Billy & I Practicing For Show

[spoospirit]

My sister and I have been working diligently to get Billy ready for his first show next Friday.  We have been clipping his coat ourselves as there are no show dog groomers anywhere near us.  I am so excited to be bringing my dog to a show for the first time.  Neither he not I have been in a ring before.  My sister, who showed for years with her Brittanies and Dobermans, has been mentoring us.  I never knew how hard it would be to run around a ring with your dog until I tried it.  I was really awkward at first and each of us was trying to find our pace.  We have it down pretty good now and Billy now looks forward to our practice time.  More than that, he loves his grooming, laying out straight on the table while he is blown dry and brushed out.  He closes his eyes and just takes it all in.

There are 20+ dogs entered in this show so I'm a bit nervous about it.  I wasn't expecting that many and was hoping that there would be less so there would be less distraction for me.  I know that I cannot pass that on to Billy or her will just shut down.  He is a very sensitive dog.  I've decided that I am just going to look at this as a really fun day out for him and for me.  I'll be happy if I can just follow the judges instructions without messing up and Billy does what he has been trained to do.

Here are some pics of us working.  I found that Billy loves boiled chicken and it is a good motivator for him.













Our girl was watching us groom Billy on the table outside since it was a beautiful day and she found the cap to the hairspray can.  She had herself a ball with that.

Taffy watching us groom Billy

[Neo]

CUTE =)

I cant say much about the grooming though, because we have so different grooming styles here in scandinavia =)
 but i might wanna cut between the backlegs a bit more, just to make him less "narrow" in the back?
and maybee some more in the front too, but i think he looked great =)

GOOD LUCK! =) Its tons of fun if you are able to enjoy the day! watch the other poodles, in grooming and how they handle the dogs, thats were I learn A LOT! thats the fun part of it

you could possibly stretch the backlegs a bit more too, to give him more angulation in the back and to make him a straighter topline =)

[spoospirit]

Thank you for the advice.  I did cut between the legs a bit more yesterday and actually cut the chest back a bit to have it align a bit more with the front of his front legs.  I have wanted to stretch him out more in his stack but my sister keeps telling me it is too much.  I keep telling her she is wrong and he should have more stretch. 

I will be watching the other handlers in the ring and I will follow their lead.  I am number 7 which should put me fourth in line and I will be comfortable there.  I was hoping I wouldn't be first. 

I am hoping to have time to watch others grooming and maybe even get to talk to some if they are willing.

[Neo]

hehe =) I dont know how they are over there! but here we almost dont talk to poodle people before they enter the ring, afterwards they usually takes the time to help

It sounds good, and i Agree with you, he should be stretched a bit more, but the worst you can do is to stretch too long 
haha, It's definetly NOT Easy, but you'll get the hang of it soon i reccon =)
he does look great =)
hope you're able to take some photos?? It would be really fun to see some pictures of you in the ring =)

[spoospirit]

I can understand no one wanting to talk to us before the ring.  I hope they won't mind a few questions afterward.

We are definitely taking a camera and will post pics.

[Karen]

Having just seen this I want to wish you luck. It sounds like you are going with the right attitude & should enjoy your day.. You are braver than I am as I could never get even close to wanting to cope with a show coat

[zefi]

He is a beautiful boy! Best of luck. If you want I can give you some tips on grooming but I dont have time this morning, I have to go to work. Should have been on my way already! ugh! Contact me privately and I'll email you later today. Meanwhile, the back legs can go a bit further back, but for a poodle the back toes should be more or less aligned with the bone on the very end of the dog's butt. No further, otherwise they end up overstretched and lose their angulation. You could hold his head up and back a bit more though than in the photo. A prouder look. Its easier to practice that in front of a window or mirror. I am guilty of not holding Bonnard's head up enough too. Good luck!