Showing Your Dog
Now then,lets assume that you`ve had your bundle of fun for a while now and his/her vaccinations are all up to date etc.You may have been thinking about if you would like to show your puppy?Firstly there is a lot of time and effort involved in showing at kennel club level and it`s not really something that you can do here and there as it requires full commitment,added to this is the fact that you cannot actually attend most serious shows with your dog unless you are an entry so he/she will have to stay at home while you go..these shows are taken very seriously by breeders so may not be the best place for beginning..A far better starting point is local shows etc usually laid on by animal charities etc..A lot of local country shows have dog shows incorporated into them as well and all are welcome to enter..A a rule the classes include best puppy/best dog/best bitch/waggiest tail/veteran etc etc and lots of other fun classes..sometimes kc companion club classes are included,you will need to join the kc companion dog club for this for a 1 off fee..the restrictions to this class is that your puppy must be at least 6 months old to enter but the classes are taken as the next step towards serious showing by many people.most shows will have separate sections for both pedigree and non pedigree classes.
The most important thing to bear in mind is that you are far more likely to come home with a rosette from a local show that a breed specific one at kc level and there are always other things to do at a local country show for the kids whilst you are waiting for your turn in the ring...Also,at local level it won`t really matter if your puppy won`t behave on the lead etc and you`ll be able to use your harness instead of the collar which must be used at a kc show.The only thing to bear in mind is that you should always contact any event as many adhere to kc regs and only allow puppies after they reach 6 months of age ...
Bonnie herself had an impressive 49 rosettes to her name including 11 first places and 6 seconds-the best being best puppy out of 50+ entries and best utility on the same day,all this before she was 1 year old and all achieved at open A.V shows and events![we go out a lot lol], We`ve even had 2 trophies for 1st place in junior handler !If you find you like the atmosphere of showing you can easily find shows every weekend during the warmer months.
Pictured above is one of the local shows we entered into,as you can see the atmosphere is much different from official showing and open to all breeds on the day and paying upon entry into the ring..Probably the best place to start out going to
