In some breed rings you can notice a real chaos. The Show Handlers are all standing criss-cross through each other in the ring. The dogs are standing, sitting or lying in the show ring and do not know what is required from them.
Before the dog goes into the show ring he is being brushed, cut, sprayed and rubbed as if it's a delight. And when it is time to go to the ring they even forget to let the dog go out to do his thing.
And there they are standing with their dog. They are waiting until the judge has four minutes free to come and look closer to their dogs. In the meantime they are bored of the long wait and start to talk with the other exhibitors. They give their dogs some snacks and the other dogs are also interest in it. And then the unavoidable happens, the dog does his thing in the show ring. This scenario mostly happens in the breed rings when the judging has started.
This scenario should not exist on the show. For every entry the Show Handler pays a considerable amount of entry fee to compete. It takes an average of forty minutes to judge a class and its during this judging that the price is given. So use this time well to show your dog to every one. The Show Handler must show his dog optimal from the moment he enters the show ring until he leaves the show ring.
From the beginning on when entering the show ring a thoughtful judge tries to overlook the quality that is coming in the ring. He constantly looks over them and make a comparison with the other dogs in the ring. Its not only the four minutes when the Judge is looking individually over your dog that makes the decision of the Judge which dog is the best. All time in the ring you must be alert for the Judge eye because its after much deliberation of all the dogs in the ring that the decisions will be made.
Of coarse the dogs have to be neat when they come into the show ring but don't over do it and take enough time to go out with him. It is not nice if a dog does something in the ring even when he is well groomed or not.
It can be a great help to use snacks for the dog whilst he is being judged. But the Show Handler must have in mind that other dogs are also in the ring. Therefore it could be better to keep this at a minimum and only for his dog. Do not drop any snacks on the ground and if this would happen just pick it up very quickly. The other dogs may be interesting and distracted. This would not be very sportive for the other competitors who then have problems keeping their dogs under control.
Leave enough space between the dog in front of you. It is not pleasant (neither for the dogs) that some strange dog sniffs on your dog. It is for the owner of the sniffing dog and the owner of the dog that has been sniffed a problem to keep the dogs under control.
Try to present the dogs on one line. This looks more nicely instead of standing criss-cross in the ring. This gives a nicer view for the Judge as for the Public. After al it is a dog SHOW to which you have entered.
The tips mentioned above are not only useful in the Show Handling Competitions but also for the average Show Handler in the breed ring. Make use of it and show that a dog show can be a SHOW.

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