Competing in Dog Shows

When you take your dog to a show for the first time, this is what you do. Show your ticket at the entrance gate, which admits you and your dog. Nowadays, most shows are "unbenched," which implies that the dogs can come anytime before their scheduled classes and leave right away after, as long as they're no longer needed for additional judging. Some shows are "benched," which means that the dogs have to stay in designated stalls all day long, except when they're being groomed or judged. When the show is benched, the number on your ticket is your dog's bench number.

Be alert in taking your dog into the ring at the right time. You got a timetable in the mail with your ticket, and it gives the beginning for judging of your breed. Be ready in plenty of time, but allow your dog to relax until just before his class, so he would be clean and fresh. You will get a numbered armband at the ring entrance, and next you are in the ring.

A dog show is a series of contests, each more difficult than the last. Judging always starts with the Puppy dog class. When the class has assembled, the judge generally stands in the center and observes the handlers gait their dogs counterclockwise two or three times round the ring. He then motions them to stop. The handlers then pose their dogs at one side of the ring and the judge checks the dogs one by one. Afterward he asks each handler to move his dog in different patterns, so that he can appraise the animal's gait. As the judge examines each dog, he is finding out how closely it compares, in his opinion, with the breed standard. The judge awards first, second, third, and fourth places.

The Novice dog class is judged next in the equivalent manner, and after that the Bred-by-Exhibitor dog, American-Bred dog, and Open dog classes. When the dog classes are ended, the first-place winners get back into the ring and the judge picks the Winner's Dog.

The same class routine is repeated for the bitches, ending with the judge's choice of Winner's Bitch. The dogs that are named Winner's Dog and Winner's Bitch earn points toward their championship. When the regular classes are ended, additional competition carries on between Winner's Dog, Winner's Bitch, and the male and female Champions of Record. From these, the judge picks out Best of Breed, Best of Winners, and Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed.

In an all-breed show, there's an additional competition resulting in one dog being distinguished as the best in the show. Each Best of Breed winner competes inside his group: Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-sporting, and Herding. The seven group winners then compete for the grand prize, Best in Show.

Now, this might seem complex. Don't be demoralized. You don't have to understand it all immediately. Actually, if your dog wins first in his class, or even second, third, or fourth, you have every right to rejoice. You can take the ribbon home and show it to your friends with pride . If you win nothing, it's OK; there will be other days, different shows where you and your dog could try once more. But you do not have to keep showing him if you don't want to. Just one show alone would be an interesting experience. Later you can march again if you wish, and learn bit by bit as you go along.

If there's a dog club in your neighborhood, get in touch with the secretary, who would tell you something about the meetings of the group. You'll be welcome to attend, and can learn much about dogs, shows, grooming and general care, and dog breeding as well.

 

By Tip Writer

Dog Hairstyling Tips

When it comes to pet grooming, there are certain hairstyles that your dog can sport. You may wish to take a couple of lessons in the art or to allow a professional pet groomer to do the job.

The wiry-coated terriers would need periodic plucking or stripping, likely about two or three times a year, to keep the coat free from snags and hard in texture. When left untrimmed, the hair grows long and thick, causing the dog to be quite uncomfortable. Besides, he looks kind of like a stray rather than a stylish, well-tended pet.

Using a stripping knife or dull penknife held between thumb and forefinger, you will be able to pluck out loosening hairs as the terrier coat is cast. You may do better, however, to take a couple of lessons in the art or to allow a professional pet groomer to do the job. If you want to handle the coat yourself, you can buy trimming guides and charts having excellent directions for every breed at your pet-supply store. You can also purchase the correct tools to do the job the right way.

Certain breeds—Cocker Spaniels, Poodles, and Bichons Frises especially—involve clipping and scissoring expertise, and an amateur might have a difficult time trying to make his dog look right. There are a number of hairdos for Poodles—the Continental, the English Saddle, the Dutch, the Sweetheart, for instance—each one finishing up the dog having a radically different outline. It’s a big job, to be sure; the Poodle has a wealth of coat which should be taken off in some places, left on in others, and shaped based on the particular pattern preferred. Better have this done at the canine beauty shop, then later, maybe, take a few lessons from a professional in the acceptable manner of doing the work yourself.
 
 By Tip Writer

Tips on Caring For Your Dog's Coat

Brushing a dog's hair each day, or every two or three days, based on the length and texture of his coat, is among the most important phases of grooming. It's the best way to help prevent snags from forming and to maintain the skin clean and healthy and free from irritation.

 

Ideally, a specified pattern of hair care is best established when a dog is young, particularly if he will sooner or later have long hair. Learning the right brushing methods while the hair is still short is a fine way for an owner to gain confidence. And it's very easy and pleasant to train a young pup to accept brushing by making a game of the first few sessions. You could put the puppy in your lap or stand him on a solid surface and place your hand under his stomach (to give both support and confidence) as you quickly brush through the coat.

As your dog matures, gradually step-up the length of the sessions. By this time his puppy coat has been substituted by a stronger, tougher kind of hair which, based on breed, may be short, medium, or long. Nearly all coats are two-ply. The long-haired and the medium-haired kinds, particularly, have an outer coat varying in coarseness, and a soft undercoat that's thick and dense.

The short, smooth-haired dogs have a double coat as well. However, it is less detectable because the undercoat is neither downy nor flat-lying. Thus, it's almost impossible to tell the top coat from the undercoat. When the undercoat sheds in warm weather, the major change observed is the thinner covering of the whole.

The coat is considered the dog's complexion. A deep, full, glossy coat usually entails that all is well within; whereas a dry, lifeless coat with hair perpetually shedding implies that something is wrong. Generally, the coat sheds twice each year, spring and fall, although some shedding occurs all the time. Heavy shedding between seasons might be caused by a lack of strength, following an illness, for example, whereas dryness may ensue from too many baths using harsh shampoos, or an overheated apartment. A temporary faded look could merely mean that the old coat is on the wane, since the hair tends to lose its vigor and color just prior to its casting.

By Tip Writer