Tips for first hound show with juniors n puppies?

[farmfreshfun]

Hi all, I’m a very long time lurker here and have learned so much over the years without needing to post myself. (Thank you!) I finally registered after searching without success here plus search engines for tips on hound showing and preparation. Forgive me if I somehow missed a post that already covered this. I know I waited too long and should have gotten here earlier as we are showing this Sunday and can’t teach pups or kids too much this late. :eek:

Still, eager to hear and learn from anyone’s experiences. We’ve had two dog hounds living with us (in a stall) for a week. We’ve received some guidance from our lovely huntsman but have never actually been to a hound show so are feeling extremely unprepared. My 7 yo son and 10 yo daughter (who hunt and handle our own large dog in obedience work) have worked on walking them on a long and short lead, standing them up and throwing cookies for them to show their movement to judges. It is all still pretty rough round the edges! How would you prepare/ groom/ train/ drive hounds??? The kids will be handling and showing the large, young (bouncy, yet shy) hounds. I’m sure our other club members will step in to help if we have troubles but we’d value ANY tips, suggestions or links as we don’t want to embarrass the club!

[Willesdon]

An interesting question for which I am sure you will have some expert responses.

I looked around youtune and found this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEczbl-2aKo

I would add that our Bassets think the chasing-a-biscuit-thing is really foolish and it took a couple of weeks to convince them to even move. Who said Bassets are stupid?

[farmfreshfun]

Thank you so much Willesdon. The videos were wonderful! We’re feeling even less prepared but slightly better educated. We love Bassets and might like to explore a foot pack next… They sound smart and wise with their energy!

[Equibrit]

You should find some stuff on this channel; http://www.youtube.com/user/davidryanimages

Bear in mind that UK hound shows are a much more formal affair than here.

There’s video of the VA hound show here; https://houndwelfare.wordpress.com/our-video-archive/

[Willesdon]

Equibrit excellent videos! Cheered up my afternoon.

[farmfreshfun]

Lovely videos, thanks! We were fortunate to have Mr Mark Dixon give our juniors a quick clinic yesterday and have learned a lot. This first show may not reflect it all but we hope there will be many more in years to come where we are able to fine tune our handling and hound prep. In any case, we’ll sure enjoy watching “our” pups hunt and grow in seasons to come! More personal tips n tricks always appreciated too…

[farmfreshfun]

This proud mama had to come back and report on the show. The photo links n videos provided a great sense of what to expect and we were better prepared than I’d dared hope… My seven year old son won the junior class. He was soooooo into it that he kept his poor hound set up almost nonstop. I think he wants to be a huntsman now. :winkgrin:The best part tho was the wonderful camaraderie and support offered by other clubs! An amazing group of hound lovers and a wonderful day. Thanks to all who made us feel so welcome!

[Beverley]

Hey congratulations! I was going to offer suggestions but obviously not needed! I am sure y’all discovered that showing hounds is not too very different from basic obedience etc with any dog, except that foxhounds turn in to big mounds of jello at inopportune moments.

[Willesdon]

Excellent news! Congratulations to all, people and hounds.

[ISR]

I presume this was at the Maryland Puppy Show? The junior class was by far the highlight of the day! Congratulations!

Here are some pictures from the foxhound ring–I believe your son is in a few of the shots!

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=fd87814c2de20012&sid=0Qcsm7Zy3YsVGIw

[wateryglen]

You gotta come to the Virginia Foxhound Clubs show on Memorial day weekend! The Junior Handler Class is the highlight of the show now! It’s a “Cute-A-Thon”!
Many hunts have discovered the joys of the junior classes. The local pony club is a good source of “handlers” btw!! Best wishes!

[Jumper_girl221]

What do you have to do to be eligible for this type of a show?

My husband brought home a deer hound until she was old enough to go to the kennels…and now at 2 I don’t see that happening anytime soon (because she’s usually found curled up with the beagle on the sofa).

My son is almost 6 and I do think that’s something they would enjoy doing together. She worships him and they are seldom found apart lol.

She does not have papers, although she is full blooded “Treeing Walker Hound”.

Also, she has a scar on one shoulder, barely noticeable unless you are looking. Would that get counted against her? She came running back on a trail ride bleeding with a nice gash…figure she caught a branch just right. Amused the neighbors since the only way to keep her from chewing it was to dress her in my sons outgrown PJ’s (3T’s are perfect hound size LOL! Sweaters were shredded shortly)

[farmfreshfun]

ISR, thank you. Yes, we are so grateful to have these gorgeous photos shared with us! My son is eager to have one in the lovely engraved frame.
Wateryglen, we’d LOVE TO attend the VA show but will be busy with a family gathering that weekend. Best wishes to all there! I’m sure there’ll be many adorable handlers. We hope to participate in more hound shows in the future.
I’m always impressed by the kindness and help offered by fellow fox hunters.
Thank you ALL!

[chrysanthy]

So many good videos.

[Equibrit]

This just came up;http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/news/guide-hound-showing-launched/