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The Day Of The Show

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. If you do not use a tack crate, you will probably "latch on" to an old brief case or small overnight bag which will accompany you to shows, and these things can be stored in it and will always be ready to go.

Here are some things you can also take along if you wish: trimming tools, a bucket (if your water pan is large enough perhaps you will use that, but if your breed is a large one, which may need a lot of cleaning up, the bucket will come in handy), a first-aid kit (you never know what may happen), a thermos of water or coffee, lunch, and a change of shoes for your weary feet. Everything in this list may be prepared the night before and placed with the necessities.

In the morning, exercise your dog carefully. If you have a pen for him, fine; otherwise don't turn him loose; he may wade through a puddle, or, worse, he may chase a passing cat and make you late for your arrival. I have seen this happen to a friend of mine: the dog decided to take off one morning before a show and they didn't catch up with him until it was too late to go to the show at all.

Watch to see if your dog evacuates. If he doesn't, you will want to give him the opportunity to do so immediately upon arriving at the show. If not then, try again before he goes into the ring. Your dog will show better for you if this act has been performed. However, it happens that no matter how many opportunities you may give a dog to evacuate before he goes into the ring he will decide that right now, in the ring, is the time. If it happens to you, don't die of embarrassment. Remember, it has happened before to others. Just try, if possible without interrupting the dog, to maneuver him to the side or end of the ring and stay there until he has finished. When he has finished, go on with whatever you were doing.

The Joy Of Attending A Live Dog Show

The atmosphere of most any dog show is that if extreme excitement and happiness, almost too exciting, especially during the early hours of the show day. Everyone arriving is wearing a smile, even if a bit forced and tense, everyone is wearing his or her best manners as well as best clothes. They are waving hello to friends they haven't seen for almost a year as well as to those they saw just last night. Most are hurrying to find a spot to place their equipment so that they can rush to get their car parked, rush to get a ringside seat, so that they can place an article on it, and rush back to prepare their dogs for the big entrance into the ring.

Meanwhile, under the handler's tent the job of cleaning up the dogs after their journey goes on with a last-minute check on trimming, a last-minute check of the show lead, a bit more combing and brushing, with many fingers crossed and silent prayers being said. Thermos bottles of steaming hot coffee are very much in evidence, so much so that a crate top or table top will be completely covered with plastic or paper cups, some full of coffee, some emptied.

On one table a dog is being sprayed with something that smells like perfume but which is actually just giving a shine to the coat. Another dog will be getting a rubdown with something that smells like alcohol. It is being used to wipe away the dust which has been attracted to the dark sleek coat. Nearby, someone is furiously throwing medicinally scented talcum powder on the snow-white coat of his charge who either is still wet from a bath or who did not get a bath and whose owner is now trying to whiten him with the powder(This powder must be completely removed before the dog is shown).

Almost every crate or table has a bucket or pan of water setting on it or under it or next to it, and frequently a nervous person will drop some piece of equipment into it or stumble over it and get his new suit all splashed. Every so often a dog will look longingly at a bucket of water and get tired of waiting until it is offered to him, jump down from his crate, and help himself until the owner is able to reach him and place him on the table again, where he must then be all dried off with a towel.

Occasionally you will hear the shouts of congratulations from a happy group gathering to look over a dog who has just made a nice win, and occasionally you will hear a warning cry go up from someone who did not carefully lock the exercise pen and from which one or two or more dogs are making their escape, or from someone whose dog has decided to take a piece out of another dog and who needs help in separating the quarreling dogs. You will hear high-pitched barks, deep, low barks, yelps, howls, growls, and all the other types of canine noises. If you look over your shoulder you are bound to see a young woman crying, either because her dog has just won or because her dog has not won either one can bring on the tears.

Please click on List of Dog Show Handling Details to read about many different aspects of Dog Show Handling.