# First Handling Class Tonight



## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Watson's gonna learn to be a show dog! If he can get over looking so doofy all the time 

The class will be taught by Joy Barbieri - anyone know her? From Google I found out she's a local professional handler and pug breeder. 

The main instructor for my other classes is going to bring her 4 month old Sibe puppy, which will be pretty adorable.

I'm really curious to see the mix taking the class and if everyone will be novices like me, or more experienced (and if the dogs will primarily be young or slightly more experienced).


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

Awesome. Have fun, take in everything, and tell us all about it when you get back. 

I don't know her by name, but may by photo.

Edit- Nope, never seen her before.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

Interesting! I did not know there were classes to learn how to show dogs.

This may be a stupid question, but are mixed dogs allowed in handling classes, or do the dogs have to be papered? I mean, I imagine there aren't a _ton _of people with mixed-breed dogs who want to learn to show, but I'm curious...


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Chaos, here's a picture: http://www.ajoytobewith.com/joy_and_nadine_nyc_410x600.jpg

The normal instructor is Anthony Coda, who is also a professional handler, but he was busy.

The lead instructor was going to teach it, but I'm glad she found a professional handler. She has finished numerous Siberians, but I think hearing from a professional handler with experience in a lot of breeds will be so interesting.


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

gingerkid said:


> Interesting! I did not know there were classes to learn how to show dogs.
> 
> This may be a stupid question, but are mixed dogs allowed in handling classes, or do the dogs have to be papered? I mean, I imagine there aren't a _ton _of people with mixed-breed dogs who want to learn to show, but I'm curious...


I guess it would depend on the trainer. Most classes are put on by kennel clubs, there are some put on individual people too. The class that I go to isn't really a formal class, where you learn something new every class, but rather a practice session, so for a class like that it wouldn't really make sense to bring a mix. 

I don't see why someone couldn't if they are really in it to learn, but don't have their show dog yet. But the person would really have to be in it to learn. Sometimes trainers bring their own dogs to class, so they could let you work theirs while learning too.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

gingerkid said:


> Interesting! I did not know there were classes to learn how to show dogs.
> 
> This may be a stupid question, but are mixed dogs allowed in handling classes, or do the dogs have to be papered? I mean, I imagine there aren't a _ton _of people with mixed-breed dogs who want to learn to show, but I'm curious...


I'm sure they wouldn't turn you away from the class with a mixed breed dog if you were interested in learning (at this training facility anyway, since it's privately owned, not sure about others). I've heard of venues where you can show mixed breed neutered dogs in conformation for fun (does UKC do this?) so there are people who might be interested.

ETA: This class focuses on the skills and training, but also on how to find and enter shows, what to wear, how to present yourself and your dog, and general dog conformation, so I think it will be interesting for a newbie like me beyond just practicing skills (especially since Watson doesn't have any skills to practice at this point, except for not being so wiggly when people try to examine him).


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## samshine (Mar 11, 2011)

Have fun! Actually that is the most important thing. You can have success showing a misbehaving pup (within reason) but you will never have success with a dog that hates to show. From personal experience I can tell you that it is very easy for a newbie to concentrate too much on getting the dog to behave, to the point that the dog goes flat and becomes unhappy. An unhappy dog radiates that feeling and will not be successful in the ring. So to avoid that, keep all your training positive, and only work a puppy for a few minutes at a time. Then just let her relax and play with her. Just because everybody around you is working does not mean you have to be. 

I'm jealous. There are few things I enjoy more than starting a new puppy in conformation.

But then, I always started out right in a regular class which was an hour long and just training. Your class may be different with less drilling since it will be all beginners.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

samshine said:


> Have fun! Actually that is the most important thing. You can have success showing a misbehaving pup (within reason) but you will never have success with a dog that hates to show. From personal experience I can tell you that it is very easy for a newbie to concentrate too much on getting the dog to behave, to the point that the dog goes flat and becomes unhappy. An unhappy dog radiates that feeling and will not be successful in the ring. So to avoid that, keep all your training positive, and only work a young puppy for one or two minutes at a time. Then just let her relax and play with her. Just because everybody around you is working does not mean you have to be.
> 
> I'm jealous. There are few things I enjoy more than starting a new puppy in conformation.


