Page 30 - 2024 02 Summer

Want To Win More?
Here are 11 Tips
You Might Not Know or Might Have Forgotten
by Sandy Weaver
1. Learn from the successful
breeders that came before you.
People who are coachable and teachable have
more success than those who aren't. Visit with
and learn from the successful breeders in your earth, and as if you are the very best handler
breed. Ask them what traits their dogs have
now that was hardest to produce, litter after
litter. Ask them about the litters that surprised
them–good or bad–and what they learned
about the breed from those litters. Ask them
if you can watch them evaluate a litter, train
a young dog, groom for the show ring, etc.
Be open to learning from those who've been
there, done that–it's your shortcut to success.
2. Communication is key.
Your dog needs to know what you want. It
might make you feel good to tell your dog
what you don't want, but that doesn't help
your dog very much. Catch them doing it
right, then QUICKLY praise and reward. You
know your dog wants to please you–learn
how to help them do it. Quick praising and
rewarding for the behavior you do want gets
good results quickly.
3. Practice.
And then practice some more. Professional
handlers work with their client dogs on a daily
basis. They condition the dogs with mental
and physical exercise, and they work on the
little details of great ring presentation. That's
the major difference between pros and owner
handlers–the work they put in between the
shows. Two or three short, happy practice
sessions per day will make both you and your
dog more confident and professional- looking
when you step into the show ring. It's easy to
just co-exist with your dog; it's not easy to win
if you don't practice.
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4. Expect to win.
Yep, you read that right–expect to win. Walk
into that ring as if you have the very best
Bellowing Flugelhound that's ever walked the
that's ever shown a dog. Confidence counts for
a lot in all aspects of life, dog shows included.
When you're confident, your dog will be more
confident. And when you're confident, you
just might sway the judge a little bit, especially
if they're torn between awarding your dog or
another one. The confidence of the handler
can instill confidence in the judge. Expect to
win and you'll win more often.
5. Know your breed standard,
especially the disqualifications (if any) and
be ready to "help" a judge who tries to do the
wrong thing. A judge tried to DQ a Siberian
that had different colored eyes. The handler
didn't know what to do and was bailed out
by another handler in the ring who piped up
and suggested the judge look at their copy
of the Standard. NEWS FLASH: there is no
disqualification for eye color in Siberians.
It's a good idea to keep a copy of your
breed's standard in your ring bag so it can be
pulled out if needed. Judges are human and
sometimes get it wrong; be prepared to help
them not make a mistake, especially one that'll
cause you headaches and even cost you a win.
6. Keep a poop bag in your pocket.
It's embarrassing when your dog eliminates in
the ring. It's worse if you have to stand there,
helpless, until someone either cleans it up or
brings you cleaning supplies so you can clean
it up. Depending on where the poop lands,
it can even hold up judging. PRO TIP: when
you notice that elimination is imminent, pull
your dog off the mat or out of the gaiting path
as quickly as possible. When you're prepared,
you may still be embarrassed by your dog’s