Not sure if that is what they are called!!
Where will I get a benching chain for ch shows.

thanks
roni

You will get them at the champ shows they cost about £4.
and yep they are called benching chains :-)

thanks Carolyn

what is a benching chain ? sorry to sound stupid

It's a chain to fasten to the show bench and clip to your dog's collar to secure him there. A chain is better than a lead because leads can be chewed through and the dog get loose.
:)

thanks for that

Hi Roni, i'd take your dogs bed with you aswell or they'll just be lying on the wood on there bench.

Warm regards Susan

A benching blanket will do fine, especially if they park you half a mile from the benches and you have to carry everything!! ;)

Yes I do take blankets we also take thier crates too..... I know theyre not supposed to be in thier crates but I use it as a grooming table too.

Roni

Roni, why do you think that they are not supposed to be in crates? You can crate your dog at a show if you want to, there is no rule saying not to.

Dawn R. :)

I meant ...... I thought they should be on the benches not crated.
I didnt use the benches either but wasnt sure if I was breaking the rules by crating ,thats why I asked where to get Chains from.

With Ch shows being new to me wasnt sure if it was quite common to crate or keep the girls with me. I wouldnt leave my girls alone on the benches anyway where I go they go !

You would have to put the crate on the bench, as the dogs are menat to be on their benches except when being taken for a wee, grooming or being exhibited.

They have to be on view so the crates are not allowed to be covered, so that would rule some of the light crates of solid canvas as opposed to mesh.

I KNOW they are <<supposed>> to be on thier benches that is why I asked the question ....at the WKC about 95% of dogs were not and most people had set up elsewhere around the ring with the dogs in crates or sitting next to them.

Just wondered what breed you are in as certainly in my breed most dogs were benched except when the breed was in the ring.

We have Beardies.

With a breed like ours where the bredentry at a Championship show will be 40 to 70 dogs having most of the entry rignside does not cause a problem, but in soem of the numerically or physiclaly large breeds it sure does cause a problem if they are asound a rign, especially id only two sides of a ring are available and gangways are soon blocked.

At one show, Richmond it was we were being followed into the ring by a groomed toy breed.  We arrived at our ring (long way from benches) with our dogs only to find the next breed had camped out around our ring with cages and grooming tables, leaving nowhere for our own dogs and exhibitors. 

We asked them to move ad they were most indignant and we needed to get the situation resolved by the organisers, very bad manners.

You can put their crates on the benches. That's perfectly allowable.

mine wouldnt fit I take a large one for the two of them !

It seems to be a breed thing that some breeds just dont use the benches, ones I have noticed are Golden Retrievers and Spinones.  The owners seem to set up camp outside the ring with their chairs, dog crates and big umbrellas spread out along with dogs staked out and blankets everywhere,  you have to step over dogs and end up stepping on blankets etc.  Whats the problem with just using the benches ? I know with some breeds they do provide a cage/grooming area but this is usually for the smaller breeds, im just really curious as to why some breeds seem to think they dont need to use benches when it is a KC rule

If you had gone through what we went through about 5 years ago at Birmingham (Perry Park) Ch. Show, when a bitch that we bred was stolen together with the BOB winner, from out of their cages on the benches, by a group of children.  She was taken although the BOB was retrieved by an exhibitor, and was missing for a few hours, she was finally found the other side of Birmingham by the police, in a houseful of dogs of all breeds.  You would realise why a lot of people prefer when they have a number of dogs with them to have them within eyesight at all times.

I for one am prepared to break the KC Rule if it means the protection of my dogs.

NOt to mention how every year dogs are drugged before going into the ring :(  or let off benches by idiots, or anything else.  I personally do bench my dogs but lucky to be in a family of 4 where atleast 2 people go to the show, and upto 5 people go (take friend) so always someone to sit with dogs!  if for some reason no-one can sit with dogs then a friend nearby will watch them...however I normally end up sitting at benches (groomer of all our dogs!) and so end up being asked "can you watch so n so for me for awhile"  At least the dogs are safer.... with someone with them!

