Hi,
  I have a 20 month male boston terrier who has attended puppy classes and now ring classes, We practice at home daily, and on the table  at shows he stacks really well and stands well at the line up, But the problem we have with him his he will not hold his head up in the triangle walk, we have used his favourite treats, i have cooked liver cake, not interested in it in the  ring!. balls, squeaks, fluffy toys the lot but still head down, Three different types of lead also been suggested by other people showing there dogs but not much success, Dont know what to do?, have taken him to companion shows where he seems a little better, I know i can get nervous so that can transfer down the lead but other handlers have tried him with the same results, Any suggestions? as i dont want to make him unhappy as he is a great little character usually but does seem to shrink inside himself when showing.

i am also having the same problem at the minute... so any advice that anyone can give would be fantastic... i have a 7month leo pup that is an absolute angel in everyway possible but just won't show himself off

You need to make showing a game, get at a show before judging starts and take him into a ring with show lead on and just have a plat, throw treats or toys about so it is all one huge game. Get him to look at you then throw something and run and fetch it with him. He will soon associate show lead and ring with fun. Do all show training with the show lead on, and I would suggest stringing him up, again do this in play, string up and throw something and both chase after it. Doesnt matter how daft you think it looks you rushing about.

same problem here with my GR pup. Is it allowed for the dog to show (at least when moving) with them holding something in their mouths? Might be completely silly of me, but she just moves SO well when retrieving something!

Hello there

You can actually practice too much!  you say he is already attending ring craft classes and that you practice every day , this may be to much for him and he is finding it all boring and switching off.
I made this mistake with a puppy of mine, now I only take them to ringcraft every now and again and dont practice at all except just before we go into the ring, then the dog is more interested as its all something different and exciting !
Its worth a go, just ease of the practicing before youre next show, see if it makes any difference

Good Luck

Beth

I agree you can prectise too much, and hence the fun goes out of showing. Going to classes week after week isnt necessary, especially if they are also doing shows. As far as letting yr dog hold the lead when moving, no problem at all.

I dont know what you are allowed to use to show your dog on, but the leash I use is a martingale leash.  Also, I place it high on the neck.  Then the head doesnt go down, and if it does, sometimes without resistance from the dog, you can hold it up by having a tighter leash.  Had this problem with Cher when she was younger, always wanting to sniff the ground.  Now, she doesnt put her head to the ground.

Yes, you can practice a bit to much.  I had a friend tell me to put my dogs on the table for 3 hours straight, and that it would get them table trained.  Well, I didnt do it, I thought it was excessive.  I just trained her at meal times with half her ration of kibble and I didnt go to show classes with her.  But if I work her just before she gets into the ring, she is bored with it.  So I dont do anything on the day of the show. 

HTH