# Show etiquette and some other questions



## Datura (Feb 16, 2018)

Hello, 
Me again lol 

So I was wondering what is some show etiquette? Some things you wish you knew when you were starting out? I don't want to make more mistakes than I have to lol 

Also I was wondering what is your favorite bait to use? Are there some things that are a no no in the ring for bait? Like overly smelly treats or anything? 

What are your must haves for shows? I am trying to make a list I can print off and maybe laminate and check off before each show so I don't forget anything. 

Thank you <3


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

My handler uses chicken breast for bait. She generally buys a bag of frozen (unbreaded) chicken strips, and thaws that out. Scarlet loves it! The only thing you need to be aware of is dropping bait on the ground. PICK IT UP! 

I make a check list before each show. If it’s an out of town show, then I have a LONG list. If it’s a local show, I don’t need to drag as much stuff with me. We groom at the show too, so there’s all that equipment. 

At the grooming site I have a crate, clip on bucket for water, and a crate pad. Usually a sheet to throw over the crate to keep the dog quiet. 

Grooming involves a grooming table with an arm and noose. Blow dryer, extension cord. Shampoo, if you haven’t bathed your dog the night before. Whatever products you need (bodifier, etc). A comb. Towel. 

Show collar and lead. 

If you spend the night, then you need to bring food, bowls etc. 

I found some random photos of our grooming setups.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Of course you’ll probably need bandaids, ibuprofen, and general first aid stuff for yourself, because invariably you’ll need it, lol. 

Oh and POOP BAGS!! keep one in your pocket.


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## Datura (Feb 16, 2018)

Thank you <3 

We only have one local show, The rest will be around 4 or more hours away, so I just plan on them all being at least over nights lol Thankfully Dean does great on car rides lol 

I've heard a few people throw a sheet over the crate. Does it work with super nosy dogs, or do they just get upset they can't see anything? Dean is a nosy and vocal fella, and I would hate to ham him throw a temper-tantrum and bother people. Does that bother people? 

Does she cook the chicken breast? I tried to make some dehydrated fish snacks to try those out, and they can super smelly, so I wasn't sure if that would bother other dogs, and get the other handlers mad at me lol 

I have also been let in on the secret of keeping bait in the cheeks to keep a dogs focus. I honestly just thought it was because fancy show clothes didn't have pockets lol 

Thank you again dogfaries for all the help you have been giving me <3


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

The chicken she uses is already cooked, so it’s pretty easy. As far as covering the crate with a sheet, well, a lot of GSDs will bark at dogs walking by the crate. Barrier frustration, I guess. So that sheet comes in handy!


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## CometDog (Aug 22, 2017)

Just wanted to say good luck and have fun!!


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Yes! Have fun!!


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

As an aside, for those that think American show line sables are always light colored, take a look at that big ol’ dark sable in the background of the first photo.


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## Datura (Feb 16, 2018)

dogfaeries said:


> The chicken she uses is already cooked, so it’s pretty easy. As far as covering the crate with a sheet, well, a lot of GSDs will bark at dogs walking by the crate. Barrier frustration, I guess. So that sheet comes in handy!


I wonder if a sheet would work at home lol Dean likes to chase the cats, and gets really frustrated when they are playing and he is in his crate at night. He can hear them running around and starts throwing a temper tantrum lol 
Maybe I will try my hand at sewing a crate cover. It will give me something to do during this blizzard we are having lol


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## Datura (Feb 16, 2018)

CometDog said:


> Just wanted to say good luck and have fun!!


Thank you. I am super nervous lol We aren't getting into the ring until this spring or early summer, but I like to plan ahead lol


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## Datura (Feb 16, 2018)

dogfaeries said:


> As an aside, for those that think American show line sables are always light colored, take a look at that big ol’ dark sable in the background of the first photo.


I seen that. Dark sables are my favorite color lol 
I've heard that sables aren't very common in American show lines though?


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Datura said:


> I seen that. Dark sables are my favorite color lol
> 
> I've heard that sables aren't very common in American show lines though?




Actually they are very common! Scarlet has a champion half sister who is sable. There are a LOT of sables where I live.


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## Datura (Feb 16, 2018)

dogfaeries said:


> Actually they are very common! Scarlet has a champion half sister who is sable. There are a LOT of sables where I live.


