Arriving At The Show

You should know before you leave home exactly where the show grounds are located. Just because a club held its show on certain grounds one year is no guarantee it will do so the following year. Check and be sure before you start out. Frequently a club holds a show in a town other than the one appearing in the club's name. For instance, the Dayton Kennel Club (Ohio) holds its show at the Hobart Sports Arena in Troy, Ohio, and the Baltimore County Kennel Club holds its show at the state fairgrounds in Timonium, Maryland. Think of the driving time wasted if you drive into the city of Dayton instead of going directly to Troy, and although the map shows Timonium only about four miles from the city of Baltimore you will waste an awful lot of time if you first drive into Baltimore and then out to Timonium. Usually the show-giving club will put up arrows directing you to the show grounds, but if the club is lax, you are on your own to find it. Allow yourself plenty of time. Frequently the show grounds or show building will have but one entrance, where the slow task of taking tickets and selling admissions will cause the line of arriving exhibitors to have to wait much longer than they had anticipated in order to gain their entrance. I have seen a late arrival park the car on the side of the road, grab the dog, practically knock down the ticket taker when presenting the ticket, and run into the show ring. This sort of entrance will not help your composure, or your dog's, in the ring.

You should check the judging program before leaving home to find out at exactly what time your breed is due to be judged. The judging may be delayed, true, and as a result your breed may be judged later than the program said, but—and here is a good thing to know—it may never be judged earlier than stated on the program.

If you have your husband or wife or an understanding friend with you this first time, they can be of great help, particularly if your dog is to be judged early. There is quite a lot to be done at this point: park the car way off in that far lot, watch the dog, produce your admission tickets, watch out for that passing dog, perhaps stand in line waiting for the veterinarian to check your dog, hold on to your brief case or kit containing your possessions, watch the dog, et cetera. Do watch your little bag, for bags have been known to disappear. Perhaps your friend would hold it for you and also take care of the tickets. Then you could devote all your time to the dog. If you want a show catalogue, and if catalogues are sold at the entrance, now would be a good time for your friend to buy one for you.

If it is a benched show, you must find your bench. This will be a partitioned-off stall and on it will be marked your breed and the identification number of your dog, which corresponds to the number on your identification card that was mailed to you. Now the collar and bench chain. (Except toy breeds; these are usually placed in wire cages.) See that the collar fits well, making sure that the dog cannot slip his head out of it. Don't use a leather lead or a piece of cord to tie your dog to the bench, as a dog can chew either of these in two before you turn around. Use a bench chain. There will be rings placed in strategic points along the chain with snaps at either end. There should be a ring on the dog's collar. Snap one end of the chain to the ring on the collar and put the other end of the chain through the ring on the bench and then fasten the end to the ring on the chain which best fits your dog. I have mentioned this before, but it is important; do not make the chain so short that the dog cannot lie down but—and almost more important—not so long that he can get his head around and into the next stall. He might get bitten by the neighboring dog who doesn't particularly want company. Also a long chain may give your dog the idea that he isn't fastened and if he jumps off the bench when you are not around he is liable to hang himself.

Place your packages, toolbox, lunch, or whatever you have with you under your dog's bench. If you put it down on the bench next to yours, as soon as the dog arrives who belongs there you will only have to move it, and it might be at a more inconvenient time.

Now take stock of the situation. If you have allowed yourself time, you will not have to rush right into the ring. If you think the dog has to urinate or evacuate, take him to the exercise pen provided for the purpose. There may be two, one for dogs and one for bitches, and so marked; or there may be several pens with no markings. In the latter case, choose any one. On the way to the exercise pen don't let your dog lift his leg on someone's tool kit or crate, and if you have to walk through crowded aisles, watch that your dog does not get stepped on or panicky at the barking of the dogs on the benches. When you get to the exercise pen, give your dog time to take care of himself but don't overstay. Be sure to fasten the latch on the gate securely. Now back to the bench.

If it is a hot day and you think your dog is thirsty, offer him a drink of water; a small one if he is due to be judged soon, all he wants, within reason, if he has a long wait before being judged. Too much water before the judging may make the dog look "pot-bellied." Do not leave the water pan on the bench with your dog. He may upset it and get himself thoroughly soaked as well as the dogs around him, and also your packages under his bench.

Did your dog get dirty on the way? Did he drool over himself, or pick up a grease spot from the car? Look him over now. Did he step in anything in the exercise pen that may be stuck between his pads? If he needs cleaning up, get right to it. A sponge and some soapy water, or just the end of the towel dipped in water, will do the job, depending on how badly soiled he is. Now do that last-minute trimming and grooming. Even though he was thoroughly trimmed, you may see just a little something, which could be improved. It is amazing how fast the whiskers grow back in!

When you have the dog cleaned up and you are sure he is ready for the ring—well groomed and with last-minute trimming done—put him back on the bench, properly fastened, and prepare to leave him. If it is his first experience, he will watch you and be reluctant to have you leave him alone in this new atmosphere. But it is best for him if he is going to be a show dog to learn how to stay on a bench quietly. An old trooper will curl up and go right off to sleep. Of course you always run into an occasional "ham," the dog who loves to have an audience and who makes eyes at every passer-by, pawing at them and trying to "shake hands'' with them. If he likes attention, it won't bother him just so his admirers do not wear him out. If it is your first show, or his first show, you might feel better if you stay with him or, better still, near him. But remember, there will be times when you will have to leave him, and the sooner you see to it that he knows how to relax on a bench the better off you both will be. One or two barks from the dog will not bother him just so he does not exhaust himself barking. Nor should you allow him to work himself into a frenzy lunging against the collar. Check to see he does not get himself tangled in the bench chain. Once again, try to keep him from panting, so his expression is not spoiled. If and when he quiets down and you decide to go and leave him, remind your family that he might become upset if they awaken him, and then leave him again. Once you have gone off, only go to him if it is necessary. Check on him often, of course, but try to do so from where he will not see you or pick up your scent. When your show dog learns to relax on the bench, one of your big battles has been won.

If you haven't already discovered its location, now is the time to find the ring where your dog will be shown. Some shows will have only a few rings, and finding yours will not be difficult. Some shows have a great many rings, and they are not always laid out in numerical order.

If you did not buy a catalogue, and you want one, now is the time to get one. Often the show-giving club runs out of catalogues toward the end of the day, and you may have to do without one if you do not get it early.

It might also be a good idea at this point to check your entry in the catalogue. Be sure the dog is listed there correctly and in the class in which you intended to enter him. If there is any mistake, now is the time to check it with the show superintendent. If you have entered him incorrectly, the chances are that the dog cannot be shown. However, if it is a matter of wrong sex or if the mistake was in the printing of the catalogue, the superintendent will correct the entry in the judge's book, and you may then show in the proper class.
While you are looking in the catalogue you will find out how many dogs are in your class, how many classes before yours, and also, who will be in the ring with you. When you remember that at every show the classes are always judged in the same order: Puppy, Novice, Bred by Exhibitor, American Bred, Open, first in dogs and then in bitches, you will have some idea of when you will be called. However, you must realize that there may be classes with no entries at all, and therefore a shorter waiting period before your class is called. Very often a novice exhibitor will be found sitting right at the ringside with his dog while the loudspeaker is blaring his number or while the ring runner is searching the benches, the exercise pen, and the crate section trying to locate him. If you know who is to be in the ring with you, it may help you know your class is being called when you recognize the person entering the ring.

Don't depend on the steward, the ring runner, or the loudspeaker, for if they do not function properly, your dog will be marked absent after a suitable waiting period.

If your dog is resting quietly and you have the time, you might like to watch some of the judging. It would be a good idea, if possible, for you to watch the judge who is going to judge your dog later on. From watching him you will pick up a few pointers about his ring technique, such as: where he poses the dogs, at one end of the ring or at the side; if he gaits the dogs down the center of the ring or across the ring; whether he looks at all the dogs in the class and then gaits all the dogs in the class, or whether he looks at one and gaits him and then goes on to the next dog and then gaits him; or whether he has each dog brought up to him for examination. As a novice exhibitor you will feel more at ease in the ring when you have some idea of what to expect from the judge.

