By Jessica Allen
So you’re thinking about showing your dog or a future dog and want to know where to start? I knew I wanted to show dogs when I was eight years old and have spent most of my time since then working on making that dream a reality. I also knew that I had to be at the right place in my life, emotionally and financially, to provide a stable nurturing environment (sounds like raising children!). When I realized I’d reached that point, I honestly didn’t know where to go next. I had an idea, but boy, was the reality different than the fantasy! If you are a beginner, let my journey propel you to a successful start. Here’s my list of Must Haves and What to Do - the List I Wish I’d Had to help you locate the diamonds in the rough and navigate your way into the dog show world.
BOOKS & VIDEOS
I’ve always been a bookworm so when I decided I wanted to start showing dogs, I hit the books. The difficulty I had was finding books that could help me along the way. I’ve spent thousands of dollars on books; no kidding, you should see my home library — and I have read them all. The books listed below are the crème de la crème of the books I’ve digested:
Beginner’s Guide Covering All the Bases
- Raising A Champion: A Beginner’s Guide to Showing Dogs
by A. Meredith John & Carole L. Richards
Pro Handling Tips
- Tricks of the Trade: From Best Intentions To Best In Show by Pat Hastings with Erin Ann Rouse
- The Winning Edge: Show Ring Secrets by George G. Alston with Connie Vanacore
- Secrets of Show Dog Handling by Mario Migliorini
- New Secrets of Successful Show Dog Handling by Peter Green & Mario Migliorini
Learning To Identify a Pet from a Show Prospect
- Your specific breed’s Official AKC Breed Standard (make sure you get the most up to date version)
- Your specific breed’s authoritative book (check your breed’s parent club for information)
- “Puppy Puzzle: The Hastings Approach to Evaluating The Structural Quality of Puppies” by Pat Hastings (Video)
Go here to locate the AKC parent club for your breed.
How to Talk the Talk
- K9 Structure & Terminology by Edward M. Gilbert, Jr. & Thelma R. Brown
A Little More Advanced
- An Eye For A Dog: Illustrated Guide to Judging Purebred Dogs by Robert W. Cole
- Solving The Mysteries of Breed Type by Richard Beauchamp
- The Dog In Action by McDowell Lyon
- Dogsteps: A New Look by Rachel Page Elliott
NOTE: Some of these books are out of print so check your local book exchange, library, auction sites, etc. Don’t give up, they are out there!!!
These books should be in every serious dog person’s library. Not an avid reader? No problem, they’re great reference manuals (easy to jump around in) for when you have a question.
MEETING LOCAL DOG PEOPLE
You’ve probably heard that you should “join a club” to meet people in the dog fancy. A note of caution: these aren’t the usual people you’ll find at a dog park or in your neighborhood. These are the people who spend most of their weekends doing something dog related – they eat, sleep, and drink dogs all the time. You might think they’re crazy now, but once you get bitten by the show bug you’ll be right along side them.
Finding Them
Attending an all-breed club meeting gives you an opportunity to meet other dog people in your  community in a more relaxed environment (visit the AKC website to help locate one near you). It’s often hard to find the right time to approach someone at a dog show and attempting to do so at an inappropriate time can leave you feeling unwelcome. This really isn’t the case; everyone’s just concentrating on grooming, showing, taking care of their dogs behind the scenes - all the things that you don’t think about when you are first starting out - and the exhibitors don’t realize you’re not aware of these additional responsibilities because they’re “in the zone” thinking about competition.
The best time to meet and greet people who have a passion for dogs is at a club meeting. Most clubs have a social atmosphere available once club business has been attended to, and you’ll find at least one friendly face in the crowd. Watch your body language; it’s hard to approach someone who doesn’t appear to be engaged in the social atmosphere. Yes, being the “new kid on the block” is uncomfortable but you’re here to make friends, socialize, learn, and have FUN!
Once you’ve attended a meeting, take some time to consider joining; if you’re not sure about the club or its membership, try a second meeting. If you’re still not convinced, try another local all-breed club on for size. Eventually you’ll find the right club for you; just try not to be too picky. Expect to hear a “foreign language” at these meetings (this is where reviewing dog-show lingo and structure terminology comes in handy); people in dogs do seem to speak a different language.
Once you feel comfortable with a club and join, be willing to get your hands dirty. Clubs run because of volunteers, and helping hands are always needed and enthusiastically welcomed.
What’s In It For You?
You can expect to gain a general sense of belonging by meeting experienced and knowledgeable dog-show people who will help guide you along the way. Investing time in an all-breed club is an invaluable tool to having a good time at a dog show. Just imagine driving three hours to a show site without a familiar face in the crowd and then walking into the ring for the first time. Believe me, it’s a very lonely feeling; I went by myself to many shows, feeling like the odd man out, without a friendly face in sight.
