Inside The Ring - Always Be At Your Best

With your eyes on your dog, glancing up occasionally to see what the judge is doing, be prepared for the judge to call out or point out his placing of the dogs.  If he says to you, "first," or "One," or points to you and holds up one finger, go at once to the first-place number marker in the ring.  If you are showing a very tiny dog, it would not be harmful to pick him up and carry him to first place.  If you have a large dog and the lead has been removed, put it on him quickly and go to first place.  If the judge calls to you "Second," "Third," or "Fourth," or points to you or catches your eye and holds up two, three, or four fingers, go at once to the proper marker.  Now is the time for you to give your dog a great big pat and/or a tidbit.  Let him know he has performed to your satisfaction and you are pleased with him.  He'll come to look forward to this moment of glory in the ring and will eventually love the applause.  At first it may frighten him a bit, so be prepared.

If the judge does not advise you in some fashion that your dog has been placed in the class, leave the ring.  If you want to watch what is going on, do so from the outside of the ring.  If you are not placed, you remain in the ring only if the judge specifically asks you to or if you are entered in the next class with the same dog, and then you should go to the side of the ring and wait until the dogs who have been placed in this class leave the ring.

Let us assume, however, that your dog has placed in his class.  If the judge has gone to his table to mark his book, or if he has his book in his hands and is writing in it, just be sure that he can see your arm band.  The band may have slipped around so that the number is not visible.  Make it as easy as you can for the judge to see the number.

Before marking his book, however, if the judge should hesitate or take another look at the dogs, which are now standing in front of the numbers one, two, three, and four, be sure to keep your dog in a show pose.  If the judge hesitates, it may mean that he has not completely made up his mind and he may change the placings.  Once he writes down his placings in his book, he will not change them, but a class is not considered judged until it has been written down by the judge.  If he hesitates and you are standing in front of the Number One spot with your dog in a sloppy or poor position, and the Number Two dog is looking his very best, that dog may catch the judge's eye.  He may change his mind, changing you from first place to second and the second-place dog to first.  If you were in fourth place and the third dog at this moment looked inferior, the judge might decide that he liked your dog better and move you up to third place before marking his book.