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TRAINING FOR THE SHOW

Training for the show ring starts from the moment you get your puppy. You teach him to stand in the show stance for a few seconds after he has had his meal. I say ‘after’ because he is relaxed and not anxious about getting fed. As soon as you are happy he has stood even for a little while release him and praise him. Each time you do this make the time a little longer.

Show stance training consists of standing him in profile to the judge with his head up, back level, front straight and back legs bent so that the stifle bends and the hocks are perpendicular to the ground standing back from the set on of his tail. You introduce a collar about this time and use the collar to hold the dog in position. Do not use the show collar as his daily one. Make sure he knows that this is different.

Next we come to the lead work. This can begin about the same time. You get a soft nylon collar with room to expand. Make sure that the collar is fairly wide because a thin one will bite into his neck if he plays up. You will need a fairly short clip on lead for the collar.

All lead work is carried out with the dog on your left side. The idea is to get him to trot or gait smoothly alongside you at a nice even pace. If the dog “hangs back” behind you then you stop and attract him to come by himself, praising him when he does it.

There are 3 maneuvers that constitute ring work:

The first is that of going around the ring usually when the class enters the ring;

The second one is that of a triangle and this is when the judge tells you to do or take the dog in a triangle. You step off from the judge heading to the immediate corner of your right if that is in front of the judge. You then turn at the corner and proceed across the bottom of the triangle and then turn at the next corner, face the judge and run back to stand in front of the judge. You train your dog to stand square, facing the judge and the judge may then walk around to see how the dog stands naturally.

The third ring maneuver is that of up and back. This is exactly what it says. You leave the judge and take the dog across the ring to the far side and then turn and come back to the judge and again stand your dog squarely.

The dog must stand for examination. This means that he must allow the judge to touch/hold his head and open his mouth to check his dentition. The dog must allow the judge to handle him, letting the judge run his hands over the head, feel the shoulders, check the coat, body and tail. This will take a bit of practice. You should enlist the aid of people the dog does not know to do this so that he comes to accept that anybody is allowed to do this.

EQUIPMENT

You will need a slip collar and lead. The slip collar should not have small fine links as it will catch in his coat and not slip freely, nor should it be large and heavy as that looks clumsy as is of unnecessary strength for control. You will need a damp sponge for the finishing touches before he enters the ring, some water from home and a water bowl. You should also purchase a metal spike to anchor his lead to the ground when you want him to rest. You will also need a large toothed comb and a brush. If he is a dog that responds to bribes you should take his favourite treat to rewards him for good behaviour.

For yourself you will need a chair, umbrella and umbrella stake or shelter of some kind. You will need running shoes and neat clothing that contrasts in colour to your dog’s colour. You will also need a lapel clip to display your exhibitors ticket to go into the ring to compete.

MEMBERSHIP

All exhibitors are required to be members of the South Australian Canine Association. Once you are a member you will receive a monthly Journal that includes schedules for shows to enter. Your dog can be entered in shows from the time he is 3 months old. You should also join the Labrador Retriever Club of S.A. as they conduct special Labrador only events throughout the year that are advertised only in the club’s bi-monthly review.

This page was last updated:
Sat, May 2, 2009 7:30 PM