I'm are taking my pup to Stafford County Show next month. I'm starting ringcraft classes but can anyone tell me how and when to bath him etc for the show. Does it matter in the pup class if he isn't really well behaved, it's for fun really but I don't want to look a complete fool! All tips appreciated.

Hi
In Australia pups can be shown from 3 months and no one expects a 3 month old pup to behave. Most judges will give leniency to a pups behaviour. You want your pup to enjoy himself as well as yourself so don't worry too much. As for bathing, we bath our dogs a few days before a show so it gives the coat a chance to settle. Probably not as important for a pup as for an adult but that is what we do. This also gives my back a chance to recuperate as well

Pups can't be shown till they are six months here. Do you need to do anything else to their coat and what about their ears?

Normally with the ears I pluck the long light coloured ones out and if need be I trim round the edge. Other than that it is just a bath and a brush. Oh, and make sure the inside of the ear is clean.

Hi

Thanks for the tip, is that light coloured hair inside the ear or out! Sorry to be dense.

Outside of the ear. You want the ear to "look and feel like a mouse". The hair on the inside is to protect the ear from foreign objects.

Great, just wondered I used to show my pony and I had to take all the hairs out of his ear and my mums dog had to have all the hair plucked out of its ears. Deerhounds seem to be much easier to prepare coat wise.

Yes, that's all we do too. A bath about a week or so before, nail clipping, brushing and removal of the longish wispy hair on the ears. Perhaps for a young pup though they'll be ok without a bath. No one is expecting perfectly behaved puppies. Just practice what you can re getting your pup to stand and get used to a stranger looking at their teeth and prodding them in general! Then just try and get used to getting your pup running on a fairly loose lead at an even trot round the ring. Also get used to using a show lead or if you don't like them as thin a lead as possible with either a flat or combi collar. Hope this is useful. I'm sure though there's a lot more hints and tips that I've not mentioned. Good Luck at the show let us know how you get on.

Pretty much agree with what Elise said.
Our priority with a puppy at the first 3 or 4 shows is that the puppy enjoys itself.
It must be "OK" on the lead so you must get him/her used to it beforehand.
We are about to go through this with our new pup....
No real doggy person, will be upset with what a puppy does, 99.9% of judges will be very tolerant and help you to make it a good experience for your pup.
One thing to be aware of...... the first few shows will be a HUGE sensory overload for a pup.
He/She will be EXHAUSTED when you get home...... will sleep for AGES.... this is normal.

Dave

Thanks for all the advice, as long as we both enjoy ourselves. On the Uk Breed show video thats on the forum at the moment the Best in Show Dog Waterloo Sunset is our pups mum and his aunty A Kind of Magic got BOB at Crufts this year. Shame I dont know what I'm doing he's a nice pup. I love him anyway.

If the deerhound people over there are anything like what they are in Australia, they will be more than happy to help you out on the day and offer lots of great advice. I only started showing when we got our new pup and I had no idea what to do but everyone was so helpfull and nice..none of the bitchiness you hear about associated with showing normally.

Best of luck at your first show.. my advice is take lots of food - treats for the dog and a nice picnic for you (with a few sippies if your nervous then you'll both have a great day!!

I only started showing about 18 months ago, never had the faintest idea what I was doing and my dog was well over a year as he was terribly car sick travelling a mile or so, so showing was out of the question. I'm still a novice and people do tend to give you bits of advice and welcome you, I have met some real nice people at shows, I go on my own as my husband is not into it!
As for bathing, I have spent time bathing before shows and it never brings me luck. The breed show, I had such a busy time workwise the week before, he never got a bath, though I always keep his ears plucked anyhow, I didn't even give him a real good brush until 10.30 at night! I keep his teeth in good condition with a brush every now and then anyhow. Road walking sorts the nails out. But it proved to be a lucky omen, he came 2nd out of 13 dogs, so from now on, a bath is out of the question before shows, it makes their coats too soft anyhow when the breed standard does say "crisp to the touch". Sometimes you put so much effort into it, and some do take it so seriously, that you can set yourself up for a fall. Go an enjoy your show, so what if he misbehaves, I've never seen a puppy standing to attention and not wriggling when the udge goes over him. It is all fun and it is what that particular judge likes on the day. I hope your show experience is a good one and that, most importantly, the puppy enjoys it too.