I am the owner of a dog of show quality. I know nothing about showing and I was wondering if a handler would be interested to show her. May be someone who show their own dog in another breed category. I know owners often get handlers to show their pets in the horse showing world, but does this happen in the dog world?

There certainly are professional handlers in the dog showing world, but in the UK the huge majority of dogs are owner-handled. Different breeds require different handling, so you'd be best either learning to handle her yourself or get help from her breeder. Your bitch will need to go to ringcraft classes to learn the ropes, so when you take her you might well decide to do it yourself!

Why not learn yourself? or ask the breeder to show it for you?

You could get a professional handler to do the job or maybe a junior handler in your area?

However getting someone to handle your dog is not the normal in the dog show world.  Saying that people do and I do handle many peoples dogs.....

Is this the same dog as you were wanting to rehome due to your work committments?

Sorry spanishwaterdog I got in trouble with admin already once for discussing such subject. Thanks to all for replies on professional dog handler though.

Hi Gaelm, dont think admin admonished you for discussing the subject, I think it would be more likely that you were advertising her for re-homing....

Am I right in thinking that what you are looking for in a 'handler' is the complete package....ie; dog lives with handler, showing her for you?  This is not something that tends to happen in the UK, although it seems to be very much the norm in the US...But over there....some handlers are employed by a few owners and pay big bucks for this service....even to the point of supplying the luxury motor homes that are needed to travel the country to shows.....

A handler in the UK is not quite the same....you would still need to keep your dog and look after her, and possibly take her to all the shows you wished to enter her into....the handler would simply would either come with you, or meet you at the show.

hi i was wondering if any body could help me i have agsd bitch i live in west yorkshire i was thinking about showing her as i dont know any thing about it is there any shows i could vist or were i could find out about them a web site o r any thing i would be grate full for your help

Have you been to ringcraft classes?  I would guess they should help... but I couldn't find a suitable ringcraftclas so far.....  Are you in one of the gsd clubs...? I'd also think they could be helpful. They sound good and are a big advantage in having GSD.   WE eveb considered a gsd just because we knew that way we would have good training clubs. But I don't know if they cover showing.

Anyway.... although I'm in W.Yorks too ( NW ) but I very much have the same question as you so I am no help to you!  Sorry.  

thanks any way no not in any clubs she as a good peddigree and thought it might be worth a try

Well depending on where you live there are quite a few Ringcraft clubs in West Yorkshire...  and with a GSD you are made! There are so many specialising in the breed and offering loads of training opportunities.

If I was you I'd contact  Wakefield the West Yorkshire German Shepherd Dog Club, they meet in WAkefield , but if that is no good they might be able to point you the right way. 

<a class='url' href='http://www.westyorkshiregsdclub.co.uk/entryform.php'>http://www.westyorkshiregsdclub.co.uk/entryform.php</a>

There is a GSD club in Wskefield, Huddersfield, Bradford, Leeds,

There is a good dog club in Wakefield , Ossett , which also does ringcraft... it is too far for me or I would go there.. 

This site lists some ringcraft clubs too.  Also the KC can give you a list of  the ones registered with them.
<a class='url' href='http://www.bestofbreeds.com/clubcorner/dogs/ringcraftclubs.htm'>http://www.bestofbreeds.com/clubcorner/dogs/ringcraftclubs.htm</a>

Sorry will just add the 2 GSD clubs in West Yorkshire (BAGSD and I have forgotten the name of the Wakefield one) both have ring classes.

I think that most of the GSD clubs in the different areas have ring classes.

Both of the West Yorkshire clubs are excellent !!!!!!

They both reconstruct an outside ring, you have different judges going over your dogs, lots of dogs turn up, and there are loads of very successful handlers and championship judges to point you in the right direction.

Its lovely to meet up with people who love a breed as much as you.

Its just a shame that I have not found a similar set up for my other breed :'-(

Its just a shame that I have not found a similar set up for my other breed :'-(
... when I saw you seem to know a lot about WY  clubs I was hoping you would know sonme none GSD ringcraft clubs too!
We really were intending to get a GSD as our next dog just because the clubs are so good.   But we felt because the breed is so popular there had been poor breedeing over the years so we would have wanted to research the breed and very carefully first. There was a breeder way down in the South we were interested infinding because at one time we knew several of her dogs and they were all totally  smashing.  However our dog died young and suddenly and plans went out of the window and we forgot about the shortage of good clubs for other breeds when chose our next pups different breed.

Most Ringcraft are not helpful... they do expect you to know what you are doing and don't actually run classes... more just drop in and have a chat with friends have a smoke and a drink and show your dogs. Great if you are already into this and like smokey club halls and want new drinking buddies  for a night out but too hard for beginner like me who really would just at the moment like a simple  beginners training class.

Trouble is there aren't enough begginers to hold classes for :D

If yoru ringcraft is unsupportive of newcomers then there won't be any either.

I would ask them point blank for help with the basics (many just assume you know) as you are paying for it.

I doubt they would refuse you.

Hi I know of a few clubs in this area.

One is in Wakefield, and the people are very friendly.  However in this ring it is more about getting the dog to go around the ring properly for a handler, and not with yourself as the handler.

There is another club in Huddersfield.  Although a couple of people within it have handlers the rest of the people handle their own dogs.  They also do obedience and agility on a Sunday.

There is another club in Wakefield that has a show night, but I have never been to this before.  The hall is rather small though, and so I expect that it would only be OK for topping up on general open show training.

There is also a 'match night' once every month at another Huddersfield club, and this is like an informal show.  You put your dog against 1 dog, and the winner goes against the other winners.  This is also indoors.

What 'type' of GSD have you got, because from what I have seen the 3 different types are handled in  2 or 3 different ways.

Until you know how to handle your GSD I can only recommend training it so it will allow its mouth to be opened, and its teeth to be inspected by a stranger :-)

so if you know nothing about showing, then how do you know the dog is of show quality??