Page 42 - Chow LIfe - Fall 2021.pdf

by Sandy Weaver

Did you watch Westminster? Did you love
eavesdropping on the judges as they talked
to the exhibitors? Did you notice a recurring
theme? Most of them, including Best In Show
Judge Pat Trotter, asked the handlers to gait
their dogs at a reasonable speed. Did you catch
that? And do you know why nearly all the
judges referenced speed at some point in their
conversations?
From Pat Trotter on down, the judges’
instructions included gaiting speed because
many, if not most, handlers move their dogs too
fast. That makes nearly every dog look worse in
motion than it really is. When the dog is moved
too fast, the judge either has to ask the handler
to regait the dog more slowly or try to imagine
what the dog might move like if it was moved
at the correct speed. Since judges are on a tight
schedule, they can’t afford the time it takes to
regait nearly every dog, so there’s a whole lot of
imagining going on in the ring.
How fast is too fast? It depends on the breed and
In horsemanship and dressage, the outline and the individual dog. There is simply no substitute
carriage of the horse is called the frame, and for video as you train with your dog; set up
the goal is to keep the horse in its frame as the your phone, push “record” and gait your dog
rider moves through the paces in the class. at the speed you think is right. Treat your dog,
This creates a picture of sound, elegant power let it sniff around while you watch the video to
in the horse and quiet control in the rider. In see how it looked, and try again at a different
the conformation ring at a dog show, isn’t that speed to see what happens–shooting video with
a picture you’d like to create? For most dogs, every practice run. Start with the down and
moving too fast breaks them out of their frame back, finding the speed where the dog looks its
and they can look like a hot mess going down, absolute best, and then practice that speed a
back and around.
few times to help you remember the feel of it.
Why do handlers move so fast? Maybe it’s ring This is called muscle memory, and you need it
nerves, or maybe it’s trying to keep up with the just as much as your dog does. Since you’re in
dog ahead of them. Maybe they’ve seen famous charge of gaiting speed in a welltrained dog, you
handlers move fast and think they need to move need to practice the down and back speed with
fast, too. Whatever the reason, most handlers and without your dog until you know it in your
move their dogs faster than is appropriate for muscles without having to think about it.
that dog, resulting in a picture that doesn’t Once you have the down and back speed figured
represent how the dog is made. When the dog out, work on the go-around speed. Again,
moves too fast, foot-timing can falter, crabbing you can set up your phone or you can have
can creep in and poor toplines can pop out someone hold it and shoot the video for you.
on what is truly a better dog than the judge If you have the space, the best way to find the
is seeing. Otherwise reasonable fronts right go-around speed is to have a friend hold
can look like eggbeaters and rears can your phone as you run in a ring-sized circle
overreach or fly up too high behind.
around them. They can rotate along with you
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