I have a dog show primer from the USA where it says that double handling is expressly forbidden in the States. Today I showed my bitch in Luxembourg Dog Show, and everyone except us was double handling.

How is it in your country?

Katie

it is not supposed to happen but it does and there are worse offenders in some breeds than others,
carol

im going to sound daft now but what does double handleing mean regards dawn

Double handling is when you have person or persons outside the ring attracting the dog.

It was completely insane around the Doberman ring. There were people yelling, yodeling, shaking bottles filled with coins, squeezing quietch toys, waving bones and snacks and treats, it was a mayhem. The dogs were so overstimulated, they were practically bouncing off the carpet.

The worst was that someone in the class before ours threw several tidbits on the floor of the show ring and didn't pick them up, then when we were supposed to line up our dogs so the judge can look, they all wanted to sniff the floor and get the treats instead. So unfair!

I was the only sole handler in the whole day of judging.

Katie

Come on how did you do? :)

Must admit I don't like all that double handling, it is dangerous and with the size of our shows and entries just isn't on, it happens discreetly in a couple of breeds and more openly in one of two others (especially breed club events), and not at all in most.

Go round the GSD ring in Spain and Europe, it's definitely a sight to behold :d :d  I've seen double handling here in the UK which is just slight attraction of the dog but in Spain etc. it's so funny, the whole family will be running around the outside of the ring, going around the ring whilst the dog is being moved and atracting it. 

Hate to say it, but I've seen people running around the GSD ring at open shows here It looks totally mental and is soo obvious :rolleyes: 
Don't know about CH Shows as we're never anywhere near the GSD's or even on the same day :rolleyes:

Couldn't do it even if I wanted to with my own dogs :rolleyes: OH has to disappear well before I go in the ring (we even kiss and say bye ;) ) otherwise the dog would be useless, looking for him kangaroo style, and not show at all :) :)

We were at a local outside show last year and the GSD's were in the next ring to us. I guess judging was about an hour off and a couple of MLHD exhibitors took advantage of the empty ring to put their dogs through their paces as ours had another breed in first.  About 4 GSD's exhibitors went up to them and with voices raised told them to get the **** out as it was their ring.
A while later once their judging had commenced so did the double handling and the nerve of the GSD exhibitors was amazing they did not only confine it to the ring side but were running and hiding between our cages, chairs, shouting and whisling and being down right dangerous, the few who ranted at the MLHD exhibitors earlier being the worst.  People complained but nothing was done about it.
It was appalling to see

That's sad :(  I don't know why some people think they are above all the KC rules! 
The only thing to be done in that situation is to tell the show management.  You can only hope that they are made of strong enough stuff to first warn the exhibitors and then (if they don't stop) to suspend judging altogether until it's quiet or indefinately if they still won't stop. 
I had to do just that on one occasion and believe me the looks and mutterings you get could be quite intimidating!  However, I'm used to it (both physical and verbal attacks) in my job so I just treated them like I would any of my residents :D  They can rant and rave all they like but if the show manager says judging can't continue and is prepared to take exhibitor numbers and names down to report to the KC they soon stop ;).
At the end of the day the whole thing is against KC rules and regs and it's down to the show management as to how it's dealt with.

Debs

went to a show at ingelston and the australian shepherds where next to the gsd ring and the gsd people where whistling and shouting on their dogs etc, the aussie people complained to the show manager who went and had a word with the gsd people, while she was standing there they where quite the gsd people behaved themselves as soon as she went they where back to shouting and whistling, i have been to shows where they use football rattles to attract the dogs attention
i have been asked by some one i know if i would help them train there dog to the sound of their mobile tone , when i asked why they said the dog will then look alert when they have there ring tone playing and it will not be classed as double handling, new one on me ?

just wondering if anyone knows anybody that has been fined or place been taken away from them for double handling
carol

My friend was stewarding at Blackpool for GSD's a couple of years ago when the this practice was going on.  The judge told her to warn all exhibitors that double handling was not permitted and that if she saw it she was stop all judging.  Seems to me the judge MUST be aware of what goes on and put a stop to it like this particular judge did. That is the only way forward.