Watson is excellent at misbehaving and being happy about everything he does, so we're set ;-)

We've been going to this training facility almost weekly since he was 12 weeks old and he's 7 months now, so he knows just pulling in to the parking lot that he'll have a blast. My initial goal for him was obedience/rally, not conformation, so we've focused on that a lot and it will be fun to try something a little different. He has ditzy puppy brain sometimes, but he can really lock in and focus when he wants and it's fun to watch him really "get" a new activity.

By far the hardest thing for him will be standing for exam - we've worked on a sit for exam during regular classes and he gets so excited about being petted that he wants to cuddle and lick everyone's face. lol


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

Yeah I edited my first post, I don't know her, so can't say anything about what she might be like as a teacher. But from her website she seems very successful.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

First handling class complete! Overall it was a good experience. The instructor was good, and made sure to point things out to me even when she was working with the other dogs and handlers and explain what was going on. 

The class had an experienced Catahoula (though I had no idea that's what she was at first, because she was a very dark brindle rather than the popular merle), my obedience instructor's 4 month old Siberian, and two 4.5 month old Tervuren sisters. Oh goodness, the sister were so adorable. One had such a crush on Watson and wouldn't stop turning around to look at him (which her owner said was out of character).

Of course they all knew how to stand and stack correctly, but Watson didn't embarrass himself too much. He was an absolute pro at gaiting - I think the instructor was honestly surprised, since he seemed a little wild at the beginning, but every time we went around the ring he looked like a natural. I'm proud of him! We also did some hand stacking. He really wasn't thrilled with a random lady holding him still at first, and he started to shut down a bit and back away from her, but once he realized what she wanted from him he was ok. I was able to do it once (he's so squirmy with me, because he wants to play). I think it showed that I do a lot of work handling his feet, ears, etc because he was ok with being touched and it was just the holding still part he didn't like.

The negative part, for me, was that she made comments like "he's not used to discipline, huh?" and said I need to get away from using regular collars and harnesses for walks. She recommended a martingale, and said that if he "self-corrected" by hitting the end of the leash enough, he would learn to not be so spazzy. Now, I agree that he's spazzy on the leash when he's not focused (like before and after the class, when I'm not specifically asking him to pay attention, he'll run out to the end of the leash trying to get at other dogs; when I ask for attention he's good), but I don't agree that a martingale will magically fix that. I know plenty of dogs who wear choke chains, slip leads, etc who learn to just lean on those like a regular collar. I'm going to give a martingale a try, just in obedience classes, and hope that the novelty of it will keep him a bit more under control, but I think if I use it every day for walks he'll just learn to ignore it. I got the impression that she thinks pet people are way too lenient and I need to be more firm with him, but I don't really want to go that direction. I'm sure it works for her to be no nonsense, working with a ton of dogs everyday who don't know her well, but as long as his manners continue to improve with my methods, I think I'll stick with what I'm doing. If I need to wait until he's 3 years old and settled down to finish him, I'm ok with that.

I'm curious to know what anyone with experience thinks. I don't want to be that silly pet person who is soft and has a wild dog, but at the same time, I'm good at keeping him motivated and happy to work with me. She did recognize that Watson is obviously only into it if he's having fun and for me that's a priority.

My other question is which show lead should I order? She lent me one for the duration of the class, but it's really too small for him and a pain in the butt to get on and off over his ears (once it's on it's ok).
Is something like this good? (or the thicker version): http://www.cherrybrook.com/index.cf...o_Show_Leads_with_Slide_Clip__threesixteenths
Or this one: http://www.cherrybrook.com/index.cf...ame/Cherrybrook_Championship_Nylon_Slide_Lead


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## Poly (Sep 19, 2007)

elrohwen said:


> The negative part, for me, was that she made comments like "he's not used to discipline, huh?" and said I need to get away from using regular collars and harnesses for walks.


That's what trainers are for. I think you are doing other training (obedience? rally? agilty?). Just wait as you get to the more advanced levels there. As the saying goes, "You ain't heard nothing yet". If YOU do something wrong, you WILL hear about it from your trainer. If YOUR DOG does something wrong, your trainer will tell YOU why you are causing it - because most of the time, you are. And in the advanced classes, the handlers are often advanced as well, with a great deal of experience showing and trialing their dogs. They will even pick up things that sometimes the trainer doesn't. 

