well I wrote about what collars to use while showing DDB's. I was wondering if anyone had a very exciteable "puppy" to show? Mine is 14 months old, but weighing in at 60kg, he can be silly when he wants to play with everyone around him. I am going to start ringcraft to get him use to everything. Last weekend we went to a fun dog show, and we couldnt show off his pearly whites to the judge as he was too excited. Trying to give kisses... But he did really well with everything else. He was well behaved. Just wondered if anyone else went through this? And how long till they calmed down?

How long is a piece of string? I have one that never calmed down. Oh, she would move ok, would sit as soon as I stopped (not good in the ring ;-) ) and absolutely loved showing, BUT just wanted to have a laugh, right up until she died. I also have one that would go round the ring on springs :-D No 2 feet on the ground at the same time :-) She did eventually settle down, but we had a lot of hard work in sorting her out. Oh, and she started ringcraft at 13 weeks of age :-) I also have a couple who will go really well, and always have, so long as I go at the right pace for them.

Dogs aren't robots and I hate the ones that go round and just stand and behave themselves perfectly as 6 month olds. You need a bit of life (sparkle ;-) ) in a good show dog. So long as there isn't any nastiness.

phew, I am glad I am not the only one. Some of the dogs in the last fun show were like robots! They didnt even bat an eyelid when the judge touched them or looked at them. They just stood there. Which is good for a show dog I guess, but it kind of made me feel like I had a misfit in the ring! Even though it was for fun. But I am sure we will get there in the end! Its fun anyways :)

DDBs are a law onto themselves I'm afraid lol. Mine is a 2 year old juvenile delinquent! I have been showing dogs for 30 years and never had one so naughty. He thinks everything is a joke-we place front legs then the back so he moves his front-we place again then he moves the back-we place again so he leans forward and puts his head right down I finaly get his head up and he leans back so he looks like a rocking horse! When time comes to move I am so exhausted from bobbing up and down like a jack in a box that I can barely run round the ring.lol We are affectionally known by my friends .........as the floor show!

It's much, much better to have a dog like this than one that backs off the judge -that is SO hard to deal with, and it's extremely common in my breed (Malinois) from about 8 to 18 months. At the moment I have a Papillon (lots smaller than yours LOL) who is like your dog and it feels like a relief.  :) I intend to just keep practicing a standing still in lots of different situations.

I was told when I had a bouncy youngster 'Its easy to pull them back than pull them forward' and having had both, I'd rather have the former than the latter!    It's a lot harder to try & get a reluctant dog to show than the bouncy one to be controlled.

Don't try to calm him down too much, that will come with age & experience. It's much better to have a bouncy youngster that becomes an adult up on his toes looking alert, than to have a well behaved youngster than becomes an adult dragging around the ring looking bored stiff. :-)