first show in 7 days

Submitted by HOLLAND75 on September 25, 2011 - 2:32am

Go Back to Bulldog Showing Competition

andi am soooo nervous! any tips? we are competing in the puppy group

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Silverback's Immaculate Interception, "James"

Good luck

Submitted by Peggy and Stoney on September 25, 2011 - 8:22am.

Try to breath! The more you do it the easier it gets.

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Peggy and Stoney

Thanks! with a puppy it should be less stressful

Submitted by HOLLAND75 on September 28, 2011 - 1:47am.

because they are less trained a predictable. but i am still nervous

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Silverback's Immaculate Interception, "James"

its natural to be

Submitted by strictlyred on September 29, 2011 - 2:09pm.

its natural to be nervous..Harrys first show is at the bulldog specialty in October..

I am dieing to see how many puppys is entered in puppy sweeps.

He is very pretty..

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LOL I meant to mean your boy

Submitted by strictlyred on September 29, 2011 - 2:12pm.

LOL I meant to mean your boy is pretty..it reads differently..

we don't know about harry yet..

He may turn out good..or not so much..

here is a picture from yesterday

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well, we will see--

Submitted by HOLLAND75 on September 30, 2011 - 11:27am.

his main competition is his brother, so even if he doesnt come in first at least his littermate will. there are 13 bulldogs in the match, not sure how many are pups though. he is a little rough around the edges, but from what i hear they are more lenient with puppies. and he kicks out his leg when i stack him, which drives me nuts!

of course there is also the distinct possibilty he will get to the show, be totally overwhelmed and start acting like a moron in which case i will pull him.

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Silverback's Immaculate Interception, "James"

remember to have fun.....

Submitted by baylynnbev on September 30, 2011 - 12:00pm.

Make this as fun as possible for him....your nerves will travel down the lead. My girl Lily, first show took a poop in the ring....OMG...I wanted to crawl in to a hole and die........but even with that she took Winners Bitch and got a point. Had my goofball Buck that would not stack on the ramp so we had to do it on the floor. We did our down and back and he sat on the floor and rolled over so the judge could rub his belly.......OMG......still took first in his class. Don't worry you will be great! Gook luck and let us know how you do!

I wouldn't pull him.. you

Submitted by strictlyred on September 30, 2011 - 6:50pm.

I wouldn't pull him.. you paid for the spot,,show him ,its great practise even though he may act like a nut bar.

Many puppies act silly..when I put harry in his only fun match..he refuse to walk around the ring....every one was laughing.."stuborn bulldog"

He did beat out the other dog he was against..one that walked beautifully

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i needed the pep talk! and one last question

Submitted by HOLLAND75 on October 1, 2011 - 1:34am.

we are only entered sunday but will check it out 2moro to get the logistics squared away. doesnt help that its blazing hot...and outdoors. heres a pic! also, do you guys your bully professionally groomed first? i took him to get his nails done today and he laid a big huge stinker and had to be restrained. so the bath was a no go..is there any grooming stuff i should do besides a regular bath?

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Silverback's Immaculate Interception, "James"

you have some grooming to do....

Submitted by baylynnbev on October 1, 2011 - 5:15am.

Ok....you need to go to www.bullynet.com you must be a member of BCA to have ads on this site. It has loads of videos of past bulldog shows. It also has a video about how to groom a bulldog. You will need to click on videos (think that is in black letters). Than near the very top of the next page you need to click on bulldog grooming video. I think that is in red letters. It is done by pro handler Nancy Schultz. She has shown bulldogs for years and has put champion titles on almost a 100 dogs or so. This was filmed at the 2008 BCA Nationals in Reading PA. Hope this helps....if you need anything else let me know. Good luck My Lily at the 2008 Nationals winning 2nd in her class!

not red lettes

Submitted by baylynnbev on October 1, 2011 - 5:20am.

just checked again and the link for the grooming video is at top but white letters on brown back ground.....sorry

thank you! oh boy...

