Tips and Tricks to Help When You Show Your Dog

Showing your dog in competitions can be a fun, exciting and rewarding experience for both you and your dog. To get the most out of your experience, learn some of these tips and tricks of the trade and see how you can improve your performance before your next event.

1) Heads up! A major mistake made by novices in this industry is to hold the show leads in two hands instead of one. So use only one hand!

2) Another major mistake often repeated among those new to shows is taking tiny little mincing steps when gaiting the dog. This is a no-no. When you are gaiting, if the dog is too far from you, shorten the lead while allowing the dog's gait to remain unchanged by simply winding the lead around your hand or fingers, or twist it around your wrist discretely. Fast and easy fix.

3) Know the difference between using a firm hand and a rough one while handling your dog. And opt for the firm hand. You don't want the judges seeing you act in an abusive manner. So save deep / guttural sounds and sharp tugs for reprimands, and leave out rough treatment and language. Also leave out limp wrists and wishy-washy actions, too. Be firm, in commend of your dog.

4) When you go to pose your dog, do not go down on both knees, only one. And keep your back as straight as you can.

5) Focus while in the ring. Don't glance all around, and don't make your dog nervous by fussing with his positioning if he's fine. Take some slow, deep breaths, glance at your dog to make sure it has not started acting up, get eye contact to show you care and your love for your dog, and then smile and be patient.

6) If you are outdoors and it's sunny and hot, try to shade your dog with your body to help keep it cool and calm.

7) If there's a lot of dogs being judged, and this fits with the rules of the event, do not position your dog so early that it gets tired of holding the position. Instead, wait until there are only two to three dogs ahead of your turn.

8) Watch the best show dogs and their handlers and mimic the handler when you can and it seems best. For example, when the judge looks at the handler, and then handler has his hand firmly placed on the dog between the hipbones and the tail set while glancing up to make eye contact with the judge, this is to point out a good spot on his dog so the judge will notice. Meanwhile now, the judge looks at other dogs in the class to see how they fare in this same area. Yet had you not noticed, where would you have been focusing your attention for the judge to see? You want to connect on the most positive features in your class.

Of course make sure to have your dog travel acessories handy so your dog can travel in safety and comfort, to and from the event. And have the proper pet tags on your dog in case of mishaps so someone returns your dog to you pronto.