# First Show This Weekend



## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

*I have never showed before and neither has my puppy. We have taken show handling classes and I think I am ready. I am so nervous.

I have a handler on stand by to take the leash should I happen to pee my pants or something.

I have worked really hard because I always had unregistered dogs and I did the BYB! I really want to build a good name and be a reputable person in german shepherds.

I have a great mentor who has been a wealth of valuable information.

I have been practicing and I am taking the step to jumping into the show ring. 

Does anyone have any last minute tips? How do I get my nerves under control so that my puppy does not worry?

Here is a picture of the instructor stacking her and showing me how it is done. She is seven months old and other than the darn cat scratching her nose and the hairing coming in white she is solid black.









*


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

she's gorgeous!!

I dont have any last minute advice on the nerves,,I did the "ring thing" years ago, and I have to say, I was a nervous wreck in there also! Now, doing obed/agility, I was calm as a cucumber,,something about the conformation ring made me nerve up LOL..

Glad you have a handler on the side lines,,I used one the majority of the time, and it was definately a relief)

Good luck and let us know how she does!


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

JakodaCD OA said:


> she's gorgeous!!
> 
> I dont have any last minute advice on the nerves,,I did the "ring thing" years ago, and I have to say, I was a nervous wreck in there also! Now, doing obed/agility, I was calm as a cucumber,,something about the conformation ring made me nerve up LOL..
> 
> ...


*Thank you! I will for sure let you know and post pictures and details. I want to brag now about doing things properly and getting away from the BYB! 


*


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## GSD MOM (Apr 21, 2010)

Oh my.... GOOD LUCK!!!!


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

Good luck, no matter what try to have some fun and enjoy your dog. Can't help with the nerves thing, the only way to get better is by doing more and more trials!


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## Andaka (Jun 29, 2003)

Your dog will be able to smell how nervous you are thru your breath. Take some peppermints with you to suck on before you go in. It will also give you nice minty breath for the judge.


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

Andaka said:


> Your dog will be able to smell how nervous you are thru your breath. Take some peppermints with you to suck on before you go in. It will also give you nice minty breath for the judge.


*I will do that. Thank you!

She is such a good puppy and we are doing great in classes. So I guess the next logical step is the show. So Saturday and Sunday....we jump in.
*


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## onyxboy (Jun 6, 2010)

How Gorgeous! And good luck this weekend!


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## Liesje (Mar 4, 2007)

Relax, have fun, keep your eyes ahead of you or on the judge, be courteous to the others in the ring (if I'm first in line I always make sure to check the person to my left and ask if she's ready before we gait).


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

Liesje said:


> Relax, have fun, keep your eyes ahead of you or on the judge, be courteous to the others in the ring (if I'm first in line I always make sure to check the person to my left and ask if she's ready before we gait).



*Thank you. Useful tips that I probably would have forgotten. I am not sure who we are against or how many yet! Will find out more Saturday when I get my catelogue.*


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## Andaka (Jun 29, 2003)

You will do fine. Just remember to breathe!!!


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## BlackPuppy (Mar 29, 2007)

Good luck! What a beautiful dog! Can't wait to hear how it goes. I have my very first conformation show July 8, so I'll be looking for your experience.


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Andaka said:


> You will do fine. Just remember to breathe!!!


Yes, just go to have a good time. Dog shows can be a great time - just remember that you are there to enjoy yourself and also have your dog enjoy himself. Winning is nice but a great time can be had even without that. You can also learn a great deal about dogs in general and GSD's, in particular if you can manage to sit near the right people.

I remember one show where our puppy finished 4th in a class of 22 and managed to beat out a number of other puppies that were handled by pro handlers (and the judge whispered to me as she handed me the 4th ribbon "This is in SPITE of the handling!") but I already knew that!

Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## Baersmama (Jun 15, 2010)

Best of luck to you both.


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## emjworks05 (May 30, 2008)

I think first and foremost have FUN!!! I get very nervous with things like this too but my first time in the ring was not at all as bad as I thought it would be, nerve wise. I was actually clam and collected, I was still nervous but when I got into the ring I had a BLAST!

My pups breeder told me that if I wasnt nervous she would be worried, every time I have gone back into the ring I have always gotten that nervous/thrill feeling like your adrenaline is pumping. 

Like Daphne said Breathing is good to remember and you will do fine!. I would also agree with what Lies has said, that is everything that I have been taught to do while in the ring.

BTW, you have a beautiful dog. May I ask where you got her from? You can PM me if you dont want to list the breeder in the forum.

Good luck to both of you!


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

emjworks05 said:


> e been taught to do while in the ring.
> 
> BTW, you have a beautiful dog. May I ask where you got her from? You can PM me if you dont want to list the breeder in the forum.
> 
> Good luck to both of you!


Thank you and PM sent.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

don't worry about it. your pup doesn't know if 
it comes in first or last.

good luck at the show.



