm doing before he's really ready to win things. If he's gonna be a total goofball in the ring, it might as well be when he's still in the puppy classes. She also wanted me to pick a small show that she will be at, so she can coach me, which is awesome.

So I'm entered in the North Stonington, CT show on 5/11. I'm kind of terrified, but we'll see how it goes. He will probably be the only Welsh, but that's ok. Though does that mean I automatically compete in the group?

One thing I'm pretty nervous about is grooming. I keep him neat with thinning shears, but I don't have clippers for his neck and chest area. I'd probably do a hack job with them, so I'll just get things as short as possible with scissors and hope that's enough for now.

The best part about the show is that it's very close to a lobster place that my husband and I love. So after we show, we can celebrate with lobster!


ETA: Our obedience instructor is in the handling class with her siberian husky pup and told me that at a Maryland show last weekend she made a point to watch the Welshies. They all had a lot more feathering than Watson (since he's young), but she said overall she thinks Watson is a much nicer dog and better mover than the dog who won. So yay!


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

I can feel your nervousness. Lol! I remember the first time I ever entered a ring .... I was pretty much sweating ... although it was fun. I had a blue Afghan puppy and was entered by his breeder. 

I am sure you will do just fine ... just remember to concentrate on what you are doing and not the audience.  I am sure you will do just fine! Good luck! You will have to keep us informed on how it goes.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Thanks, Abbylynn! I will definitely keep you guys updated.

Your afghan must have been gorgeous. So much hair, but such pretty dogs.


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## Kayla_Nicole (Dec 19, 2012)

That will be so much fun! Best of luck to you and Watson!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Thanks, Kayla_Nicole! I'll consider it a success if he doesn't try to jump on the judge and lick his face during the exam. Haha


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## Kayla_Nicole (Dec 19, 2012)

elrohwen said:


> Thanks, Kayla_Nicole! I'll consider it a success if he doesn't try to jump on the judge and lick his face during the exam. Haha


That's exactly how something like this would go with Alannah. Based on the way she reacts to all the of the trainers in obedience classes.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Kayla_Nicole said:


> That's exactly how something like this would go with Alannah. Based on the way she reacts to all the of the trainers in obedience classes.


Last night in class my instructor examined him, then told us to do a triangle pattern. Right before I went she said, "Wait, did I examine him?" I said "You did. He stood still." and she said, "Oh yeah, I almost forgot I did it because he was so good." lol


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

That's so exciting! I'm sure you and Watson will do great!


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## Emily1188 (Jun 21, 2011)

Yay! That's so exciting! 

I still haven't done AKC with Keeva, just UKC, so I think you're very brave. We'll be rooting you and Watson!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Emily1188 said:


> Yay! That's so exciting!
> 
> I still haven't done AKC with Keeva, just UKC, so I think you're very brave. We'll be rooting you and Watson!


One woman in my class shows/breeds Catahoulas and was saying how much she likes the UKC for its supportive atmosphere.

I'll be doing AKC, though I don't know it's so bad for my breed. Most Welsh seem to be owner-handled and people in the breed are generally supportive and not catty (from what I've seen, and also what a breeder told me of her experience). I would be really afraid to show one of the more popular breeds though!



gingerkid said:


> That's so exciting! I'm sure you and Watson will do great!


Thanks! It will be an experience. I'll make my husband take some pictures and/or video.


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

Maryland? Hmm that must have been Timonium. I normally go to that show, but not this year as it was right after Nationals. I will have to go back to info dog to see which one won. 

Good luck in your first show, don't be nervous, that just slides down the leash into your dog. Yes if you are the only Welsh there then you automatically make it to group, unless the judge withholds the breed ribbon (rarely happens). I would stay for the group, to me it is disrespectful to the judge that put you through to not stay. And you never know, some of the shows I looked at over the weekend, quite a few class dogs got group placements. And at a small show like that, chances are higher.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

ChaosIsAWeim said:


> Maryland? Hmm that must have been Timonium. I normally go to that show, but not this year as it was right after Nationals. I will have to go back to info dog to see which one won.
> 
> Good luck in your first show, don't be nervous, that just slides down the leash into your dog. Yes if you are the only Welsh there then you automatically make it to group, unless the judge withholds the breed ribbon (rarely happens). I would stay for the group, to me it is disrespectful to the judge that put you through to not stay. And you never know, some of the shows I looked at over the weekend, quite a few class dogs got group placements. And at a small show like that, chances are higher.


Competing against other Welsh (if there are any) doesn't scare me nearly as much as competing in group with a lot of polished specials and professional handlers. My goofball puppy will really stand out in that crowd. Haha. 

