the dog. Even though Sunny does not live with Hannah, he knows her very well and has been walking with her since she was old enough to hold a lead. He did everything he was asked and cooperated fully with her. Han- nah was confident and capable and we were all so very proud of her. She was beaming as she accepted her rib- bons. Warm congratulations to Katie Gomes, whowonBest Junior that day. There is so much more for Hannah to learn, and I will be back on Long Is- land this summer to continue instruc- tion. But I am guessing I am not the only exhibitor with an aspiring Ju- nior Handler who lives at a distance. I would encourage others in my po- sition to take advantage of the cyber world of YouTube, the internet, smart phones and iPads to do in the cloud what we cannot do in person. We all know that Juniors are the future of our sport, and we need to do every- thing in our power to encourage and support them.
instructed her to walk the dog direct- ly to the judge and stop a good six feet before him or her. I showed Hannah how I use a certain verbal command that cues Sunny to cock his head and show great expression. The final vid- eo showed Sunny gaiting back to the start and resuming a stack. The videos were texted to Hannah’s mother and she was able to let Han- nah watch on her computer and iPad. Hannah was able to watch them over and over. The weather was perfect the day of Hannah’s first show, and you can- not find a more beautiful venue than Planting Fields Arboretum. We all arrived two hours before ring time to ensure that Hannah had plenty of time to practice and relax. After she did the last minute brushing and grooming, she was set to go. Judging Junior Showmanship that day was Judge Maria Meindl-Capozzi, who was wonderfully kind and patient. Judges are looking for presentation, showmanship and a connection with
tad heavy for a child. I demonstrated the stack and how to adjust his tail. I showed how to angle his head to- ward the judge and lift his lip to show his bite. Then we filmed the process of placing the dog back down on the ground and re-adjusting the lead. We made a video of a down and back. I demonstrated the turn and “HANNAH WAS CONFIDENT AND CAPABLE AND we were all so very proud of her.”
38 • T op N otch T oys , J une 2019
Powered by FlippingBook