A thin skin is not something you want to take in with you - it won't help you with your dog. 




elrohwen said:


> She recommended a martingale, and said that if he "self-corrected" by hitting the end of the leash enough, he would learn to not be so spazzy.


We tend to use a martingale type collar as the everyday collar for all of our dogs. Some have had a quick-release and some didn't. They are NOT a choke collar. We just generally like them better than the fur-saver, which is the other type that is reommended a lot. Neither of these types are what I would call training collars. Martingales come in webbing versions (all fabric), leather versions (all leather) and chain versions (chain plus fabric/leather). Some people call the latter Half-check collars. They come in different weights for different size dogs. Also in really fancy, high-fashion styles.






elrohwen said:


> but I don't agree that a martingale will magically fix that. I know plenty of dogs who wear choke chains, slip leads, etc who learn to just lean on those like a regular collar. I'm going to give a martingale a try, just in obedience classes, and hope that the novelty of it will keep him a bit more under control, but I think if I use it every day for walks he'll just learn to ignore it.


Nothing in dog training is 'magic'. Don't forget that YOU are on the other end of the leash.




elrohwen said:


> I'm curious to know what anyone with experience thinks. I don't want to be that silly pet person who is soft and has a wild dog, but at the same time, I'm good at keeping him motivated and happy to work with me. She did recognize that Watson is obviously only into it if he's having fun and for me that's a priority.


Serious breed showing may have a heavy business aspect to it - much more than with companion sports and other such activities. Not only can the prizes be substantial, but for the breeders, it's often a matter of future business for their kennels. I won't say the competition at that level is cut-throat, but it's close to it. Owner-handler judging is separate from the regular judging and it can be fun.



elrohwen said:


> My other question is which show lead should I order? She lent me one for the duration of the class, but it's really too small for him and a pain in the butt to get on and off over his ears (once it's on it's ok).
> Is something like this good? (or the thicker version)...


If you show your dog, you will eventually want to get a show collar/lead that matches his size, breed and coat. There are so many different styles that I couldn't possibly tell you which one is "best". Your show trainer likes that style and there's nothing really wrong with it, but also ask around some of the more experienced show handlers, especially the ones that handle your breed.


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## ChaosIsAWeim (Feb 12, 2011)

elrohwen said:


> My other question is which show lead should I order? She lent me one for the duration of the class, but it's really too small for him and a pain in the butt to get on and off over his ears (once it's on it's ok).
> Is something like this good? (or the thicker version): http://www.cherrybrook.com/index.cf...o_Show_Leads_with_Slide_Clip__threesixteenths
> Or this one: http://www.cherrybrook.com/index.cf...ame/Cherrybrook_Championship_Nylon_Slide_Lead


Poly has already answered the other question. 

As for the leashes. We used the resco type for the spaniel pups, and a nylon choke and leash for the older spaniels. I like both. I don't know if Welshies are a head breed (meaning you stack them for exam without a leash) like Springers and Engies are, or a leash breed like my weims are, but that is something to consider. You want a leash you can easily take off if so. 

For my weims, we use snake chains and leather leads.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Poly said:


> That's what trainers are for. I think you are doing other training (obedience? rally? agilty?). Just wait as you get to the more advanced levels there. As the saying goes, "You ain't heard nothing yet". If YOU do something wrong, you WILL hear about it from your trainer. If YOUR DOG does something wrong, your trainer will tell YOU why you are causing it - because most of the time, you are. And in the advanced classes, the handlers are often advanced as well, with a great deal of experience showing and trialing their dogs. They will even pick up things that sometimes the trainer doesn't.
> 
> A thin skin is not something you want to take in with you - it won't help you with your dog.


Thanks for the perspective. I won't lie, I do tend to have a thin skin, in general. Though I rode horses for 12 years and played cello for 10, so I'm used to the lesson environment and taking constructive criticism on where I'm messing up ;-) My issue is more that her training style just isn't my training style I guess, which is fine. It is a "negative" for me when taking a class, but doesn't mean I can't learn a ton. I'm sure I couldn't hack it as a professional handler, and I'm sure if she owned him he would be less spazzy, but I'm ok with that. I like to keep our training sessions positive and limit the forceful and firm attitude. He really is a good puppy and when he understands what I want, he tries really hard to give it to me. When he doesn't understand, being firm with him can shut him down (as she found out while trying to stack him). He is only 7 months after all - I don't expect him to be perfectly behaved and as long as he's improving, I don't mind if he takes some ADD moments if he can redirect and focus on me when I ask. It's ok if she wouldn't allow that from her dogs and if I hired her as a handler, I'd expect her to not allow it from my dog either, but that doesn't mean I can't indulge his puppy moments sometimes 

I think she also reacted to his initial wild moments when we came into the training facility and she didn't have confidence I would be able to get him to focus. Instead, he settled within 5 min and remained very focused on me for the whole class (and rocked the gaiting part) so I think she left with a slightly better impression than we initially gave.






