Over the weekend, Armani, Jacki & I attended the Shreveport, LA show while all the other poodle folks went to PCA. I decided to sit out PCA for a few reasons, not the least of which being that Armani & Jacki were not ready (hair and maturity-wise) for competition at PCA and I had no one to care for their coats during my would-be 10 day absence.
At the last minute, Cali's co- owner and I decided to forego her entry as well, due to her age and maturity level. We decided that PCA was not the place to debut a 6 month old puppy. So, we will be cheering for our friends and their poodles from the sidelines this year, and perhaps next year 1 or 2 (or 3) of my poodles will attend!
So in Shreveport, I really had my work cut out for me. Thanks to a generous soul, I was able to get my dogs sprayed up and relatively well-presented. On Friday, Armani & I went Best of Breed and headed to the Group ring. I've finally gotten over my fear of showing in the class ring and I ended up in group (with the "real" handlers! ) Wow !
Well, despite feeling panic stricken, I did what I had to do and we even managed a photograph with the judge who liked Armani so much.
for Jacki's s1st day in the ring, she jumped and hopped and acted like a springing, happy poodle. Well, at least she fun and the judged laughed off her antics. (Whew!)
I worked with both dogs some time in the afternoon, even gaiting Jacki in the unused ring and stacking Armani, and I thought the lessons went well. On Saturday, Jacki showed much, much better, not jumping once and showing no uncertainty at being handled by a stranger.
I decided to go for a point with her and let my friend take Armani in. Well, Armani decided that he wasn't going to cooperate with this new person and really threw a tantrum!
Lesson learned - Do not trust teenage dogs!! :) Our judge on Saturday was gracious enough to overlook Armani's tantrum and awarded him Select. I'm not sure if he got any points towards his Grand Championship, but I was just happy that the judge forgave us.
I ordered a picture with Friday's judge and await its arrival. I will happily share! Unfortunately, I did not have the time to take the pictures of my dogs like I wanted to, but there are going to be a few shows in the near future. Please check back!
At the last minute, Cali's co- owner and I decided to forego her entry as well, due to her age and maturity level. We decided that PCA was not the place to debut a 6 month old puppy. So, we will be cheering for our friends and their poodles from the sidelines this year, and perhaps next year 1 or 2 (or 3) of my poodles will attend!
So in Shreveport, I really had my work cut out for me. Thanks to a generous soul, I was able to get my dogs sprayed up and relatively well-presented. On Friday, Armani & I went Best of Breed and headed to the Group ring. I've finally gotten over my fear of showing in the class ring and I ended up in group (with the "real" handlers! ) Wow !
Well, despite feeling panic stricken, I did what I had to do and we even managed a photograph with the judge who liked Armani so much.
for Jacki's s1st day in the ring, she jumped and hopped and acted like a springing, happy poodle. Well, at least she fun and the judged laughed off her antics. (Whew!)
I worked with both dogs some time in the afternoon, even gaiting Jacki in the unused ring and stacking Armani, and I thought the lessons went well. On Saturday, Jacki showed much, much better, not jumping once and showing no uncertainty at being handled by a stranger.
I decided to go for a point with her and let my friend take Armani in. Well, Armani decided that he wasn't going to cooperate with this new person and really threw a tantrum!
Lesson learned - Do not trust teenage dogs!! :) Our judge on Saturday was gracious enough to overlook Armani's tantrum and awarded him Select. I'm not sure if he got any points towards his Grand Championship, but I was just happy that the judge forgave us.
I ordered a picture with Friday's judge and await its arrival. I will happily share! Unfortunately, I did not have the time to take the pictures of my dogs like I wanted to, but there are going to be a few shows in the near future. Please check back!
