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Our first show!

Darby's Mom

Well-known member
Hello all!

This Saturday will be Darby's first ever dog show!! To compete in the AKC shows, she needs to be 6 months old... she'll be 6 months and 2 whole days! ;)

I'm sure she'll be a little terror in the show ring! :lol: When she's alone, she's the perfect little "show dog," prancing along at my side. When there are other dogs present, ALL she wants to do is romp & play with them! I'm assuming the show stewards, judges and other exibitors probably frown on dogs running accross the ring to wrestle with the others! :roll: Either way, it should be interesting and highly entertaining!!

Rory, were you still planning on attending on Sunday?

If you think of it, any good vibes sent our way around 8am on Saturday or 11am Sunday would be greatly appreciated!! :D

We'll let you all know how it goes! Either way, I'm sure Darby is going to have a blast.... and that's what matters!
 
Yay!!! i can't wait to see you and Darby in the ring! You're going to do fantastically!


Hopefully Rory will be up for showing on Sunday, too. :)
 
How did she do? Was she a little angel? Above all, did they say "What a wonderful cavalier?" Did she win??????
 
I'm sure you'll do fine. You might check with a local dog training center to see if they offer conformation classes; around here they run $5 or $6 for an hour. You're in the ring with other breeds and they do dry runs of what you will do in the actual shows: the table, downs and backs, etc.

You might be surprised how well she does when she actually gets in the ring. Remember, in this breed they are not supposed to stand like a porcelain statue and the judges who know Cavaliers know that. Our first very first boy was outside of the ring just before ring time at his first show spinning on the lead; we thought we were done for. But the minute he got in the ring, he was perfect! Took Best of Winners for 2 points at the age of 6 months and 1 day old.

Good luck this weekend. We'll all be rooting for you and Darby.

Bruce
MysticKnight Cavaliers
 
Thanks Bruce! And congrats on your boy winning points at just 6 months! You've given me hope! ;)

Yep, we have taken a couple of conformation classes... they're fantastic! Although, she's still a 6 month old pup who sees nothing but other playmates when she's in the ring!! :lol:

Either way, we'll have a blast! Assuming Rory is up for showing on Sunday, we'll be sure to let you all know how it goes for both Darby and Rory!!
 
Darby won her class both days!! However.... she was the only one in her class! :lol:

She did fantastic, though!! I'm so very proud of her!! The only "issue" she had is that she scratched at the lead most of the time she was prancing around the ring. She's used to being walked on a Puppia harness, so she's not used to a show lead around her neck (even though we've been practicing daily). I suppose it's hard to evaluate a dog's gait if they're only walking on three legs! ;) The judge laughed and thought it was pretty funny! Immediately after the show, I bought a couple of different styles of show leads, and she appears to be doing much better with them!

We will be attending the Bay Area CKCSC Specialty this weekend...I'll let you know how it goes! There are 15 dogs in her 6-9mo puppy bitch class, so this will be interesting!!

Thanks, Bruce, for inquiring!!
Have a great day!
 
I've also found that our dogs don't like certain leads. Just keep practicing with her on the show leads.

Oh, and if you frame her class win ribbons, no one visiting will know she was the only one in her class ;) She'll get that Breed ribbon at the next show!!
 
Well, we just returned home last night... boy, was that a long weekend!! Three days of showing just wiped both Darby and myself out!

I am so very proud of my little girl, though! She behaved so well on lead, self-stacked beautifully, stayed standing in the ring (which is extremely difficult for a puppy), and stacked on the table with no problem or reluctance as the judges handled her. I couldn't be more thrilled!! I really don't care about the ribbons!

Saturday was the specialty show with 15 other 6-9 mo puppy bitches in her class... it took FOREVER!! Darby has a rostral crossbite right now, so I wasn't expecting any placements, as a bad bite can be seen as a disqualification dependant on the judge. (Although their little jaws move back and forth until about a year of age... breeder-judges usually understand that in a young puppy) Saturday and Sunday's judge couldn't see past the bite, and didn't place her. No biggie... I didn't care! I was so very proud of her! And, these shows are INCREDIBLE socialization for her, great training, and phenomenal bonding for the two of us - as we camped out in a hotel room all weekend... just the two of us!

On Monday, we had a French woman judging. Darby was tired of showing and totally misbehaved in the ring, but the judge was able to see past the bite, and placed her SECOND!!! I'm sooooo excited!! The pup that won placed first all three days, and was truly a beautiful dog! I am thrilled with my second place ribbon - we'll just have to see what happens with her bite!

We had several people at the show tell us how beautiful she was, and that I should put braces on her. I don't know about that! ;) I'll just keep pushing on those teeth, which, of course, she absolutely hates! :D However, the compliments from other big-time breeders and professional handlers meant so much. We had a blast!!
 
Congratulations !! Sounds like you guys are off and running on a wonderful start. It is always nice to hear when people enjoy showing. Keep up the good work and hope to hear news of points soon! ;)

P.S. she looks like an absolute doll
 
Congratulations - sounds like you had a wonderful weekend, and I'm really glad you enjoyed it despite not being placed the 1st two days.

Well done on the 2nd place though, that's great.
 
Congratulations to you. Sounds like Darby is off to a great start. And you're right, showing is a great place for socializing, for both Darby and you. I actually enjoy the socialization after ring time as much as anything. When you get to showing a lot, you'll find that you will start seeing the same people all the time and you'll start getting together for lunch or dinner after the show.

Don't worry about the bite too much. Even if it doesn't change you can still win with a bad bite. My boy Cooper has 3 majors and 12 points and has a terrible bite. All you have to do is find the judges that consider other parts of the breed standard more important than bite. I would also write down the judges name that placed Darby second and show Darby to her again if she gets back in your area. Same thing with any other judge that places Darby.

Good luck on future shows.
 
Thanks so much everybody for the warm congratulatory remarks!

Bruce, you have given me hope! It is good to know that a beautiful dog like Cooper can do well even with a poor bite. And yes, I certainly did write the judge's name down! :D I sure hope we can find her at future shows!! We will definitely keep showing, however, regardless of her bite!

And yes, you're right... I love the post-show socialization! Darby fell in love with another blenheim cavy, Harry, and all they did all weekend was tussle and wrestle with each other! It was so cute watching them - they had a blast!! As of today, I've been to 5 days of shows at various venues, and you do see the same wonderful people at each show. It is so nice having a little cheering section as everybody's dog has their turn in the ring. And, I have never met more generous, warm and loving people as some of the cavy owners I've met at these shows! (Albeit there's always a few wierdos at dog shows, too! :lol: ).

THANK SO MUCH FOR YOUR ENCOURAGEMENT, EVERYBODY!!
 
That is awesome about the 2nd place out of so many dogs!! Don't worry about the teeth -- she's still a puppy! They can change. ;)

The people at the shows are the best. They really make the whole experience wonderful. (Although, some people try to make it terrible. ;) ) that is what I miss the most since I can't show Rory. But now I have you and Darby to cheer for! :D
 
Oh Yayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy well done {{{{{{{{Darby}}}}}}}} don't worry too much about her jaw, as you said, she's still only a baby :~)
 
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