How prepare my GSD for shows?? - Page 1

Please advice me on how to prepare my GSD for shows??

Make sure he is a good weight, lean and fit.  Exercise him leading up to the show so he does not wear down and start heaving (especially if he has a deep chest).

Bathe him but not the day of or the day before, more like a few days before (then if his skin is dry for a few days it will recover).  Trim the nails.  Keep the hair brushed.  Do not use grooming tools with blades like a Furminator because this breaks the hair.  Use simple brushes like a shedding rake, pin brush, or slicker brush.  On the day of the show, spritz his coat with water or some other leave-on product and give him a final once-over brushing.

Practice stacking him and making sure he is comfortable being touched all over.  He will have his teeth, tattoo, and testicles checked.  The judge may also lean over him and run his hands along his back and abdomen.  If he is 12 months or older, he needs to be comfortable being measured with the wicket and also be OK with the gun fire.

Do you have specific questions?????? Are you talking about preparing physically/grooming or for the movement and handling? Or all?

   Nava...lets see some pics of your pup...and Welcome...

                   Deanna....: )

pup must be well socialized, must be ok with a handler other then you, should be taught to look for you in a crowd.

pup cannot be agressive.
pup needs to know how to gain - pull on the leash with his head held high and ears prointed foreward.
german judges dislike fat dogs, so your pup needs to have at least a rib or two showing.
if you pup has a microchip, he must be ok with the reader, must stand for judge to check his teeth, and testicles.

Nava,
#1 RULE: Get your puppy used to being touched all over his body.
Stack your puppy on a table or flat surface, a few seconds at a time...just to get him used to being "physically manipulated"....increase the time as he grows.
JMO
Robin

At 2 months, ditto what Robin said.  Get him especialy used to being touched in the rear.  So many puppies want to whirl around and gnaw on the handler, or get stressed and sort of collapse or sit down.  You can work on touching and stacking him yourself but also have other people help you while you stand in front of your puppy about 5-10 feet away and hold his attention.

a friend with a siegerin (9-12 and 12-18 months) told me to do the following with my next puppy....

once your puppy has all its shots, make sure to socialize him to everything every day - be careful - no negative experiences. he needs to be completely confident in every situation.

he also needs to be comfortable with other people holding his leash.

must be comfortable being touched everywhere

practice stacking over and over again, make it a game and use lots of patients.

place his food bowl at the end of the hallway and "gait" him to it for each feeding - pull on leash, with head high.
 
never correct your young puppy, he has to believe he is the best and everything is happy

don't bother with obedience and don't teach it to walk nicely on a least until much later.

if a puppy or dog show any stress in the show ring, he will be placed in the back of the pack and no matter how perfect its conformation is, he will not be brought forward.

good luck

I don't think I can beat the advice already given. I'm curious though, why would you have a GSD and Rottweiler pups of similar ages at same time? A lot of work, no? I can barely cope with one at a time!