Our sbt puppy was doing well with her show training (as can be expected for her age) but at her first open show she freaked when the judge looked at her

Tried to hide behind my leg & even grumbled a bit when the judge tried to look at her teeth.

We do go to ringcraft & get other people to look her over.

Her brother was OK. (Not great but OK)

Could she just have been a bit overwhelmed?

Any other tips to help her as we are going to manchester in a couple of weeks.

Thanx all

Sounds like she was overwhelmed.

At ringcraft does your 'judge' get down to her level?  In the ring you find they often don't and bend over the pup which can be frightening.

When you go to Manchester, get there early and see what the judge is doing, then ask other exhibitors to go over her in the same way, approaching her from a distance.

Good luck at Manchester.
Sandra

From what you said,it sounds like it was just the judging bit where you had trouble, but also have you taken her along to other shows get her used to the atmosphere? It's just it might be that it was all alot for her and the final blow was the judge going over in a strange environment. Ringcraft is great but you find your dog gets comfortable within a familiar surrounding, then at a show its all a bit too much. Just a suggestion. My pup was the other way and too full on. He would see a judge's outstretched arms as a sign of "catch me" and jumped up with licks.
Sandrah gives the best advice. Get there early and get people to go over her, if you can in a spare ring so when the judging time comes she's kinda prepared.  I get there early with mine, to actually get him round the ring and concentrate on what he's doing.
Good luck at Manchester

can i just ask is it the same people every week that go over her at ringcraft, if it is just ask someone else to do it, and ask them to aproach in different manners.you never know the judge may of hand strong perfume or aftershave on, or been smoking before hand dogs can smell many things we can't,
also get people to wear hats and glasses etc, my friends dog had a big problem over the summer, she had only met people without hats and sun glasses on when the summer shows came and judges where wearing hats and glasses the poor little thing freaked out, so we did some major playing with her in club, people with glasses and hats got down to her level and gave her a ball and treats and cuddles, they never looked at her just wanted her to realise people in these things where ok, i know that my collie did not like people with gloves on when they go to stroke him when we are at agility, and when it is -5 you need your golves for training or you may loose your finger tips with cold , so we started with people aproaching him with gloves on and let him sniff them and then they would take the gloves off and then stroke him then we progressed to fingerless golved hands and a sniff and a tickle behind the ears etc and then we are now able to stroke him with gloves on,it is funny what we think of as normal can freak our dogs out, patience can work wonders just take it a step at a time.
carol