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This information is for all Novice / Beginners into the Show World
It is important to understand that the overall entries at a Championship Show will be much higher than an All-Breed Open Show and quite often a fifth in a class of 20 plus at a Champ Show can be much more rewarding than an All-Breed Open Show first out of a class of one!
Dog showing can be a minefield of dilemmas when you first start, which class can I enter, should I go in more than one, what time do I arrive, what do I do ….
Well here is just a brief outline of things to look out for when starting to show your dog(s)
Let's start with SHOW TYPES in general there are three types of Shows; Championship Shows these are the main Shows where most breeds will have Challenge Certificates on offer for the overall Best Dog and Best Bitch which ultimately goes towards the title of Champion (when 3 CCs have been awarded by 3 separate Judges).
Open Shows are Open to all with KC registered dogs and Limit Shows are Limited to Members of the particular Club/Society
Now we move onto the CLASSES The Kennel Club define definitions for each class held at ALL licensed Dog Shows. These can vary from the type of Show it is i.e. Championship, Limit and Open. The best advice here is to READ carefully the class definitions in EACH schedule received.
Details cal also be found at www.thekennelclub.org.uk
It is always advisable to enter into the appropriate age class in the first instance i.e. although ‘Open' classes are Open to all it would not be appropriate to enter a 6 month old puppy in the class. Just watch out at the Championship Shows that you have not out qualified Novice, Maiden etc by entering and winning at an Open Show in for example, Junior
So now you have read your class definitions in your schedule and have decided which class(s) you fall into – so how many do you enter? This really is down to individuals however what I can say is at a Championship Show it is better to enter just one Breed Class until you are fully aware of what is involved.
I have seen on numerous occasions an absolute beginner come to a Championship Show, looking forward to it, and be entered in 3 plus classes. If the particular judge on the day doesn't feel the dog is worthy of a place it can be very disheartening for a newcomer to go away from the Show with nothing after trying so many times.
After all the dog show world needs new people otherwise eventually it will all disappear!
This can be different at Open or Limit shows as you may want to support the Club/Society by entering more classes – but don't forget if you do enter more than one and you win the first one you CAN NOT withdraw your dog from competition in any of your other Breed classes entered.
It's always a good idea to keep a record of all your show wins then you know exactly which class are still applicable to enter outside of your age classes. Within each schedule there is always a statement that says “Wins up to (date) included” – this is one reason why you shouldn't enter too early. If you have a ‘Show entering day' and some shows don't actually close their entries for 4 weeks you could end up out qualifying the prerequisites of the class and then you have a problem.
Moving on - now you have to complete your ENTRY FORM with all the information requested - some entries can be done on-line others can only accept postal copies.
www.HaveADogDay.co.uk can help.
Here you can purchase entry form labels which can just be ‘stuck' onto the entry form - example shown below
You can also purchase address labels detailing if you wish your address to be printed in the catalogue or not (example shown below)
Then sign the declaration, complete the monetary section, write the cheque and post to the appropriate Secretary. For all General Championship Shows you will receive passes into the Show, removal orders to leave the Show and confirmation of the class(s) entered – usually a couple of weeks before the Show date. You don't usually receive confirmation from other types of shows; however you can always contact the Secretary at some point to confirm your entry has been received or indeed send a SAE with the details on the back asking for the Secretary to sign and return.
Everything you need to know should be either on your schedule or on the confirmation information received, i.e. start time of judging, show opening times, show leaving times etc. Once you have been to one or two you will soon see how the ‘regular' exhibitors work
Now what to take with you to the different types of Shows. Firstly the type of Show is on the front of the Schedule i.e. Benched or Un-benched. If it is a Benched Show you will need a benching chain, blanket and your show bag which will probably contain show lead, poo bags, bowl, water/milk, bait, number clip, brush/comb and any other item your type of breed requires to prepare for entering the ring.
Some people do not like benches and prefer their dog to be free on the bench but still secure, Pro-Choice have designed Bench Fronts which are perfect for this see http://www.haveadogday.co.uk/benchfronts.htm or some people buy a standard cage and erect this on the bench see http://www.haveadogday.co.uk/cages.htm for all sizes available.
If the Show is un-benched then you may need to take your own cage/crate with you, especially if it is a very hot day and you don't want to leave your dog in the car. Remember that dogs not actually entered in the class that is currently taking place shouldn't be sat at the ringside. You can purchase the Pro-Choice Metal cages as above or a Portable Pet Crate (available in varying sizes) as follows http://www.haveadogday.co.uk/crates.htm . The Portable Pet Crates are excellent for carrying as they are lightweight and very easy to assemble and disassemble
I can only hope this gives you a very brief outline to entering the Show World – just go along, have fun with your dog(s) - and just remember one golden rule - no matter what your actual result you ALWAYS take the best dog home!