> We tend to use a martingale type collar as the everyday collar for all of our dogs. Some have had a quick-release and some didn't. They are NOT a choke collar. We just generally like them better than the fur-saver, which is the other type that is reommended a lot. Neither of these types are what I would call training collars. Martingales come in webbing versions (all fabric), leather versions (all leather) and chain versions (chain plus fabric/leather). Some people call the latter Half-check collars. They come in different weights for different size dogs. Also in really fancy, high-fashion styles.
> 
> Nothing in dog training is 'magic'. Don't forget that YOU are on the other end of the leash.


It's not that I'm at all against martingale type collars at all - I've wanted to get one for him for a while because he won't be able to slip out of it. My issue was that she held it up as the best training collar for limiting his spazzy ADD moments, and I just don't agree. Like I said, I've seen many dogs who lean right into martingales and pull (I've owned some too). I'll try one, for classes, but I don't see how it's going to magically fix anything as she implied or make him "leash broke". I work with him a *ton* on leash walking as it is and he's improved a lot. I'm fully aware that he would be better at leash walking if I was a better trainer (I have no illusions about this), which is why it seemed odd that she was so against any other type of collar or harness I might use - I don't think the collar or harness type is the issue.




ChaosIsAWeim said:


> Poly has already answered the other question.
> 
> As for the leashes. We used the resco type for the spaniel pups, and a nylon choke and leash for the older spaniels. I like both. I don't know if Welshies are a head breed (meaning you stack them for exam without a leash) like Springers and Engies are, or a leash breed like my weims are, but that is something to consider. You want a leash you can easily take off if so.
> 
> For my weims, we use snake chains and leather leads.


Welshies are a head breed. I ended up getting the second one, since it was cheaper. I'm sure I'll get something better some day, but I want something to practice with and the one she lent me is too small to be convenient. She didn't make any Welshie specific recommendations, but she did recommend to not use martingales (to one of the Tervuren owners) because they are trickier for a novice (the experienced Catahoula owner was doing well with one). I'm sure my breeder will help me with specifics some day.


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## samshine (Mar 11, 2011)

One thought that might give some perspective. Professional handlers take a dog and need to have it ring ready and winning in a very short time. You can take as much time as you want, no rush. 

Welshies are fairly sensitive dogs, aren't they? I think your instincts are correct and you don't need to crack down on him with harsh methods. Reward the behavior you want, gently discourage bad behavior and you will progress just fine.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

samshine said:


> One thought that might give some perspective. Professional handlers take a dog and need to have it ring ready and winning in a very short time. You can take as much time as you want, no rush.
> 
> Welshies are fairly sensitive dogs, aren't they? I think your instincts are correct and you don't need to crack down on him with harsh methods. Reward the behavior you want, gently discourage bad behavior and you will progress just fine.


Thanks, you confirmed how I feel about it, and it's nice to hear from someone experienced (since I'm obviously not). 

Her attitude really reminds me of professional horse people I've known (I think she might be a horse person as well, since she made an analogy using horses at one point). She's firm (without being punitive or cruel), no nonsense, and animals respect her and do what she asks. For a professional, it's a great quality and I wouldn't hire anyone to show my dog who didn't have that personality. Still, like you said, I can take as much time with him as I want and I'd rather keep things super positive for him, even if it takes longer. If he has to be 3 years old and settled down to show, that's fine.

Welshies are fairly sensitive. He's not nearly as sensitive as some other dogs I've seen and worked with, and he doesn't shut down the second he gets things wrong, but if you try to force him to do something he doesn't understand, he does shut down. I tend to ask him for behaviors, rather than tell, and it works well for him. If he won't offer what I ask for, he's either over threshold with distractions, or doesn't understand it yet, so I lower expectations until he gets it. She can obviously read dogs very well, and she had a similar assessment.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I have been working on stacking him a couple times per day and he's doing well. He seems to understand the point of it now and holds still quickly. I'm not putting his feet anywhere specific, just picking them up and putting them down, but I should be able to work on that next week. 

