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Dog showing thread

Moxie and I went to Prescott, AZ, her first indoor show. She was quite scared. I felt really bad. It was a big, cavernous arena and the echo of the barking really got to her I think. We did a B match this past Sunday. It was outside, and she did much better. I was even able to hand stack her on the table. (She does not like the table.)

In October and November, we have 8 shows between Phoenix and Tucson. They call it the Death March, lol. I don’t have that much PTO, so I will only be doing Saturdays and Sundays.

Anyone else showing soon?

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A friend of mine showed her bitch Cairn there both days (I think it was both days; showed another bitch of her breeding the other of the days).

She lived up in Prescott.

That’s an adorable little Corgi. And so white!

Do you practice stacking on the table at home? I would have her on the table all the time - giving her treats, feeding her meals there, playing with her, etc.

My dog show friends were at Morris & Essex in NJ this week. I guess that’s a show that has a lot of history and they encourage people to dress the part. I’ve never been to it, but have seen some fun photos this week. http://www.morrisandessexkennelclub.org/index.html

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Love this link ~ thanks for sharing !

Yes, I’ve been working on it. She is nervous enough to not want to take even the best of treats (medium rare NY Strip!). She is getting a little better though. I’ll take any suggestions though!

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Do you have a grooming table at home? I’d put it right in the middle of a room you are in a lot and use it every day. E.g. in the kitchen while you are preparing a meal, she can be up on the table and getting treats. And/or feed her dinner on the table or hand feed her there.

Don’t make it about stacking. Just being up higher and hanging out there with good stuff - treats, praise, fun.

What’s really funny about you mentioning this is that she knows how to get on the dining room table. She sneaks up there after my son is done eating. (He is low functioning autistic and always leaves a pile of food on the table.) So it’s not heights per se.

I will get my grooming table out though and keep working.

That’s good then! She may feel differently about the height because of the table size, but if she’s unafraid of the dining table then you should be able to make this better. I would think about just having a few fun days on the table and see how it goes; but if she’s totally unafraid on the table at home, it’s definitely environmental.

If so, I would switch to working rather than playing on the table at home - stacking, etc., and definitely use some verbal commands (I always say “stand”, other people say other things). And work on the table stack until she’s really solid. (And of course reward so it is always clear that compliance on the table isn’t totally un-fun).

Then think about ways you might be able to move the table to new environments - even new rooms or in a garage, for example. Then repeat the same exercises of stacking, etc. Eventually they will help transition to shows; but of course the more you show, the easier it gets because that environment is impossible to recreate at home.

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