I start very early with my home bred pups, every time I picked them up for what ever reason after they were on their feet I would put them on a table with rubber mat, starting with computer table and progress to TV dinner table in front of a mirror hanging low on the wall[ regularly cleaned of nosey marks] so I could see their "judge side" of the dog.

To start with they will wander about very gingerly, look over the side at the others and naturally stretching out their back legs as they tend to lean into their front for fear of falling if they move the legs, later with a treat you can get them to lift their head to the right level whilst you place their feet if needs be, as time goes by they start to position themselves as soon as their feet hit the table, by 12 weeks they are stacked with just me holding a treat, they just need to master the leash and floor exercises which never seem to progress so quickly, too many distractions at ground level I think.

I think I will keep a video diary next time as it has been mainly stills with past litters and being here alone it isn't easy to hold the camera and pup at the right distance and angle to get what you want to see.

Oh I wish I had an "aunty" to take me under their wing and help me .... I feel so useless at ringcraft and feel like everyone is looking at me.  Pup is only 16 weeks so  know it is only me being self-conscious but she also wants to only look at the mats when walking to hoover up anyone's leftover titbits and takes virtually no notice of me at all - doesn't help she is only a toy breed so is about 5ft away from my face, tho she will look at me at home so I am kind of hoping eventually it all comes together?  Going to a breed show at the end of September so I will be looking for lots of tips and advice :)

Find a very high value treat that she will do anything for and keep it just for ringcraft class, you can then move the treat to where you want her to look,at your face,out in front etc.

Competitors at a show wouldn't be allowed to throw food about so shouldn't do it at class when pups are in training and very food orientated, I would have a word with the organiser.

It takes time and lots of patience but suddenly the penny drops.

Thanks Rhodach .... I'm pretty sure people don't mean to leave teeny bits of food on the mats and when you are only about 10 inches from the floor they are easy to spot ... in fact anything to a 16 week old pup looks interesting lol

I might try a chunk of cheese then, she can hear the kids take cheese out of the fridge from anywhere in the house and has not had very often at home, she will go mad for liver cake but not mad enough at ringcraft whereas cheese seems a bit more 'reliable' so will try with that.

I'm sure everything will come together, think it's just my self-consciousness and being my first time etc that is also making me feel I am more awkward than I probably am .. and relax :)

If you want any specific help, feel free to shoot me a message. I handle Scotties... not a toy breed, but a very low breed so I certainly feel your pain with the puppy trying to hoover the food off the floor. I try not to string my puppies up either, so the loose lead makes it even easier for them to get away with that stuff. When I move mine as babies, I usually keep the food right at eye level and have them move by chasing the food on a loose lead. It's absolutely back-breaking work!
Cheese sounds like a good idea. As previously mentioned, the more the dog values the food, the easier it will be for you to keep her attention.

If you see someone in your ringcraft who is an experienced handler with a breed similar to yours, don't be afraid to ask them to give you some pointers or show you something you think needs fixing.

Strong cheddar means you don't need a big piece for them to get the taste and the smell