ShowGSD said:


> *Does anyone have any last minute tips? How do I get my nerves under control so that my puppy does not worry?*
> 
> 
> *
> ...


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

*Well you of course know she will come in first. If she does not then judge is simply wrong. In my mind she is number one and there is no better out there. 

I could be just a little bias though.

I can admit she has been the toughest puppy for me at first but she has turned out to be the best! She was a little monster to crate train and house train, she was exceptionally mouthy. But once we started the show handling classes, they showed me little tips and problem solved.


*


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

_*All packed up. She is bathed, brushed and all beautiful. We are about to drive out of the yard. Be back tomorrow hopefully with some good news.*_


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## arycrest (Feb 28, 2006)

*Good luck!!! :thumbup:*


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

you are so right, .

good luck at the show.



ShowGSD said:


> *Well you of course know she will come in first. If she does not then judge is simply wrong. In my mind she is number one and there is no better out there.*


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## mjbgsd (Jun 29, 2004)

Good luck!


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

*Her behaviour was excellent. She preformed just like a pro. Stood perfectly for the judge to examine, showed teeth, perfectly. No shyness at all! Perfect.

She gated perfectly too. I hired a professional handler.

Did not get any points or place anywhere worth mentioning. But she was excellent for her behaviour and that was our primary goal for this being her first show.
*


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## Andaka (Jun 29, 2003)

Yeah!!!


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

*I am not very good at taking pictures and my cheap camera along with my low skills....make videos even worse. But very first time in the ring.

YouTube - gre8petlover's Channel
*


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## onyxboy (Jun 6, 2010)

Fantastic!!!!


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

I love how happy and comfortable she is with the judge!


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## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

Good job! She looks really comfortable in the ring and that's what I like to see anyhow)))


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

*A lot of the breeders and shepherd people who saw her said she was a wonderful girl. There was a lot of complaining that a shy girl won. In all honesty my goals for this very first show were achieved.

My goals for myself as owner were:
no tripping over the rope and falling into the ring as the handler and Mitic go by. {CHECK DID NOT DO THAT}
no peeing my pants {CHECK DID NOT DO THAT}

My goals for Mitic were

well behaved in the ring {CHECK}
gate nicely {CHECK}
stand when asked and not sit {CHECK}

Yes she barked and carried on when we first got there. 10 - 15 minutes and she was all nice and calm.

Everytime someone went near her that tail wagged. She is a happy friendly girl.

I have worked really hard to ensure I have every chance at success. I was ripped apart as a BYB {justified too} so I am working hard to build that good reputation. This is only step one.

Middle of July....Kars. I am showing Sat/Sun. My handler is there Sat not sure about Sun. If she is not there then I am going to show her myself. 
*


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

> *I am showing Sat/Sun. My handler is there Sat not sure about Sun. If she is not there then I am going to show her myself. *


Good luck and I hope you get to show her! Fun to watch and to show!


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

*Some more pictures taken by a friend who was ring side. Used with permission.













































*


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## emjworks05 (May 30, 2008)

That is AWESOME!! She looks so happy, FANTASTIC!


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

*I mailed in Kars Ontario and Limestone which is in Kingston Ontario.

July 17 and 18 for Kars and I am going to do my own showing this time. My handler was awesome no complaints. Work is cutting back hours so time to do my own showing. I will get a few show handling classes in and lots of practice before. I am going to be ready.

Limestone will be July 24 and 25 for me. Cannot wait to get two more shows under our belt.
*


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Don't forget that in the conformation ring one BIG advantage of using a good pro handler is the advice of which judges to show your style of dog under. Can make quite a difference - also that you can't double handle your dog if you are in the ring with him/her. Some judges it can make a difference with.


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

*I do not double handle so that is not issue. 

Sitting on the sidelines if nice but I have always planned to be the one showing. The whole point was to do it all from start to finish. So as great as the handler was....it is my turn.
*


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

ShowGSD said:


> *I do not double handle so that is not issue. *
> 
> *Sitting on the sidelines if nice but I have always planned to be the one showing. The whole point was to do it all from start to finish. So as great as the handler was....it is my turn.*


And that is of course your right! 

One thing that I found out when I was handling my own dog in the GSD speciality shows was what a great advantage the pros and their clients had. 

Besides their much more skilled approach was the knowledge they had about the judges and the judges preferences in ring procedure and the dog's characteristics. For example, your dog looks like an all black. (Beautiful by the way!) 

One of my earlier bitches was almost all black and was out of an all black sire. It was useless to show her under some judges as they would never put her up as winners. Also, if a dog had a poor "going and coming gait" a real good handler can usually cover it up to a large degree whereas when I showed such a dog the judge would be able to see the fault much easier.

When I placed 4th out of 25 dogs in the class at a very large speciality show(and beat a number of top pro handlers), the judge actually told me as she handed me the 4th place ribbon - "This was in spite of the handler!" and she was absolutely right!

