This might sound silly to you experienced ones but just wanted to ask -
Do ALL breeds have to be walked on the left in the ring ?
It was mentioned at a mixed breed ringcraft last week and its the first time i have heard this ?
When showing are certain breed shows less disciplined ( so to speak) than others ??
Lel

Hi LEL
It's ring practise to show your dogs on the left..walking anti clock wise around the ring. :D
tRACEY

I feel very silly for asking but its the first time it had ever been mentioned to me .
:(
In the Staffy world they usually only walk up and down.
Lel

Lel
It's not a stupid question at all , no questions are stupid..if you walk up and down the judge wil always stand to your left so that he can see the movement of your dog...unless he'd rather look at your legs :D
:D
tRACEY

:)
You mean theres a chance i can distract him then if pups playing up ??
:)
:)
:)
Lel

Oh yeah :) ..smile, wiggly it...... just a little bit..:D :D
tRACEY

In Obedience there is, (Or certainly used to be) a rule to handle the dog on the left unless special dispensation is given. Gundog work is a little less fixed. A friend of mine with a bad leg always handles his dog on the right. In the show ring the "rule" is that you never get between your dog and the judge. If you watch junior handlers working they often have to change sides, Tee's, Reverse Tee's, Figure Eights are just a few figures a junior has to perform without getting between dog and judge.

Regards, John

I've found the judge usually stands in the middle and nowadays people circle the ring anticlockwise - dogs on the left. (When I started showing it was twice round the ring in both directions crikey we had to be fit!) Then judging each individual dog the judge will stand to one side of the ring and ask you to go up and down; this is where the dogs has to change sides so that the dog is always between handler and judge.

So make sure your dog will go equally well on both sides of you.

It's a good idea not to be at the front of the queue so you can watch where the judge stands and which pattern s/he asks each exhibit to perform (triangle, staright up and down etc). Once you know where s/he is likely to stand you know which side your dog should be on. I'm surprised by how may "experts" don't get this basic principle right. Take heart if you get it wrong you probably won't be alone.

For showing I teach my dogs to move on both sides of me then if you have one of those judges who moves around the ring a lot you can always have you dog on the correct side - this is especially useful on the up and back if a judge decides to stand to one side rather than directly in front.

I always think it looks very smart for dog and handler to turn into each other at the end of the up and back with the handler neatly changing hands to come back to the judge.

It was also very useful when I damaged my wrist and could not handle on my left and, with judges permission my dog was quite happy to do a reverse triangle

Christine

The idea of the handler walking the dog on the left is so that in most show rings and ring patterns i.e. up & down, circle, triangle the judge is able to see all of the dog and not the handlers legs.

I run a ringcraft class and also train junior handlers for their handling competitions. People around the rings often comment about junior handlers doing 'fancy dancing patterns' but they are never asked to perform anything other than showing their dogs to the best ability. We train them to always handle in the left hand UNLESS asked to do a pattern in reverse.

We also teach dress codes, we aim to show the dog to it's best advantage and this often means complementing the colour of the dog with the handlers outfit, a matching lead is also a good idea.

I allow trainers and jeans for training classes but ALWAYS ask if it is possible to have a special outfit for the ring. Sensible shoes (school shoes will usually double) or a simple pair of plimsols. It is surprising what bargains can be had in the charity shops in the way of good quality show jackets/skirts/trousers and these are often passed down to younger handlers.