Before you actually go into the ring, here are a few more pointers. There are lots of rules around dog shows and, like all rules, they should be obeyed. The benching rule is an important one. Your dog is supposed to be on his bench at all times except when he is being judged, being exercised, or being prepared for the judging. The rule allows a dog to be off his bench one hour before he is due to go into the ring, and the people who use crates for their dogs may take the dog off the bench and after he is "done up" for the ring they may put him in the crate until the judging actually takes place.

If I did not stress it before, let me do so now. Use extreme care in walking your dog back and forth from the ring, the bench, and the exercise pen. Another dog may not have the best disposition in the world and might snap at your dog as he passes. He could be hurt, but even if he was not, it might frighten your dog. Keep an eye on him. Make sure that your dog is not guilty of snapping at another dog. Keep an eye out for lit cigarettes—if your dog steps on one he will have a very sore foot when he goes into the ring. Once you have had a dog go lame from a cigarette burn you will come to have a strong dislike for the person who does not stomp out his discarded cigarette. Don't be guilty of this offense yourself.

Your class is about to be called. Take the dog out of his crate, or off his bench, and put the show lead on him. Do not leave your bench chain and collar on the bench, as a great many chains and collars have disappeared when left there without the dog. Run the comb through his coat, or wipe him off with a towel, or give him a last-minute brushing. Take your dog to the entrance to the ring. You should be calm and poised at this point, and while I know you will not be, try to give the outward appearance of being so. If you are nervous or upset, your dog will sense it and perhaps reflect it.

If it has not already been done while you were waiting at the ringside, as you come into the ring the steward or ring runner will give you an arm band on which will be printed your dog's identification number. Check to be sure it is the correct number. The person giving it to you will probably assist you in putting it on. These bands are usually worn on the left arm. However, if a woman is handling the dog and is wearing a short-sleeved dress, the arm band will slide down around her wrist and will be most uncomfortable. Be prepared to fasten the arm band securely in some fashion. Some people fold over the excess and fasten it with two paper clips; others use a rubber band. With a very lightweight fabric some women use a safety pin to pin the band to the sleeve; still others will place the arm band in the belt of their dress but usually on the left side. A man will not have this problem, as usually the material in the sleeve of his jacket is heavy enough to keep the arm band in place.

From looking in the catalogue you know how many dogs are entered in your class. If you are alone in the class, you walk right into the ring and wait for the judge's instructions. If you know there are to be, let us say, four dogs in your class, glance around the ring. If there are already three there, you know they have been waiting for you, and as soon as you enter the ring the judge will at once ask everyone in the class to go around the ring. I will describe this procedure later. When you come up to the ring for a class in which there are four dogs entered, if there are only two dogs in the ring, go into the ring and then wait for the arrival of one more dog. When he arrives, be prepared for the judge's instructions. If you hear that the fourth dog is being marked absent, the class will proceed as soon as the judge has marked the absentee in his book.

Here is another good method of attaching or holding your armband in place. The safety pin will definitely hold the armband but it is a bit difficult to close the pin with one hand. Be sure to have someone help you attach it.

If the fabric of the dress is so fine that a safety pin may damage it or if the costume is sleeveless, try bending over the excess arm band and encircle with a strong rubber band as shown here.

In this photograph the arm band is held in place by the fold of material in the sweater. This will apply to any heavy material such as in men's or women's suit jackets. This is the best way to wear an arm band if you are sure it will stay in place.

Here the belt of the dress or skirt is run through the arm band. This is a good method as the arm band is seldom in the way and almost always visible.

An example of the wrong way to wear an arm band as it can easily be knocked out of the pocket when running or posing the dog.  
Another example of the wrong way to wear an arm band as it will greatly interfere with the proper handling of the dog. It will fall over the hand and slide down the lead — or it may hit the dog as the handler attempts to pose the dog. (Note the correct holding of the lead.)

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