Yes, the show was Timonium. I looked up the Welsh who were in it and don't really recognize any, though I recognized most of the kennel names. No close relatives of Watson that I could tell. His breeder did say he was one of the nicest puppies she's seen in a long time, so I kind of expect him to do well if I can present him properly. Of course I think he's a nice looking dog, but I don't have much to compare against except pictures of finished Welshies on breeder websites, who are obviously also really nice dogs. I haven't been around the breed long enough to figure out the finer points, so I'm looking forward to seeing his breeder in July and getting her assessment of him at almost 1 year old.

Can you clarify something about winning points? If you win the breed ribbon by default of being the only dog there, you don't get any points. If you then go into the group ring and win the whole group, you do win a lot of points, based on how many dogs those other dogs beat, correct? Are there points given for group placements other than group 1? I know that you generally earn points by beating a certain number of other dogs (or bitches) in the classes, but beyond beating the other class dogs my understanding is murky.


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

Well I have seen the dog that won on Sunday, he was pretty nice in my limited knowledge of welsh. I know the guy that shows him. Is your breed judge your group judge too? I would guess that at a small show like that it might just be. If so then the group judge will know that your dog is a puppy. 

Yes you won't get any points if there are no other dogs there, if there are more than one bitches there then he would have to go BOW to get the bitch point. I am not sure about this part though, but group points are points that go towards rankings within your breed. I have heard you can get something towards your championship if you WIN the group but not sure if that is true or just gossip, what I have heard is it has something to do with a breed within that group pulling a major.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Chaos, thanks for the point explanation. Not that I ever expect to win a group, but it's nice to know how everything works! I get people (like my mom) asking me, so I'm trying to know enough to at least explain it. 

Our obedience instructor definitely isn't a Welshie or even a sporting dog person, but she has been showing and breeding for a number of years so it was a nice compliment. Movement is important, and I'm really glad that even with minimal handling from me he has a really nice gait. 

I looked up a picture of the winning dog and he is a nice dog. A little more square I think than ideal, but otherwise he looks good to me. Looks like there were a lot of Welsh at the show, so it would have been interesting to see them all.

Oh, and when do I find out what time we show? Does InfoDog send out an email? Do they post it a few days before? It's a 2.5 hour drive, so I hope we're not on at 8am or something.


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

Entry breakdowns will be up a few days after the show closes. The judging program (what shows the times), should be up a week before the show starts, which is usually about a week after the entry breakdowns come out. You should get a judging program along with your entry conformation in the mail at some point after they release it.

Is this a MB-F show or a Rau show? if MB-F infodog will have it up on there site, if Rau it will be on their site.

Nevermind, just looked it up it's MB-F. Looks like it closes today, so the numbers should be up either tomorrow or the next day.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I checked the entry list for the show and there is actually another Welsh entered. Unfortunately, it's a special, so we don't really have a chance of winning a point. But at least we probably won't have to go into the group ring! I will be much more relaxed if we can just show and then be done. Plus it will be fun to meet another Welsh owner and chat about the dogs.


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

Well it is likely that special is shown by a handler, but there is always a chance I could be wrong.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

ChaosIsAWeim said:


> Well it is likely that special is shown by a handler, but there is always a chance I could be wrong.


I think it may be his uncle. The breeder (who bred Watson's mother) posted on her website that this dog just earned his GCh in another CT show last weekend (and a group 3 placement). If it's him, he's a very nice dog and definitely shown by a handler, so the owner might not be there, which would be a shame. I would love to meet other Welshie people.

By the way, are you going to Bucks County this weekend? Watson's sister is entered in her first show


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

elrohwen said:


> I think it may be his uncle. The breeder (who bred Watson's mother) posted on her website that this dog just earned his GCh in another CT show last weekend (and a group 3 placement). If it's him, he's a very nice dog and definitely shown by a handler, so the owner might not be there, which would be a shame. I would love to meet other Welshie people.
> 
> By the way, are you going to Bucks County this weekend? Watson's sister is entered in her first show


I am not, but I am heading to MD tomorrow, but it's to pick up a puppy that is flying in. My next show is I believe Gray, TN. One of my pups is doing a show in Mattaponi, VA the same weekend, but bulldoggers are building a major in Gray so we wanted to go. After that we have Hampton, VA, Charlottesville, VA, Fishersville, VA, Then two of the days in Richmond, then three days in Richmond the next weekend. After that I don't know.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

How exciting! Good luck to you and Watson. Can't wait to hear all about your experience.

