Show Your Dog to His Best Advantage
By Roseann Fucillo
Published as a Special Feature in December 2007 AKC GAZETTE

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In all my years of breeding and showing Papillons, one thing I have learned is that you can have the best dog, the soundest mover, and all of the most beautiful breed attributes, but if he does not "show," you are not going to win. You might as well have flushed your entry money down the toilet.

It doesn't matter what it is that's causing your dog not to show, you are doing a disservice to him as well as yourself to be seen in the ring with a dog who is not in the best show condition. I have been there, done that, and got the T-shirt too! As many a seasoned breeder and exhibitor will tell you - and we've all experienced embarrassment in the ring at one time or another - it is up to you to evaluate your problem and correct it.

First and foremost, temperament is important. When I started out 30 years ago, I began with very outgoing temperaments. I had all I could do to control them! But when you are in dogs a long time, you find your breeding program runs in cycles. Right now, you may be fortunate enough to be on an upswing, in which all your dogs have wonderful temperaments and are natural showmen - fearless, love everyone, and are very outgoing. Or, you may be in a slump trying to show lovely dogs who have wonderful breed type, are sound, and deserving of a championship - but who absolutely hate to show. You may have selected for your breeding program those who were easy to live with(and incidentally the soundest and most typey), but unfortunately, these may not always be the best showmen. Those who demand your attention are harder to live with, but they are usually the ones that perform better in the ring.

If your dog won't keep his tail up when approached by the judge, then you need to reevaluate what you are doing. Before hiring a trainer, first try socializing the dog more by taking walks in malls,parks, pet-food stores, the center of town, or other places where dogs can meet and greet strangers. If you can bring them along to shows that's great, but most clubs frown on bringing unentered dogs to their shows.

Other options are to enter handling classes match shows, where you can practice showing your dog and having them become more acquainted with being examined on the table, walking around the ring in a straight line, and most of all, being approached by strangers.

Some dogs just need confidence. I have found that older males will tend to dominate younger male puppies. By running your younger dogs with your bitches, it will boost their confidence, but this can be a double-edged sword as the older males will be very jealous when you integrate the puppies back into the group.

Other problems can be corrected simply by using the right type of lead or wearing the right clothing. Avoid wearing long, swinging skirts. You may be unknowingly hitting your dog in the face when moving. Also avoid noisy shoes and clanging jewelry, particularly if your dog is not used to the distractions.

Published with permission from the AKC GAZETTE.  This article is not to be copied, whole or in part, without written permission from the author.

Roseann Fucillo