ring training,,, how do you teach it? - Page 1

as most people know im a working line guy.  i do get show ratings and kors, although they can be hard to come by here in the mid central area.

i was wondering how others prep, train, etc. their dogs for the ring?   as i have not done this a lot, what are some of the things judges are looking for? 

any and all input would be greatly appreciated.  also if you know of any websites that describe or have video of ring training.

thanks

john

Hi John ,

I  wish to help and I need to know ,if you are talking about 1) conformation championship show training or 2)G S D Speciality / breed show training. there is a slight different when it comes to gaiting your dog                    

There are excellent articles by Dr. Karen Hedberg on the German Shepherd Dog Council of Australia's web site.  As well as many others .

Hope this helps.                   

Hi John,

I think it's great that you wish to get show ratings on your dogs!

I am in Indiana and know what you mean about the lack of shows here.  Let me help you a bit with the ring training.  First off you NEED to have someone else holding your dog, while you are in front with a toy or some other attention getter.  At that point you need to gauge your distance or closeness to your dog by how he is acting. ie: if he/she is so excited that he is vocalizing and lunging and hopping to get to you then you need to be farther away or even hidden somewhere and just call everyonce in a while. Or if your dog acts distracted or is sniffing the ground etc, you need to be closer. Usually an experienced handler will know what is needed and direct you where they want you. As a general rule you should stay at least a 1/2 ring ahead of your dog.  What the judge wants to see is the dog pulling out hard enough to show his muscle tone but not so hard that the actual gate is distorted by hopping, digging in or lunging or the like.  The gate should be a trot and not pacing. Do you know the difference? If not let me know and I will explain it to you.  The gate it's self should look very "fluid and effortless" with extended reach and as much ground covered as possible in one stride . In the adult working classes there is alot of gating and lots of fast gating also. So they are testing the tenasity as well as the physical condition of the dog and if he tires too quickly or seems that he/she could go forever. They will also notice if the dog seems to enjoy gating or just plods along.  The whole idea is to keep you dog in a constant alert state so that his ears are up and the body is at attention.  Things that the judge does not want to see/hear are vocalizing, pacing (it is only acceptable in a walking gate), sniffing the ground, getting aggresive with the other dogs,  too hyper to look controled and confidant , weak bouncy ears, weak pasterns or hocks etc.  Then they will look at length and lay of the croup, hight of the whithers are opposed to the back and croup,  pigment,  length and angle of the upper arm, firmness of hocks and pasterns, chest proportions, head and stop, teeth and bite, tatoo, testicles on males, whether the back is straight or not,  etc. Much more goes into it that is just how well your dog is put together or not.  Your dog must stand quietly for the examination of the teeth and testicles and you need to practice this also.  That should get you started anyway. Hope it helps some! If you have any toher questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Here is an excellent video/DVD series that tells you every little detail!

http://www.caninetrainingsystems.com/cgi-bin/shopper.cgi?preadd=action&key=V-GSD-5

Debby

John, the best thing to do is to find someone to help you teach ring training.  It is something you must practice as I believe most judges find it disrepectful to not prepare your dog.    With the upcoming show and breed survey/trial coming up at the end of October here in Oklahoma, I am sure our club will devote time to ring training - come on down if you'd like!

Dean and I have several dogs/youngsters that we may put in the event so I'll be out there running and doing what I call hup hup training long beforehand if our schedule allows.

karla,

thanks for the invite karla.  i have wanted to come down and train with you guys since roland was here, but work is not making that possible.  do you all set aside some time on the weekend for ring work, or do you practice during the week?

john

I'm guessing it would be most likely on the weekend but possibly during the week as well - we are both out alot these next 6 weeks so we'll have to just squeeze it in.  I'll try and get something up on the club website with specific dates (if I can get Dean to commit to dates!) - the website to static anyway     

Also, In years past, the OKWDA club has had show practice on the weekends preceeding the show.   Are you planning to attend their event in October?

Karla

hopefully, we have a couple of young ones i would like to get started.  my male needs his sch1 first for his kor.  

are you going to the bsp?  im guessing dean and mark are staying over for it?

please let me know when they get back and are going to be around.   as bad as work is i might be able to squeeze a visit in to see you. 

john

No BSP this year   Dean and Mark are on their way home - landed in Boston yesterday and now driving.   We (me and Dean/ Verdi and Zapata) will take a short holiday away over the weekend and then back to training. 

Karla

karla,  off topic,   i have the option of obtaining a pup out of your janoch litter.  did you keep one of those pups?  if i remember correctly kevins wife has a female out of that litter?  what was that litter letter?

thanks

john

Debby, I respectfully disagree re training your dog to gait.  It's motion to which a command can be put and trained. The easiest way can be done by yourself. Most dogs will be gangbusters either leaving the house to go someplace or when returning home.  Choose which one the dog shows more drive and desire in. For example if leaving the house let him go out to the end of the leash ( which should be at least 7 -9 feet long). As he starts to trot give the command to gait. Then reward the behavior you want as in any other exercise.

The trickier part comes in teaching him to corner ( also put on command). A cul de sac is a great place to practice.  That 2nd person is great for practicing with another dog. Alternate whose in front as dogs  behave differently based on that.  Also use your friend to help you find the right speeds to show your dog. Every dog has a speed wh/ is best suited to them - especially on the coming and goings and it may be different speeds for the trot and the c/gings. This is where an independent pair of eyes is essential. Plus the 2nd person can play judge and go over you dog and check teeth and testicles etc.  All important skills for the dog to learn.  I also like to teach them to walk into a natural stack when stopped.

If you actually train your dog for the conformation ring you do not need to train yourself to be a double handler which is what your directions were for.