Top Tip #29
Keep all training sessions short and sweet with your dog, especially puppies. Always use positive training methods and end each session on a good note!
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Tag: training
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Knowledge of Dogs
Knowledge of Dogs
In handling classes you may be asked questions on dog anatomy or breed- specific questions about the breed you are showing or about other breeds and groups. Therefore it is important to know and understand dog anatomy and know the history of the breed you are handling and roughly know the breed standard and characteristics.
If you are handling dogs in the breed ring, understanding the dog anatomy, construction and the breed standard will allow you to ‘judge’ the dog you have in the ring and understand it’s streghts and weaknesses. Once you know what these are you can try and hide the faults where possible to make the dog look better.
Winning Paws First Junior Handling Training session
Yesterday (Saturday, 18 August) was the first handling session I organised under the Winning Paws name. Having been a Junior Handler myself, I wanted to offer the chance for the juniors to attend a training session. I was so pleased I was able to offer this session for free and I enjoyed myself and learnt something, I hope the attendee’s did too. Numbers were kept to a minimum but allowed the handlers to train with a different group of people.
The weather was hot and this meant keeping the dogs in the shade and lots of breaks back inside where it was slightly cooler to allow dogs and handlers to have drinks and a rest. Lots of mini Q&A sessions did lead to some interesting discussions with parents getting involved too.
Well done to those who attended. You all listened well and wish you all the best for your future handling classes.
What’s planned next?
I plan to run some more training sessions in the future and already have a waiting list. If you would be interested in being the first to know about any future training sessions, please get in contact via the website and as soon as any events are planned, I will let you know before posting on the website events page and Facebook.
Future sessions will include;
- Junior Handling
- Adult Handling
- Breed Showing (getting the most from your dog for the show ring)
- Different Breeds (A variety of different breeds available for handlers to practice with to acknowledge and respect different styles of handling required to suit different breeds)
- Many more…
Don’t forget, I’m also available for group bookings for pre-existing ringcrafts or groups. Contact me for more details and costs.
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Shadowing
Shadowing
What is shadowing?
This is a technique used in handling classes. While the dog is standing, the judge will walk round the dog, or to the other side and expect the handler to move out the way not breaking the golden rule of never getting between the dog and the judge. This means the handler must become the judges “shadow”.
For shadowing, the handler must be able to walk around the dog without the dog moving. This can be practised anywhere and simply the dog needs to learn to stay.
It is easier with a stacked breed where you can hold the head, harder with a free stood dog.
To start with, I would stand the dog in the normal position. From here I will do slight movements, commanding the dog to stay and then praising. Building this up from just little movements, helps teach the dog what you want. I.e a free stood breed, while standing in front of the dog, my first movements would just be shifting my body weight.
Then you want to move onto taking a small step to the side. I.e if you are top and tailing your dog, I would take a small step to my left, giving the stay command, going back to the original position and praising the dog.
Keep building this up until your moving more and more. Praise the dog while they are standing still only. If they move, start again.
This technique builds the dogs confidence and teaches them the command.
Have fun training!
How do I get my dogs attention?
It’s a common question. Normally starts with “…at home they always respond, but they are too distracted at a show…”
Think about it, at home it’s just you and your dog and you have the treats, therefore, you are the person of highest value.
At a show, there are smells, other dogs, other people, other treats. The list goes on and it’s no wonder some dogs loose interest in their owner/handler.
Quite often you see this and there is the lacking bond between dog and owner/handler and where the dog lacks willingness to please it’s owner..
What can you do?
Short term, you need to be the most high value person/thing on the showground. Using high value toys and treats will help.
Long term is more training. Get you and your dog on a one to one basis out to as many distracting areas and do some training. Not always show training, but tricks, basic obedience and have games. Ringcrafts can be great for also practice working on their attention while doing show ring training, likewise any training class you and your dog will enjoy together where there are many other distractions.
Case study
When Giles was younger he would easily get bored in the show ring if he was in a big class. As a pup he was used to classes of 2-3 and was always beaten by his sister, so never got a group experience either. So, when we came into bigger classes, his attention span would go. Standing around was boring!!!
