I have entered Obi for his first show on 9th May at Birmingham (now wish I'd started with a smaller show, not sure I feel up to it!).  Can anyone tell me if the show is inside or outside?  If outside I really need to start doing some practice outside!  At least the weather is improving, it's lovely here today! :)

Hayley

It could be either as there is room for both, would have thought that it may well be outside or at least the 'floor dogs' may be outside.

Don't worry too much my very first show dog and I went to our very first show and qualified for Crufts at it, we did not even realise, that was, of course, a Champ show and I expect a good few people at the show will be in the same state as you. You may even find that your dog is better trained than those of some of the old hands who will have a number of dogs and may not got around to ringcraft, believe me I am guilty of that too.

Thanks Jackie, I haven't been to Ringcraft, couldn't easily find one in my area and prefer to concentrate on the puppy training/obedience side of things, as I don't plan to do a tremendous amount of showing, I just want to see if he lives up to his pedigree!  I am lucky that my trainers at puppy training go over him for me, and that he is very sociable for his breed (well, as long as no one touches his feet, still working on that! :D)

What breed is he, not all breeds have their feet touched by any means, some judges pick up my breeds feet and are rewarded by a cold stare, not from me, but from the hound.

He is an Australian Cattle Dog, some of the judges I have seen have picked up the dogs feet, presumably to check they are "cat like", though many do not - probably the one's who know the breed the best, an ACD's version of a cold stare can be a little more severe! :D

There are a number of reasons that a judge will give for lifting the feet, to check that the pads are correct if the standard calls for thick pads, to check that there is hair between the pads if that is asked for and to see the way the pads are worn because that will tell the judge how the dog moves. To my mind unless it is a very important point within the standard it is not necessary unless it is always done in that breed. Dogs do get used to the way they are normally 'gone over' in my breed it is usual to only check the bite and the hounds do find it a bit of a problem if we get the sort of judge that likes to count the teeth and then check the number of tonsils. :)