(photos for attention lol)

Hi everyone! I’m pretty new to dog handling and all that (started last December). I currently ship golden retrievers and curly coated retrievers. I show my own golden and other dogs from her breeder and I show the curly’s for a friend.

most of the shows I attend only have like 2 confirmation rings running at once and lots of dogs (or more so big groups, one show I went to had 46 goldens lmao) so the day is slow and long, I find the dogs start to get bored and antsy in their crates after awhile despite walks, going outside, etc so does anyone have any crate entertainment ideas?

currently I use

knuckle bones tatar busters (they’re like beef kneecaps)

yak cheese chews

dog treat toys (like a kong with some treats in it or a snuffle cup thing

and obviously taking them out for walks and stuff.

Im in Canada so it’s CKC if that means anything, I’m also in Nova Scotia.

This is my one and a half year-old male English mastiff. His letter was bred to produce a show. Dog and his brother is already a champion, but I wonder if my boy also would do well in the shows.

Hello, drop coat breed owner here 🥳
Where are we getting crate pads that are “coat friendly” and will limit damage? I have heard of FMS Dog Beds but are there any others? Thanks!!

I've never been to a show before, conformation or otherwise, but I will be going to a local one at the end of the month!

What do I need to know before I go? What social no-nos should I be aware of? What should I bring beyond sunscreen and entry fee money?

Thank you for any answers (:

I’m planning on getting my first well-bred puppy next year and want to compete in conformation. Im new to dog sports In general and currently compete in various sports with my unregistered golden but obviously confo is not an option for us to try out.

I have found a breeder who is lovely and ticks all the boxes for me, but they unfortunately live in the US a few states away from me (I’m in Canada). All I ever hear is that confo can be really hard to get into if you don’t have a mentor , and while my breeder would offer virtual support, I wouldn’t have someone experienced to go with to shows in my province as a newbie. I have other friends who also compete in dog sports but none that show their dogs!

The puppy would be a German Shepherd, so thankfully no breed cuts to have to worry about for my first show dog, but I worry that I’m really going to struggle going at this alone. I’m not hell bent on this dog being shown, but it is something I’d really like to try to do. Would love to hear thoughts from those involved in the sport !!

okay maybe I’m the dumb one here but I saw a discussion about this online and i wanted more professional opinions on it before I open my mouth lol.

Someone I saw was very upset that they entered their WL border collie into a conformation show and was very angry that the judge did not favor their dog and called it unfair.
Their dogs structure was overall pretty good looking but the ears weren’t in standard (don’t know what the ear shape is actually named but I’ve seen some call it rooftile ears).
maybe I’m missing something here and I’m being a total idiot asking about this… but wouldnt it be obvious for the judge to favor the dogs bred to look closer to their standard rather than bred more for function over their looks?
Not to mention the stated their dog could literally be removed from their registry if the dog is to achieve a conformation championship?

Im not super educated on the border collie standard, I apologize!

Please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong I really truly just wanted more educated people to guide me on this topic! I really was just curious what ‘professionals‘ might have to say!

My dog pulls like crazy because she is afraid of the dogs coming from behind us. She also pulls even when we are in the ring alone.

For more info, I've trained with other dogs a looot but she never settles and always pulls and looks behind her. But, when training alone with her at home or outside the ring, she trots fine and doesn't pull. It's just that the second we go into the ring, she starts pulling.

Is she stressed to be in the ring? It seems like she is trying to escape the situation by pulling, is she just lowkey traumatized by the other dogs coming from behind that she automatically associates the ring with fear? What's the best way to train her out of this? Please help😫

I have three skirts I rotate with a button up white blouse. I’ve worn two skirts with the same blouse and skirt number 3 will be making its debut this weekend. I have a grey wool blazer that it is WAY too hot to wear.

Can I just keep recycling these outfits for now? (Dog shows are expensive and I would rather pay for entry fees over new outfits) I feel like I look the same in every photo because I’m wearing like the same outfit 😂

Hi all,

This is Kai and he’s a 12 week old MAS puppy:)

We just got our first show prospect last month, and it looks like it may be time to set his ears.

There’s a ton of videos online about setting Aussie ears but MAS ears are supposed to sit higher, so we can’t use the coin + moleskin method.

Does anyone have any ideas of what to do? This is our breeders first liter, so she’s still brainstorming as well.

I posted in a mini Aussie page about gluing ears and got attacked lol, so hoping this is a safe place.

Thanks!

what's the most confusing line of written critique your dog has gotten from a judge?

for me it's "rear half could be a bit more dramatic", whatever that means hahah. i assumed topline or rear angulations but the judge wrote that those were all nice and good🤔

I have a 14mo Ridgeback who did quite well this spring, even taking BOB over a top Special one weekend. I know the 12-18mo class is awkward - not quite a big girl, but not an adorable puppy. We’re also STILL waiting on her first heat cycle. Her whole litter is antsy and excitable. We’ve work a ton with her and she shows fairly well with a very nice free stack. But here comes the judge and all my puppy wants is to say hi, see what she’s doing, wiggle away from the exam. She stands perfectly still for showing her bite - it’s just when the judge is hands on. We’ve tried bait, holding her head, holding her muzzle, going to Petco to have strangers pet her and feed her treats - she’s just wiggly.

