MY FELLOW OWNER HANDLERS
by Judy Thompson, OHA
W hen I was younger and com- peting at horse shows, I didn’t hop off the saddle and give the reins to my riding instructor and ask her to jump my horse around the course, even though she was a far superior rider. When I skied, I didn’t step out of my bindings and let a better skier use my skis to ski down the mountain, even though she could handle the double black diamonds and I was still on the intermediate slopes. Now that I golf, I don’t give my ball and putter to a golf pro on the green and ask him to putt out for me, even though that would surely save me some strokes. Why then, do we give our dogs to professional handlers and ask them to present the dog to the judges at conformation shows? How much more satisfying would it be to show your dog yourself? What can match the joy of winning with your beloved companion, who then comes home with you and snuggles with you on the sofa? As an owner-handler, you and your dog have a special bond, one that might not be possible if he were “on the truck”. You’ve become a team and your dog wants very much to please you, and I think that shows in the ring. Exhibitors often mention that connection, and the pride that
goes along with training and bringing along a winning dog, especially one that they’ve bred themselves. When those sportsmen gathered for the first dog show in New York City to show off their Pointers and Set- ters, I’m guessing they showed their dogs themselves. Somehow we’ve evolved to the point where it takes a team of breeders, multiple owners (including one who is willing to pick up the tab for a mul- titude of expenses) and a well-known handler with a couple of live-in assis- tants to campaign a top show dog. What will happen when we turn over our dog to a professional handler? Will the structure, type and move- ment of the dog magically improve? Will toplines become more level? Will eye color and shape better fit the standard? Will tail and ear sets sud- denly be perfected? Granted, profes- sionals may better train the dog to self-stack with every paw in place. They excel in grooming and in artful trimming. They have learned every nuance of showmanship in the ring. But if we are judging breeding stock, and judges are looking for inherited traits that could be passed along to the next generation, then a great show dog is one that has type, struc- ture and movement based on the standard. Grooming, trimming and
presentation are not inherited traits. If you have a dog with excellent breed type characteristics, shouldn’t it be put up over a mediocre dog that is pre- sented to perfection? Still, competition is tough and it is in- cumbent upon us to show our dogs in the best possible light. Are we dressed for success? Have we taken some han- dling seminars? Is our dog immacu- lately clean and properly trimmed? Have we asked a friend to take videos of us in the ring so that we can be sure we are gaiting and stacking properly? We need to do our best to show like a pro. On my piano, in a silver frame, is a photo of my first show dog, a Papil- lon bitch I showed to Bronze Grand Champion. She is stacked on a table covered with a purple cloth trimmed in gold bullion fringe. A Pointer is emblazoned on the front. Yes, she was at Westminster, and in the photo I am behind her stacking her on the table. No, she didn’t win anything that day, but we were there together and she showed beautifully. I was very proud of her, and it is a memory I will always cherish. Make your own memories, and re- member, as someone once said, “An amateur built the Ark, professionals built the Titanic.”
50 • T op N otch T oys , N ovember 2018
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