- Bradshaw, Jack
Jack Bradshaw Dog Shows
P.O. Box 7303
Los Angeles, CA 90022-0178
Tel 323-727-0136/ Fax 323-727-2949 Web Address: http://www.jbradshaw.com
Smiley's Golden Pages Quick Index
Or if you Prefer a site index
Jazz's Guide to "The Dog Show"
Congratulations! A SHOW DOG!!!! The first thing you need if you would like to show your dog, whether in Obedience, Conformation, Hunting, Agility, Herding, or any of the many other American Kennel Club events, is an AKC registered dog. If you gave the subject proper thought when you bought your puppy, you will have purchased him from a reputable breeder, and your puppy will have come with AKC registration papers. Hopefully he will have grown up to be the quality of dog you and the breeder anticipated that he would. Or, you may have purchased your puppy from a Pet store or through a newspaper ad from a back yard breeder. He may have been sold as an "AKC dog" or an AKC registered dog, and you may not have received the registration papers with the puppy. The puppies in pet stores often come from puppy mills, which do not (ever!) breed show quality dogs. If you have not obtained the registration papers for the dog, by the time you decide you'd like to show him in obedience or agility (which he can do even though he may not be quite up to snuff for conformation) you may find the pet store has gone out of business. Or, perhaps the pet store can't locate or get the papers from the 'breeder'. So first of all, whether you get a puppy from a serious breeder, a back yard breeder, a breed rescue organization, or a pet store, if you would like to be able to do something 'official' with him later, make sure you get the papers.
Beautiful Show Quality Puppies Come From Serious Breeders
If you have purchased your puppy from a pet store or a backyard breeder, and
for whatever reason didn't get registration papers, if the dog appears to be a
purebred representative of an AKC registerable breed you may be able to show
your dog in performance events anyway. The AKC grants an "Indefinite
Listing Privilege" to such dogs, which must first be 6 months old and
neutered. This ILP number will allow you to show your dog in AKC obedience,
hunting, herding, agility and earth dog events. You may not show an ILP dog in
conformation ('breed') classes.
If your dog is a mixed breed, you may find local fun matches that
are put on by a dog training facility or group. It is in the best interests of
all dogs and dog owners to teach them to do anything of which they are capable.
It is not, however, the business of the American Kennel Club to sanction such
events for mixed breeds, since the AKC's main responsibility is the maintenance
of the Stud Book, and the promotion of purebred dogs.
If you do have a good quality puppy and would like to be able to show in
conformation classes later on, DON'T NEUTER the dog. If you would like to show
and breed the dog, you should deal with a serious, reputable breeder and
contract for a show and breeding quality puppy. This puppy must be on a full
registration, if you hope to be able to breed later on, not on a limited
registration. Breeders are likely to be very particular about which puppies they
sell on full registration, and which people they will sell these individuals to.
This is a good thing; only the best animals should be bred, and only owners
serious about learning about the breed, about genetics and soundness, about
training, and about the effort involved should take on the responsibility of
breeding dogs. YOU DON'T BREED PUPPIES TO GET RICH. More often, you go well into
a financial hole breeding dogs.
If you don't wish to breed the dog, a dog on a limited registration and/or a neutered dog will still be permitted to compete in performance events. Bitches that aren't going to be bred should be spayed, generally before 6 months of age. If a bitch puppy is spayed before her first heat, her chances of developing mammary tumors, the most common cancer in dogs, will be substantially reduced.
Whether you hope to show your puppy in conformation, obedience, or agility,
it is helpful to socialize him to being with strange people and dogs.
Once his puppy shots are complete - about 4 months of age, you can find him a
puppy kindergarten class, puppy obedience class, or conformation handling class.
Your local kennel club or obedience club will often hold these classes. If they
don't, they should be a good source of information about who in the area does
give classes. Check on the AKC web site for the names of member clubs, and their
contact person, to find one near you.
After you have found your local kennel club, and have trained your
dog, you need to find out when and where the dog shows are and how to enter.
Look on the AKC pages, and you will find sections for different kinds of events
- conformation, obedience, etc. - and for different months of the year. Start at
least a month or more away, as closing dates for taking entries for shows are
usually 3 weeks before the show date. When you see some shows you are interested
in, check on who the Show Superintendent is. Usually most shows in a
given geographical area will be put on by the same superintendent organization.
Examples of Superintendents are listed below. Write or call the specific show
superintendent and ask for a Premium List for the show you wish to enter. Ask
also to be put on their mailing list to receive premium lists of future shows in
the area this superintendent covers. When the premium list arrives you will find
it to contain information about where the show is to be held, the judges who
will be judging each breed or other event (obedience, agility), the officers of
the club and the show chairman, closing date (deadline for receipt of completed
entries), entry fee (usually 18 to 20 dollars), and the instructions for filling
in the form. You will usually find that the superintendent will accept faxed
entries accompanied by a credit card authorization. Instructions will be
included for faxing your entry.
The AKC home page includes results of some levels
of competition for recently completed shows. It takes a couple of days for these
to be posted to the net. By examining this it may be possible for you to
determine whether or not there are enough 'class' dogs being shown in your area
to make 'points'. Beware of looking at only one or two weekends, there may be a
larger or a smaller entry depending on how well the exhibitors in your area like
certain judges!
The week before the show, you will receive a 'judging program' in the
mail. This will give directions to the show, any parking information (paid
parking for instance), your ring number, judge's name, and approximate time of
showing. A time will be given with several breeds below it (for conformation).
This means that the breeds will start at the given time or later if the ring is
running slow, but not before that time. You can judge roughly how long after
that time you might appear by adding up the number of entries in the breeds
listed before your own at that time, and multiplying by 3 minutes a dog. But
remember! This is just an approximation. Much better to get there on time and
wait rather than to miss your show time after driving 3 hours. You never know if
all the dogs entered show up; in the case of bad weather often a large number of
the dogs entered don't make it to the show.
Finally prepare your dog; train him, bathe and groom him, find the
appropriate lead (show or obedience, not 'street' collar and leash), load your
car with 'crate' (cage), water, 'bait' (food), grooming tools, grooming table,
folding chair, and soda pop, and go to your first dog show. Allow plenty of time
for grooming, setting up your gear, and going to the john. Allow more time for
getting lost or driving around trying to figure out the directions to the show.
When you get there, drive around the building or outdoor show site and look at the lay of the land; see where the rings are situated, find the doors to the building that the exhibitors are using, the loading areas, and so on. Once you find the appropriate place, unload, set up, and you're on your own. GOOD LUCK!