Hey, im all for breaking rules, its just gets my back up when you have to climb over peoples dogs to get into the ring and they give you such filthy looks.  At Bournemouth we had to step over the Spinones and ended up treading on their owners stuff just to get into the stakes ring.  Some dogs could get nasty having another dog step over them.  We are lucky in our breed in that there is always someone there to keep an eye on the dogs.  If you bench dogs in cages though surely you could just padlock the cage ?

Yes we could, but it is actually quite easy to open a cage and get a dog out without opening the door, plus the risk of what happens in the case of fire or a tent blowing down if the dog is padlocked in precludes that.

If there is no other way then I will padlock, but it is against my better judgement.  To be hones like Ice Queen there is someone usually willing to watch over them in the benching areas, but if there isn't then they stay in their cages on the trolley with me close to ringside.

Had chat once with a member of the general committee of the Kennel Club about risk of fire, bombs etc at Crufts and other indoor shows, and he was of the opinion that the exhibitors would be forced to leave the premises without dogs.  No way no how was my answer they'd have to drage me out kicking and scraming before I would leave my dogs, so the delay if they were padlocked could be crucial in those circumstances.

I for one need the benches as I am a lone exhibitor with usually two dogs.  As I rely on lifts to shows I travel as light as possible, just showbag and dogs.  I in fact find it a real problem if benches are far from the rign when having to change dogs. 

At one show I inadvertently had the judges lady freind holding my dogs while I was in the ring with the other exhibit (and I went Best Bitch/BOB and Res Best bitch), I simply asked the only person sitting dogless ringside if they would hold a dog as the benches were to far to go back to.

Hi ClaireyS,

In my breed it's fairly common for at least 50% of the entry to be in cages near the ring - have to say that our exhibitors are a pretty fair bunch and don't block the ringside up with clutter or block the entry to the ring.  Folks tend to stay back a fair bit from the ring and sit in groups so that those exercising or exhibiting their dogs still usually have a few folks nearby able to keep an eye on unattended dogs ;)

At some shows where the layout really hasn't made that possible and I've benched my dogs (still in cages) I have padlocked them but wouldn't again after a tent nearly came down at WELKS one year :(  Luckily (although it does away with the safety from theft situation) benching cages are easily pulled off even with the dog inside so instead of searching for a padlock key I whipped the cages off and got the dogs out of the side doors.

I think it's a matter of personal choice but if an exhibitor IS concerned for whatever reason, I have no problem with them having their dogs and other paraphernalia near the ring.  Likewise I appreciate that for some people showing more than one dog necessitates using a bench and I don't think badly of them for doing so - it's just what suits best and to me the rules don't come into it - my dogs comes first.  Regards, Teri :)

I had my champion beardies coat cut whilst she was on the bench & I was in the ring & my friend turned his back for a minute they cut off half her beard including her whiskers & this was at Crufts !

Most Beardie people tend to set up their cages in the grooming areas.  Don't know why but it has happend at every show I have been to Champ Shows as well.  When we go to the ring side we take the dogs with us we never leave them alone - they need to be moved about for exercise anyway.  When not 'exercising' one of us stays by the cage.  Never had any complaints from stewards etc.  You just need to be sensible.  If you are doing anything you should not be doing someone will let you know.  Don't worry too much there is always some one around who wants to share knowledge at a show and help new people along.

I have just had an idea, Which I think with help might just be possible.

How about if the tents were "manned" by having afew extra stewards walking around the benching areas making sure everything is ok.  It will also possibly help prevent the use of non water products and any other "banned" substance that changes the dog's colour/texture!!!

I think it would help and make people wary!!!!!

I think as long as the dogs are caged then its not a problem its when they are spread out everywhere and people are having to step over them that gets me