BUT, it was a lot of fun!!!!!!!! So have fun and the best of luck!!!!!!


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

I'm an owner handler myself, and encourage it wherever possible. You shouldn't need to hire a pro handler to learn who to show a certain style of dog under. That should come through general Q&A as well as learning on your own to observe what a certain judge puts up.

I don't double either. I hate it. I'm working with my bitch puppy to start moving out and gaiting with her head UP (I was targeting her to get her to move out, so we're having head down issues at present).

Owner handlers can have the advantage back if they just quit giving their dogs to others for fear they'll never finish.

Just saying.

Congrats on your first showing, ShowGSD


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## codmaster (Aug 5, 2009)

Xeph said:


> I'm an owner handler myself, and encourage it wherever possible. You shouldn't need to hire a pro handler to learn who to show a certain style of dog under. That should come through general Q&A as well as learning on your own to observe what a certain judge puts up.
> I don't double either. I hate it. I'm working with my bitch puppy to start moving out and gaiting with her head UP (I was targeting her to get her to move out, so we're having head down issues at present).
> Owner handlers can have the advantage back if they just quit giving their dogs to others for fear they'll never finish....


I agree that handling your own dog is a lot of fun and can be successful, esp. at all breed shows. I also do not like double handling but it sure does seem to be popular nowadays esp. at GSD speciality shows - almost a given. In fact for spectators it is almost as much fun watching the double handlers running around the outside of the ring as it is watching the dogs running around inside the ring!
Regarding the judge thing - of course anyone can keep track of what dogs certain judges like but that info takes a LONG time to acquire oneself and that is what I meant - a pro handler (at least a good one!) can impart a lot of that info quickly along with handling tips as well.

One would have to have a truly exceptional dog to finnish a GSD with an inexperienced handler in todays GSD world. Possible I am sure, but very exceptional indeed!


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## Xeph (Jun 19, 2005)

> Regarding the judge thing - of course anyone can keep track of what dogs certain judges like but that info takes a LONG time to acquire oneself and that is what I meant - a pro handler (at least a good one!) can impart a lot of that info quickly along with handling tips as well.


This is true....but sometimes you learn more taking that long road.


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

codmaster said:


> And that is of course your right!
> 
> One thing that I found out when I was handling my own dog in the GSD speciality shows was what a great advantage the pros and their clients had.


I am all breed and so is she. Honestly she is a far cry from a specialty dog.



> For example, your dog looks like an all black. (Beautiful by the way!)


Thank you





> BUT, it was a lot of fun!!!!!!!! So have fun and the best of luck!!!!!!



I am going to have fun. If we do not have any points at the very end of this season...then next year I do plan to do obedience! I am not going to let her colour bother me one bit. There are tons and tons of things I can do to get her titled.


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

Xeph said:


> Owner handlers can have the advantage back if they just quit giving their dogs to others for fear they'll never finish.
> 
> Just saying.
> 
> Congrats on your first showing, ShowGSD


*My opinion is if we do not look like we are getting anywhere, we can do something else. Obedience, rally, agility, tracking {no interest in protection}! There are lots of ways we can get titled without worrying about pro handlers and judges that are so political it really doesn't matter anyway.*


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

*We all have to start somewhere. This is my start. She is my first dog and there is no pressure to worry about what does or does not happen. I am learning, having fun and unless I start at the bottom...I will never get the chance to become one of those handlers that can show and not worry about being new.

I know of many people in the all breed ring that show their own dogs and do well. A good friend of mine is showing for her first time too. If none of us try; then there will be no one to replace those handlers as they move on to other things. 

I would love to make Mitic a champion; but if not...there are lots of other avenues.
*


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## trudy (Aug 25, 2008)

Mitic will finish, wish me luck, next weekend is Ty and Gemma's show. Ty was shown at 7 months just for practice so his first real show. Gemma's first show with me and since she has gained the weight, maybe she will do well. Here's hoping, but either way I come home with the best dogs!!!! and this is FACT


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## ShowGSD (Jan 14, 2008)

trudy said:


> Mitic will finish, wish me luck, next weekend is Ty and Gemma's show. Ty was shown at 7 months just for practice so his first real show. Gemma's first show with me and since she has gained the weight, maybe she will do well. Here's hoping, but either way I come home with the best dogs!!!! and this is FACT


*That was how I felt after the first show. I came home with the best dog. She was awesome and I was so proud. I do not control what the judges think. Mitic makes me very proud and very happy!

I will not be going to the Kars show after all. I will be in Kingston at the Limestone show.

Kars is the same weekend as the Toronto Indy and the Canadian Heroes Car is racing. I am attending. Support our troops...hence why Mitic is named Wild Winds Jody Mitic.

Have a deposit on our show puppy for the fall too. Breeder has approved my name choice as long as the CKC does too.

Puppy will be named after Sapper Steven Marshall, with the family's permission....
*


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