Hi guys,

Having another showing nightmare!

Geoff our pup comes out on the 5th of November and has his first show next saturday, he is entered for minor puppy and the stakes class.

We have a small problem, he moves beautifully, but will he heck stand for us! We knew that we wanted to show Geoff before we even brought him home, so we have practiced almost daily with him, his breeder lives 20 miles away so we go there for regular practice and advice and he goes to ringcraft. The problem is that he is so sociable and nosy he doesn't have a minute to stand still, he knows how to do it but he is far too preoccupied, its a nightmare, and after ten minutes of trying me and my OH feel exhausted! We won't be giving up on him but I don't want this to let him down, he has been NFC to shows and has received good comments so we are hoping he might do well, if of course we can overcome this issue.

Has anyone else experienced the same problem and did there puppy eventually grow out of it?

Nicki xx

He's a puppy not a statue, he need only stand still long enough for a judge to get a look at him.

I am assuming he is fidgeting not lying on the floor on his stomach on his back waving his legs in the air(have seen this in the ring) so don't worry enjoy.

Let him be a puppy!  If a judge knocks him for being playful in the ring at 6 months i'd be very disappointed.

I had a fantastically trained dog at 6 months of age, stood like a statue, moved like a dream.  he won various BPIS awards at Open Shows & Breed champ shows.  By 2 he was bored & every critique said what a beautifully constructed dog, shame he lacked sparkle on the challenge - I've learned my lesson.  My current boy shows me up every single time I go in the ring, but I don't care 'cos when he's 4 he's going to be a great dog who still loves to show.

Be grateful for good movement, the standing will come.

All dogs stand - so it is a communication problem which can be easily rectified...dont worry.

Calmness and gentle, soothing touches when he is still and in position, especially smoothing him over the withers and down the shoulders, is very calming.
Dont expect too much stillness from an excitable little puppy but it is important that you look calm......because..
1..it will transfer to the pup and
2..it will look to the ringside and the judge that you have a fabulous pup which you are happy to display naughty antics because you know that he is the best pup.

It does work - where as the flustered owner with the naughty pup getting into a stew looks for all the world like a  novice who may be overlooked.

Getting a very good handler to show you just how good your pup can look will give you the confidence to believe that your cues and signals to your dog can be refined without squashing him.

Best of luck, keep calm and dont forget there is always another show.

Fidgeting is not the word for it Brainless! :-)

I know that I can't expect him to stand there for hours on end not moving but a minute would be nice :-)

In our breed we are expected to hold out the tail, and the minute we tounch his tail he jumps round to see what we are doing, he isn't frightened just wants to know what we are doing with his tail, at home he has no objections to having his tail handled, he isn't in pain or frightened, just so blooming nosy!

I know that we just need to go and enjoy ourselves, we are new to this ourselves having only done a few Open shows with the older Setter so we don't want to mess up and look like complete novices thats all :-)

Nicki xx

Thanks all, I think half of the problem is that I get so nervous that he knows and plays up, luckily at his first show his breeder is taking him in for me but we have a show the week after that I will be taking him into.

I completely agree with all of your comments and points though.

I always joke when I am watching the puppy classes about how naughty some of them are and how much they play up their owners so I don't know why I am expecting my dog to be any different, bless him :-)

Nicki xx

I am sure if you don't hold his tail it will be fine, if he is so sociable he w ill have it out wagging anyway, so don't hold his tail.

A minute would be far to long to expect him to stand still, five or 10 seconds should be plenty at the right time, while judge looks at him standing and also at the end when he is walking down the line.

Must admit I don't personally like the stacking way of presenting dogs (for me they loose the essential animation), and it certainly isn't compulsory, thankfully not done in our breed in UK, but is the way they do it in the US ans I hope it never becomes the norm here.

I was so pleased to see the top winning Doberman Bitch that won the group at Driffield being entirely free stood throughout, and dobes are usually stacked in a very rigid manner.

In the stakes class you can probably relax your handling style as you will be in with all manner of breeds so if you don't stack the usual way it won't be noticed as different.

Oh really, that is very reassuring to know Brainless, he will freestand much better than being stacked.

He is such a bugger, but so loveable you can't be annoyed with him for even a second.

Nicki xx

> lying on the floor on his stomach on his back waving his legs in the air(have seen this in the ring) so don't worry enjoy.

Hahaha our little bitch did that in the ring when the judge approached her!

Our bitch also did this for ages, well until she was about 12 months old but thankfully she has grown out of it. At one of the shows iv just been to   a bitch took best in show and only about 3 months before she  wouldn't let anybody touch her! Don't worry about it.

We have just brought out our pup and she stands beautifully. I put it down to giving the WAIT command frequently. We give the command before a treat/meal, when waiting to cross the road and any other time we need her to pause. Try starting her for a second or two and increase waiting time. A friend prefers to use a clicker and that too has good results.

