Goose Poop And The Future of Dog Shows

Here’s a few tips and thoughts on dealing with dog show distractions.

Last weekend was a great one for us at the Bull Terrier Club of Philadelphia’s Specialties - two BOVs and a Group 2 for Saki, and a RWB and a WB for baby Bijou.  And there were PLENTY of distractions to test our Attention and Free Stacking skills....

You can count on there being dropped bait and goose poop at outdoor shows.  You can certainly “correct” your dog for diving into the distractions, but you’re going to pay for that dearly because corrections have a “carpet bombing” effect - they suppress not just the target behavior but serve to dampen the dog’s overall behavior.  Not what you want in a show dog.

My suggestion is, if your dog’s nose dives in the grass, try playing with him to keep his attention, rather than “correcting” him for sniffing.  It will serve the double purpose of getting him out of the grass and up on his toes.  Here’s Saki, finding some dropped bait as she waits her turn last Friday at the Bull Terrier Club of Philadelphia specialty:

That jump and bark didn’t hurt her any she went on to Best of Variety and a Group 2 that day  (thank you, judges Susie Harris and Bruce Schwartz!) 

Here’s 8 month old baby Bijou’s fourth time in the show ring - I don't expect her to exhibit her trained behaviors right off the bat and I'm feeling it out to see how much I can get from her.  I start with play to get her engaged and take one shot at the free stack, just to see what I have.  I'm getting nothing on the free stack so I go right to stacking her with my hand on her collar at first, and then gradually sneak out in front of her as much as possible.

We most definitely begin training attention and free stacking as early as 5 weeks old.  We want to imprint the "Distractions Are Cues for Attention" concept in our puppies, and we want "stack" to be a default behavior that just feels good to the puppies.  But we also spend a lot of time just playing with puppies, so we have play available to use in the ring to get them up on their toes, and ignoring distractions.

You need to know where you are, and adjust your expectations and technique accordingly.  What I want or can expect from a puppy is not the same as what I want or can expect from a special.  When I take out a six month old puppy I'm not chasing points, I'm investing in the show dog that they will someday be.  And that begins with imprinting a love for the show ring, and letting go of the idea that a puppy should "show" right out of the box.

Patience and play do pay off, and when Bijou comes back in the ring for RWB, she's all business.  Bijou’s settling in and she even gives me the beginning of a really nice free stack ...

​You Killer Free Stack alums will notice the finger cue and see how well Bijou's remembered it...Also note Bijou's double take when the judge approaches for the second time - those of you that have watched our Attention is the Mother of All Behaviors video will recognize that as "Distractions are Cues For Attention."  It really is worth it to put in the effort with puppies, they remember their early lessons well. 

​While they may come out distracted at first, if you are patient, kind and forgive puppy behavior, you can trust that your early training will shine through once the puppy settles down.   But, in all fairness, you do need to train your puppies to fluency before bringing them to a big dog show.

Thank you, Ray Sharp for awarding Bijou RWB and congratulations to Krista Prater Piles and Farina (the red bitch in the first video) on going WB and finishing Farina's championship that day!

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But what does goose poop have to do with the future of dog shows? 

What do they see when they look at us?

However, I’m sad to say that this is not always the case, and what happens in the ring can be off-putting for the novice observer. I realize that our dogs can embarrass us and we feel the need to “do” something, but harsh corrections are unseemly and do not reflect well on our sport.  It's wrong on every level to even appear to be cross with a dog in the show ring and it puts the judge in the awkward position of either saying something or being seen to condone your rough behavior.

As a professional dog trainer, breeder, and brand new AKC judge, I’ve been giving a lot of thought to dog shows and what makes them great.  I want to share that awesomeness with the world, and bring more people in to the sport of purebred dogs. All the exhibitors you see in these short video clips are handling their young dogs in an appropriate and kind manner, and the picture is a pleasing and inviting one.  I think anyone watching these clips might be encouraged to try their hand at dog showing.  

It's these kind of moments that tell the story of who I hope we all are.

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​Let’s all heed the AKC’s advice and consider the family with the 7 and 12 year old children visiting a dog show for the first time.That family could either be the future of our sport or walk away disgusted, depending on how they feel about what they see.  You are here to show your dog, but don’t forget that you're also a walking embodiment of the sport of dog shows every time you step in the ring.  What do people see when they see you with your dogs?

We should be extending the same sense of fair play and sportsmanship to our dogs as to our fellow competitors. I would encourage you to treat your dogs with patience and kindness as a service to yourself and your dogs, but at the very least I ask you to do so for the image of our sport and the future of purebred dogs.