TOY TALK ETCETERA by Bonnie Guggenheim, TNT Advertising Director & Associate Editor
SO YOU WANT TO USE A PROFESSIONAL HANDLER
F irst Things first! Know what your handler charges for everything, including travel expenses, bonus structure, phone call arrange- ments, who has priority in his or her string, grooming charges and any other additional charges pertaining to your dog and your bill. Know what area your handler shows in so you can enjoy watching your dog win. You may also want to know if you have any input on where the handler exhibits and to what judges. Most handlers make those decisions with- out your input. Discuss where your handler wants to enter your dog, but remember you are paying for their expertise so allow your handler the liberty of choosing when and where to exhibit your dog. And stay away from the handler’s set- up when you are at a show to see your dog. Seeing youmay upset the dog and make it difficult for your handler to show your dog to its best advantage. Try and not hover at the setup before or after when they are going in or leav- ing the ring. Showing dogs requires an extensive amount of time getting your dog ready—and getting them back to the setup as they may need to take top knots down or your handler may need to quickly move to another ring and an assistant may need to take over. When watching your dog in the ring, stay out of sight and do not talk! You do not want your dog to hear your voice.
Bonnie bonnie@aramediagroup.com 512.971.3280 Have a fabulous and winning month and remember inquiring minds want to know. Email or call me with your exciting new puppies or wonder- ful wins. Enjoy the shows and love your dogs. Any stories you hear around the hander’s area should remain confi- dential. Sometimes they are not true but if they are you do not want to be the one to spread the story. The majority of handlers like you to advertise important wins starting with Best of Breeds and of course, Group placements through Best In Show. Some have very definite re- quirements for when and where you advertise so always ask questions. I hope you will choose Top Notch Toys . There are many rules of the road that will make your experiencewith a han- dler a winning one and common sense goes a long way. Remember handlers are people who deserve to be treated with courtesy and no small amount of appreciation if you have big wins. They get excited too! Last andmaybe evenmore important, as with any good business relation- ship, pay your bill on time.
32 • T op N otch T oys , O ctober 2019
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