Yes CC's have been taken from dogs & other placings & not just GSDs

If you watch a lot of breeds there is more subtle double handling going on especially in breeds that need to have their ears up !

I have never allowed double handling & consequently when I have judged it doesn't happen overtly

It even happens in obedience especially the stays when "friends"stand near dogs that might break(it is either as reassurance or threat !)

I was surprised to see that the judge simply ignored it. Sometimes people basically crawled half way in the ring to get the dog's attention! It was a circus...

My bitch Kimmy was in the puppy class with two other bitches. She placed third (= last) :)

By the time it came to our class, I knew the judge preferred altered Dobes because I watched her judging all the males, so it came as no surprise that mine (with natural ears AND tail) placed last after the two docked bitches.

It doesn't matter what place we got, Kimmy was wonderful and amazing and so well behaved, that I am immensely proud of her. She did great! :)

When I looked at all the other Dobes who were entered, with surprise I realized most of them were docked and cropped. They should not be admitted in the ring per law??? I asked the judge's helper casually, if this was really the case, and she said that the show rules allow docked/cropped dogs to enter if the docking/cropping was done from medical reasons. In practice this means, when the owners enter their dogs in the show, they need to ask for an exception from the rules, and submit a written note from the vet, that the docking/cropping was medically necessary.

I would really like to know how is it possible that out of 89 Dobermans that were shown today, at least 90% had docked tail and 75% had also cropped ears, and they all had it done for medical reasons? Yeah, riiight...

I watched the judging of males with interest. In the youth class, there was a beautiful black/rust male from the UK. Docked tail but natural ears. All the other dogs in his class were cropped and docked. He had a lovely gait and posture. His owner/handler was hopeful for a trophy. It came as an unpleasant surprise when her dog was placed last by the judge.

She went back to the judge to ask why. When she came back, I overheard her (okay, I listened in) tell her friends (family???) that the judge said she put him last due to the floppy ears. The British group were pissed off, one of them had another dog entered in a female class, and she exclaimed "I won't bother even showing her, she has natural ears and this judge prefers the traditional look, it's no sense..."

How can cropping of ears be for medical reasons?  I always thought that it was to make the dogs look tough?  What is the medical reason for it?

Well, from what I heard, the owner will say that for example, he shut the car door on the dog's ear and injured it, and to save the ear, it had to be cropped (amputated), same with tail.
Bollocks, of course, but the show organizers accept it...
Katie

Please can I stick my neck out and say not all of us German Sheperdites agree with double handling and if anyone asks yes my dogs are of the international type whose owners are more often than not the culprits.
My girl shows much better if she is calm and settled .at big shows I use a handler and its enough for her just to be able to see me I do move out of the way when she is gaiting just so she doesn,t pull towards me but she was taught to stand from an early age and I think if all show dogs had a little obedience training it would help a great deal when it comes to presenting your dog for examination and showing their teeth to the judge. even when you visit the vets the training comes in useful. whilst I,m on the subject I may as well add the worst day I ever had at a show was at an open show and the Shepherds followed Boxers into the very small ring which consisted of an up and down mat and a triamgle  My dog never got her nose from the ground due to all the bait that had been scattered around .
I,ve no objection to anyone using bait or anything else like squeaky toys but I do think they should leave the floor of the ring clean for the next breed in .
Better do like Liberty does now and go find me tin hat:rolleyes:

LOL it makes me crack up when I watch boxer people chuck big fluffy toys and whole sausages around :D :D

Agree with you, as I own a free standing prick eared breed (so you wnat them looking alert) that being a hunting breed will get their heads down if there is anything on the ground to eat. 

We use bait to get and keep their attention and make them look alert.

Bait should only be given straight to the dog and never thrown.

sitting at boxer ring and lump of liver landed in my tea  YUK
carol

:D :D :D

I agree entirely - thrown bait should be banned.   I was showing my beagle in one ring when she spotted liver being chucked into the air in the ring next to her and couldn't keep her attention from then on. 

They must have some very clumsy owners then, if they manage to shut first one ear and then the other in a car door!

And both at the exact same place, too!

:rolleyes: