Training Your Dog For A Dog Show

I fancy dog shows because they are pretty fascinating. It’s always interesting to watch sets of beautiful puppies being adventurous, expressing incredible skills and wowing the crowd. The accolades and clapping ovations that accompany this display of talent always lighten up the atmosphere effortlessly, this is one of those live shows dog-lovers should never miss. In this blog, we inform you about how to Train a dog.

Have you ever imagined your dog being staged on that performance ring? Are you looking to turn your dog into a show dog one day, but still unsure where to start? If you find yourself in this category, not to worry, you’ve come to the right place.  

This article will show you helpful dog show training tips that will guide you through the process of training your puppy for mega dog show events, with reliable techniques of training that will enable the dog to master each skill in no time. 

A dog show concert is a show for dogs, which they do by demonstrating certain skills.

To enrol your dog, you must first check if your dog is eligible. Dogs that are less down 6 months old are not allowed to participate, the only pure breed is allowed, that is, this category is not for neutered or spayed dogs. Bear in mind that the weight of the dog will be checked, Check your puppy’s ideal weight here now. 

This knowledge will be very useful at the time you will be training your dog for this purpose. Be sure to watch the performance of dogs that are of the same breed as yours. Pay attention to the details of their performance, and notice the conformity and synergy between them and their handler.

It takes a lot of work to become successful in a dog show competition, and one of the things you must work on is your relationship with your dog.

When people attend dog shows, they don’t just come for the dog, they want to enjoy the whole process.

They want to feel the flow and magic in performance. They want to see the passion that the dog and the handler portray. Trainers are very particular about the dog they want when they want to select a show dog, they go for the perfect breed. If you are yet uncertain about what kind of dog to use for dog shows, check here – This should guide you through making the right decision in choosing the perfect dog.

In essence, the energy and the flow of the handler and his dog command will determine, in the long run, the success of the performance. Though dogs can be unpredictable and do suffer self-esteem problems, not all dogs can stand the crowd. 

Very often, because of such stressful situations, dogs can become uncontrollable and run away.

At such moments, they will not even respond to your commands. In order to not lose your pet and to always keep them in your sight in such crowded places, you can use a GPS dog collar. You can easily track your dog through your phone and quickly find him in case they run away.

The best way to make your dog feel relaxed and comfortable is by building a good connection or relationship with the dog. The dog must undergo a process of mastering skills and attempting them over and over again till it registers in his consciousness, so he can gain the capacity to switch deliberately into the “show mood” without allowing other dogs to distract him. 

To achieve what you want, I recommend the use of positive reinforcement training; positive reinforcement training focuses on strengthening the bond between a dog and its trainer, this training system doesn’t encourage physical punishment, it rather imbibes trust and makes the dog feel safe around its trainer.  

The reinforcement training style touches a lot of areas in the dog, it walks the dog through an exciting stage of learning good manners, increasing agility, and mastering the act of rally.

You can use this method to groom your dog into becoming a professional canine athlete.

Spent time to train the dog on how to incur discipline and the spirit of obedience; we consider this to be the first stage, and also, the most difficult stage. If your dog can learn the act of obedience, he can learn virtually anything.

The positive reinforcement training style will open your dog to skills he will need to perform well in the ring. Aside from carrying out the duty of the show, the dog is expected to blend passion and love to his performance. The essence of the exhibition is not to watch a dog that is trying to impress, but one that loves what he does.

Spend time training your dog to become obedient with an online dog training provider, we consider this to be the first stage, and also, the most difficult stage. If your dog can learn the act of obedience, he can learn virtually anything.

One really smart thing to teach your show dog is speed when the dog masters speed; it will be easy for the dog to gait. One other requirement is that the dog must have the intelligence to move at the right speed without going out of his assigned lane.

By so doing the judge will be able to evaluate the dog’s walking style.

The standing position of the dog should be great, for small dogs, he should be made to stand firm on the table, while big dogs can stand on the ground. The way the dog takes his standing position helps the judge to know how he appears when stacking.

Things you need to get ready

The goal is to get your dog to give his best to the audience, his conformation has to be accurate, and his composure and energy must be balanced. There are a few kits you can gift your dog to help his performance on the stage:-

1. Martingale Style Collar

Source: DogIDS

For huge or average size dogs, buy a martingale-style collar. The reason why we recommend this product for big dogs is that it covers up enough space in the dog’s neck, to stop the head from slipping out.

The thing with this collar is that it doesn’t tighten continually like the choke collar. Though you can go for an option that carries both the leash and martingales collar or better still, get the martingales collar, then get the matching leash separately and attach both correctly. 

Source: Pet Supplies 4 less

For small dogs, I will recommend the use of a Resco, this is an “all-in-one” style collar with lead. This option is perfect for tender or small size dogs, it functions as a loop, having a slider that can move smoothly down or up to balance comfortably in any position you want it on the dog’s neck. 

2. Clicker

Source: K9deb

Again, if you want to train a show dog to be smart and responsive, consider using a clicker, this system of training helps you to communicate your commands to the dog and have him do exactly what you want; it’s more or less like conveying unemotional information to the dog.

3. Keep sessions short

Try to make the training sections exciting, engaging and short. Long session training can get boring and exhausting for the dog. Some people want to teach the dog everything in one day and the problem with this kind of training is that it creates confusion in the dog’s head. Each scheduled training should target a minimum of one and a maximum of three skills.

If you have three major skills to teach the dog for one session, then plan the training in such a way that you take a break before switching to the next skill. The break in-between helps the dog to understand that he is in another phase of training, making it easy for him to blend in.

It is also the responsibility of the trainer to monitor the growth level of the dog, you can subject the dog to a certain diet that will aid his training. Here’s how you can know whether your puppy is growing slow or fast. 

Enrol your dog in a local ring raft class

Ideally, the show requires your dog to perform amid the crowd, so it’s not out of place to train his confidence. Rift classes help to improve your dog’s ability to socialize. It makes the dog focus, it is expected that at the end of the class your dog should be able to walk on a lead without being distracted by other dogs.

There are requisite skills every show dog must-have, these are listed below.

1. Teach the dog how to gait
2. Train the dog on different styles of Stacking
3. Bait train your dog: train your dog to focus its attention on you. Feel free to use food while building this habit in the dog(you can associate food with a word, then when the dog is not eating, echo that word to see if the dog will stare at you.
4. Teach the dog how to pass the physical examination; because judges will examine the dog, and this might require them to touch the dog’s body. To attain success in this feat, your dog must withstand this assessment process without complaining. This is usually not an easy task, but it is achievable. Start by examining the dog yourself, daily. Check every part of the body, including the teeth, train the dog to be still while the physical examination is going on, and do this repeatedly for some days.

After practising the above-mentioned skills and you feel satisfied with the progress, register with local clubs and begin to take your dog for the show.

If your dog performs well in local clubs, it shows he is ready for the big show. 

All dogs are potential show dog champions; it all depends on the handler. A good handler can turn a dog into a champion in a matter of months. The procedures are not hard, and the activities become fulfilling when you put the time to train the dog well. The positive reinforcement technique is simply your best option, it will not only make the training to be enjoyable, but it will also help the dog to master the ring behaviours. 

For all dog owners out there, your puppies are potential show dog champions; the ball is now in your court. Get to work!

Thank you for reading, let’s know your thought on show dog training.

Also See: Beginner’s Guide To Being New Parents To A Puppy