I think my girl is the best I have bred to date. I was showing her successfully at Open Shows until she had a severe phantom pregnancy. During this she virtually scratched her coat away at the side and I could not show her. Then I found when she was in condition enough to show, her attitude in the ring had changed.
She became shy of the judge and would not show at all. I have given her natural calming products but now she seems worse, culminating yesterday in the worst ever and the judge commenting she was showing no interest at all.
At home she is a bit of a Mummy's girl and we can take her anywhere with other dogs and she does not cause a problem in a breed known to be a bit iffy sometimes with dogs.
I tore my hair out yesterday as I could see the judge liked her but another was showing its socks off and off course we were placed behind her.
Has anyone got any ideas on this or is she just passed it. She was 2 in April and until earlier this year gave me no problem at all.
( incidentally, yesterday she was frightened even of walking through the maze of Golden Retrievers at ringside)
Any suggestions gratefully received.

I've heard of this before in young bitches. Have you had a vet check her hormone levels to make sure everything is normal there?

When she's in other situations, is she ok with things similar to what you would find at a dog show such as crowds, people touching her, etc.? If so, I suppose the next step would be to figure out what it is about a dog show that is causing her to react differently to the same sorts of things.

Would it be worth taking her to ringcraft classes and going back to basics again? 

If she is scared of the judge then she doesn't enjoy herself and won't show well and you need to go back to the very basics. At first letting her meet strangers without being gone over, take it at her pace. For some dogs it's a quick process, for others it can take years. It is so frustrating when it happens but it cannot be rushed. In my experience no pills or potions of any sort makes much of a difference. If she was scared even walking through a lot of dogs, maybe you need to go to several shows without doing anything other than sit and watch and eat lots of extra nice treats, to get used to the hustle and bustle again.

I had to retire a promising bitch as she hated the ring. My oldest daughter could get her to move better than me, and they won several junior handling classes at open shows, but the bitch took no interest in showing. You may never get her back into the ring, or it may take a long time.

I would take your bitch out of the ring for the winter and take her to ringcraft, or try something different with her (obedience, agility, etc) just to let her see that a ring can be fun. Then start her again at companion shows, or limited shows, if she is eligible.

Actually its probably got nothing to do with the shows, however I'd stay away from them for a while.

Could it still be hormones out of balance from her phantom.

My girl, now 2, had a SEVERE phantom after her second season and it seemed to go on FOREVER.  During which time she was like a different dog, not all the time, but definately different.   I thought I'd lost my mild mannered little darling and got the devil, lol!  One minute she was fine, then she was cranky, then she was shy, and so on.  But she's come through it and back to showing her socks off, bold as brass, and enjoying life again.  

Now, had I kept persisting with her in the show ring I think I'd be heading for disaster.   

So my advice is just to steer clear for now and give her time.  I really think your girl is just recovering from the phantom.

Thanks for your thoughts.
It is really upsetting because at home she is a fantastic dog although she is bottom of the pack.
I obviously had to pull her out of the ring for a whil because of her coat and this was her first show back but I was aware that sometimes she reared back when approached in and out of a ring situation. I have spent loads of time looking at her teeth etc and the day before a couple of ladies who have shown in the past came around and I asked them to go over her and she seemed OK with them.
She is an incredibly affectionate dog, loves all people but dogs bigger than her seem to spook her big time.
Think I'll forget the calming stuff and try her without and perhaps try a few ringcraft sessions but I have a horrible feeling that this is a lost cause.
She really is such a lovely dog to live with at home.

BIG long rest from dog showing.

If you keep persisting and facing her with the thing she dreads you'll get nowhere.

Best to forget it for a while and then just enter her one day along the line and act normal, fun, no stress.

I'm afraid I don't feel that confronting her over and over (albeit only ring craft) with the same scenario,does anything other than cementing in the head .....that dog showing is the pits!

I will be showing her this weekend ( no calming products ) at a breed Champ show. I'm afraid I'm under pain of death if I don't as the entry is abysmal as it is.
I've been practising in a light hearted way with one word and treats and will try and relax as much as I can.
After that no shows entered so will see what happens later on. Thanks.

Can you not ask someone else to show her for you? And you hide so she can't see you? That way you can see how she will react with someone else on the other end of the lead. She may just be so busy looking for you that she forgets about the judge. Just a thought.

If she will show for someone else that might work, they might not be as nervous as you - she could be reacting to the stress you feel, which I know will be very hard for you to hide!

Might give that a go. I'll let you know how it goes.
Thanks again all.

I showed her myself - no calming products.
She seemed much happier amongst her own breed so we did not have a bad start.
Got through it - she was loads better but I had really been working during the week with one word and treats and I used this all the way around the ring.
She wasn't perfect with the judge ( reared back slightly ) bit loads better. This will help me when we go in next time.
A general Open show will be the tester I think as perhaps it is the other breeds that upset her.
She isn't not socialised because she comes out in my grooming room everyday and sees all sorts.

Having one that's nice but won't show is about THE most frustrating thing.   If you are in the UK, you do realise you can show a spayed bitch, with permission from the KC (it's been a while since I was showing, so I assume this is still the case?)    I'm saying this because fact is once a bitch has a false pregnancy, it can happen again and if it does, quite honestly there's no point leaving her cycling because repeated falsies, will pull her down.    Spaying her might mean she stops all this nonsense!    It will mean she can't be bred from, but frankly if she's this way inclined, perhaps it's not going to be a great idea to risk her passing this on!     I had one who didn't like being gone over, although over time, she 'accepted' it - with me holding her with an iron grip LOL.   The good thing was once going round, her tail came up and she was fine.   Because of this slight reluctance in her, I had to choose her mate very carefully when the time came, so we didn't double up on this fault.

You might consider trying using Dorwest's Skullcap and Valerian which has worked for me in the past.  I don't remember it making mine drowsy.    Kalm Aid is another non-drug preparation that has worked for my current hound who gets stressed by veterinary treatment.

Bottom line - with the cost of showing these days, there's no point taking an exhibit anywhere near the ring if you are dead in the water even before you go in!!!  Maybe, put to the right dog, she'll produce you lovely puppies rather than show-successes!!

Her Mum was perfect being handled and a perfect brood bitch. I do plan to mate her and have chosen her mate but showing her until the right time.
She was great as a younger dog, so something seems to have upset her.

I had a young bitch just like that. Won as a youngster then hated it. She stays home and bred me a CC and a RCC winner.

She is the most affectionate bitch when she settles down. A nutcase in motion at home with the other dogs at play.
I hope she will make a good Mum when the time comes and produce something nice for me to go on with.