Really? I have been thinking if I ever wanted a sable I would have to get a working line if I ever wanted a sable lol 
I am going to go google sable American show lines lol


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

If you’re on FB, go to Stillwaters German Shepherds (It’s a public group). They are friends of mine that breed and show, and have a lot of photos of sables.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

Dark sables are now my favorite color. Yes lots of asl have lots of sables along with bicolors and blacks. Max’s dam a bicolor really dark and his sire a patterned sable. Max has a sable granddam . Max is a asl and is beautiful dark sable. I often have to lighten photos to see his dark face and eyes. 


















































































Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Datura (Feb 16, 2018)

dogfaeries said:


> If you’re on FB, go to Stillwaters German Shepherds (It’s a public group). They are friends of mine that breed and show, and have a lot of photos of sables.


Thank you <3 I will go check them out right now 
I just asked to join the group lol


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## Datura (Feb 16, 2018)

Jenny720 said:


> Dark sables are now my favorite color. Yes lots of asl have lots of sables along with bicolors and blacks. Max’s dam a bicolor really dark and his sire a patterned sable. Max has a sable granddam . Max is a asl and is beautiful dark sable. I often have to lighten photos to see his dark face and eyes.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


So beautiful <3 <3 <3


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## Datura (Feb 16, 2018)

Has anyone tried any kind of volumizing shampoo on their shepherd for the show ring?


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Me again. 

For Carly and Sage we used Chris Christensen Spectrum 0ne shampoo, and then I used their Thick n Thicker Volume Response Foaming Protein. Wash the dog, then rub the Thick n Thicker in. Let sit 5 minutes, then rinse. 

Scarlet doesn’t need a volumizer, so I use the Cowboy Magic Rosewater shampoo. Love it!


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## dojoson41 (Oct 14, 2018)

*show*

Hello. Do you have to have a grooming table/booth and groom/bath at the show or can I, who knows completely nothing about showing have a groomer do the work at home and then I can do the brush up at the show? I will have to be self-taught. Thank you


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

In my personal experience, yeah you need a table and a blow dryer. There is some grooming required at the show. At the very least, some bodifier, or coat dressing rubbed in and then the blow dryer used to fluff the dog up. You wouldn’t think a GSD would get their coat all flattened (think “bed hair”) but they do. If it’s a local show and you can bathe the night before, that’s a good plan. My dogs have had plenty of baths at the shows though, and unfortunately some of the bathing facilities are kind of sketchy.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

The only time I haven’t groomed my dog at a show was a UKC show. The show site was literally 10 minutes from our grooming shop. I groomed her up (NO products at UKC) stuffed her in the car, and went to the show. I borrowed a comb from a friend there, so I could fluff up her butt, lol.


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## Jenny720 (Nov 21, 2014)

@Datura thank you!


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Seriously though, there’s no reason to invest in a table and blow dryer if you are just wanting to see if showing is something you’d be interested in. Though that blow dryer is always a good thing to have anyway. 

You could certainly take your dog to have it groomed. Any loose undercoat needs to be blown out. Make sure it’s a groomer that isn’t going to let your dog air dry. You need it blown dry. And nails need to be reasonably short. That’s it. If there is a bunch of long hair in the pads, then trim that down. That’s it.


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## Datura (Feb 16, 2018)

Jenny720 said:


> @Datura thank you!


You're welcome <3 Thank you for sharing your photos


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## Datura (Feb 16, 2018)

dogfaeries said:


> Me again.
> 
> For Carly and Sage we used Chris Christensen Spectrum 0ne shampoo, and then I used their Thick n Thicker Volume Response Foaming Protein. Wash the dog, then rub the Thick n Thicker in. Let sit 5 minutes, then rinse.
> 
> Scarlet doesn’t need a volumizer, so I use the Cowboy Magic Rosewater shampoo. Love it!


How do you know if your dog needs volumizer or not? 



dogfaeries said:


> In my personal experience, yeah you need a table and a blow dryer. There is some grooming required at the show. At the very least, some bodifier, or coat dressing rubbed in and then the blow dryer used to fluff the dog up. You wouldn’t think a GSD would get their coat all flattened (think “bed hair”) but they do. If it’s a local show and you can bathe the night before, that’s a good plan. My dogs have had plenty of baths at the shows though, and unfortunately some of the bathing facilities are kind of sketchy.


I believe it lol I plopped Dean in front of the fan once after a bath and brushed his coat all up so he was fluffy when he dried, and then after a few hours he was not as flat, but flatter, and then the next day it was all de fluffed lol 



dogfaeries said:


> The only time I haven’t groomed my dog at a show was a UKC show. The show site was literally 10 minutes from our grooming shop. I groomed her up (NO products at UKC) stuffed her in the car, and went to the show. I borrowed a comb from a friend there, so I could fluff up her butt, lol.