I'd also like to work on a stand for exam with DH trying to touch him. He gets so darn wiggly when anyone approaches to pet him, but he's slowly getting the idea that I want him to stand still and watch me sometimes, instead of roll over for belly rubs. We work on this weekly in obedience class as well, which is helping, but the handling class is definitely giving him a lot more exposure to being touched by other people and remaining calm.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

My airedale is my first show dog, and I have learned TONS over the past year and a half showing him. I have the opposite problem. He thinks he has to be TOO good in the ring, and its very hard to get "life" out of him. He stands perfect and all that, but being a terrier, he needs to be all up over himself. Its alot easier to calm them down a bit than it is to shake em up! I agree with you! Keep slowly taming him down, but not so much that you lose the showiness you are getting from his rambunctiousness. He will learn also, when a certain leash goes on, what is expected of him. Use the show lead only for working on show stuff. Teach him where his feet belong, by putting them there, and saying a word, like "stand". When you ove his feet, something, like "fix ur feet" so that eventually you say the words and he does it. He is just a baby, you are on the right track.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Graco, thanks for the advice!

He was actually wiggling his tail today when we practiced stacking, so I'm glad he's having some fun. At first he just looked so confused.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

elrohwen said:


> Graco, thanks for the advice!
> 
> He was actually wiggling his tail today when we practiced stacking, so I'm glad he's having some fun. At first he just looked so confused.


 He will get it.


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## TorachiKatashi (Sep 29, 2010)

Both my dog have Martingales, but they must be properly adjusted so that the two D-rings touch each other. I would never use it in such a way that the dog would "self-correct" itself (which is just a cop-out for someone who doesn't want to admit to physically punishing their dog.)

Not really impressed with the trainer from what you've said, to be honest. Is the club you're training with R+? A trainer like that would be expelled from our club in a heartbeat.

Don't let anyone tell you that a conformation dog can't be trained without corrections or "discipline." A good trainer can train ANYTHING without them. Bad trainers will try to tell you that some sports/dogs/breeds need it to try to cover up their own shortcomings.


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## Keechak (Aug 10, 2008)

TorachiKatashi said:


> A good trainer can train ANYTHING without them.


That's a bit of a stretch IMO, however in this particular case with an easy dog, corrections are not needed for conformation training.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Torachi, the training facility is private and the majority of he classes are run by one of the two owners (one owner is in the handling class with her 4 month old pup). Yes, they are +R and I haven't had an issue with any of their obedience classes I've taken. They are clearly not against something like prongs for certain dogs, but they have never recommended a technique that I would consider out of line and are very pro-clicker and pro-rewarding for any good behavior rather than punishing bad. The handling class trainer is a local professional. In her defense she has not recommended correcting him exactly, but I still feel she's more firm than I would train. At least she's not recommending I hang him up by the leash or pop him with it. I do prefer to take a more positive approach in general though.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

We had our second class last night. There were a lot more dogs this time! A third in the litter of fluffy tervurens showed up, plus a 2 year old Berner, and a golden (I think the woman was going to get a show prospect, but wanted to learn on her current dog - the dog did really really well), in addition to the husky, two tervs, and catahoula from the week before. Watson was a bit overwhelmed since he wasn't at the end of the line the whole time and kept wanting to watch the lady baiting her tervuren puppy behind him. Haha

He did awesome at hand stacking. I think the instructor was really impressed. I did work on it every day, but only 2-4 times usually. Now I need to work on him actually leaving the feet where I put them, and putting them in the right spot. She did take him and stack him and he held it really well (though I think she made him look more like a cocker than a welshie). It was pretty funny when I tried to stack him and she went to run her hands over him - the closer she got the harder his little tail wiggled. Dignified he is not.

The lead I bought was a complete bust. It was a slide/loop lead, rather than the slip type, and he backed out of it once. I was able to grab him by the loose skin on his side and haul him back in. Not sure how many people saw it other than the lady with the terv puppy, but I'm so glad I grabbed him before he went frolicking around the arena meeting all of the dogs. 

