My question is when you to to a champ show do you have to bench your dog or can you just keep him/her with you until it is your turn to go in the ring? Thanks.

LOL strictly speaking the dogs are meant to be on the benches except for exercise & being in the ring

In reality my cavaliers never see their benches/cages !

How much excersise does your dog need?  Mine need a lot and so are with me a lot of the time at champ shows and I walk them about inbetween judging.  Other than that they rest in thier cage.  I find leaving them on the bench invites visitors to touch them and being an excitable breed they can get tied up in thier chains.  I have never been approached or asked why my dogs are not on the bench and if I was I would say they need to walk about.

Mine are benched 99% of the time .They are supervised 100% of the time and only removed from the bench for the ring and for a chance to relieve themselves.Dogs do not need exercise at a show...it is a long day and a bench is the ideal place for a dog to rest.Some people do choose not to use their benches for several reasons....it is also dependant on the breed as some breeds benches are always empty and others are full apart from 'showtime'

I have always felt that 'exercise' in this context, means 'toilet'.

Dawn R.

<<<<How much excersise does your dog need?  Mine need a lot and so are with me a lot of the time at champ shows and I walk them about inbetween judging>>>>...thats a lot of cleaning up LOL
Archer

I don't do the benching thing either with my dogs ;)  I figure since the majority of champ shows are in the Midlands and that's a 6/7 hour journey in a car crate each way for them they ain't going on a bench simply because they've had a stilted walk through a car park, entrance gate and all the paraphernalia that seems to burden most show goers and keep movement to a sluggish trot at best.

I take soft cages for sitting back from the ring out of anyone else's way - the dogs can be in or out depending on how they feel and what the weather's like, but mostly if they're not having a wander around in a distant spot they are loose at my feet (well, still on leads obviously - just not caged LOL).  I sometimes use the benching at LKA because it's good and handy for the rings and we're usually staying for at least two nights down there anyway so the dogs have a 5 minute car journey there and back.  The only show I would always bench for is Crufts (for their own safety) and they are in metal cages for that - but it's not my favourite place to take them so often as not I don't go or I leave them at home.

Like you, nobody has ever asked why they're not on a bench - but it's pretty common in my breed for them to be mainly deserted.  Regards, Teri :) 

I usually benched my boy because my friend used to tell me to keep him quiet and not let him wear himself out, and if he is out with all the other people he doesn't rest. But last champ show she told me to bring him out and not leave him alone on the benching (I was just saying hello and was going to go back to sit with him!). Ah well, talk about hard to please! :-D

It is a matter of personal judgment.  Yes most of the shows are a 6 hour journey from my home and to go from 3 one hour walks a day to total non activity makes them totaly hyper and miserable.  Toileting at shows in the excersise area is a bit of a joke.  Even Crufts has an excersise/toilet area of about 30 ft by 10 dotted about here and it is really sodden and smelly quite early in the day.  They are not toileting when walking about or near the ring, if there is an accident it is quickly cleaned up.  My dogs are by nature drovers they were bred to track lost cattle for miles in the hills, sitting all day in a show is alien to them. 

I do know that other breeds are happy to sit and sleep a lot of the time, but as my post states that my dogs rest in the cage when not excersising or showing.  They are never left on thier own.  You all know what suits your dogs best, living with them 24 hours a day, and all I can say is you have to do what you know is best for them.

As a lone exhibitor I wouldn't be without it.  I wonder how on earlth people get away with having crates at the ringside at Championship shows, as often there is so littel room aroudn our rings for people to get by.  I would hate to ahve to cart a crate as well as dogs and bag to champ shows, it is for me the maion disadvatage of the Open shows.

Have to agree with you on that one Brainless.

Crates should be removed from around the showing area as generaly you can find a grooming area close by where crates can be stored and you can keep an eye on the ring as well.  I have seen stewards ask people to move crates from inapropriate areas, but leave them by the ringside.  It can be a bit of a nightmare if you have got dogs barking at ring side and intimidating shy dogs in the ring.

When we are at the ringside waiting for our class we keep well back from the actual ring.  Mostly because many of the dogs know each other and will try to get out of the ring to say hello, most unfair on the exhibitors.

My dogs are in the grooming area & do not bark at the ringside. The logistics of taking two toy dogs, a crate for each then running between the ring & the bench when the dogs are in classes one after each other are impossible. Most shows no longer provide cages for the cavaliers(& if they do they are not safe)& after having a dog tampered with at a show despite someone being there I prefer to have my dogs were I can keep an eye on them when I am in the ring

echo that

I was also paranoid about leaving my dogs alone on a bench so i used to sit with them or take them with me.  When showing i made my poor old mum stand guard.  I was always benched next to a top winner in our breed and her dog had been threatened, so i was always afraid that something might happen to mine because we were next door.  I also liked to think that i was helping the top dog as well because of always having someone there.