I plan on starting at UKC shows, since I've heard they are more laid back than AKC shows, and Dean is a West German Show line, and not an American Show line. So will I still need to floof the coat? 



dogfaeries said:


> Seriously though, there’s no reason to invest in a table and blow dryer if you are just wanting to see if showing is something you’d be interested in. Though that blow dryer is always a good thing to have anyway.
> 
> You could certainly take your dog to have it groomed. Any loose undercoat needs to be blown out. Make sure it’s a groomer that isn’t going to let your dog air dry. You need it blown dry. And nails need to be reasonably short. That’s it. If there is a bunch of long hair in the pads, then trim that down. That’s it.


How short is short for the nails? Dean's outer nails on his front feet are not cooperating on going short short lol I am going to start doing his nails a little bit every other day, but I am still curious on how short they need to be.


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## Datura (Feb 16, 2018)

dojoson41 said:


> Hello. Do you have to have a grooming table/booth and groom/bath at the show or can I, who knows completely nothing about showing have a groomer do the work at home and then I can do the brush up at the show? I will have to be self-taught. Thank you


If you don't want to go out and buy a grooming table, I have seen where people put a solid surface on top of their crate, and use something ike bungee cords to secure it and use that as a grooming table.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Datura said:


> How do you know if your dog needs volumizer or not? be.



Scarlet is kind of a big girl, and when she’s in coat, we don’t need her to look bigger!







Datura said:


> I plan on starting at UKC shows, since I've heard they are more laid back than AKC shows, and Dean is a West German Show line, and not an American Show line. So will I still need to floof the coat?
> 
> 
> 
> How short is short for the nails? Dean's outer nails on his front feet are not cooperating on going short short lol I am going to start doing his nails a little bit every other day, but I am still curious on how short they need to be.




Well, I know that people always say that UKC is more friendly, and I’m sure that’s true for many, especially if you have a WGSL. My worst show experience ever was showing Scarlet in UKC. Judges were mind boggling terrible, and several fellow GSD competitors were ridiculously rude to me. Maybe I'll write a little story about that show sometimes. I'm still shaking my head over it. Dean should do fine. He’s a nice dog. 

Nails. I dremel Scarlet's. And yes, if you do it every couple of days, you can get them back. I’ll see if I can find some feet photos.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

If you zoom in on that first photo (the one with the dark sable in the background), you may be able to see Scarlet's feet.


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## atomic (Mar 28, 2016)

This has been an interesting read to me (who has zero clue about the going ons of showing) and I have to ask.. I’ve always read that unless your dog is Black and Tan, you have about a next to zero chance of placing, yet it appears despite this people are competing with their sables! I have a sable boy but always wrote conformation out of my mind due to his color. I don’t know that his conformation is ideal for the sport either, and I’d do it mostly for fun but if you go into it -knowing- you aren’t going to win no matter what then the fun aspect is gone.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Sables win all the time. All my friends that breed have multiple sable champions. Black dogs win. Bi-colors win. Color really doesn’t matter.


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## atomic (Mar 28, 2016)

This is encouraging, thank you! Sorry for my ignorance.


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## dogfaeries (Feb 22, 2010)

Not ignorance! You would have no way of knowing, if you don’t go to AKC shows.


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## Datura (Feb 16, 2018)

dogfaeries said:


> Scarlet is kind of a big girl, and when she’s in coat, we don’t need her to look bigger!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I honestly didn't want to show GSDs at first because I kept hearing about how political the AKC is about them, and there is so much out there online where people go on and on about how terrible American show lines are, how you can only win if you hire a pro handler, and blah blah blah, and I wasn't sure I could handle the pressure. I originally got Dean to do dog sports with (Running into issues with that now since I started right off teaching him to sit when offered a treat or when we stop walking lol ) My sister knows how bad I have wanted to show, so she "talked me into it" lol But thats why I figured I would go UKC first too, since they are supposed to be easier going and everything. I would love to know the judges name that gave you a hard time so that I can not show under them ever lolIi would also be very interested in hearing your experience <3 

I'm getting both my dogs on an every other day dremmel schedule, so I can get Deans nails down, nice and short, and my bull dog's nails grow so fast. I've seen people say they only dremmel twice a month maybe, and their dogs have nice short nails. If I leave Ella's for a week they are almost curling around lol 

Thank you for saying Dean is a nice dog. I don't have an eye for the standard really yet, I am still working on it, so to me he looks super handsome, but then I am finding little things that I think aren't right, and I worry he won't do well in the ring at all. So to hear from you who knows her show stuff, that he is nice, is heartening. So thank you <3


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