You’re Probably Just Dreaming
Whether your dog is the most perfect specimen of his breed or not, training him for the show ring can be a challenging task. If you’ve decided to enter your dog in dog shows, you need to have more than a just a house dog that conforms to breed standards.
You’ll also need to learn how to groom and show your dog so that he looks his best for the judges. This means using the correct shampoo and conditioner for the type of fur the dog has. You will need an assortment of brushes to work the grain of the coat. Then comes the spray and shine to make house dog look a billion dollars.
A show dog must obey the commands of stay and sit. There’s also the added responsibility of walking in a straight line. The show dog must stop with precision when your hand is raised in a certain spot and strike a pose. Show dog can’t pull at the lead and whine and want to go and check out other dogs.
The earlier you can begin training your dog the better off you’ll be. First off, you should teach your dog to remain calm when he Is being touched by judges. With their rubber gloves they will want to inspect his teeth. There’s other parts they will want to touch and take close-up photos. This might freak out your dog and send them into a lunatic spiral.
Obviously if your dog gets agitated, and lunges at the judges trying to bite their equipment, he will not be a good candidate for this show ring. You’ll want to practice this judge touching with your dog when you are bathing him and at other times during the day. Doing this for the first time on the day of the show is not a good idea.
A Show Dog Needs Training
When your friends or family come to visit, encourage them to touch the dog just like a judge would do. If you’re walking in the park, get other dog owners to inspect his teeth and pretend that they are judges (perhaps explain to them first why this is needed).
Your house dog needs to be obedience trained and have a calm temperament. That is a big requirement for this sort of job. You’ll also want to pose (or stack) the dog at various times, so being in the ring is not a surprise. Do this often and be sure he can hold the pose that a judge would think is extremely good.
Leash training your dog is very important. You want to make sure your dog will follow you no matter what direction you turn. Having your dog walk beside you with no effort is the goal. A dog that is pulling on the lead and choking themselves isn’t a good look on show day.
You want to start by training them to walk, or heel, beside you at a normal pace. Don’t let your dog pull you, and don’t let them walk off in every direction possible. Once the dog understands what is required, you then want to practice sharp direction changes.
Make your direction changes using only a slight pressure on the lead. This should be all that’s needed to make the dog turn this way and that. Keep your lead and collar high on the dog’s neck as this is the most sensitive part of the neck. If the lead is too low, then no pressure is felt, and the dog will want to pull.
Some trainers use a clicker that they use when executing a direction change. Or you can gently tug and release the leash to let the dog know what direction to go. When a short period of training has finished, reward your dog with a treat and lots of praise. This reinforces the good behavior.
You also want to make sure the dog stops when you do otherwise you can be jerked back on the leash. As soon as you stop, the dog should stop. When you walk, the dog starts walking. People in the audience will sigh sadly if you get this wrong.
Training your dog for the show ring is a great excuse to spend a lot of time bonding with your dog. But you must practice and have zen-like patience to get the result you want. Always treat your dog with kindness. Also be confident and a good team leader for you both. And pray for good luck on show day.
