As the title states........
Does anyone have any advise to get her out of the pacing habit.
She is a lovely girl and judges seem to really really like her, but her movement is really letting her down. She tends to pace (not all the time) when shes in the ring!!! she been to ring craft every week since she was 12 weeks old.
Is it my handling that could be causing her to do this?? it's almost as if she just gets lazy and plods as soon as she gets in the ring...maybe it's just her age?

Go faster, and start suddenly. My Cavalier does this too if I go too slowly, or if I set off gradually. I have to give a little jerk to get her attention and then set off very smartly, or she paces too.

Ok, I'll give that a try tomorrow, Im going to a companion show. Thankyou

Do you just start running when the judge tells you too?  If you dont already, you could lead walk your dog around with you in a clockwise way, just so her legs are already on the move then set off, rather than going off from a immediate start.

You can often stop it by getting the dog off balance, try turning before setting off, also on corners if you have to, try moving in the other hand when doing straight up and down. If you feel the dog pacing when on the move pull the lead towards you or push on the shoulder to break up the rhythm. You can also try moving quicker or slower than you normal do or asking someone else to move your dog.

Thankyou for all your suggestions, fingers crossed they stop her pacing xx

I'll keep you updated

One of my boys did this, i had to do a turning circle before setting off.
Also would change direction in training and do lots of mini circles..
I also found holding a treat to start with helped too.. - would this work for a TT?

There are many ways its trial and error as to what may work for your girl..I had many offers of help from my r/c and it was slowly working through each one, one at a time to see what was working.

Yes, I think I did a circle with Ellie too sometimes, it's been so long since we were in the ring thanks to seasons and puppies!

I think most judges would suss the circling thing.

It's less obvious if you just lift the dog up a little before starting off briskly. High head carriage is not likely to go with pacing...
so head up -stide off.

Does it matter if the judge thinks you are turning the dog round to avoid it pacing - would not worry me pacing is a natural gait but not what the you need to see in order to assess movement, so I am pleased if a handler stops a dog pacing as it saves you having to say "your exhibit is pacing please move it again."

a lot of handlers that I have seen will ask the dog to do a circle before beginning the 'triangle' or 'out and back' that the judge has asked the dog to perform.
This is done to settle the dog down and I see no harm.

Ive had a stafford that would pace if I moved him too slow. Head up and moving faster helped him, he had shorter legs too which didnt help him with the pacing.

Sometimes he would pace and I would tell him to stop doing it...and he did!
Fortunately his son does not pace except when hes moving really slowly and does not do it at all at speed.

Go faster with your dog, TTs can move at quite a fast speed Ive noticed...

Yes... I went faster today and she moved great :)
Just need to stop her being a fidget on the table now, lol.......

What breed is a TT?
Is it a Tibetan Terrier?

Glad the solution was so simple just moving quicker is no problem at all it also has the added effect of keeping your exhibit awake :-) Well done hope your showing goes from strength to strength.

Now to her table manners, first if she is a puppy do not expect too much she must be allowed to be a pup but try practising at home on the ironing board, the wobblier the better. If the board wobbles under her feet when she moves she may respond by standing still and if she does you will be able to praise and treat her. (Practising on a wobbling table also helps when you get a bad one in the ring) Would also say do not use this method on a nervous dog but with a confident one it works well.

Yes she is a Tibetan Terrier.

Table manners.....lol

When we practise at home, she is as steady as a rock!!! but when we get to a show it all goes to pot :(
I stack her and judge walks over and bang..... she's moved, pulled all her legs together, stuck her head in air and is licking my face....lol...so I try quickly to re stack her and she parks her bottom down...(she does the same when i'm stacking her on the line up on the floor) Grrrrr.....
I have titbits with me...etc...i talk to her in a very calm voice...etc...

Could it be my nerves?? coz i panic when she acts up, drop the lead, all fingers and thumbs......

But when I show my older girl I don't get nervous at all.....she is a very easy girl to show, it just the pup I get nervous with :( I have someone else handling her next week to see if that makes any difference.

You need to relax and remember that most judges want to give a dog, and especially a young dog every chance to show  itself to best advantage, they also like to see puppies enjoy their showing.

My youngest had a meteoric puppy career, becoming a champion at 14 months.

