As you're probably sick of hearing by now I'm getting a pup soon and hope to show her. This will be my first show dog so I'll be learning alongside her at ringcraft classes.

What age do you think is average for her to be trained well enough to try the ring?

Also I've been warned not to teach her sit without stand or to attend obedience before ringcraft... any opinions?

You can't show your dog until it is 6 months old by which time it will be ready but you may not be. Always take mine to puppy obedience before ringcraft and most dogs know the difference between sit and stand. But if you are worried and want to do obedience class then say you want to teach stand not sit when you are doing heal work, that is where the problem comes if you teach the dog to sit every time you stop it can be a pain when you are in the show ring.

i thought i was doing good at 6 months of age getting my little monster into the ring and we did well,then 10 months came and he became a little toe rag, and he did not want to do anything that i asked,if you are going to ringcraft your teacher will be able to tell you if you are ready,you can't enter shows until pup is 6 months old,and really don't expect anything ,just go and have fun, there are many handlers that can tell you tales,like the dog that decided to have a poo just as the judge went to look over her, the other one is the dog that decided it would rather roll over and have his tummy tickled and he was a long coated breed that took ages to get ready, the one that liked the judge so much that he was licked to death, i could go on and on, but the main thing is have fun fun fun, as you will always take the best dog home.
Carol

Hi Wishfairy

I went to both obedience (which started first) and ringcraft, and although the obedience class said that I could miss out the "sitting exercises" if I wanted, I found that he could differentiate, so I was able to train him to stand on command as well as sit on command. It also helped that the leads for the two classes were entirely different, so he knew that when the show lead went on it was time for the standing and moving in a triangle stuff :) Just my thoughts, but I found it worked fine doing both.

Lesley

Hi Wishfairy
we took Gus to both puppy training classes and to Ringcraft and we have never had a problem with him sitting down when in the ring. :)
it wasnt until later that we were advised that we shouldnt have taken him to training classes because of this but Gus has always been fine .
Take pup to ringcraft as soon as injections are finished -and we were also advised to let pup get used to people looking at his teeth from an early age ( make sure they all have clean hands though)
Good luck :)
Any more questions just ask a w have all ben in th same boat :)

Hi Wishfairy,

We did both with Sal to again advice on doing both didn't surface until later ;)

Sal does know the difference but to be honest it depends on her mood as to how well she does either, but they tell me thats adolesence not stupidity :D

But instead of "Stand" I do use the word "Behave" and she seems to know the difference.

Karen

:) Thanks for the replies - as ever very helpful!

I think I'll go to ringcraft and see what they think about obedience... although I always find sit and down such great commands if you should need to stop a dog in its tracks.

Karen - don't staffs stay adolesent for.... ALWAYS??? ;)

Emmmmm. You know you might have hit the nail on the head there Wishfairy, maybe that's why I've always had Stupid Staffords :D

Karen