Page 70 - K9News_Issue12_July2020

HAVE A GOVE A GO
HA
SHO
SHOWSWS
by Christina Chapman
Photos: Alan V Walker
New to showing or curious? Read on....
Well sadly with all that has been going on this year
the only Have a Go Show we had was at Manchester
way back in January, however we did do them all
through 2019 so let me tell you about them.
This is a new initiative to get more people into
showing, it gives them the chance to Have a Go
without any pressure and to ask lots of questions.
The KC circulate Clubs to let them know when and
where the shows are so people can enter. They
are held at the nine major All Breed Championship
Shows that is: Manchester, Birmingham National,
Scottish Kennel Club, Bath, Windsor, Leeds,
Welsh Kennel Club, Darlington and Ladies Kennel
Christina Chapman with the competitors at the very
first Have A Go at Manchester 2019
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K9 NEWS DIGITAL / JULY 2020
Association, although we actually have 10 shows as
Birmingham National run two H.a.Gs.
When people enter they receive a pack of paperwork
from the KC, which includes a start time plus other
information for them to read prior to the show. On
arrival they will be told where and when to meet
and additional announcements are made during the
morning. The shows generally start at 1.30 and go
on until at least 4.30. I go over personally with a
couple of my helpers at the designated time and take
them to our ring. Firstly they get a talk telling them
what is going to happen and about various aspects
of showing THEN my wonderful team swing into
action. My team is a ‘bank’ of 20+ people, Adults and
Juniors, of whom around half attend at every show
to help, depending on groups being shown and days
etc.
My team bring along their dogs and we start by
dividing the entrants into two groups i.e. table
and floor dogs, then they get demonstrations
with accompanying talks on how their dog
should be set up, how the judge will go over
their dogs and then how they will be asked to
move their dogs. On one side of the ring there
will be table dogs with a handler setting up their
own dog, another helper playing judge and then
they watch the various movement patterns we
use, up and down, triangles and circles etc. As
we have a range of quite small to very big dogs.