Some of my best mentors and friends aren’t in my breed, but we share a common interest in the sport. Better still, we’re not competing with one another so their excitement for my accomplishments is honest enthusiasm. You can also learn a lot sitting ringside, supporting your friends in their breeds. They can assist you by operating a video camera, allowing you to see how you and your dog showed, or they can take those great candid shots of you enjoying your dog on a show weekend. Another added bonus is having someone on the outside looking in when things get a little hairy. So don’t be afraid of getting to know others outside your breed.
You can learn a ton about dog shows, handling, grooming, etc., without having a dog by simply making yourself available once or twice a month for your all-breed club. Better still, an investment here could save you a lot of emotional distress and financial mistakes later.
SEMINARS
I make it a point to attend at least two dog-related seminars a year. These seminars may be for handling, nutrition, genetics, or breeding, among many topics. I try to keep my interest broad, to garner a little bit of information about everything, and to focus on where to go for more in-depth knowledge as I continue to learn and grow. Here are some seminars that really made an impact on me:
Handling
- Adelene Pardo — Loose Lead Handling Seminar
- Corky Vroom — Handling Seminar
Breeding
- Claudia Waller Orlandi, PhD — ABC’s of Dog Breeding Seminar
Vaccination
- Jean Dodds, DVM — Autoimmune Disease & Vaccination Seminar
LET’S TALK ABOUT BREEDING
Breeding is a very sensitive subject in this day and age. Spay and neuter legislation, which threatens our rights to preserve the history of our breeds, creeps up every now and again. Let’s briefly discuss the numerous dogs in rescue, as many breed-specific rescuers find themselves inundated with dogs. Visit a local shelter and you too will see the many faces of abandonment that cycle in on a daily basis. You must look deep inside your heart and ask yourself why you are interested in breeding. If the answer is to preserve and improve your breed and you’re ready and able to take care of every dog you produce for its lifetime, then congratulations, you should tackle this pursuit. If it’s for any other reason, consider the thousands of homeless animals abandoned, abused, neglected and euthanized, and look for a new hobby.
If you want to be a breeder but don’t really want to partake in showing your dog, how will you know about common trends or health issues, or what the standard means? Yes, breed standards are left to interpretation, but judges have years of experience and ringside mentoring to add to that interpretation. You can only truly understand and interpret your specific breed’s standard by participating in dog shows and learning from those with far more experience who are actively showing. Owning the breed for years does not make any one person an expert!
If you’re still with me and interested in breeding for the right reasons, here is some must-have literature to add to your reference library:
Breeding
- Born To Win: Breed To Succeed by Patricia V. Craige
- ABC’s of Breeding: What Every Dog Breeder Should Know by Claudia Waller Orlandi, PhD
- Breeding Better Dogs by Carmelo Battaglia, PhD (Book & Video)
Genetics
- Control of Canine Genetic Diseases by George A. Padgett, DVM
- Genetics of the Dog by Malcolm B. Willis
 Didn’t do so well in biology? Most dog breeder’s are not geneticists, trust me – you can understand these books; the authors have written these books for the lay person. Did you think it was going to be all about pregnancy and puppy rearing? Nope, we’re just scratching the surface of information with the items listed above. Pregnancy and puppy rearing come much later in this game.
Being a breeder is for those who wish to preserve the history of their breed by moving forward in health, structure and temperament.
GO VIRTUAL – PUT IT ALL TOGETHER
What better way to learn than by experimenting with a game? You guessed it; there is a dog-show simulation game! I’ve talked with a few virtual players who have also been around the real dog-show world for decades (well-respected breeders, professional handlers, and club officers). Our combined belief is that this is a fantastic place to learn the ins and outs of showing dogs without adding to a household or spending the big bucks.
 To briefly explain the game, you start with five “Basic Dogs,” which are the equivalent of a backyard breeder’s quality dog — in other words, usually not so good. You can choose to keep these dogs to start with or “Forever Home” them to a wonderful virtual family and purchase higher-quality dogs with proven ancestry. Once that decision has been made, you can start showing the dogs from your virtual kennel. In this setting you’ll learn basic husbandry by focusing on grooming, conditioning, training and feeding — all tailored to your breed’s requirements. You’ll learn how to pick the right judges, handlers, and shows for each dog – a task far harder than you might expect in both this virtual setting and real life. You’ll also be able to breed the dogs you’ve raised and shown, if you’d like.
Virtual Game
Sound a little silly? Give it a try and see if it holds your interest. If it doesn’t, will a real dog or dog show? But be forewarned: This game can be addictive, much like the real dog-show bug.
Remember, everyone is a beginner when they start. The key to dissipating whatever angst and frustration you may encounter is to genially step into the dog fancier’s world and educate yourself, always remembering, and never forgetting, to have fun!!!
NEXT INSTALLMENT of THE BEGINNER’S GUIDE:
Selecting Your Breed – Harder Then you Might Think
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