My answer was simply to keep his attention. He loves to please, he loves his tricks too. In the ring I would ask for some quite and calm behaviors which he knew. His interest was back to me. A cuddle or two never went amiss either. This keeps his attention on me and by the time it’s his turn, well it’s just another behaviour I’m asking of him and he does it with a smile.
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Pacing
Pacing
One of the most common faults seen in a dogs movement is pacing.
What is pacing?
When a dog is pacing, the two legs on the same side move together. This gives the illusion of a rolling motion.
Pacing is a natural, relaxed movement of the dog which doesn’t require much energy. Watch your dog wandering round the house/garden or out of a slow lead walk and it is likely you will see them pace. It can also be a sign of poor conformation or easily become habit. If the dog paces a lot (even when off lead) it is likely the muscles will build up to accommodate this movement, making it harder to trot.
Many dogs will often start pacing in the ring while they are still growing. It’s important to be able to recognise when you dog is pacing and know how to correct it. Each dog is different so I will share a few techniques I have used successfully in the past. Most involve some way of knocking the dog off balance.
How can I stop it?
Run faster: It could be you are moving your dog too slow, try running a bit faster or taking a longer stride. It worth starting off the movement faster too.
The turn: Just before you set off, turn the dog around you in a circle. If needed this might need to be done in the two top corners of the triangle.
Tap under the chin: Lifting the head slightly with a gently tap under the chin will knock the balance off slightly.
Shoulder push: Slightly pushing at the shoulder (large breeds only) will knock the dog off balance.
Lead position: Try changing your lead position, this could help get the dog out of pacing, either a high lead or a very low lead.
Exercise: Make sure your dog is trotting as part of their exercise. This can be done by walking fast enough, running with your dog, biking with your dog or using a dog treadmill (as additional exercise to outdoor activities).
Chiropractor: The pacing could be down to comfort for the dog due to damage. If this could be the case, I would strongly recommend going to a Chiropractor.
If your dog is still prone to pacing, book a session with Winning Paws! Training pacing out of a dog can be done but it takes both practise in teaching them to trot in the show ring and also trying to encourage more exercise to be trotting
Don’t forget to try not to let your dog pace too much when out on walks.
Jack of all trades…..
One of the greatest myths of show dogs that I hear, is that you can’t do anything else with them. So many people come to me saying that they have been told to stop basic/puppy obedience and stop teaching sit, down etc if they want to continue showing and they should only teach their dog stand
To me this is one of the biggest myths, although you will need to work harder if you want to teach your dog more. Just make sure you work evenly on teaching your dog to do everything that you want to do with your dog.
To me, basic puppy training with a local obedience club is paramount in any of my dogs training to be well socialised pets (and show dogs) and there is no reason why you can’t compete in obedience one day and go to a show dog the next day or throw in some agility, gundog work or Rally-O while you’re at it!
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Top Tip #11
Top Tip #11
Don’t let your dog get into a habit of pacing out on walks. Try to get them into a correct trot as much as possible when lead walking.
Allowing them to pace all the time will build up the wrong muscles and could make them more likely to pace in the ring.
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Top Tip #10
Top Tip #10
Companion shows are a great place to get practice for new puppies before their first show, or for dogs that may need to gain confidence. The large class sizes, lots of dogs in all shapes and sizes and a relaxed atmosphere can do wonders.
They are also great days out for chatting to local dog friends, especially if you go to Ringcraft in the area!
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The Three Turns
The Three Turns
There are three turns that can be used in handling classes to ensure that you never get between the dog and the judge. When showing your dog in the breed ring, these are less important.
The Inward Turn
The dog and handler both turn on the spot, inwards towards each other and the lead is passed to the other hand. This is typically used at the top of an ‘up & down’ when the judge has moved to the left to view the profile movement of the dog. It is also used in the ‘T’ and ‘L’.
The Show Turn
The dog is slowed and turned on the spot as the handler moves round the outside of the dog. This is used at the top of an ‘up & down’ when the judge has moved to the right to view the profile movement of the dog and is the easiest turn to do if the judge stays in position.
The About Turn (In front of the judge)
This time the handler slows and walks backwards around the dog turning the dog on the spot. This is used at the when turning in front of the judge when joining two patterns together. E.g. between a Triangle and an ‘up & down’.