Almost every person who stood near us commented on how cute he is. Yeah, it's cute when the crazy dog isn't yours! lol He is just so ADD sometimes - everything in the world is so much fun and he wants to do it all. The instructor did say that he would be awesome once I figured out what we were doing.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

elrohwen said:


> \ Yeah, it's cute when the crazy dog isn't yours! lol He is just so ADD sometimes - everything in the world is so much fun and he wants to do it all. The instructor did say that he would be awesome once I figured out what we were doing.


Go watch this: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfXGD4hP1Ro

"For in the end , when our dogs come to their last day of their journey with us, we won't look back and wish we'd won more red ribbons."


He's having fun. You're having fun. No matter how competitive (and I'm sure it is) you can learn from him as well as the instructor. No matter how competitive it is out there (and I'm sure it is), even if you never win a single point, you're not going to have LOST anything, either.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Thanks for that, it was very sweet. 

I'm honestly not a competitive person in general, and I never considered much competition until his breeder begged me to show him, so I feel some pressure there to figure out what the heck I'm doing. I totally laugh off his ridiculousness and I love his joy of life. I really do. There are just those days that I wish he would stop being such a puppy and focus for like 5 minutes, but I think everybody has those moments with their puppies. He really is the best little dog though and despite his nutty moments he so wants to please me and thinks everything in the world is just the best thing EVER.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

That is awesome. And CptJack is right! Keep doing what you are doing, loving him and teaching him and in time, he will be perfect for you. You don't want to have him lose his enthusiasm. He is still just a wittle baby....You would be showing him til he is what, year and a half old anyway? You want him to look his best and be mature physically. What has your breeder recommended?


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I haven't asked my breeder about it specifically. She has said it was totally up to me - she wants me to try and finish him if I can but the timing is up to me. I think she is showing his sister in July 10 min from my house (we'll be on vacation  ) but I don't think I'll get him in the ring for a while. I have a feeling that is he going to mature into a really mellow dog so if I have to wait for that time, years from now, that's ok.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Just wanted to do an update. We finished our first four sessions of handling class last week, and then signed up for another 5 sessions that started yesterday. Watson was so good last night! I can't say I really worked with him much more in the past week than in previous weeks, but something clicked and he mostly understood what I wanted and was compliant. He was good in his Monday obedience class too, so maybe his brain is starting to work again 

He's still a pro at gaiting and I think does it better than most of the puppies in the class. The instructor generally has no issues with our gaiting, which is nice. He just loves anything that lets him move. We did a T pattern last night for the first time - even if we never have to do one, our instructor said she likes to practice strange patterns to work on fluid movement from the handler. I do work with him on my right occasionally, so he was even good at that part of the pattern, though I always forget to stop in the right place in front of the "judge". Oops!

On the flip side, he hates anything involving standing still. lol Stacking has been hard for him, but he's getting there. Once he learned to stand still, he had a hard time holding it when someone would get near to examine him. The little tail would start wiggling and he'd try to lick the judge's face instead of standing. Last night he was good though and managed to stand mostly still in a hand stack without me having to hold a treat in front of his nose. 

His coat is still a mess, since his puppy fur has been slow in shedding out, but our instructor thinks we should be ready in June when he has about another inch of coat. We'll see! I might be too chicken to enter, but I have to start somewhere. His cousin just finished at 11 months, and another young dog he's related to finished around a year, so I don't have to wait for his full coat to come in or anything like on some breeds. I do have to work on grooming - he hates the clippers so I've been avoiding them, but we have to do it at some point. Only minimal clippering is required in his breed, but it's all on the head/neck/ears which is tough for a dog who is afraid of the noise.


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## GrinningDog (Mar 26, 2010)

Glad to hear happypup Watson is doing well! And also that you seem to be enjoying handling?

I more and more want to show my next dog. But I'm thinking I should get Gyp into agility first, to decide if dog activities/competition is really my thing. I'm pretty sure it is. I just need to find the time.


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I'm definitely enjoying it a bit more. I'd like to do activities with him other than confo, but those will probably take a couple years of training. Conformation is something that takes far less training to get started and I can do it while he's young which is appealing.

ETA: the only part of it I don't like is that I do have to show eventually. Training in rally or obedience just for the fun of training could be enough for me without ever competing, but if I'm going to work on handling I have to man up and enter him somewhere sometime and that's scary. Haha


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