THE BEST KEPT SECRET IN TRAINING YOUR DOG FOR THE SHOW RING
I was recently asked, “Is there some trick I can use to get my dog to stand still in the show ring?” The answer was staring her in the face. She uttered the right answer and didn’t even know it. Who here has ever taught a dog its name? Who here has taught a dog to potty outside? Who here has taught a dog to sit or come? And now, I’ll share this with you: All of these lessons are tricks! TEACHING TRICKS Every dog owner shows their puppy how to perform a trick in some form. The youngest of puppies begin by learning to learn. A good breeder will start the litter at a young age to do something, including going outside to potty. A trick. Teaching a puppy to ring a bell at the door to go outside is also a trick. If you show your puppy how to jump over a stick or slide down a kiddie slide, you have taught it a trick. Have you taught it how to run through your legs or give a “high five? Who hasn’t? Maybe you have even taught your dog to keep a biscuit on its nose until you release it. All of these are tricks that a puppy incrementally learns to puzzle out. So, the burning question is: “How can I use this to my advantage in the ring?” The simple answer is that everything is a trick. Important tricks for the ring include the four essential aspects of presentation: the stand for exam, showing the mouth, moving properly on a lead, and, of course, the enviable perfect free-stack! Owner handlers, from brand new to experienced, want to know how to get their dogs to do a free-stack for the judge. I’m not a tricks instructor (or a tricks competitor) but I do enjoy teaching my own dogs tricks. What I am absolutely clear about is that this process rewards incremental change, which
BY LEE WHITTIER
“OWNER HANDLERS, FROM BRAND NEW TO EXPERIENCED, WANT TO KNOW HOW TO GET THEIR DOGS TO DO A FREE-STACK FOR THE JUDGE.”
makes it powerful as well as useful. ANOTHER USE FOR TRICKS
One more use of a trick is to teach the dog to look at the judge. Even if the judge doesn’t expect the dog to look at him or her, it’s useful for making sure the judge sees your dog’s eyes and expression. It shows the judge that the dog is confident enough to look at them, and it shows off the front if that is your dog’s strongest virtue. If your dog’s outline isn’t his virtue, it diminishes the impact by making it secondary.
220 | SHOWSIGHT MAGAZINE, NOVEMBER 2022
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