Did You Know – Some Of Those “Little Things” Have A Bigger Impact Than You Think!

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104 – February, 2025

By Michael Canalizo

Being an “interactive” person in the “dog sport” for over a half-century, I figured out a few things. I’d like to share with you some minor things exhibitors­–for the most part–shouldn’t do or, at best, aren’t necessary. These oddities will help empower you to be a better exhibitor. Guess what? An entry level exhibitor can be given a little leeway (most of us remember ourselves as a new exhibitor) but a professional handler pushes the wrong button(s) when they persist on doing some of these things:

• Find the time to watch your judge’s ring pattern BEFORE you walk into your class. (You get a pass if you’re in the first puppy dog class at 8 AM) Typically, it’s the busy professional handler that comes in and has no clue as to what the gaiting pattern is. We don’t care how busy you are all day, it’s your job to be prepared! If you were my stockbroker, and not up on every minor market swing, I’d be looking for a new money manager! You have an expectation of a judge to be “timely, efficient, and knowledgeable of every detail of your breed standard.” The least you can do is be prepare. It’s disrespectful if you’re not!

• For breeds examined on the floor, learn to stop the entry in the appropriate spot. Look to see which of the front feet needs to move to be in place. Don’t drop the front (unless you have a fool proof, perfect front) only to have to move both legs to get to the same stance. Always move the leg from the elbow; dogs hate you messing with their pasterns (wrists).

• Don’t let any dog lean on you before a judge approaches. Just steady them by their head and let them build confidence without having you to support them. If you have a new one, a sensitive one or one working through a bad experience, have another person go over them three times before entering the ring–with you not talking to them (until its all over). This excercise will desensitize them before the actual judge has to approach them. Put a mint in your mouth to cover your nervous endorphins that the dog will sense. That’s an old George Alston trick shared during his decades of handling clinics.

Click here to read the complete article
104 – February, 2025

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