| Re: Young champions
Another thing to keep in mind also is that it is good to bring out a young dog for them to learn the show ring, and socialize them to everything related to a dog show earlier as opposed to later. I like to bring my youngsters out shortly after 6 months as I think they acclimate to new experiences better, however I certainly don't expect them to actually be competitive at that age. At that age its more important that they have fun, have a good experience at the dog show and learn what is expected of them for when they are mature enough to be competitive.
I've seen it many times that someone who is an obvious dog show "newbie" shows up at ringside with a big teenaged male rott who has obviously never been in a ring or handling classes before, they don't have the right type of collar or lead on the dog and the dog ends up dragging them around the ring trying to catch other dogs, and the handler leaves the ring discouraged and in tears. I hate seeing that and its more because that owner didn't have an appropriate mentor. I like having my youngsters out earlier in the ring simply for the socialization but you just have to keep in mind that its just for fun and that you aren't out there for the points.....you're out there for your pup to learn what will help him/or her be competitive in the future.
Heather  |