Bonita of Bwana
Posted : 6/6/2009 6:35:47 AM
Hi Candace, Sorry I have been away a lot going on just now, But the Juniors are about training the handler not the dog. In any given ring you will find multiple breeds, ages and varieties of dogs for example one of my daughters regularly showed a Border Terrier the other an Irish Wolfhound. Many breeders use Juniors to get dogs out as much as possible, keeping the show ring a fun place for the dog and themselves, While my girls both showed the dogs I mentioned in the classes for the dog's to finish they also showed them in the JRs , no points for the dog but prizes and points for the juniors AKC offers a scholarship program as do many of the larger kennel clubs. There are often prizes to encourage the kids to keep showing in Juniors. Juniors must co own or the dog must be owned by a family member.
Some of the biggest advantages and disadvantages, the kids have to learn to dress for the ring, No showing up in your favorite shorts and t shirt. They have to learn to groom the dog ( some do cheat and leave all grooming to the dog;s owner) They must be able to explain to a judge a 1000 things about the breed being shown, It may be a retired champion , it may be a pup getting it's toes wet in the fancy.
Kid have to learn to be on time for the ring, have tremendous patience and there is nothing like a good dog to tell the parent if their kid is straight or having problems. My youngest daughter was nationally ranked , we knew when she began to run with the wrong crowd and when she began to smoked because the dog's busted her.
Kids have to learn to interact with judges and stewards. They have to hold the dog ringside and be responsible for it, no fights or issues allowed because you are busy talking or texting.
When in the Jr Ring the judge can test the Jr.s ability to handle by asking for different patters. most every one is familiar with the regular pattern. the Kids called it the Baseball ring. calling the 4 corners home, first, second and third. with a down and back between home and second. But in Juniors they have to know L rings , odd rhythms and must NEVER allow them self to be between the judge and the dog. There are a couple of Advanced Jr judges who really challenge the kids, walking around the dog on exam making the kid move from side to side front to back fluidly. I admit I was proud of my two they had one competitor a kid we called Boxer Boy, he only went in on retired Boxer champions. they are push button dogs easy to handle, nearly zero grooming etc. The judges would work the 3 in the ring sometimes for over a half an hour!! They had to move and switch , never looking flustered or stressed. It was often a source of pride for the judge who would work their rings as it was tough to find faults with them. In one ring Boxer Boy was free stacking his dog, My youngest was on the ground, kneeling next to her Border Terrier in a skirt and our oldest was working the Giant Irish Wolfhound the judge stepped back after nearly 30 minutes and said this was nearly impossible to pick....he finally gave it to our eldest saying the boxer was too easy a dog , zero effort on the handler to work as they tend to work themselves. The Border was too cute and our youngest skilled but the daughter on the Wolfie had to really work 10sx harder to move around the giant dog keeping Gypsy to the judge's eye and keeping her motivated. IWs like most hounds get bored... the applause at ringside was huge. We had been so intent on watching the kids we had not realized how many handlers and owners had showed up to watch. Each kid ended up with several intern offers from pros, and several breeders approached them to offer dogs to work.
.