Was she a super well behaved exhibit.  No, only now at two years old can I get her to have her mouth looked at without her twisting and turning to avoid it.  She still dislikes it.  I had to compromise with most judges and offer to show the mouth myself, as she was less likely to play me up.

Lucy,

She's a puppy still & a TT on top of that!  Yes it will be your nerves.  Have you tried not talking to her on the table, your nerves are probably coming out in your voice.  Titbits will work to a certain extent, but it's another thing to worry about on the table, along with dropping the brush, picking it up, banging your head etc. (I've done it all & am still doing it 30 years on!) 

My suggestion to anyone, is take your time, you've paid your money, any judge worth their salt will give you time to sort yourself out (sadly there are plenty of idiots who still don't take the hint whilst I'm grooming at the front & come around straight in at a dog's head but hey ho).  Give her one command as you stand her in the correct position, "teeth" for the judge looking in the mouth & if necessary re-stack her & recommand her.  I use "stand & wait" on the girl I've got as she was too nervous for the ring so I did obedience & then transferred over.

Same as when you get off the table, take a deep breath, don't charge off to do your triangle/straight up & down the moment the words are out of the judge's mouth.  Stop, think, then go (circle her around you if you think that will help with the pacing).

Up to you about someone else handling her.
Keep us posted!

How is she at ring craft or ask a neighbour into your home to go over her, anything you can think off where when you say stand (or whatever) and she does it you will be able to praise or give a treat to show her what is expected. However as I said she is a puppy and most judges will expect her to behave as such, continue training and try to think of new places to stand her so she starts to understand it is not a case of being up high and near peoples faces but you expect her to do a nice stand as well. Use a garden wall, the seat in a bus stop or park bench or any flat area off the ground, if some one is around to come over and touch and stroke her so much the better also try to get a stand on the floor so she understands the command no matter where she is standing or who touches her.

I  try so hard and i'm starting to feel.........'should I just give up??'.............
I think iv'e cracked it and then get to a show and EVERYTHING goes to pot :(

Daisy is a lovely looking bitch but I just can't show her very well........lots of the judges she has been under have said how nice she is but she just dosen't show herself very well...
Ok...she has a low tail set (but she always carries it well on the move), she has a nice neck length, correct bite, she is standing at just under 16inches but looks bigger because she so much coat............. she blowing her puppy coat out at the moment, but by god..........she has so much!!!!!!! everytime I comb her out I have handfuls of fluff coming out and it never seems to stop????

I compare her to other TT's her age and to me she looks so out of place, the other TT's are sparky, carry themselves nice and look fab, then I look at Daisy and she looks like a sack of spuds (but I know she has it.....just need to find a way to show it)
I have a friend who has been helping me, she owned and breed TT's years ago and she knows her stuff (she going to handle for me next week)

Maybe Daisy just doesn't like been shown?? I'm hoping to breed from her when she's 2. (she's had the dna test for PLL and shes a clear) and she booked in for Nov for hip scoring.

Stop the panic, Daisy loves it which may be half the problem.

It does not matter what the other puppies are doing you only need think about yours, make training and showing fun and believe me you will get there.

aha!  Have just cottoned on to who you are LucyLewis0! 

Why do you think she doesn't enjoy showing?  She isn't scared & as you say she moves.  She's only a baby still.  I think (IMHO) that you need to relax a whole lot more & enjoy the showing.  You're up against some cracking pups at the moment.  I think it's your lack of confidence that is travelling down the lead.  keep your chin up & enjoy.

> aha!  Have just cottoned on to who you are LucyLewis0! 

Yeah i'm the one who everyone spots a mile off as a newbie, doesn't have a clue what they are doing and with the TT pup thats looks huge, lol.......
Arh.... you know me, so I must know you?...lol

>
> Why do you think she doesn't enjoy showing?  She isn't scared & as you say she moves.  She's only a baby still.  I think (IMHO) that you need to relax a whole lot more & enjoy the showing.  You're up against some cracking pups at the moment.  I think it's your lack of confidence that is travelling down the lead.  keep your chin up & enjoy.

No she's not scared, she's started to move...ish....perhaps your right it's just me getting to tense and she is picking it up??? she just looks like a sack of spuds in the ring..... down to my terrible stacking??

