SkySoaringMagpie

Ooh, good word! I notice Sandra also suggested it.

A crate for your dog that you can carry or wheel and bedding for your dog to sit on in the crate A water bowl for your dog A lead A number holder, but a safety pin works just as well Whatever you need to groom your dog and bait if you need bait. Baby wipes and poo bags* Sun protection Money or food and drink for yourself - sometimes you can be waiting a long time and most show grounds don't have ATMs! If you can, find a friendly soul who is happy to take you under their wing for the first show and give you a bit of space in their gazebo. That way you can watch them and the other exhibitors and see what you think you might need to buy. You'll also have someone who can explain the way the judging system works, tell you what ribbons to get if you place etc *while the grounds should have poops scoops if you're toileting them a long way from the rings it's a drama to remember where the poo was, hike all the way up to the rings to get the scoop, and then hike all the way back to the poo, and then back again to the ring. Much easier to bag and bin it.

Also meant to say, this is certainly not just true of new folk. The new person at least has the advantage that with the right intervention by the right people, they'll get a clue. Once kennel blindness sets in I think the problem is much harder to budge.

I have been searching about in my head for a word that means "able to put things into perspective, recognise and manage one's emotions, let the rubbish bounce off, climb a steep learning curve cheerfully and formulate and follow a plan to succeed". I can't think of anything snappy to encapsulate that. I'm not sure tough is quite it as you don't get a sense of the brain game required, but as I mentioned on OzShow the other day, I do think a good mentor in sports pyschology or a mentor that can refer a newbie on to a good book on it is pretty important. Once you understand the game of any game, not just dog showing, it all becomes a lot easier to deal with. That said, I try to cut people a bit of slack, particularly in that first 2 hours after a difficult show, and I hope they do that for me too. For me it's not a problem that someone is disappointed about the fact the judge didn't like their dog. It becomes a problem if, as you say, they start personalising it. One thing you can say about what you experience as a n00b, it's pretty much never personal!! That comes later...

Sparked by a sub-thread in the Congrats and Criticisms thread. I know I've heard people say of a newbie "they won't survive, not hard enough". What do you think? Also, what does "hard" mean in practice?

I dunno Jed, I've been reading the board for a while and I have a picture in my head of you. I'd be hard pressed to give all the details, but I know you're experienced, a breeder, and are good at sizing up issues. So I'd not barrel in and bark at you in bold that you "will not survive!" unless you take my advice. The key point I want to make tho' is that even if I did have that kind of message to deliver to someone, because of the nature of the message, I'd hope that I would be pretty careful about how I delivered it. Getting high handed on the internet doesn't do much but make the speaker (typer?) feel better. Fortunately now I've had 12 hours sleep and am not coming off the sleep deprivation of a 3 day show weekend I can see it was dopey to pull the "you don't know me" routine. It would have been better to let the pontificating sit untouched. Plenty of people know I'm a serious insect about my breed already and they know my breed is not for the faint-hearted, particularly in my state. Those that don't know don't matter.

That toilet was pretty feral, I nearly lost my lunch and I'm not usually weak stomached. Another item for the show kit perhaps - some kind of septic activator. I'm envious of missing the company but had a good time stewarding, learned a lot from watching the judge.

In this thread you've told me to do a number of things I've already done. It's not apparent that you understand who your audience is, which is why you sound to me like you're reeling off a set piece. I haven't bothered with a resume but it's sufficient to say you have leaped in without checking first on this one.

Please explain? There is a difference between feeling an emotion and acting on it. IOW, feeling an emotion does not necessarily determine your behaviour. In this case, you suggested that an exhibitor should not feel upset. Why not? Sometimes shitty things happen at shows. I think an exhibitor should wait until they are in the car going home before they burst into tears or start flinging the cat about, but it's OK to feel disappointment, anger and stress. It's what you do with it that counts. Now sure, if one emotion controlled your thoughts every waking moment then it would be destructive, but most people I know (including me) are over it by the time they get home. So it's pretty fleeting. I think Jeannette Winterson wrote "no emotion is the final one" in one of her books, and it is an astute and reassuring observation. Already done matey and I'm still doing it. I have listened to a number of breed leaders and judges who have been kind enough to offer me their time. Some have gone over my dogs in detail at my request and told me exactly what they thought and it wasn't all sunshine and roses. I've even written about it here before. It strikes me that you have a set lecture you want to give here. Lecture away if it pleases you but you're missing the point.

Dude, it was my fourth show ever. What do you think the chances are of a completely raw exhibitor calling for a measure, if indeed, they even know that such a thing exists? Don't you think it's a little weird to question someone's emotional state anyway? Plenty of experienced people get upset by much less than a refused challenge. Everyone is entitled to feel down about the bad days just as they are to feel happy about the good days. It's not the emotional state that is the issue, it's what people do with it that matters. As for your little lecture, well, sure. Who's going to argue with that? Not sure what it has to do with the subject at hand tho'.