I agree with Maddog, I nearly ruined Henry chasing those JW points up and down the country, took a year or so of very light showing for him to start enjoying it again, and now he's back to being a nutcase at 7.5 years! But having had that 'limp dishrag' experience and seeing my friend who complains about her dogs falling asleep in the ring, I'd rather have the nutcase! As long as your puppy stands for 10 seconds at a time and you time it right so that's when the judge is looking, and whatever you do don't get stressed or angry it should be fun - make sure the puppy has fun and enjoys the show, and the rest will come. :-)

im having the same problem with 1 of mine , he just wants to smell the floor for food and when i try to stand him he just start jumping about ,so i know how you feel he is just coming up to 6m old and hes been going to ring craft from 13weeks :) x

LOL

IMHO puppies should be just that - puppies!   I much prefer a naughty puppy with personality to a little robot ;)

My present youngster Lola, still has trouble keeping still and is 18 months old!!  I'm not worried - I couldn't even think of showing her grandma until she was 18 months and she's done VERY WELL ;)   Lola misbehaved mightily in her first show, only stood for a few seconds, and when the judge spoke to her while on the table, jumped up, put her paws around his neck and put her tongue in his mouth, all the while wriggling like a nutcase!!!   She moved beautifully and wagged her way around the ring, but every time the judge looked at her would start to wriggle with pleasure :-D   She got best pup in breed!!!  and the judge told me he loved how naughty she was and what a fantastic temperament :)   I'm hoping that one day she'll calm down but not too soon :)

dill thats sooooo funny ,dont get me wronge i love the way he is and he a big softy ,im soooo glad im not the only 1 lol ...at our ring craft theres so many different breeds (as at all :) ) but only another gsd owner so theirs our dogs and her dog !!! her boy is the same age and she is a big breeder with in my breed ,well she looks down at me and my baby ;)....he is very froged leged my boy isnt but all the trainers there tell me he has wonderful movment and a fantastic top line ,well her boy stands so well for her and doesnt move ,but he isnt out going and shys away from other dogs alot !!! my boy just wants to kiss all the dogs and all their owners too ;) so i dont care :) xx

Lol Dill, I don't want to worry you but my nearly 5 year old bitch is almost as bad still - and my Veteran's no better!! At the beginning of the year Ellie got BOB and G2 and the judge commented at the time and in her critique how wonderful it was to see a 4 year old dog still enjoying it so much. And Henry acted the mad barking idiot at the recent Club show and got BVIS somehow!! They do like to show us up don't they! :-D

Hi guys,

Laughing my head off at these posts!

Luckily Geoffrey is immaculately behaved when we take him out, sociable but not in your face, good with other dogs, confident but not over confident. At home its another matter, he is nick named spawn of satan! :-) but I wouldn't change him, I agree that puppies should be puppies and I want him to enjoy being in the ring, I just don't want his fidgeting to ruin him thats all, its not like he jumps up or anything like that, he just won't stand still for a second! :-)

Nicki xx

nicki

if he'll free stand for a treat then show him this way to begin with. i did this with my Gordon when he was tiny and was teething, didn't like he mouth being held, so I crouched down next to him and baited him, just holding his tail if he wasn't wagging it. so long as you can get him roughly into the correct position be it by baiting or stacking, don't push it as the last thing you want is a dog that hates the ring (and I've got one of them) 

I second what Archiebongo said.  Alfie was a nightmare as a pup, wouldnt let me stack him at all, if I tried he would end up on his back with his legs in the air!!

The closest I would get was a treat in front of his nose and occasionally holding his tail but he really didnt like it.  dont worry if you cant hold his tail, judges make allowances for pups -- especially Irish ones !!!

Lol! We went to the Irish Setter Association Show at Stoneleigh Park on the 3rd of October with our older bitch, and I was laughing my head off at the puppy and minor puppy classes. We didn't start showing Ruby until she was over a year so have no experience of taking pups in the ring (we are very new to all of this), luckily this weekend Geoff's breeder is taking him in, but the weekend after that its going to be down to me!

Nicki xx

Puppies are good fun to show - but so frustrating too !!  We were at the ISAE show at Stoneleigh - I was the one with the baby (well actually she got passed around a few people - her dog show grandmas! )

Who is your dogs breeder ?

Dont despair, you are far from the only one!  I love watching the Gordon pups in the ring as you know not a single one will behave!  The juniors are just as unruly as well if you ask me.  Keep it fun, no-ones expecting you to win BIS at 6 months old!  So go out to have a good time and he will love the experience.

Its true what they say, the naughtiest puppies make the very best adult show dogs.  (And I should know, I have one!)

Hi Claire,

I think I remember seeing a lady with a baby actually :-)

The eldest, Ruby, isn't from show breeders, hence, in my opinion why she keeps getting thrown out, and hence the reason we are only taking her to Open shows, that was her first and last Champ show - we didn't really do our research when we got her, but having said that her brother was at the show and is nothing like Ruby, a very nice dog - people keeping telling us not to give up on Ruby as she is fit for showing at Open shows, but when she is lined up there really isn't much comparison, she is too small. We don't care though she is still the most beautiful dog in the world to us! :-)

Geoff is a Mantafield - Annette Harris' line.  We are hoping, that he might do quite well.

Nicki xx

My non-show dog is by far the biggest personality in our house - and the most beautiful but I wouldnt tell the other one that !!

Good luck at the show, I wont be there, in fact im not entered in anything now, I think Manchester will be my next show.