Anyone wanna tell me about what the first things you need to do to get into showing are?? And are there any costs involved?? What exactly happens and how do you know what to do? lol
I have never had any links with showing and dont know anyone who is involved in it so any info would be appreciated :)

Get a dog that has breed type and is sound and join a ringcraft class and a breed club who will help you learn and tell you how to proceed. What breed do you have/getting. Someone with that breed will give you more info. each breed has it's own way of showing, sort of lead used, style of grooming etc. It can be good fun and is worth the effort of learning.

Ummmmmm First you need to buy a ...... DOG ;-)

If you buy a show quality animal, hopefully from a breeder who shows, then they will be able to advise you. Your next move is to join a local ringcraft class. Here you will pick up the "tricks of the trade" and get information, amongst other things, about the shows that will be scheduled. Showing dogs can be an expensive hobby, but there are different levels that you can compete at, so the costs vary.

HTH :-)

Twilly.

If you already have a dog, let us know what breed, and maybe someone who posts can give you some advice. Generally speaking though, the dog has to be registered with the Kennel Club, and cannot be shown until it is 6 months of age, although you can take it to puppy training before that. To find out what shows are on you can buy either Our Dogs or Dog World which are weekly papers. It is always a good idea to go to some shows to see what goes on, and if you can go to a championship show which is divided into breeds, you can see how your chosen breed is shown and handled, what you should look for in that breed, and speak to some of the exhibitors, who are generally always ready to help, BUT NOT AS THEY ARE ABOUT TO GO INTO THE RING.

Hope this helps,

Chrissie.

ok im back with a new registered name lol
I knew someone would tell me to get a dog first! :P
I'm looking to get a female yellow labrador in the next two months and wanted to look into showing as it looks really interesting and i've never had any experience in it :)
i posted under 'FowlerIsGod' when i was at work but dont have the password at home (doh!) so i've got a new name now lol

I've seen loads of info on showing on the net but its all in 'technical' terms and nothing to describe them for beginners like how much roughly it costs to enter shows or what the dog needs to be able to do for first shows..does it all depend on the breed and the actual show?

Welcome back Suzi !

Entry fee's for shows vary depending on the level of show for example an Exemption Show entry would cost you well under £5 but a Championship Show entry will cost you over £10. Then you have travelling expenses etc on top of this.

Ideally, your dog will need to be able to stand still when asked (Ringcraft classes will help you with this) and be comfortable being handled by a stranger eg: The Judge.
The Judge will be handling your dog and checking teeth etc etc , so it is best if you can prepare your dog for this contact before you start showing. You can do this quite easily at home too. Get him/her used to being touched all over.
The only other thing to consider is how to move your dog. Again, Ringcraft Classes will be able to guide you as to the speed etc for your chosen breed and help you get the best out of it.

Twilly :-)

ah cool - god i was expecting it to cost loads! - like £50+ :O lol
What shows have u taken part in twilly?? and with which breed?

And how did u know my name? :P

I never had the misfortune to live without having a dog around until my familys lab x got put down a few years back! It took me another year to stop looking behind me for her it was so depressing not having someone miss u when u got home from school and love having your attention!
Now I'm really hyper about getting a dog!! Cant Wait :)
The only scary part is that i'm not used to having a puppy so hope its not got any behavioural problems! lol I can just see myself pulling my hair out... ;)

No, it doesn't have to cost heaps but it will if you decide to enter more than one class and buy the catalogues etc etc :-)

I have been showing on and off for the last 15 years, but my main interest is in working dogs in the field. I have German Shorthaired Pointers and Bracco Italiano.

The bracco makes his show debut at Windsor Champ. at the end of the month.

I wish you luck with your puppy when you get it ..... sure you will have years of fun with it too :-)

And don't forget , the vast majority of "Behaviour" problems are caused by "handler error" ;-)

Ciao,
Twilly.

hope your not implying i'd teach it bad manners :P lol

LOL .... would I ;-)

Hi Suzi, bet The Wanderers gave you a fright in the cup!!!

J :p :D

I never doubted our skill *cough cough* :)
still in shock that we won anything!!

My dad wants me to call my dog Heskey!! :| more of a fowler fan myself though