9am with sweepies, Hounds are on first after sweepies, so for the best dogs in the world, probably a good idea to be there shortly after 9am ;)

Ahem. As for the weather, we nearly didn't go to Tumut today because of the weather but it was lovely - albeit a bit humid once the sun came out and dried up the wet grounds.

SSM didn't get anything noteworthy This was fortunate as it was pissing down rain and we got to go home! Yay Howie for his Dog Challenge :D We're tossing up over Tumut, would be nice to go but I am well over being soaked at shows. OTOH, Keshwar and I bought new gumboots today so we are at least set up with the necessary :D

I think this shows a great deal of insight. I also agree with turkishdelight that if someone is fragile in some respect it will show through in this area. I know I've made remarks here in the past about not excusing poor behaviour but I also think it's important to look at the context. If you're dealing with someone who doesn't have the advantages you have (income, youth, supportive partner, status, health, skill, experience, great mentors, dogs from a top winning kennel, whatever) then often it pays to be the bigger person and let it go. Sometimes we are so focussed on what we need to improve and fix we forget that we aren't struggling near as hard as our gazebo neighbours might be.

I think this is different as feedback about handling is about the person, not the dog. You can improve your handling but you can't fix a bad mouth (legally). Also, a comment about handling can't be construed as a comment on someone's breeding program. I know when I was very new I was fine about being told my handling needed to improve, god knows it did. But when my girl was refused a challenge for being too small (and she wasn't FWIW) I was devastated because then it was about my dog, not about me.

When I wrote that I wasn't thinking just of situations where the opinion is asked for. Even where it is asked for, if the person did not breed the dog, they may have concerns that the person asking will relay any opinions back to the breeder of the dog and that, lacking context, it will cause a shitfight. Or they might know the person well enough to know that they are seeking affirmation, not feedback, and that they will be offended told the dog is a bit short on leg or lacking breed type. Also, what do you do if you are shown a photo of a show prospect? Is the person asking for your opinion, or do they want you to say "what a cutie, I wish you all the best." ? Edited for spelling, like all the other posts - someone critique my typing!!

I've wondered this myself, not so much the offended bit but the fact that in my breed it's usually not hard for them to get through to competing in Group. I tend only to congratulate big winners outside the ring and only if they pick up a BIG or BIS.

Great advice!

If someone is a good sport and a decent human being I will offer congratulations even if the winning dog isn't my thing. I have noticed that while others do this too, there is also a good proportion of people who won't or who will voice their disapproval. Perhaps it is because it is important to them that the dog be worthy in their eyes before they offer congratulations. Or perhaps it is important to them that people understand their position on the breed. Or perhaps they are just a poor loser. I have been pondering for a while what the line is between being a good sport, and contributing to education in the breed. If you have influence (ie, are a judge or top winner) and you critique a competitor's dog to others with influence (particularly judges outside the breed) are you educating or advancing your own interests? If you are your average exhibitor and you criticise your competition, are you supporting the maintenance of standards or are you contributing to an unsportsmanlike environment? If a newer person makes a comment about what a judge is looking for or an aspect of the standard that you think is incorrect, do you say something or not? Generally I go with "never miss an opportunity to shut up" but that isn't always appropriate - particularly not with congratulations. What do you think?

This is him: http://www.dogzonline.com.au/breeds/profile.asp?dog=43720

I am not 100 per cent sure but I think these classes may have ceased.

You can pretty much assume that it will go on for wet weather unless the grounds are washed away. If you look up the Bermagui thread you'll see the conditions under which a show will go on. For hot weather each state has its policies, some enforced, some a "suggestion". Cancellations are nearly always posted here and/or on the OzShow list. I would avoid ringing the secretary if you can.

Exactly. No point passing laws if they don't get enforced. Enforcing laws currently on the books would be a good start.

Sounds like a gimmick to me. We feed human grade mackeral or sardines from a tin once a week to our guys and it is not expensive.

Firstly, something none of us can judge without seeing him - is it actually fear? It sounds like it probably is but there are other reasons why dogs sit in the show ring, eg, confusion (handler error) and/or lack of motivation. What are his parents like? Siblings? If they are a little fruit-loopy too then you'll have to think hard about whether the show ring is where he should be. You can overcome a lot with training, but if it's genetic in origin it's best not to go on with it. You have a Bull Terrier in your icon, is he a BT? If so, can you get an experienced bully person to observe you show him and give you honest feedback? You might also want to try Jane Killion's yahoo group for training Bull Terriers. She shows in conformation as well as doing obedience and agility and has expert Bull Terrier knowledge. If you search this forum for her name you should find the last thread where she was recommended. Also, when you have worked out what the problem is, it's important to work out what a solution would look like before starting. What would you like to acheive with him? Do you want him to feel more comfortable with strangers? Do you want to keep showing him? It helps to have an end goal in mind when you are coming up with a plan to improve a behaviour. It's also important to consider whether the investment is worth the pay off. An investment in making him comfortable and confident in his every day life = definitely worth the pay off. Trying to get a dog to perform in the show ring when they have a possibly organic issue with fear = doubtful. And I say that as someone who has tried!!