I attended my first dog show last week. It was very overwhelming and confusing for me, but I had a great time.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

cookieface said:


> How exciting! Good luck to you and Watson. Can't wait to hear all about your experience.
> 
> I attended my first dog show last week. It was very overwhelming and confusing for me, but I had a great time.


Thanks! My goal is to get there on time and find my ring. Beyond that, I will be totally lost. lol My handling instructor will be there though, and hopefully not too busy. She will definitely be ringside to watch me and give me pointers so that makes me less nervous.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Good luck! Have fun and you will do fine! Its great experience for you both!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Graco22 said:


> Good luck! Have fun and you will do fine! Its great experience for you both!


Thanks! We're meeting up with Watson's breeder this week to do some grooming, so he'll be looking good next Saturday.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

elrohwen said:


> Thanks! We're meeting up with Watson's breeder this week to do some grooming, so he'll be looking good next Saturday.


Hope to see some photos!


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

Good luck! And try not to be too nervous. There aren't usually a lot of spectators at the average dog show (we had four shows per year on PEI and the public only really heard about/attended two of them -- and even then they usually didn't stick around to watch much). It'll be mostly breeders/handlers watching, and they understand about puppies!


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## Gemma60538 (May 5, 2013)

Isn't it exciting!!!! My 2 year old lab and I just did our first show last weekend. We started with the UKC because my breeder said it would be a better experience as a new owner/handler. I got a lot of good recommendations from the judges. We will eventually go to the AKC but the UKC was a nice, laid back starting point! Good luck to you!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Crantastic, we aren't on until 1pm, when most of the other rings are finished, so there won't be many people hanging around anyway. Probably for the best! Haha. I'm sure there won't be many locals - that part of CT is pretty rural anyway. It's supposed to be pouring down rain on Saturday, so that will mean even less people. Not looking forward to the weather.

Gemma, glad you had fun! I know someone who shows her catahoulas in UKC and she really likes the atmosphere.


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

This is an outdoors show right? I suggest you wear, shoes wise, something that is going to give you some traction, because if it's going to rain, it can get very slippery. 

I looked at the Judging Program, and you have some breeds in the ring before you, so I would watch those breeds to get a feel for what the judge is doing.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

ChaosIsAWeim said:


> This is an outdoors show right? I suggest you wear, shoes wise, something that is going to give you some traction, because if it's going to rain, it can get very slippery.
> 
> I looked at the Judging Program, and you have some breeds in the ring before you, so I would watch those breeds to get a feel for what the judge is doing.


I will be bringing my wellies, along with other types of shoes. According to the weather report it's supposed to pour that day. :-( I'm also sad because we were looking forward to walking around Mystic and eating lobster, but neither of those will be fun in the rain.

We're almost the last breed to go, so I'll have plenty of opportunity to watch the others in our ring and do some practice stacks. We might stay and watch the groups too if the weather isn't terrible, since they start almost as soon as we're out of the ring.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Chaos, when do I find out the name of the other dog who is entered? Do I have to wait for the day of the show, or do they have that up online earlier?


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

The catalog will be up once the show starts, unless the club has decided to not post it. You should be able to see it that morning online, or you will just have to wait to look at the catalog once you get there.

Yeah it's too bad about the rain, Mystic is such a pretty town.


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

Ooh, dog show in the pouring rain. I attended one of those. The poor breeders with fluffy dogs that require a lot of grooming... they were rushing those dogs from tents into the ring at the last possible moment! People with dobes and other short-haired breeds like that didn't mind as much. Crystal's breeder thought it was great because it was easier to see the bodies/structure on the wet fluffy dogs!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Chaos, I should be able to check on Friday since I assume the same dog is entered both days (we're only going on Saturday). And I'm pretty disappointed about the rain. DH and I have been to Mystic a few times (used to live in CT actually) and we were really looking forward to visiting. We might still get lobster, but we'd have to sit on the enclosed porch rather than outside, and Watson would probably have to wait in the car. Maybe we'll get lucky and it will be ok.

Cran, at least I have a sporting dog! Though he's kind of a priss about stepping in puddles so it will be interesting (he'll wade in up to his belly in a stream, but hates puddles). I can't imagine the people with the fluffy dogs - I would probably stay home if that were me. Our handling instructor told us a story the other day about how she was showing a top ranked papillon and lost two days in a row because he hated the rain. Poor little dog just put his ears down and looked depressed, so she decided it wasn't worth it to keep showing him in the rain. I can imagine a lot of dogs just dragging around the ring in the rain, while the labs probably live it up.

