A StAr IS Born— Tips for CulTivaTing Your nexT show Dog! by krisTi green
M ost of us who have shown a dog or two know that the physical conformation of a dog can make or break their success in the ring. I remember early on, sitting with another breeder in their backyard and watching a lovely little bitch. I asked if she was finished, and the breeder just laughed and told me that “she’s a back- yard champion... hates to show.” That same weekend, we attended a local dog show where a certain little dog cleaned up in the ribbons. His front was hack- ney. His rear was straight. His tail was tight. His head wasn’t particularly pretty. His topline was doing it’s best to look like the letter “S”. But man, that dog loved to show, and it was obvious the judges were willing to forgive con- formational faults for showmanship. The thing is, my friends and mentors have always stressed to me that show dogs are born, not made. Before your lit- ter is ever born, you are already cultivat- ing your next show dog in your choice of sire and dam. Did they like to show? Is their temperament correct for your given breed? How did they cope with strange situations? Are they overly noise sensitive? Do they eat well? Do they like toys? How do they react to strang- ers? Do they have drive and desire to please you? Toy breeds are challenging in the sense that we have small litters. Fewer puppies means less to choose from. By default, dogs are going to make it into our programs that probably would’ve been sent happily off into the sunset had you had a larger litter with more to select from. But I will tell you right now, DO NOT compromise on temperament! Temperament is KEY when it comes to breeding show dogs. Temperament is a huge element of breed type, and without it, you really don’t have much. Compromise is part of breeding... but don’t let temperament be one of your
compromises! People are surprised when I bring bred by after bred by into the ring that is showing better than the specials. The secret isn’t so much what I do with them—it is the temperament they were born with, that I selected ruthlessly for. I think part of why I select so hard for it is the difficult dogs I have finished for others make me not want mine to be like that. Does that mean you don’t have any- thing to do with their ability to shine in the ring? Absolutely not! Once you have bred carefully for the chosen tempera- ment of your breed, here is a little bit of what I do to prepare my puppies for the ring. HANDLING Handling your puppies is very important. The first 8 weeks—handle the heck out your puppies. Hold them upside down. Hold them sideways. Poke them. Bug them. Disturb them. Snuggle them. Pet them. Scratch them. Put them on their backs. Hold them in groups. Hold them by themselves. Breathe in their faces. Pat them on the heads a lot because as a toy dog they are destined to a life of this inappropriate behavior anyway. Do not treat them as fragile tiny beings, or they will believe Noise—about when ears open, my puppies ride along to the car wash once or twice a week. I have a really clean car when I have puppies and in exchange my dogs really couldn’t care less about the noisy world they have to live and show in. Not only does this get them used to the car, it introduces them to storm-like noises. As ears open, the puppies should be exposed to noise at least 8 hours a day. Household noises, like vacuuming, cooking, yelling across the house, running water, kids scream- ing... Whatever. Noise. Just make sure they are! NoIse
there is a lot of it, and that it isn’t quiet. If puppies are born into a quiet world, noise is going to be a surprise later as they enter the real world and the show world. MoTIVATe Motivate your puppies early with toys and food. Healthy puppies who are from parents who are good eaters are going to eat well without a lot of help and these puppies are far easier to moti- vate later with food. Try keeping your puppy diet simple—soaked kibble and then dry kibble. Don’t make it too fancy, or they will come to expect it and bait is instantly less valuable to these dogs. Catering to fussy eaters will only make them worse. Avoid free feeding past 12 weeks because if food is always avail- able, why would it be exciting? “The Thing is, mY frienDs anD menTors have alwaYs sTresseD To me ThaT show Dogs are born, noT maDe.”
66 • T op N otch T oys , O ctober 2016
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