Widget's First Dog Show!

Why the Texas Classic?

I'll be honest. The Texas Classic is no place to start a puppy, not even a puppy who has hung around at dog shows before. As a rule, I will start a puppy one of two ways. The first way is at a United Kennel Club (UKC) dog show, which will offer "non-licensed" puppy classes for registered and listed puppies starting at the age of three months. UKC shows are smaller than AKC shows. They are generally more relaxed and more family oriented than AKC shows. They also permit puppies to start at a younger age than AKC shows, which allow puppies to start at four months of age.

The second way I will start a puppy is at an AKC conformation show that is holding a "B" Match. A "B" match simulates the dog show atmosphere, but after the regular show hours. The matches are much smaller than regular conformation shows. Judges at matches are often club members or prospective conformation judges looking to fill out their resume. They will allow puppies more than one "go-around" or "down and back," and will often allow the handler to "stack" (pose) the dog more than once on the floor, ramp, or table. Matches are essentially training grounds for puppies who will be competing in the 4-6 Month puppy classes.

Failing either of these options, I will start a puppy in the AKC 4-6 Month puppy class. These classes are offered as part of conformation shows and take place during regular show hours. However, the manner in which they are judged constricts the puppy's show day, perhaps reducing it to a mere couple of hours instead of five to seven hours. For puppies, who are susceptible to exhaustion and stress, these reduced hours are a positive thing. Even if he or she is simply resting in a covered crate for the rest of the show, it's not the same as being "on stage" for the duration.

Widget is a good boy. At least, the tries to be a good boy.

What I will not ordinarily do is start a puppy in the "licensed" classes, in which he or she is competing for championship points. Regular classes for Toy Fox Terriers mean being at the show before the National Anthem is sung, as the breed typically is in the first judging group. It means going around the ring in the class, possibly with a competitor, then again for Winners. If there are puppy groups or bred-by-exhibitor groups, the puppy might go back into the ring, many hours later. If I'm just exhibiting, that might mean a trip back to the hotel to rest up (unless I'm also showing my Teddy Roosevelts), but if I'm stewarding, it means going back into a crate until lunch time. The older dogs, long accustomed to having down time, curl up and sleep or chew on their bones or simply watch other people and dogs go by. Puppies tend to need more stimulation, unless they've had time to learn about show down time from past experience.

So, back to Widget.

Widget walked around the show like a real trooper. He did bark (and occasionally growl) at passing dogs, but that's not terribly unusual for a terrier at his or her first show. Terriers are bundles of bravado wrapped up in a tiny fur suit, with a little bit of angry preacher thrown in. Terrier puppies like to warn the world to stay away from their turf, only becoming cuddly when plied with cuddles and food. When food and cuddles didn't turn off the speeches about hellfire and damnation, we covered his crate in an effort to get him to relax.

If I'd had any sense, I would not have entered Widget for the full three days of the show: six rings is a lot for a young dog. If I'd really had any sense, I might have entered him only for one ring a day or only for the two rings on Sunday. If I'd really, really had any sense, I would have brought him but not shown him, knowing that I was going to be stewarding. But no, I thought that he was ready. And, when he gaited so well for his first go-around in the ring, I felt I was right.

Then came the table.

The judge examines small dogs on the grooming table. Widget had early training on the grooming table, but this was a new experience for him. He wiggled and squirmed and when he wasn't allowed to jump off, he threatened to bite me. This kind of behavior is Not Good. If he had tried to bite the judge instead of me, then he would have been disqualified. A disqualification requires reinstatement by the registry before attempting to show again. Instead, the judge excused him, due to being unable to be examined. We were very fortunate, as it gave us time to work with him and to try again. We managed to show him to two other judges, one of whom also excused him. He had begun to "calm down" a bit, in that he didn't try to bite. He simply refused to allow himself to be handled on the table. On the floor, he remained fine.

Widget Scores Points!

The show was not total loss for us, not even for Widget. My wonderful Badger dog got a couple of ribbons of his own, as well as an invitation to the Total Dog Invitational to be held later this year. Yaddle, bless her, beat a female champion to go Best of Breed at her very first show. She earned a competition win, 30 points toward her championship, and undying pride from me, her breeder.

But Widget . . .

Widget, bless him, held it together long enough for Mr. Matsumoto to examine everything, including his teeth (without them sinking into anyone)! That little Widget actually beat Badger to take Best Male! He got his first-ever competition win and 20 points toward his champion degree! It was a difficult show for him, but he came through it okay, with a bit of lagniappe at the end, making the show a learning and growing time for him.

What's Next for Widget?

I work closely with another breeder. Although we have our own dogs and our own breeding programs, we also co-own a number of dogs and have a lot of input on what we both do with our dogs. After a great deal of discussion, we've decided to let Widget have a bit of time to not be a show dog. After giving Widget a month off just to relax and to chill, I started working with a neighbor of mine, a retired dog show judge, to develop his manners on the table. Dan is a great guy and has been feeding Widget "cookies" every day for the last couple of weeks to develop a rapport. We'll take it slow and see how the table training goes before he's entered in another show.

After deer season is over, which will give me more time, we're also going to be working on some trick training and stepping up the basic obedience training, so that he might be able to compete in Rally obedience. I suspect that both of these things, given that he doesn't have anyone looming over him or touching him, will be confidence builders and help him in his future show endeavors. If he "tells" me that he's simply not a conformation dog, I'll respect that. I won't force him to do something for which he's not suited. However, he's already showing some progress and I'm proud of him!

Next up: More on the Texas Classic!