My breeder is coming up to my house on Friday to groom the pup, so he'll look presentable as long as he stays reasonably dry.


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

Oh yeah forgot about there being a Friday show, so yes you would be able to see the catalog for Friday, as long as the club has allowed it to be posted.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

First show is complete, and we didn't embarrass ourselves! Watson's breeder came up on Friday to groom him, so he looked all spiffy for the show. The weather was terrible and it rained pretty hard for the hour before our ring time, but at least they had a tent over a portion of the rings. We were the only class dog and up against his uncle, a GCh. Of course, we didn't win, but we got our purple and blue ribbons for the class. Overall it went really well - Watson didn't do anything silly or embarrassing and he was completely comfortable at the show and in the ring. The judge was also really nice and made an effort to tell me exactly where to go and what to do, and said nice things to Watson during the exam. I just entered us for two days of shows towards the end of June and based on past entries there should be some other class dogs for us to compete against.

It was fun to hear his breeder's evaluation of him since this is the first time she has seen him since he was 9 weeks. Overall she said that he was different than what she expected - much more elegant than she thought he would be as he was a very round puppy (like the rest of the litter). He is still very very skinny and gangly through his ribs and waist, so we'll have to revisit in 6-12 months. Generally his structure is correct, he has good shoulders, and a great neck. His main faults are a slightly low tail, slightly high ears, and rounder eyes than ideal (common in her lines), which aren't too bad. She was pleasantly surprised at his movement from the side and said "That will win him shows". 

She brought his sister along which was also really fun. Tessa was much more emotionally and physically mature than Watson, and it was hilarious to see her boss him around. At one point she found an antler and decided it belonged to her. Anytime Watson approached she gave him a little growl and instead of understanding that she wanted to be alone, he would play bow and bark at her to get her to play with him. :facepalm: He really is emotionally like a 4 month old puppy sometimes. They had a great time wrestling all over the house.

Here's the video my husband took:
http://youtu.be/3vg5GSCoF4M


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Glad your first show was such a great experience for both of you!


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## ireth0 (Feb 11, 2013)

Love the video! Watson looks so handsome!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

cookieface said:


> Glad your first show was such a great experience for both of you!


Me too! I was so nervous before we went in.

Oh, did you try to send me a PM the other day? I got an email saying that you tried to send one but my inbox was full. It's cleaned out now if you still wanted to send it.




ireth0 said:


> Love the video! Watson looks so handsome!


Thanks! I'm glad his breeder was able to groom him first so he didn't look all scruffy. The other dogs there were so well groomed, especially considering how much it was raining.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

elrohwen said:


> Me too! I was so nervous before we went in.
> 
> Oh, did you try to send me a PM the other day? I got an email saying that you tried to send one but my inbox was full. It's cleaned out now if you still wanted to send it.


Just resent a less well-composed version of the message


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## maine dogluvah (May 12, 2013)

Why does the other dog have a full tail? Are both allowed by breed standard? I am not familiar with show dogs of your breed, the hunting ones I have seen are all docked. I have a hunting lab and can't imagine her without a tail!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

maine dogluvah said:


> Why does the other dog have a full tail? Are both allowed by breed standard? I am not familiar with show dogs of your breed, the hunting ones I have seen are all docked. I have a hunting lab and can't imagine her without a tail!


Yes, both are allowed. Traditionally they were docked, of course, and most breeders in the US continue to dock (they don't in Europe), but the full tails are starting to be seen more. Watson's mother and that dog, Freedom, are from the same breeder (they are half siblings) but his mom is a little older and born when she was still docking, while Freedom was born after she decided to leave the tails. I kind of prefer the tail, since I have never had a dog with a tail (grew up with mini schnauzers) and I love the fringe, but I didn't make that a priority when I was looking for a puppy and ended up with a docked one. I have to say that Watson has the cutest docked tail wiggle


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Loved the video! Congratulations on your first ribbons!  I think Watson did quite well for his first time. Actually ... both of you!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Abbylynn said:


> Loved the video! Congratulations on your first ribbons!  I think Watson did quite well for his first time. Actually ... both of you!


Thanks! Our 2 months of handling classes definitely paid off.


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

Congrats, he looked really good. What show in June did you enter?


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

ChaosIsAWeim said:


> Congrats, he looked really good. What show in June did you enter?


Thanks! I'm glad he had a good time and that we didn't embarrass ourselves.

I entered the show in New Paltz, NY on 6/21 and 6/22. It's less than an hour from my house, which is really nice.


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