This section is mainly about our hobby, maybe you would like to join?
Our dogs are AKC and UKC registered, we can register under other registries as well because of AKC. We only show in UKC however and not AKC.
Why?
Well, AKC is more political they judge not only your dog but you. In my opinion the dog is the one on display, this doesn't mean we wear bad clothing but whatever we have that looks nice and is comfortable for that season. UKC is a friendly atmosphere safe for children to be showing in. Every one is there to help you out and the competition is rarely your competition, but your friend and will even help you handle a dog.
If you ever would like to possibly show but don't think you can, you can always tag along with us. We will even let you take one of our dogs in the ring to get your feet wet, they are pros by now and a child could show them. Heather's son finished Ross and Callie (2 collies) at the age of 11 years old.
How do you train a show dog?
We honestly will be working on that when we have them here. You can go to classes which we highly recommend, or you can learn thru a mentor such as Bethany ans Heather did. You want your pup to get comfortable with its gait, meaning don't be dragging it around by the lead. The gait is something each dog is different about and only the dog can set it. You want the dog to have a nice flowing motion as it jogs, like the below picture.
Our dogs are AKC and UKC registered, we can register under other registries as well because of AKC. We only show in UKC however and not AKC.
Why?
Well, AKC is more political they judge not only your dog but you. In my opinion the dog is the one on display, this doesn't mean we wear bad clothing but whatever we have that looks nice and is comfortable for that season. UKC is a friendly atmosphere safe for children to be showing in. Every one is there to help you out and the competition is rarely your competition, but your friend and will even help you handle a dog.
If you ever would like to possibly show but don't think you can, you can always tag along with us. We will even let you take one of our dogs in the ring to get your feet wet, they are pros by now and a child could show them. Heather's son finished Ross and Callie (2 collies) at the age of 11 years old.
How do you train a show dog?
We honestly will be working on that when we have them here. You can go to classes which we highly recommend, or you can learn thru a mentor such as Bethany ans Heather did. You want your pup to get comfortable with its gait, meaning don't be dragging it around by the lead. The gait is something each dog is different about and only the dog can set it. You want the dog to have a nice flowing motion as it jogs, like the below picture.
See how Monet has an effortless gait, Margie isn't pulling him and she is slowing him down gently with her lead so he doesn't come to a sudden stop and look unnatural to the judge. Your dog will always be on your left side so you have to communicate to your dog about the turns. You can practice anywhere, just keep it short and fun.
Something we would advise would be that if you have a male get them used to listening around a female in heat, make sure you can maintain their focus. A good show male will ignore all other dogs even a female in heat. If you have a female and she comes into season tell the judge as they stick their hand back there to feel leg structure, common curtesy is all.
Next we will go over stacking, stacking is the hardest part for some dogs. Stacking is essentially stay, but stay and don't move a leg and let someone touch you. For a husky or a collie their feet need to be should width apart and the rear pastern should be straight up and down. Below are a pictures to illustrate it.
Something we would advise would be that if you have a male get them used to listening around a female in heat, make sure you can maintain their focus. A good show male will ignore all other dogs even a female in heat. If you have a female and she comes into season tell the judge as they stick their hand back there to feel leg structure, common curtesy is all.
Next we will go over stacking, stacking is the hardest part for some dogs. Stacking is essentially stay, but stay and don't move a leg and let someone touch you. For a husky or a collie their feet need to be should width apart and the rear pastern should be straight up and down. Below are a pictures to illustrate it.
It is always okay to set your dogs feet when he or she stops. this will teach the how to stand correctly. We teach on a snap command, when we snap our fingers the dogs know they need to stop and set their feet up. Above are a variety of pictures of the dogs at different ages learning.
I do not have any pictures of showing off the bite. UKC judges are very nice about letting you show the dogs bite or teeth. This is something you will have to work on at home with your pup and should do even if you don't show. Pull their lips up and say a command word, we use teeth. We have had a judge that went straight to the mouth, didn't ask to show the bite. This is a big reason to ask other people to show your dogs teeth as a cautionary measure to avoid your dog being shy. A shy husky is not in the breed standard and you most likely will lose to a competitor over it.
A big thing too is have other people run your dog in training, in the event you can't do it then someone else will be able to without the dog freaking out. I've seen and handled some of those dogs, they are more tricky and most times wont place because their focus is to watch their master and not on the ring.
Be prepared for weather, as shown at the top if its really hot, take a battery operated fan with a good life and cooling mats/vests. With this breed the cold isn't a huge issue. If rain is expected pack a pet blower so your dog wont be wet in the ring.
Train your dog to act right and do his or her show job without treats because there are bait rings and no bait rings.
Here is a list of everything we take to a dog show and small descriptions.
- Dogs- seems obvious but I've packed the car up and forgot to leave space for the dogs.
- Crates
- Snake Chains- when you have a snake chain on you want about 2 in to stick out when the lead is tight
- Show Leads-kangaroo lead looks nice and is expensive, I have had bad luck with them so I use the satin kinds. I make them and sell them for about $10 but you can find a bigger variety with people that do that for a living. Puppy buyers price is always $5 if you want beads, without beads its only $3 to cover the cost of materials.
- Grooming Table-train your dog to be okay with it before hand and get one that fits your dog.
- Pet Blower-in case it rains or someone pukes in the car and you have to use a sink to wash the fur. Its happened and will happen again I'm sure.
- Chairs-I always pack up camping chairs because hard chairs for hours is not what I want.
- Cooling Mat/Vest- Pack these up, just because your cold doesn't mean they are.
- Treats-You want lots of treats and tiny. Your dog will need to eat treats on the run in the ring if its a bait ring.
- Bowls- for water
- Gallon of Water
- Pet Brushes-I own a rake and slicker brush you can get anywhere these will help. I bought a great brush from Les Pooch and its the best grooming tool I own. I also pack up a scissors in case there is a stray hair on the toes or someone else might need it.
