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| AKC (and other Kennel Clubs worldwide) offers several different "games" that one can play with dogs. Best known and most widely played is that of "Conformation," or informally know as "Breed." In Conformation, the judge examines the dog and determines the winner based on how well the dog matches the written standard (description) for that breed. Other "games" include Obedience, Tracking, Agility, Herding, Weight-pulling, and Fly-ball. In ALL of these "games" the main focus is the dog.
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Junior Showmanship, however, is about children… How well they train. How well they dress. How well the dog is shown and presented. The actual quality of the dog is not being judged; it is the abilities of the child to bring out the best in the dog that they have.
While rules may differ between kennel club organizations, in order to compete in AKC Junior Showmanship a child must be between the age of 10 and 18 years and have an AKC Junior Handler number. The dog that is shown in Junior Handling must either be an AKC registered purebred or a dog with an ILP number. Additionally, the dog must be owned or co-owned by the Junior.
Over the years, Gingery has provided excellent exhibits with stable temperaments to aid "Juniors" in their quest for success. Additionally, we have provided training, encouragement, and guidance to our Juniors as they strive to learn more about showing dogs. While this often requires a significant investment of our time, we are proud to know that through our efforts, these children have been able to gain the self-confidence and self-esteem that comes with achievement.
In return, we expect a lot out of our Juniors. The ability to show in Junior Showmanship is a privilege, not a right. With that in mind, our juniors are expected to perform well in school, treat others with respect, and exhibit good sportsmanship at all times. In general, the dogs that they show are dogs they own and train. We believe that each win should reflect the child's ability to train and present a dog, not the dog's ability to perform for the child. As a result of this competition, our Juniors learn sportsmanship, patience, and motivation skills… skills that are important in everyday life.
With this in mind, we are proud to introduce Dennis, our Junior since 1999.
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| After living with a family pet for a while, Dennis decided that he wanted to learn about showing dogs. With this in mind, he began his training. Using his untrained, personal pet "Lacie" (Gingery's Shoelace) as his Juniors dog; Dennis attended dog training classes, received additional training from various handlers, and started his Junior Showmanship quest. Lacie, who was rarely out of the house up until then, was not sure what to make of this. In the beginning, it was not easy; but Dennis' skills and Lacie's confidence improved with time. Although Dennis has not qualified to compete in the Westminster Junior Showmanship competition, Dennis' grades showed enough improvement to earn the privilege to show in the Breed competition. Dennis elected to show Ch Gingery's Strawberry Shortcake in the 2000 Westminster KC Show.
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| Not only did he show "Berry" at Westminster, but Dennis and Berry were still competing until the judge made the final selection. WELL DONE, DENNIS!!
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| Additionally, Dennis has shown Berry at the Chinese Crested Club of Potomac Specialty in 2000 where Berry was awarded Best of Opposite Sex, defeating many professional handlers and experienced Breed people.
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