From obedience to the conformation ring?

[junqyardog]

Hi, i need some advice for my female i am training. I have been doing obedeince with her for the last 6 months. She is doing great heeling, sitting by my side when i stop walking off and on leash. Now i would like to put her in the conformation ring. How do i make the transition from the heeling and sitting, to NO sitting in the ring. I can do the stand stay with her, just wondering if she will get confused that i dont want her to sit by my side and stay by my side the whole time. Any advice would be very helpful!:p :p

[Kit]

What I would do first is to change collars. If you use a nylon slip collar for obedience, use a chain collar for showing or vice versa. That way she isn't confused by the feel of the collars. I know it may sound silly but I do both Obed & Show with my dogs and they know not to sit if they have on the snake chain.

You mentioned she already knows the stand stay command. I would practice telling her to stand just before you stop, maybe even coming around in front of her if she has a great natural stance. That way the judge would have a great view of just the dog and maybe it would less confusing for her if she wasn't in heel position when you stopped.

If she needs to be hand stacked and you plan on using bait, just start by telling her stand and placing your left hand under her stomach so she doesn't sit and hold the bait out front to keep her focused.

You may want to take some handling classes if there are any in your area as the instructor will be able to work with you and your dog in person.

[junqyardog]

thanks for the advice Kit, I am starting conformation classes next month with her. The collar idea is great.!! Thanks for the help:D :D :D

[Sharon Marples]

We have several dogs that we do dual activities with at the shows and most of all, obedience and breed ring on the same days, sometimes one right after the other.

I agree, we always switch collars when going from one to the other. For all obedience work, it is a flat 5/8" colar, for the breed ring, it is a think choke collar, either nylon or chain.

When training, we do not train for both in the same session. Obedience is done at one time, conformation training done at another time.

It takes them time to determine the difference between the two, but once they get the idea that they receive the food for the breed ring when standing in front and looking at you vs. being in the heel position for obedience, etc., it comes to them quite naturally.

Have fun doing both!

Sharon

[fbkeays]

Change in collars, change in clothes, change in lead and in my case, change in handlers:D I handled my boy in puppy classes and realized that he just didn't take me seriously. I now do all of the performance stuff and I have a handler for the conformation. He knows when he is with me, it is work and with the handler- it is showing off.