Juniors Tutorial

All About
JUNIOR SHOWMANSHIP

Junior showmanship is a competition designed especially for the "juniors" of the dog show world. Kids compete in this class against each other rather than the adults in the regular breed ring. However, the junior is judged on how he or she presents the dog rather than the conformation of dog itself. This page is a basic summary of the offical Rules of Junior Showmanship, availible through the AKC. You should get a copy of these rules and become familiar with them.
Here is the scoop on Junior Showmanship:

Judging Juniors:

Juniors should be judged based on how well they show the dog they have. The conformation of the dog should not be taken into consideration when judging. Other than this, a junior ring is run like a conformation, or breed, ring.

The Classes

There are four different classes in junior handling: Novice Junior, Novice Senior, Open Junior, and Open Senior. They divide by age and the number of wins with competition present you have. The age groups are:

Do you belong in Junior or Senior?
Junior: For Boys and Girls at least 10 years and under 14 years old on the day of the show.
Senior: For Boys and Girls at least 14 years and under 18 years old on the day of the show.

The wins groups are:

Do you belong in Novice or Open?
Novice: For Boys and Girls who have not won 3 first places with competition present at a licenced (offical) show.
Open: For Boys and Girls Who have won 3 first places, with competition present, in a Novice class at a licenced show.

What class do you belong in? If you have never shown, you will be in Novice because you haven't won three times with other people in the ring. If you are under 14, you will be a Junior, so your class is Novice Junior. If you are 14 or over, you will be a Senior, so your class is Novice Senior. If you go to three shows, and all three days you place first in your class with other people showing against you: Congratulations! you have moved up into open. What if you are 13 and you only have two wins in Novice Junior? Will you have to start over again in Novice Senior? NO! The rule is 3 wins in a NOVICE class, it doesn't have to be the same novice class, so you only have one more win to get if you turn 14 and make it into Novice Senior.

The last class is Best Junior where all the first place winners from each of the four classes come to one ring and compete against eachother. The best handler out of all the winners is picked to be Best Junior. Clubs may choose not to have this class, it is optional. If you win your Novice class without competition and then with Best Junior, it does NOT count as one of your wins to get out of novice.

What dogs are eligible

In the AKC, any dog that is eligible for obedience and/or conformation. These dogs are any purebred dog with an AKC registeration number, ILP limited registration number, or from and accepted foreign registry. To see which breeds are recognised by the AKC and other registries, click here. What if you have an AKC registered dog, but it is spayed or neutered? Fear not, good unior! Unlike conformation, dogs who have been sterilized are still eligible to compete in junior handling. Dogs who are not allowed to compete in AKC junior showmanship:
  • Bitches (female dogs) in heat. It destracts other male dogs and makes it difficult for other juniors to show well. *Please*, don't bring a bitch in heat into juniors!
  • Mixed breed, or unrecognised breeds. The AKC is for purebred dogs only, so mixed breeds cannot compete. However, many 4H handling competitions allow you to use your All-American dog in junior handling.
  • A dog that is not AKC registered. You need to have an AKC number to enter shows so the AKC can keep track on you and your dog's wins. If you do have a purebred dog that has no number, look into getting an ILP number from the AKC.
  • A dog NOT owned by the junior or a member of their household. Sorry guys, you just can't take anyone's dog into the ring, it must be one that you or your family owns. The junior's mother, father, sister, brother, aunt, uncle, grandfather, grandmother (including all half and step relations) or a member of the junior's household can also own the dog for the junior to be able to show it in juniors. The junior or his family may also co-own a dog and it will still be eligible. You are allowed one subsitution per show. If your dog is sick or injured, it is a good idea to switch your entries to another dog, if you have one. The switch must be turned into the superentindent's office at least 30 minutes before juniors is schedualed to start.

    Juniors from the Judge's point of view

    There are certain things that a judge looks for when evaluating a junior class. Some are:
    • Safety. The junior should have complete control of his or her dog at all times. For example, a short Novice Junior with a wild Great Dane would not be a very safe situation. The dog could get into a fight with another dog, or hurt the junior unintentionally with its size. If you are a small person, you should consider finding a breed that fits your size and strength.
    • Teamwork. It is not only important for the junior to be in control of the dog, they need to be working as a team. This is a team sport, one could not participate without the other. The junior needs to have the dog's attention at all times, without distracting the other "teams" in the ring.
    • Minimizing Faults. This is where having a dog with good conformation helps. Minimizing the major faults of your dog and accenting the good points is essential to a junior if he or she wants to be successful. While it is not impossible to show and win with a pet quality dog, it is much more difficult to minimize faults if they are extreme or numerous. You need to know your breed standard by heart, and be able to know what the good and bad points of your dog are.
    • Quiet Hands. This means that you are showing to the best of your ability with the least movement. Someone once said, "a handler should be like a frame on a work of art. It does not distract your view of the piece, it enhances it." The dog is the painting, and you are the frame. You should not make excessive movements to get your dog's attention or fling bait everywhere. You are trying NOT to be noticed, so don't call any attention to yourself, just to the dog!
    • Relax! Don't be nervous in the ring. The purpose of juniors in not to scare you. Just go in and have fun!

      Don't get overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that you have to do. Skills are learned in time, and perfection takes practice. Different skills will come at different times, so don't worry about looking perfect the very first time you step into the ring. Remember, everyone has bad ring experiences and are embarrused at some point in their carrier. Don't let it get you down if you do, for every bad one, there will be good ones to make you forget about it. Good luck!

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