Yes, I was going to slow causing her to pace......... I also heard a comment from someone that she moved like she had bad hips??????? I took her to the vet straight after hearing the comment, the vet had her moving in the surgery, had a good feel and moved her hips about, he even got another vet in to examine her. They didn't seem to think anything was wrong with her, no pain, etc... (obviously, only a xray will be 100% proof, which she is due to have in Nov)
I think it's because I try to hard to stop her pacing and talk to her on the move to get her hold her head up, she looks up at me so that causes her to swing her bottom out??? oh i don't know..... :(

> Stop the panic, Daisy loves it which may be half the problem.
>
> It does not matter what the other puppies are doing you only need think about yours, make training and showing fun and believe me you will get there.

I'll try :)
I just need to relax, chill and make it fun.....

Do a few companion shows both breed and novelty classes you may feel more relaxed and have a laugh then try to take that feeling with you when you do Open or Championship shows.

Sounds like you really do need to relax, I know how you feel we were all the same when we started. But as long as you relax, and don't worry if she plays up, just enjoy yourself and make sure she has fun, then the behaving well will come in time (if you're lucky - my Henry was a nitwit in the ring right till the end!)

Yes we do a companion shows and i am a lot more relaxed :), she does well at these shows and took BPIS a fews ago :)

Ooh, well done! So you know she has the quality, just relax and enjoy it and those red rosettes will come flooding in! :-)

Well done, just try to take the same attitude into the ring at Open and Champ shows, they are after all the same judges so why are you getting up tight.

Yes she must have something i guess???
And she has been under some fab judges at these shows :)

Right....... next open/champ show I need to chill......1, 2 ,3 breath........lol oh and rescue remady....lol

You also need to remember that the angle your seeing your won dog from is not complimentary.

If this next time someone is going to handle her for you, you may be surprised to see how much better or in keeping with the others she looks from ringside.

As for ringside comments, unless it is someone you trust offering handling advice ignore it.  Some people are sad and like to rattle newbies.

Yes, it will be interesting to see her from the outside of the ring next week, and I have not actually seen her moving, i looking forward to it :)

Hmm.....ringside comments....
I don't actually know who says the comments (it's friends round the rings have just relayed them to me)....but i heard them all...... her nose is too long, she looks like a boy, her coat is too fluffy, her legs are too short, i have the wrong lead, she's too tall, she's too long, she's too short, she's ugly.. etc........ I do get compliments about her too :) lol.......

She's not coming last at open/champ level, she is getting placed so she can't be that bad!!! I always get asked lots of questions by TT people, whats her breeding, is she a clear of PLL, how old is she.......

Well Lucy, you know what they say the worse thing is to be ignored. Sounds like you have a nice pup and comments are to be ignored, we all do it, sit at the ring side and think or say that one has a awful front just look at the movement, looks ok standing shame it can't move but in a month or so we may find the movement has improved and we like it a lot.

It is unfair to criticise a puppy its bones are still growing and it will be unbalanced all a puppy needs is time to mature and very often those that are high flyers as pups are also rans as adults and sometimes the slow starting pups will become high flying adults. All your pup needs now is for you and her to enjoy your showing, there is little point in showing for a red card you have to enjoy the company of your fellow exhibitors and their charges.

Oh I do, it goes straight over my head...... I used to show horses so I know it happens :)

I am friendly with all the people in my breed and I have met some lovely lovely people.

Actually funny you say that about slow starting pups.... a few people have said that Daisy will do nothing as a pup but as soon as she matures she should start doing really well :)

I love going to shows, the atmosphere is fab and it's great talking and meeting new people that have the same love as me :)

I know that I always take the best dogs home :)

>Oh I do, it goes straight over my head...... I used to show horses so I know it happens  :-)  I am friendly with all the people in my breed and I have met some lovely lovely people. Actually funny you say that about slow starting pups.... a few people have said that Daisy will do nothing as a pup but as soon as she matures she should start doing really well  :-)"   I love going to shows, the atmosphere is fab and it's great talking and meeting new people that have the same love as me  :-)"  I know that I always take the best dogs home  :-)" 


OK then, nothing to worry about, so relax and enjoy whilst you are both learning the ropes and then when your time comes you will be ready to go.