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Training a show dog

I am the owner of an absolutely gorgeous English Cocker Spaniel.  He is now 16 months old, and has been shown in conformation since we bought him in October of 2007.  While judges tell me he is beautiful, he does not win!  He appears to hate showing, and is happiest when his nose is on the ground and he can look for birds and/or squirrels.  At a show, his nose will be glued to the ground and he ignores any attempt to communicate with him.I have clicker trained some behaviors, sit, give paw, spin around and "dead dog".  He will stack nicely and stand while the judge examines him, however he gaits like I've just asked him to eat poison (tail down, head sagging toward the ground and not at all happy! I need help!  We have tried all types of food baits, a quail wing and scent, and still no success. One judge suggested that he lacks confidence in himself, is this possible, and if so how can I help him gain that confidence.

 Chuck and Vinnie

ChuckP's picture

Handler

I found part of the solution. See attached picture.....Vin just needed to feel special. Now he has a professional handler, and he is winning. I will start formal obedience training in January, and will train and compete there with him. We will continue to show him conformation until he is finished, and then concentrate on Obedience and later Agility.

Chuck and Vinnie

Aidan Bindoff's picture

re: Handler

Great solution! A good professional will present your dog in the best possible light.

Regards,

Aidan

http://www.PositivePetzine.com

Aidan Bindoff's picture

Hi Chuck, check out "Click

Hi Chuck, check out "Click to Win" (available on this site) and there are free articles at http://www.dragonflyllama.com which will certainly help with his gait (and stack) too.

Regards,

Aidan

http://www.PositivePetzine.com

ChuckP's picture

Thank you

Chuck and Vinnie
Aidan,

Thank you for the advice. I printed out click to win about 6 months ago and read it. For the past week, my wife and I have worked gaiting and clicking Vinnie every evening. He showed on Saturday and Sunday, but this is not a "hot weather dog", and the breeder tells me his sire hated the heat also. Saturday was OK, and Sunday we showed earlier in the morning. The good news is, he gaited better, on a looser lead on both Saturday and Sunday, using "Showtime" as a cue. We will continue working with him and hope for cooler weather or earlier ring times until Fall.

I'll also check out the dragonfly site.

Many thanks!

Chuck