hi i have recently added a toy poodle to my family and i plan to show her.she has some lovely lines in her breeding not fantastic but the health was more important to me than the reds in the pedigree.(although i know its lovely to see)
i have noticed her even just at 9 weeks standing in the back garden looking lovely,and have read that a gay tail is undesirable.she doesnt always carry her tail over her back but i wondered if that matters?can you stop the tail going over her back or is it just how it is set?
can anyone elborate on what a gay tail is,is it worth me showing her if i know she will never be placed?i do not think i have the knowledge to go the whole way with the showing as there are far more experienced people out there who show and do very well and know i could possibly get some help from others who would help me in years to come should i enjoy it and carry it on.
she will sometimes stand with her tail straight in line with her back sometimes lower but has started to pull it over her back on occassions.
can anyone help me understand what i should be looking for please and how old should she be before she can go to ring craft classes??
sorry for so many questions as im keen to get started.x.x..x

A tail can change it's position and if she normally holds it correctly then there's a good chance she has a correct tail set and once older will be ok.

the only way to find out if she will be placed at shows is to go to afew shows under different judges and give it a try.  Where we all think our dogs are wonderful and perfect every dog has faults.  Just soome not as bad or as many as others.

As for ringcraft, as soon as innocculations are all sorted she can go :)

thank you for that its helped.she is still waiting for booster and when thats done and the wait is over ill book a place thanks.x.x.x

If the ringcraft you are looking at has booked places I would phone up and book now to get her and you going ASAP :) 

> If the ringcraft you are looking at has booked places I would phone up and book now to get her and you going ASAP :-) 

good idea didnt think of it like that!
will do.

I wouldn't worry too much about her tail just now, they vary what they do with them as young puppies.  And with not being allowed to dock them any more poodles tails are all over the place just now :(  with every conceivable carriage in the ring.  It will take a long time to sort out tails with selective breeding.  If I was you I would be more worried about the grooming for showing, will the breeder of your pup help you and more to the point (and don't take this the wrong way) is the breeder happy for you to show her?

Tamara is a groomer so I'm sure her new baby will look beautifully groomed for her debut in the ring when she is old enough :-)

Unfortunately a lot of groomers think that way and then realise that grooming a poodle PROPERLY for show is like nothing they will have done before.  Unless you are attending shows you have know idea how they are being groomed as styles and amount of hair left on can change on a regular basis.  I sold one of my last litter to a groomer whose work is fabulous but she keeps coming back to me for tips and help as although she can make him look, to the ordinary eye, stunning, there are little bits and pieces which make all the difference for a dog to go into the showring.  She fortunately realises this and can see where she is going wrong but not sure how to correct it, I only have to show her once and she picks it up.  Hopefully Tamara's puppy's breeder will be able to help her in the same way no matter how good her grooming is.

unfortunatly the breeder isnt someone i can ask about grooming as she doesnt show her babies.but i am going back to college in september for level three breed specific grooming and my tutor grooms a lot of show poodles.i turned down three places at the other college i applied for to wait for julie to teach me as we got n quite well and i like the way she teaches..im sure julie will help me with lerning the rights and wrongs of how to groom her correctly,and while im not ready to do it all confidently i shall practice on other poodles in the salon in college and just ask julie to do lola for me lol.
we all have to start somewhere right?
belive me my dogs are well groomed as i have the equipment to do it and i love doing it too.i have an eye for correct  lines and i think i picked up scissoring quite quickly too.i dont clip my yorkie i scissor her coat.and shall be keeping lolas coat in tip top condition.but again we ll have to learn to walk before we can run,so this is why im on here asking everything cos a lot of you guys actually KNOW the best way and are experts on this.

p.s
thanks yvonne.x.x.x.  ;-)

Glad you have someone who can help as it makes all the difference.  Maybe we will see you at a show in a few months time :)

Quote: Unfortunately a lot of groomers think that way and then realise that grooming a poodle PROPERLY for show is like nothing they will have done before

Fifi is the breeder of my dog and I am the groomer mentioned. I agree wholeheartedly with her comment. A good, even excellent groomer may not necessarily turn out a perfect trim for show.
Trimming my dog for the show ring, was beyond any grooming that I had done up until that point in my 28 year grooming history!! I am however, honest about my own abilities and can see when a dog looks out of balance and know when to ask for help, (Thank you Fi, for tolerating my constant list of questions and helping me!!).

However, I more strongly agree with another comment made regarding asking the breeder if they would mind that you show the dog.

I bought my dog for grooming competitions, NOT for showing and was therefore sold a pup under that pretext, and I would have expected to pay more, had I intended to buy for showing~ purchasing a show quality dog.
Having no previous interest in showing and after attending a dog show to watch Fi in action, I thought I might have a try at it too.....However, I DID ask Fi if she would mind, as although the dog was mine, the kennel name he would be listed under in the show catalogue was not, and I Did not want to cause any embarrassment to Fi or her hard earned reputation.....

..So please be courteous and ask your breeders permission.

Doesn't sound very promising unfortunately that the breeder doesn't show and would be unable to advice on show grooming. Would she even know if the pup was show quality?