Hi,

Hoping someone can clarify the minimum age for a child entering Junior Handling at a show.  I have picked up a schedule that says Up to 11 years (no minimum given).  I was always under the impression it was 6 years (& have told my soon to be 5 year old this).  I have no plans on letting her loose on my dogs yet (the longer I can put this off the better, however good she may be with them, it's my day off from the kids!) but seeing this schedule has set me thinking.

Cheers

Caroline

I think it is 6-11 and 12-16 if I remember right, seems such a long time ago that I was doing it!!

On no, which breed is she going to get her hands on :d :d  Though I'm sure at some open shows I've been to they've either been very small 6 year olds or there's no real age limit!

yep its 6-11 and 12-16....
Katie doesnt want to do it anymore.......Having trouble getting her to even do the breed ring at the moment..Roxy went quite well for her last night at ringcraft trying to kid her to take her in the ring at LKA....

Katie did super with Roxy last night!  Santa won't bring her any presents if she doesn't take her in the breed class at LKA!

Oh and thanks for my elves!!! haven't laughed so much in ages!

:d :d they're good them elves aren't they.  On the website I found them on, which is a gundog one nearly everyone's elved themselves and they really are quite a laugh!

Well I would have like everyone else said 6 - however, read a handling report in Our Dogs tonight from a breed show and the under 12's had a 3 year old mentioned - I would ring the secretary to check to be sure!

Cheers!  I'm not letting her loose just yet, but saw that there wasn't a minimum & thought perhaps I was being mean not letting her have a go before she was 6.

Thought I'd send her over to Terri's, she was giving Gollie commands when she was 3!  She's very gentle with the TT on a lead so will supervise her in the New Year of walking round the garden with Bri (who is very sweet with her).

Jenny, I'll always handle a dog next year for you, give me something to do! :rolleyes:

Haa haa you'll be sorry you said that...I'll give you Merlin to handle and Archie in fact all of them, they could all do with some good training....Can I send them to you for a few weeks to learn how to behave when they run around the ring and not act the idiots that they are at the moment......Honestly I think the puppies behave better than those two....

You can have blooming Anton.  He's been a BAAAAAAAD boy today!  Got a cut nose all ready for the show on Saturday.  Serves him right though, although I now unfortunately have a very bruised leg :rolleyes:

oooh bad boy Anton, we won't have any of that nonsense young man.  Getting a bit big for his boots is he? 
Jenny, I can't work miracles on the clown twins but I can cling on to the end of the lead & pray (that's what you do isn't it?!!!!)

Hmm wouldnt say it was praying....more like cursing them under my breath.hee hee...

You are more than welcome to play with any of them next year if you and I are at the same shows......

Can't wait to see them all on Saturday!  I've put my big foot in it and said I'll show Brigit as Lynn wasn't going to take the nutter :d :d  I must be mad!

Hee hee, yep def mad...Mind you Roxy normally goes around the ring bouncing like a kangaroo, Graci who knows what she'll do first show and all that...
Merlin was like a demented thing last time and Archie well who knows what he'll do too...!!!

Think I'll stay in bed instead of getting up at some unearthly hour to get a reasonablly close space in the car park and then waiting around for 4 hours or more, drinky..hmm thats OK, then traffic home plus a detour to Somerton in Oxfordshire to pick up a table and chairs that we hope will fit in the van with the dogs, crates, etc etc....

Mad comes to mind !!!!!!!

Going back to the original question I am pretty sure that 6 is the minimum age at KC events, for safety reasons I would imagine.

My breed is just medium size with bitches at 20kg and I wouldn't let my very tall well grown daughter handle a sensible adult until she was 8 years old as the dog weighed more than she did.  I think common sense needs to be sued and I hate to see small tots with large dogs handling.  their own dog may be perfectly well behaved.

At one show my daughter by now 10 years old was having a terrible time with a Pyrenean handled by a small child goosing our bitch in the ring at an Open show, she had to spend more time avoiding this dogs attentions than showing her dog.

Yes that's  a good point actually.  I'm sure once I start dd holding the lead in the garden common sense will kick in (which often leaves me when I'm sitting at the pc thinking about things). 

With all things that I get involved in I try not to run before I can walk so I can't see me letting her show for a good few years yet, however competent she may be.  Besides, I enjoy my rare childfree days & I did tell her she wasn't allowed to come to a show with me until she was 10 & could behave herself all day like Katie does.  Won't start on my rant of badly behaved children at shows, I'm fortunate that there aren't any in my two breeds (yet!)

cheers all

Caroline

Don't think they'll be any in our breed yet :d :d  NO, and DON'T LOOK IN THIS DIRECTION, mum and dad do that enough as it is :d :d