Hi

My wife took her first show bred labrador to ringcraft last night as it was her first class it went terribly.  Should she work on lead/heel work first and then progress on to ringcraft movement work with the pup.  She is training it to stand and get used to the hands on assessment work quite well.  Is it possible to get this pup ready for her first show at the end of December
I do hope this has been posted in the right section

She should persevere, pups are usually terribly badly behaved at training clubs/ringcraft at first as there are so many distractions, thats the point of the club - to teach the pup to work no matter what else is going on :) She could be doing several short training sessions a day with the pup at home, keeping it all happy and ending with a game. It helps to have a different show lead than her normal going for a walk lead. Definitely continue with the ringcraft, and even see if theres another club she can go to on another night too. Yes, of course it's possible to have the pup ready for a show in 6 weeks or so - judges will (should) make allowances for playful puppies.

Apologies, I misread your post :rolleyes: She can work on both types of lead walking. The show lead can go on several times a day, in the garden, the house, at the park for a brief session of walking. She can encourage the pup to stay beside her on a loose lead with a treat...holding the treat out in front of the dogs nose will stop her crabbing or looking up. Normal lead walking can be worked on every time she goes for a walk.

Good luck at the first show. It took my youngster a few weeks to realise what she was supposed to be doing, but it didn't really take all that long. She is now 6 1/2 months and was 2nd in the puppy class last weekend. Her first breed class, but not her first show. Her mother was a pain for the first year (or 2 ) If she is a handful she should be forgiven for a little while. Pups will be pups after all. you wouldn't want a robot that gets bored after a few shows, would you? The most important thing is for her to enjoy her day out, no matter how well she does. :)

I assume you are using a different lead at Ringcraft, hope so ;) as then your pup will associate the different leads with a different type of training :) I'd also recommend not teaching "sit" too much as ideally being a Lab, he will need to be able to freestand and not be stacked like most other breeds, sort out what commands you want to use, some, including me use "stand" others use a different word, I found that Ringcraft was a good introduction to showing, but the best training was done at the actual show itself, especially for me(the dog was ok :D ) I'm sure you'll be ready by the end of December, practice looking at teeth and "stand" at home, I did this by using the mirrored oven door or patio doors to see where the feet were and what the outline looked like. Good luck and don't forget to trim his tail

My mum's Pomeranian puppy has got a show in 3 weeks time and she's terrible on the lead, leaps around and plays the fool, but she's still only a baby.  We won't worry about it for a while yet, although she does stand beautifully and my mum's been working really hard getting her to stand on the table.  She did perfectly tonight.  Just have to calm her down on the walking side now :d

Any decent judge should allow for playful puppies, specially something like a Lab surely! :-D I think a well behaved puppy at it's first show is a bit unnatural!

When I've judged puppy classes I've always smiled and been genuinely pleased to see a puppy enjoying it's day out - and made allowances for it as long I can see a few steps of steady movement. However when I'm showing a puppy that leaps around and moves every time you place it's feet it's another matter - it's just as funny but all that sweat isn't :D

I love to see puppies with spirit when i am judging.  So many these days are like little robots and are not allowed to behave as puppies.  Like Tigger2 says as long as there are a couple of steps of steady movement i am happy.  I always tell the handlers don't worry there's plenty of time, just calm down and they will (says the person whose Irish Setter used to show her up something terrible by jumping around barking at me when i showed her as a puppy).

Let them be a puppy first and a show dog second. 

Agree with the above, plus, I find Labs often tend not to keep still even when they are adults and you have to be pretty quick whilst going over them or they get bored easy and are more interested in getting the food from their owners than having you judge them. I certainly wouldn't fault a puppy for moving around as long as I could go over them and hopefully see some signs of good movement even if not for long.

My dobe was a lune in her puppy class at our first breed show and I, was a completely useless novice. Even though I was dragged across the ring with everyone laughing and OH was unable to look, in a class of 13, she still got 2nd!!! They do say let the pup enjoy it and don't make an issue of showing, but make it fun so the pups are happy to show in the future. Maybe the experts are right and she'll do well anyway? Lets face it, if they've got it, they've got it.

My rotti used to play up at shows if she felt like it but only if she had a large audience!!!:rolleyes:
She was a dog with attitude and when she entered the ring no one failed to notice her she just had ring presense and did alot of winning. However she was also well known for acting a clown. She would stand perfectly and then when everything had gone quiet she would jump up use me as a spring board and then land and spin in circles, then she would stand perfectly and start again. :rolleyes:
Of course it would have helped if the onlookers hadn't all laughed at her but she was funny. Unfortunately the more they laughed the more she did it!!!:rolleyes:
It didn't seem to put the judges off she had best puppy awards and best puppy in show awards and then as an adult she had lots and lots of 1sts and her stud book number. Every show report would say this is a dog you cannot fail to notice she is gorgeous and has ring presense. Unfortunately due to me becoming ill her showing stopped but when I did get to a show (2 in 2 yrs whilst ill) she would win a 1st at the champ shows. She moved like a dream. Her sister is a champion and everyone thinks she is better than her sister but we will never know.

My idiot 5 1/2 year old boy played up dreadfully yesterday, so don't worry if your puppy does, just make sure he enjoys his day out and he will gradually learn to behave while still enjoying himself. :-)

I can top that at Richmond my nearly 8 year old bitch was so pleased to be out at a show (she's semi retired)she couldn't contain herself in the ring and was impossible for the judge to go over, as she just wouldn't stand still, he had to see the other exhibits before coming back to her. 

She won her class despite the embarrassing behaviour, but she just wanted to get on with moving around the ring which she loves to do :D

She has always been a handful, often it has worked in her favour and sometimes not.  She has won 10CC's and two championship Group places and a champion stakes overall at a champ show.

It was her birthday yesterday.

Aw Happy birthday to her Barbara, i do adore the veteran classes i must admit they have such grace yet eagerness its like oh yes let me go round that ring NOW! as if it was always their true vocation in life :)

That sounds a fun day brainless, and what a fun girl she must be. Happy Birthday to her,

It was rather embarrassing as the next class was puppy, and of course my Myka has had no ring craft and is having to pick things up at the shows, so she was a fidget too, as had been champing at the bit ringside watching me in the ring. 

When it came to open with Jozi's daughter but Myka's Mum the judge commented with a smile "oh a well behaved one at last!"

Funnily enough it was the naughty ones who won their classes :D, though these were not as strong as I think a full compliment of champions in Open.