# Can I bring my (un-entered) dog to a dog show?



## LexiPup

So, will people hate me if I bring an unentered dog to a dog show?

I am going to the dog show in Perry, GA tomorrow and I just found out that they are having a herding instinct test. I would love for my 10 month old Aussie to be able to take it but I still want to be able to go watch the events. She gets excited in new places but doesn't bark, and if she's on her halti she won't pull.

I want her to be able to take the test, since this will be her only chance for a long while, but it's an hour and a half from my house so it's not like I can take her, drop her off, and then come back to watch. I have not competed at dog shows before but I'm planning to. Would a non barking spectator dog bother you seasoned competitors?


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## Elana55

Most AKC events say "no" to the dog going to the show and not being entered.. however, if you are there for the herding test,. you should be OK. 

I went to the "fall cluster" in MA one year with Atka and she was not entered. I wanted to go to Max 200 and get her a properly sized dumb bell and so she went with me. No one said anything and, to be honest, there were so many dogs and so much activity, no one even gave us a second glance.


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## ChaosIsAWeim

It depends on the show cluster, most indoor shows say no basically because of space, not that people don't bring their unentered dogs anyways. Outdoor shows are generally ok with it. You are bringing the dog for the herding test so your dog will be in something, and really who is going to know the dog is not entered?

People who bring their pets (unentered dogs) don't bother me, if it gets more spectators to shows then it's fine with me.


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## Kyllobernese

I know at the Agility Competitions in our area, people bring puppies and dogs not entered in the trials and nobody cares as long as they are well behaved and don't bother the other dogs. This is mostly at outdoor trials as the indoor ones it is usually quite crowded but I have seem them there also.

At the one trial, someone had an entire litter of Shetland Sheepdog puppies. They parked well away from the rings and nobody seemed to mind. I was walking Remmy nearby when the entire litter came running over, they had climbed out of the pen. I knocked on their door and helped them get them back in their pen and fix it so they could not get out. They looked to be about 8 or 9 weeks old.


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## Crantastic

Around here unentered dogs are not allowed on show grounds (although I have seen a couple of definite pets with their spectator owners -- being carried, though, not walking through the crowds). 

At outdoor shows, pet dogs are allowed, just not at ringside.


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## GottaLuvMutts

If space is tight, unentered dogs are usually not allowed around here. When there's space, though, it's fine, particularly if you have some purpose (socializing the dog, getting them measured, getting them used to a trial environment, etc.). Ringside is discouraged here only if they're close enough to actually distract dogs in the ring. There's a horse gate at the fairgrounds where agility trials often happen, and unentered dogs will sometimes stick their nose or head through it to watch the dogs doing agility. That's generally discouraged, as is barking at the performing dogs.


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## Keechak

you should look into weather you needed to pree enter the instinct test I know with AKC you do have to pre enter you can't just walk in. but with ASCA you can show up the day of and enter.


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## LexiPup

Thanks for all your replies! I did end up taking her to the dog show. She passed her herding instinct test (she did great) and I took her into the agility building, even though it was indoors, but it wasn't very crowded and people didn't seem to mind. We didn't go anywhere near the actual ring, and she didn't bark or jump on anybody, except she seemed to want her turn in the ring


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