Preparation for the Dog Show

“Show condition" means literally that an animal must be in the most perfect health and condition possible. This end is only attainable, as we have already pointed out, by rational management and enormous attention to detail. There are a few items of show preparation, however, on which we have not yet touched. White dogs must be shown clean, and to get them so without resource to soap and water we would recommend the following:

With every pint of pine sawdust mis 1/2 oz. magnesia and a handful of sulphate of lime. Rub well into the dog's coat (which must be quite dry), and then brush out again. The dog will become spotlessly clean, and there is nothing illegitimate about the proceeding. For small pet dogs of any color a good rubbing with dry bran works wonders.

Upon the vexed question of trimming we can only briefly touch. Kennel law condemns the trimming of most varieties as illegal, yet a clause legalizes the removal of the whiskers of certain breeds! The fact is that most varieties—certainly all wire-haired terriers—are regularly trimmed, and furthermore no exhibitor has much chance of winning at the present time unless he does it. The legal "removal of dead hair" is the peg whereon the old hand hangs his plea for justification for the tearing out of undesirable wool, and as trimming combs are openly sold it is difficult to know what course to recommend to the novice.

Unless the trimming is well done, i.e. no signs of cut or mutilated hair left, it is best either not to show at all or to show in an untrimmed condition, because the exhibitor always runs the risk of having his exhibit objected to by a jealous opponent, with the result that he may find himself involved in costly and lengthy proceedings. If the novice is careful to buy and breed dogs with the right class of coat the necessity for trimming vanishes, and with it a continual source of controversy among fanciers. The advocates of trimming argue that it is no more unfair to trim a dog than to trim a horse, and that exhibitors of the latter would not be expected to send their exhibits into the ring with long manes and untrimmed fetlocks. Against this there is the fact that many dogs can win when they have the greater portion of their coat removed, which would be almost unrecognizable as specimens of their breed in a natural state. "Coat" is not a point in horses, whereas it is a very important one in dogs.

As to where to trim if trim one must it is difficult to say. Every variety of dog, and every individual dog, requires faking in a different place, and we have no space here to enter into details. Suffice it to say that the primary object is to bring a dog as near the standard as possible, and if the appearance of an animal is improved by leaving a little hair here, and removing a little there—why, that is where to do it! That this superficial attention will deceive a competent judge who judges by feel rather than by look we do not believe, but it may perhaps cause a dog to look well enough to "catch the judge's eye " and make him desire a closer acquaintance.

Half the battle of prize-winning is won if a dog shows well. Showing well means, of course, looking its best. Some dogs always do this in the ring; others collapse and completely shut up, with the result that, although they may be more perfect in conformation than their adversaries, they will perforce fail to get a prize. This showing well, the alert, bright, lively mien essential to the success of the terrier, is much a matter of disposition, but it may also to a great extent be acquired. The training of a show dog should begin from its earliest days.

The putting on of collar and lead should always be associated in the dog's mind with the necessity for looking his best and the receipt of due reward. He should be taught to hold himself and stand well just as a horse is taught, and he should not appear in the ring until his education is completed. That his appearance will be long deferred no one who appreciates the intelligence of the dog can for one moment believe, and we cannot lay too much stress on the importance of many dress rehearsals before our favorite is allowed to appear in the full glare of public criticism.

Yahoo! News Search Results for dog show
Yahoo! News Search Results for dog show

AKC sanctioned dog show in Amarillo
An American Kennel Club sanctioned dog show will be front and center this week at the Amarillo Civic Center.
Medford holds Top Dog show Sept. 18, still time to register
Medford?s Top Dog, a canine competition to be put on by the Medford Jingle Bell Committee, is set to take place Saturday, Sept. 18, and should feature an array of dogs of all shapes, sizes and dispositions.
Dog day afternoon for Stephen Frears
Our film was out-of-competition at Cannes and it still won a prize," beams Stephen Frears. That prize was the Palm Dog, given to the best canine performer in a movie showing at the Cannes Film Festival. The award-winning dog, a boxer called Albert, steals the show in one of Tamara Drewe's pivotal scenes, setting a herd of cows off on a stampede. It was, says Frears, one of the most hilariously ...
Dog Owners Tail Gate in Fairmont
About 30 dog owners attended.
? Training class for fair dog show
The Rowan County Fair is right around the corner. With the fair comes the 4-H Junior Dog Show. For those youth competitors who are interested in participating, Lynn Meeks of the Salisbury Kennel Club will hold a dog showmanship and training class ...
Olongapo dog rules C. Visayas dog show contest
A German shepherd from Olongapo City clinched the ?Siegerin Title? and consequently the ?Best of Breed Award? among the more than 30 dogs that participated in the Central Visayas Landesgruppen Sieger Show held in Cebu City last August 22.
Top dogs on show
Let your pooch take centre stage at the council's dog show in Kensington Memorial Park on Sunday September 12. The event, organised by the borough's Parks Police, features entertainment for families and dogs, including flyball demonstrations, and there will be rosettes for the top dog in each class.
Metro Minute with Halifax Kennel Club
The dog days of summer it is not. The Halifax Kennel Club All Breed Championship Dog Show and Trials is happening during the Labour Day long weekend at Exhibition Park on Prospect Road. The three-day event runs Saturday through Monday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. This is the largest dog show in Atlantic Canada and features some of the top show dogs and their handlers performing in various ...
4-H Youth Dog Show at the fair
Owners and well trained dogs put the skills they've been grooming to the test today at the Coca-Cola Coliseum. The pups and their human pals competed in the 4-H Youth Dog Show.
Police threaten to pull out the dogs
A police dog attack on a boy during a house search at Goodna, west of Brisbane, may create problems for a new television show.