As you know Ive only been to one proper show with Smoo and our next is on Saturday. The question isnt really about me but my daughter. She does alot of work with Smoo too and would absolutely adore to try junior handling. She is 13 and in a wheel chair. Now Ive always encouraged her that she can do whatever she wants, sometimes there will just have to be a different approach because of her chair and I have actively encouraged her to handle but now I feel I may have set her up for heart ache

At our first show they had the proper junior handling classes and also a 'fun' one. i thought this would be ideal for her to try but unfortunately she was the only 'non' handler available so the others were seasoned junior handlers. It didnt go well at all, there was one girl who positively glared at her throwing some really really dirty looks to the extent where I said enough and pulled both her and Smoo out of the ring. The judge was fantastic and very appologetic but my daughter was left in such a state.

She has now announced she wants to try again Saturday and I feel sick with worry the same thing may happen again. She is still learning, Smoo is still learning ( not only showing for me but also walking beside her chair, which he is great at).

I really am not sure junior handling in a chair is going to be feasible! I dont want to upset or make other comppetitors uncomfortable I just wanted her to be able to do something she is so passionate about.

Im not really sure what my question is other than do you think its 'do-able'?

Well done to you both, I would continue to give her all the support and encouragement you can. She has every bit as much right to be in the ring as the other handlers do. I am not sure what breed Smoo is, but if he is a free standing breed and is comfortable with moving alongside the wheelchair, then I can't see a problem.

I use elbow crutches and will never forget one exhibitor coming out with a nasty comment that really upset me and made me think about giving up. With kind words and encouragement from the people on here, I stuck at it and now my only worry is that I am letting my dog down with my rubbish handling.

Good luck for Saturday and be proud that your daughter has the confidence and strength to want to have another go.

We have a young lady (22) at our ringcraft who handles her own dogs in the breed classes from her wheelchair with a lot of success (and she only has the use of one arm too).  Someone else has to put the dogs on the table for her but otherwise she does it all herself...

Is your daughter a member of the Young Kennel Club?  I would look into the activity weekends (have a look at their website for dates) where she'll have lots of help to suggest how she can make it work for her.  Wishing her lots of luck in her handling classes. My daughter enjoys the handling and has made lots of friends through it.

As an 'ex-junior' I judge quite a few junior handling classes and handling from a chair certainly wouldnt knock her any places IMO as long as the dog is still stood in the right place and moved on the correct lines and the right speed etc. Best of luck to her :)

I think looking at it practically, it may be worth remembering there will be a lot of dogs out there who are not used to wheelchairs and therefore could get spooked by the presence of one moving in the ring -so instantly being put at a disadvantage. I can understand why some people would be unhappy at that scenario as teaching your dog to be  normal around a wheelchair isn't necessarily something everyone thinks of to do -or is able to. Junior handling is so different to showing as ONLY the handling matters, in the normal show ring the dogs' looks matter as well -and most. Maybe it would be better if your daughter handled in the breed classes instead? It's actually a lot easier as so many junior handlers are far superior at handling to a lot of adult exhibitors. :)

The judges & stewards will be very helpful to your daughter, they will be professional & kind (as they would be to any new Junior starting out).  I can't say the same for her competitors, as we all know, children can be very unkind!  I'm so sorry your daughter had a bad experience.

My dd does JH, she's in the younger age group at the moment, whilst she is quite a decent handler, there are those children who are training every week with parents who support them in this - my training classes are far too late for an 8 year old so she doesn't get trained!  Instead, I think she will be a real asset in the breed ring & occasionally handles my SWD bitch if I'm tied up with my TTs.  Maybe your daughter could handle your dog in a stakes class to build up her confidence?

And yes, it's "do-able" to answer your question.  Just remember JH is highly competitive, most of them having been doing it for years already.  My friend's daughter attempted it a few times, starting out when she was 12 years old, so already in with the "big guns".  I wish you daughter luck, & look forward to seeing her in the ring :-)

Beckah, I've sent you a private message.

I agree with Marianne, she might well do better in the breed classes. But if she wants to try both, why shouldn't she! Good luck to her!

> xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">here will be a lot of dogs out there who are not used to wheelchairs and therefore could get spooked by the presence of one moving in the ring -so instantly being put at a disadvantage.

Marianne, surely it's part of socialising a dog to get it used to things it doesn't always come across eg cat-less homes socialising to cats  - no, I know there aren't any cats at dog shows though there are at agricultural shows.  Also, the judging is about handling, isn't it?  I know they're juniors but they, and their parents/trainers, should be able to handle their dogs appropriately.  I would also think that putting off someone in a wheelchair contravenes the DDA.

Like I said it's something not everyone CAN practice for. Anyone can put on a hat or glasses or a false beard etc etc, but not everyone knows somebody in a wheelchair or has access to one so it's much harder to get dogs used to.

Would practising around a push-bike be useful? 
Edited to add  - maybe Ringcraft classes could get hold of an old wheelchair.

I don't see why dogs should be any more put off in the handling ring by a wheelchair than in a breed ring when the handler happens to be in a wheelchair... I haven't been showing long but long enough to have come across exhibitors (of all ages) showing from motorized chairs on a number of occasions without causing upset to the other exhibits. 

I would imagine that it is more a case whether the OP's daughter can manage in the handling environment without feeling like she's unable to complete moves like T's and L's if asked, and that comes down to being able to practise and is no different to any other junior starting out.  It's also a good lesson in ettiquette for the other competitors. 

I don't see why dogs should be any more put off in the handling ring by a wheelchair than in a breed ring when the handler happens to be in a wheelchair...

No, it would be the same -the point I was making that in the handling ring it will matter a lot more than in the breed ring. Don't get me wrong, I don't have a problem with anyone in a wheelchair handling -I was just explaining why it may have been that some people seemed put out in the OP's case. I know my own dogs freaked out the first time they saw my MIL in a wheelchair, now when they see it regularly they don't mind.

I am so sorry the OPs daughter had a bad experience.  Don't have a lot of helpful advice to give I am afraid, but while I understand how awful it must have been to see unwelcome behaviour aimed at her daughter we have to remember these are kids, and as well as they may be been taught about fairness to all, no discrimination etc., a lot of this will simply fly out of the window when it comes to a sort of "spoiling my chance of qualifying" type of thing, just because they ARE KIDS.  A lot of the JH kids are extremely focussed on what they are doing, I would hope that in an everyday enviroment they would find their behaviour appalling, but being kids they don't tend to think around a situation too much.  This is not an excuse but a possible explanation.  I have had to point out to my JHandling nephew that he is shooting filthy looks at someone outside of the ring who has deposited chairs, show stuff etc with a crash ringside and broken his dogs concentration - he was completely unaware of his facial expression or having done so.

We have a young lady in pugs who handles beautifully in the breed ring from her chair, I have never see her doing JH however.  The pugs sometimes glance at her chair the first time they meet it, but I have never seen one scared of it - after all they see so many strange wheelled contraptions at shows with trolleys, show cruisers, push chairs and even the golf buggy's used by committees.

I do wonder about the logistics of JH from a chair, not just the patterns as mentioned above, but also shadowing - I would think this could be very difficult?  IT might be an idea to start of with some YKC stakes classes, that way she could get to know the other kids in a straight forward showing based class and polish up her basic skills, then imove onto handling classes in a little while?