Here goes, I can't show Louis at KC shows as his testicles haven't descended yet ( slight bulge so it is happening and he def. has 2 :) ) I can show him at companion shows though can't I?
The thing is, I walk him on a harness as we found that using a collar made him gag a bit and he would bring up a bit of froth after a walk. ( no doubt due to him pulling :( ) On the harness he does pull on occassion but mostly walks very nicely.

So. question 1   Can I show him at companion shows in a harness ?
Question 2  Once testicles are visible, how long til they fully descend?
Question 3 There was another thread about teeth/bite. Do frenchies have their teeth looked at?

Thanx, Colleen

If he is still a very young pup and the bits are making their appearance then I don't think it would hurt to show him at KC events.

I imagine as the mouth is covered in the standard  it would be examined:
Mouth
Slightly undershot. Teeth sound and regular, but not visible when the mouth is closed. Tongue must not protrude.

He'll be 7 months at the end of May, Brainless. They are taking their own sweet time !!!

I wouldn't show him on a harness. It would be difficult to make him show himself as well as possible. Spend time training him to behave when on the show lead, and it should work out allright.
Good luck!
Karen

So he is only 6 months now.  Is late descent common in the breed?  If so then I would think a breed specialist judge would take it into account, though no harm waiting for shows until they are down as long as he is getting ring experience of some kind.

you may find he walks differently on a show lead....I know mine do, and they pull like bloomin trains normally, but are fine in the ring...

just see how he goes, he may surprise you ;)

The Kennel Clubs rules for showing a dog are the same be it Companion, Limit, Open or Championship. There are only two reasons that mean a dog can't be shown and they are Aggression and Infection. Apart from that providing you have not had the natural conformation or coat changed by artificial means you can show your dog. Even if you have had the conformation changed providing you have been given permission to show then you can do so.

This means that you can show a dog with no testicles, non standard colour, wrong type of coat, wrong type of tail or even three legs, mind you if you have your 3 legged dog fitted with a false leg that would need permission.

Mind you whether you would wish to show a dog with a fault is up to you but there is no rule to stop you. In the case of late descending testicles I think you should get your dog into Open shows where the judge will make allowance and it will get the dog used to being shown, nothing worse than trying to show a teenage dog for the first time.

Agree once on show tack he will probably be fine, lots of ringcraft and get him to some show quick.

> you may find he walks differently on a show lead....I know mine do, and they pull like bloomin trains normally, but are fine in the ring...

Totally agree! My boys both pull and gag and choke on their regular walks (despite ongoing 'heel' training ;-) ) whether I take them out together or alone, but when in the show ring Oscar trots along perfectly and doesn't pull at all! Its weird!

Personally, I'd never put any dog on a harness. I'd be very worried about what a harness might be doing to young elbow joints.

Must admit Saxon, ive never had a dog on a harness before. The vet told us to use it cos of his gagging and being frothy sick during walks! Have only been using it the past 5 weeks and without the pressure on his neck he has been fantastic. We've bought  a few harnesses which we haven't used cos of the fit, stiffness etc. The one we use doesn't actually sit behind his elbows ( so I hope doesn't interfere with his joint movement or alignment too much ) but a bit further down his body and is soft. His harness is only used for pavement walking which isn't every day. The rest of the time he is on a flexi with collar for about 5 or 6 mins until we get to the field and then hes free :) :)
Ive also found he doesn't pull at night so I should start getting him used to walking with a collar then although I dont like walking him at night, can be bit of a rough area :(

Have you tried a half choke. I walk all my dogs on them for road work. If the dog doesn't pull, the collar hangs quite loosely around the neck. they soon learn that it's more comfortable not to pull. You must make sure that when the dog pulls and the collar tightens, that it is no tighter than a normal collar would be. I'm sure you could get somebody at your ringcraft to show you how they work. It sounds as though you are being very sensible with regard to your harness and you've obviously gone to a great deal of trouble to get a good one that fits in all the right places. I hope the training goes well for you and you don't have to use the harness for too much longer.