“THE BEST TIPS I CAN GIVE OWNER/HANDLERS WHO ARE STRUGGLING AND ARE FRUSTRATED BECAUSE IT IS “POLITICS”, IS TO PAY ATTENTION.”
take time. It also takes commitment. You can’t put a leash on your dog only on show days and expect he will perform like a champion. Practice, practice, practice. The best tips I can give Owner/Han- dlers who are struggling and are frus- trated because it is “politics”, is to pay attention. Lose the kennel blind- ness, quit making excuses. Is your dog truly the best one in the ring? If it is, and a breeder should know, show it! Dress and act the part. Have your dog trained and groomed and be ready to go in the ring when it is your turn. If you have more than one dog, have someone helping you change armband numbers. Don’t make the judge wait. Don’t rush into the ring and stress yourself and your dog out. Know your dog’s greatest points and show them to the judge. And most of all, have fun! If it quits being fun, then you have lost perspective and you need to step back and figure out why it isn’t fun anymore. Has winning all the time become your main objective? Dog shows were created to evaluate breeding stock, to show off what you have and to see what others have and to find your next stud dog or find the girl you want your next puppy from. It is about breeders sharing experiences for the betterment of the breed. Suc- cess isn’t always about the wins, re- member that. If youhave the right per- spective and are prepared, the wins will come. You must have the right at- titude and show good sportsmanship, and even when the win seems “politi- cal” and you feel your dog should have won, congratulate the winner! Don’t give up! Being on the end of the lead when your dog does win is absolutely the best feeling ever!
ring like they are just taking a stroll in their local park. They are not “show- ing” their dog at all. While I don’t agree with all the artificial products used to make the dogs “look better”, and I don’t do it, I do feel you need to present your dog to the judge as if it is the best dog he will see all day. Show off that good rear, beautiful neck and superb gait. Be an aggressive handler. Don’t let that pro stack their dog out in front of yours. Go in the ring like you mean it! Smile! Show your pride at being an Owner/Handler, always with a positive attitude. And again, dress appropriately! Do like I did in the beginning. Watch and learn. How do the pros do it? They show many dogs, an Owner/ Handler has one or two. They should know every in and out of their dog. What bait works best, what shampoo works best, what speed they should be gaited at. What are your dog’s faults and what are his good points? Re- member, this is not a walk in the park. It is a dog show. A “newbie” will lose more than he wins. It is a fact. Why? Because you probably can’t show your dog like a pro can. Judges have two minutes per dog. They cannot give you five minutes to try to get your dog to walk down and back to try to see his gait. And if you can’t get your dog to gait right, chances are you are not going to win, even if your dog truly is the best dog in the ring that day! So, instead of giving up and hir- ing a pro handler. Watch and learn. Dress the part. Groom your dog. Train your dog. Show like a pro and mean it! It is so satisfying when you finally get the hang of it and can show like a pro and be competitive. It doesn’t take 15 years, but it does
all year, as well as a multi–group plac- er and winner. So, although I say I have been suc- cessful, the closest I have come to a Best In Show was winning a Group One this year. To others, I suppose what I consider success, isn’t success at all! Success, in my opinion, isn’t just measured by how much you win, but by how many friends you have in the show world, how many people ask your advice, how many stay to cheer you on when you are in the group ring, and even how many are there to help cheer you up when you lose! It is also successful in the whelping box, having or not having a CH in front of the parents’ name does not change what they can produce there! Produc- ing happy, healthy puppies who also conform to the AKC standard is very important. So, long ago, I decided the judges were not the ones who would determine my breeding plans. Maybe I realized I was actually successful when I was asked to judge the sweeps at the Southern Magnolia Regional Specialty, and then chosen by the Ha- vanese Club of America members to judge the sweeps at the National Spe- cialty this year. What an honor! I real- ized then that other breeders actually felt I knew a good dog! So, back to the show ring. So many times I read on the judge’s “report card” type lists that So–and–So is political, So–and–So doesn’t know a good dog, So–and–So hates judging the Havanese. People report that So– and–So is a great judge because they gave their dog the win. Or they are a bad judge because they didn’t give their dog the win and they clearly had the best dog in the ring. Unfortunately in reality, what I have seen is Owner/ Handlers taking their little dog in the
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