Show Ready?

[bushthing500]

How do I know my 11mo old "B" is ready for the show ring?
this will be our first time. I want to enter her this October. so this will give me some time to work with her.But I need some info on what to do to get her ready.

[Terry]

Have you taken Rose to any matches or handling classes? That is always a good place to start. It's good training for both of you and gives you an idea of how she will react in the ring.
We start working on table stacking as soon as our babies can stand on their own. The table can be a scary place if they're not comfortable with it. Lots of non-threatening, fun times on the table and stacking.
Show lead training takes a little longer; some object to the chain collar and want to be 3 legged while they try to scratch it off - it was ok for stacking, but not for gaiting for some reason!
Also check with your breeder to have Rose evaluated, they can give you lots of tips!

Terry

[Jumoke]

Showing basenji puppies can be a humbling experience, not only do you want to condition Rose for this experience, there is you.

As Terry recommended, fun matches and handling classes are a great help. You may want to contact your local basenji club, or all breed club if a basenji club is not established in your area.

There is an art to showing a basenji which can not be put into written from. Help from your breeder or someone else who has been showing basenjis for a while is invaluable.

Success in the show ring requires timing. The Basenji Standard is written to describe a mature adult dog. Puppies go through development stages; there is a period of time they look like miniature adults, and they there are the uneven growth spurt which we refer to the puppy ganglies then onto the teenage ganglies. Laurie and I will show puppies during this gangly phase just to give the puppy some show experience, knowing very well that any judge in their right mind is not going to place the dog. It’s next to impossible to truly duplicate an actual conformation show atmosphere, and these practice entries are necessary for the pup to gain experience while the dog is young and more open to new situations.

So come October, go for it, ready or not. Have fun, bring a sense of humor. There is truly only one concern, that is to make sure your puppy is comfortable having strangers examine them on a table. This is very easy to accomplish, have many strange people give your dog treats while on the table. I do mean strange in the literal sense. Have them touch and feel the dog, including looking at the teeth. Do this in fun; don’t worry about the dog being still or even stacked.

After you show in October, and the breed judging has concluded. Do discuss your dog with other basenji exhibitor and breeders. Ask for a critique, and handling tips. Some will more than willing to give you a valid assessment, others may not. Your breeder is only one opinion, not everyone will share that opinion. Success in the show ring requires knowing your dog’s faults and virtues, and if they are competitive given the dogs currently being shown in a given area. It’s that timing thing again.

Best wishes.

[Ambered]

well i took fender down to mary k's so that she could evaluate him… his first show will be march 25th. like bryan said, bring your sense of humor. he is 10 months, and totally green. could be very entertaining. she had two puppies at her house (from elsewhere) sooooo cute. their skin is so loose and they are so roly poly.

[JazzysMom]

Amber, you never know. At Jazzy's first show she was TOTALLY green, had JUST turned 6 mos old, and she took Winner's Bitch! BLEW me away. {I think I may have yelled –- it was a little embarrassing}

Is this the Bremerton show? I wanna come!!!! Am dying to see the little guy.

BTW, Jazz will be in the Seattle show next weekend. Wish her luck. Chasing those last two points.

[Ambered]

i might go to the show next weekend, just to observe. (check out the competition) it would be so nice to see jazzy finish!
he will be in the bremerton show, just on sunday.
GOOD LUCK JUMOKE'S JAZZY LADY!

[JazzysMom]

I'm hopeful. Jazz has two Ring personalities: 1} alert and looking great!!! and 2} wake me when it's over, so it's hard to tell which way she'll go. She's in Seattle both days. Saturday is an early morning, Sunday is an afternoon. Hopefully one of those time slots will make her happy! LOL
I'm hoping she is so excited to see Bryan that she is alert and perky both days.
You'll have to let me know what time the B's show on Sunday in Bremerton. I'd love to come out.

[Ambered]

okay so i am not coming tomorrow…sorry
i really hope jazz brings her "A" game
but there is a little bboy in a shelter a couple hours south that needs rescuing
so that is what i am going to do.
fingers crossed sharron finds him a nice home asap

[JazzysMom]

Well, pooh. Maybe you can come Sunday? It's at 2 PM, a much more reasonable hour for the drive over. LOL

Jazzy was 2nd today {6 in the ring}, so no points. But she looked good!

[JazzysMom]

How's the little boy look? Do you know his story?

[Ambered]

he is absolutely gorgeous. has been hit by a car doesnt limp, just lots of booboos. likes people, doesnt like picked up. very tall, black and white. nothing else is known. i would've wanted him in a heartbeat. i am sure he will make someone a very nice dog. he even knows how to sit.

[JazzysMom]

Amber, I loved seeing Fender today, and he did fine in the ring! Are you going to continue showing?

[Ambered]

we will show more, fender just really needs to mature (fill out) a bit.
at least we have one blue ribbon. jazzy is still sweet and beautiful! one more itty bitty point i do think i will have to get a babysitter or a crate for my son for future shows, lol.

we will see what the future holds, but i might consider taking on the ring. it seemed so chaotic today for the breeders to handle more than one dog. i need lessons and buckets of knowledge
not a great pic, but here he is on the table

[JazzysMom]

Fender is a very sweet boy, and so refined looking. He did great – especially considering the night he'd had, poor fellow.

Hmmm, a crate for the kids....wish I'd thought of that today! LOL Mine don't often accompany me, and I remember why now! They can only take so much dog show before the boredom hits. And then there was the 8 yr old who wanted to show me that toy from The 3-Cs booth, so he tucked it under his coat {to keep dogs from trying to get it}, and walked out of the booth and over to the rings! ARGH! I'm so glad no one saw that! They LOVED seeing Bryan and Laurie's puppies, though. {They may have been a bit much for Bryan and Laurie, though, LOL}. All the kids came home madly in love with puppies.

You are more brave than I to consider getting in the ring! I am strictly a spectator! I will look forward to seeing you and Fender do your thing in the future though.

[Quercus]

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[myran]

When you gait your basenjies in the US do you walk briskly or run.Here it seems to be the fashion to run.Why I was asking is that I have a bad back and it hurts like #### when I run.
So how do I get the most out of his gait??
At what age do you start cycling with your basenjies to increase their muscle tone some here say on the second year of the dog but my breeder thought I could start with now aprx 2 miles twice week to begin with haven´t done it yet.Myran is nearly 7 months old.

[Quercus]

Well let's see….most people here run when they gait their dogs. We like to move our Bs fast here

See how fast you can move him if you walk...each dog has an ideal speed to see their best gait...maybe you can find a good speed for him without running?

I don't cycle my dogs...they are pretty muscle bound just chasing each other around the yard Personally, I would probably wait until the dog was at least an year old to cycle him. When you run them on a cycle, it is hard for them to let you know they have had enough....

[myran]

Ok run it is ,I better nail my ligaments together then;)

[nomrbddgs]

I know a few people who show their dogs who can't physically run-bad knees, bad hips,backs, etc.- they walk really fast and the dogs gait themselves.

[myran]

Yes maybe I should try that instead luckily i´m quite tall (5´11) with long legs and i´ve always been a fast walker people complain they have to run when i´m walking;)