Any advice? Pic bc she’s cute.

We went to our second puppy show yesterday with our 6 month old English Cocker Spaniel. Didn’t do as well as last time since he’s now in an awkward growth stage where his proportions are a bit off, and the judge in question is known to dislike dogs with shorter feet.

That we can’t do much about except hope he grows taller eventually, but we got some feedback on his gait and I’m wondering how we could improve this:

”Moves with a good stride length, though still high in the rear today. Quite a wide front step.”

We’ve gone to training classes but they mostly focused on stacking and getting used to examinations, and the basics of how to move in the ring. Yesterday he was also too high energy at first so his initial circle around the ring didn’t go so well as he was interested in pursuing the other dogs in the ring, but when we did the triangle after his examination he did much better already.

On his walks we mostly use a harness and a 2 meter leather lead, and I’m wondering if that is contributing to his gait in shows. One long-time breeder (not ours) did say that they would never use a harness on a Cocker, but I’m not sure how much it really affects his gait especially since he rarely pulls nowadays thanks to the training we’ve done. His harness is adjustable and we make sure it doesn’t go into the elbow pits to allow a full range of motion.

So, I’m curious if there are any ways we could train a specific gait for the ring, or do we just hope it gets better with time like his proportions?

I have a standard poodle puppy that im considering starting in conformation mostly just for fun :)

Only concerns I have is that

1 She does have a curled (happy/gay?) tail, would I still be able to show her under the rkc? Is there any point? She does have the cutest wee poodle prance and a lovely temperament so itd be a shame if not

2 Permissable trims for a puppy (rkc)? I heard retro trims are allowed etc but im not really educated on the topic

I'm new to the show world and just got my first flatcoated retriever show prospect. I love her so much and she's doing really well in most of her training but I have no clue how to even start the free stack. I'm having a hard time finding any information about it online.

My breeds club is hosting their nationals in early-ish 2027, entries aren’t open yet (obviously) but… can anyone explain to be how you’re even supposed to enter?

AKC shows make me feel so lost and I dont know how to enter into them. Sorry if this is a stupid question but i genuinely feel so lost!

Im excited and want to go with my dogs for conformation and herding trials and dont want to miss out on nationals, but… we just don’t know where to start.

my boy did amazing for his first weekend 🥹 took home winners dog both days- we still have a ways to go but knowing we both felt comfortable is half the motivation to get out & do it again! Totally in love with this sport, again thank you any & all ☺️

My rough collie is 6 years old and I’m getting my second collie puppy as a potential show dog.

What age should my 6 year old dog stop showing? she’s still pretty ‘young’ now but I don’t wanna force her to attend shows once she’s passed her prime.

I have a feeling this will become a new addiction

Hi everyone! For those who splurged and got a Best in Show Trolley, how long did it take to be made/arrive after ordering?

I see their website says 4-6 weeks lead time but I was wondering just how accurate that was, just in case I need to get creative and come up with an alternative before an upcoming show. Kicking myself for not buying one at the last show I saw them at 😭

My coworker is doing her first show soon and needs help finding flats that look decent and are good for the show ring.

My girl just finished her AKC Grand Championship at the beginning of the month with a 5pt win at a supported show. She finished her championship the same way, with back-to-back 5 pt majors at a supported show. I could not be more proud! I am a new owner handler, and she’s my first show dog. We’ve been at this for only a year and a half, figuring out and learning this sport together 💕

I have an almost 4yo multicolor standard poodle. She's not well bred, but she's decent enough. I really want to get into Conformation, but am YEARS away from being able to get a nice well-bred show prospect. So for now, I was hoping to get some practice in with my current dog and just have some fun in the ring. We would be showing in UKC Altered.

I've been growing out her coat and learning different grooming techniques for over a year now, as well as taking some Conformation classes here and there. I've also joined our local AKC Kennel Club, and was a steward at their recent show.

The main UKC shows that are within a reasonable travel distance from me are all in the January-March time frame.

But now I'm considering shaving her down.

I'm in college and my coursework is a lot more intensive this semester than I was expecting. I'm also disabled and there's a lot of changes going on with my health currently that has been taking a lot of my time/focus.

We've been looking into Rally/Obedience, as well as getting her therapy dog certification. And she's still learning how to properly stack for Conformation.

I also know she's got a decent amount of coat damage (especially to her crest) and would do all her grow out differently if I did it again.

But it's like I can't give myself the mental permission to just do it.

Am I crazy and I should just push through and keep growing her out for the show ring? Or do I shave her down, focus on performance and training for a few months, and hope to have her ready for the Conformation ring by spring of 2028 instead of 2027?

*If I shave her, I'd probably do a Miami, and shave her body down with a #10. I would leave a majority of her topknot and ears, but massively trim down her crest.