hi all ive entered my bitch bullmastiff in a show in childwall liverpool on the 4th of december
as this will be my first show any advice would be appriciated

thanks

we entered our first show this weekend gone, so to prepare I attended ringcraft for a while, had my 'show' bag prepared days before lol. For the show we turn up nice and early which for me help to get my bearings, and allowed my dog to settle in the new surroundings before going into the ring. I watched a couple of earlier classes to see how the judge was getting dogs to move, and lining up. Once its your turn just try to enjoy it, and remember you have the  best dog, and the judge may or maynot agree , and that is only their opinion.

Hope you have a fab day

Tommy

Hi Andy,
I take if you have entered the Bullmastiff Champ show.
I would normally be there but I'm not going this year.
First thing I would say, is just relax and enjoy it. Get there in plenty of time, Bitches are normally judge after lunch,  then you can see other classes and what the judge is asking the people showing to do, eg:is she asking for a triangle and then up and down, is she making all the dogs move around together first etc you will then get an idea as to what you need to do.
You will alos have time to talk to a few people and get them to give you some help and advice re: standing our dog.
Good luck, let us know how you get on.
Regards
Karen

yeah im attending that show lollie
i wanted to take her to ring craft but cant find any so decided to have a go training her myself
shes well behaved and is doing alright she get a little bit excited around new people but
im hoping she will calm down after being there for a bit
any tips on what to do and what not to do

thanks

also what chain and lead should i get
i was planning on getting her a choke chain and a leather handled lead

is this sutible or not

I show my bullmastiffs on a finer choke chain than normal and a leather lead about 1/2in thick and very supple so you can fold it up in the palm of your hand when standing your dog. Some people use the Half check leather collars, it's really personal choice.
Look at this web site - Luxway I get all my show leads and collars from them for the bullmastiffs.
This is the link for the choke chains -  http://www.luxwaycanine.co.uk/products.aspx?r=0&c=28
This is the link fo the leads -  http://www.luxwaycanine.co.uk/products.aspx?r=0&c=2
Karen.

Where abouts in Liverpool are you?  You could do with going to ringcraft so she's used to people going over her etc.

My ringcraft is in Skelmersdale,just off the M58. Run by a man called Bob (Ch show Judge).
We get all sorts of shapes and sizes of dogs, from Chihuahua to Great Dane. its on a Wednesday evening 8-10. PM me if you want the address.
Paula x

> i wanted to take her to ring craft but cant find any so decided to have a go training her myself

Gosh you're brave!  I went to ringcraft, got advice and hands on training from my breeder, watched lots of shows to see what I was expected to do, and read a load of books too      ...and still got confused about when to go in the ring and when to move! :)

I noticed you are transferring ownership at the moment - presumably from the original breeder.  Can they give you some support?  Do they show?

If you are able to get hold of them there are few good books on the subject which explain how to move your dog, where to stand, what to expect etc but breed specific advice may be best.  Showing Dogs: The Exhibitors' Guide by Juliette Cunliffe and Collins Dog Showing: From Beginners to Winners by Robert Killick.  Both quite informative and should be available in your library if you want to take a closer look first, although Amazon is generally pretty cheap

Do try and get to a ringcraft class though it's a great way to acclimatise your dog to being gone over and moving in close proximity to other dogs.  Perhaps someone here can recommend one to you?  Good luck

Yes, you can certainly get her used to standing and trotting nicely by yourself, and if you have an other half or some handy friends you can even practise having them 'go over' her a bit, but there's no substitute for ringcraft for getting her used to strangers looking in her mouth, touching her all over, seeing loads of different breeds and strange dogs and still having to pay attention to you and do as you ask.

hi all the poeple i got her of dont show there dogs so they cant give me any advice
also i dont drive so will be taking public transport to the show
im from walton in liverpool
ive got her walking with her head up and trotting well in the last few days she fine with people touching her
shes fine with other dogs but does pay a bit too much attention to them eg she gets excited
and shes not too good around the mouth area as she doesnt even like me touching at her mouth
so a bit of time will be spent on that part
im not goin expecting to win anything just for the experiance really

I went to ringcraft, got advice and hands on training from my breeder, watched lots of shows to see what I was expected to do, and read a load of books too      ...and still got confused about when to go in the ring and when to move!

LOL...we went a breed show this last weekend, and I had all three dogs with me with two dogs entered. Quite apart from having trouble with the concept of seen dogs and embarrassing myself, the madness of extracting one dog from the crate and zipping the others back in, I nearly missed his last class and the last straw was when I was still stood there over my dog getting him to stand when I heard the judge (couldn't see, hair all hanging in my face...) "Number 14, yes, you--don't look so surprised!" Surprised? More like nearly died of shock...I'd have been a corpse with a big grin, though :)

Hi andy , Im from walton i have 2 boxers and we go the the merseyside boxer club which is on wednesdays every week at 8 in jacobs social club long lane. They do general obediance and then ringcraft they also have monthly rallys which is like mini shows ! which is good for building your and the dogs confidence and gets them used to what they shud expect in the open and championship shows. There are all types of breeds that attend the club and also bullmastiffs ! have a look at there website its http://www.merseysideboxer.com . Natalie

Lol at Jay - I've had the 'don't look so startled' comment from the judge a couple of times - I do try not to look gobsmacked in case they think they've made a mistake and change their minds!

just read the post on my other topic natalieh yeah thanks for letting me know i will be there on the 17th

Hi Andy,
Just to let you know I will be at the Association show on the 4th Dec. So come along and say hi, myself and Lynn will help in any way we can.
I have also PM'd you.
Regards
Karen

Hi Paula. thats bob who I was talking about on the other thread..a few  beardies I bred go to bob for training in skem..small world.

Yes Starryeyes,  i think i have met your babies. Unfortunatly we don't get to ringcraft as often as we would like as OH works nights, but we are good friends with Bob and Irene they show Dallies, lovely people, helped us with our first show dog.
Paula xxx

maybe attending there again soon my friend is about to get a new  B pup not from me ..she is intending to show him so have said will go with her to Skem so may see you there sometime.