Submitted by HOLLAND75 on October 1, 2011 - 1:24pm.

i didnt realize it was such an undertaking. i have to watch the video...my boy may have to go au natural because i dont know where to take him on such short notice. yesterday hestunk up the entire petco just getting his nails trimmed. plus, i didnt like that place enough to leave him for 4 hours. at this point i gotta watch the video and do as much as i can do (i dont even know how to operate a clipper)...thanks so much for the lead...i have never seen that site and it has so much info!

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Silverback's Immaculate Interception, "James"

You can do this all your self.....

Submitted by baylynnbev on October 1, 2011 - 2:37pm.

You can do it, we all started out right where you are now! Just remember to always do the non judge side first. This way if you make a mistake no one will see it....lol

we dont even have the right collar

Submitted by HOLLAND75 on October 2, 2011 - 3:04am.

and i looked everywhere but couldnt find one in time for 2moro...his mom's owner offered to loan us his mommy's but i feel so embarrassed! i'll let you all know what happens-- thanks for the support!

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Silverback's Immaculate Interception, "James"

great place to find....

Submitted by baylynnbev on October 2, 2011 - 10:22am.

everything you might need for showing......Cherrybrook......they have a booth at most shows.

Remember

Submitted by Peggy and Stoney on October 2, 2011 - 9:13am.

When all is said and done you get to take home the best dog in the ring. Be as proud of him as he is of you and the two of you will be great!

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Peggy and Stoney

Wonder how show went

Submitted by strictlyred on October 2, 2011 - 3:49pm.

Wonder how show went

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well that was EMBARASSING!

Submitted by HOLLAND75 on October 2, 2011 - 4:32pm.

we're in hawaii so several hours behind you all-- basically a disaster! james was awesome but I was a MESS-- shoes slipping on grass, trouble lifting him on the table (its so low!!) and at one point the lead was actually wrapped around his paw. Oh yeah, and the best part: we got second in our first group (out of 2 dogs) and i didnt realize we had to go back in for the reserve group. So everyones yelling "#15? dog #15? HOLLAND??" and I ran in like an idiot and the judge didnt even look at us for reserve group. AND the worst part was that when she sent me down and back i was so nervous I only went halfway and turned away, which is ridiculous because Jams' strongest quality is his movement, he has great hula hips.

Soooo, as one gracious member of the buldog club put it: "handler error". But I am trying one more tme this year, Oct 21 a specialty show. At least I learned a lot.

You guys are so awesome and supportive-- thanks so much for everything!

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Silverback's Immaculate Interception, "James"

Don't be to hard on yourself.....

Submitted by baylynnbev on October 2, 2011 - 6:18pm.

You had the guts to do it and you make it! WAY TO GO! Every time it gets easier!

yeah-- i have 3 weeks till next show...

Submitted by HOLLAND75 on October 2, 2011 - 7:44pm.

then nothing until 2012. the good part is that my dog is awesome and i am trainable. i'll put pics of the debacle when i get them downloaded...demeaning as it was, it was fun. but it hurts not to have them pick my pup! i have given him like 8 treats since we got home-- its like watching your child lose a contest

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Silverback's Immaculate Interception, "James"

You need some handling classes

Submitted by Jacinda and the... on October 2, 2011 - 9:23pm.

The classes with help you and James prepare for showing.

The winners in each class go on to compete for either winner's dog or winner's bitch. The dog/bitch who was second in the class the winner came out of then goes back into the ring to compete for reserve. I know it's a little confusing at first but, you'll learn.

Oh, one more thing

Submitted by Jacinda and the... on October 2, 2011 - 9:27pm.

When you get second in your class of two dogs, all you have to say is he got second in his class and leave it at that. You don't have to tell how many dogs were in the class.

that does sound much better

Submitted by HOLLAND75 on October 3, 2011 - 2:12pm.

thanks for clarifying...its stuff like that i didnt know and should have researched...and yes on the handling classes, but its hard to make the time they are held. i think i can do 1 more class before the next show

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Silverback's Immaculate Interception, "James"

Get to as many handling classes as possible, every one is an opp

Submitted by RobinandLeo on October 3, 2011 - 4:01pm.

If classes aren't at a convenient time, see if you can get together with other show people for some practice (Bulldog exhibitors would be best, but any breed will do). Some dogs catch on real quick, others take longer - just like people.

I help run a local drop-in handling class and almost always come away with a new tip or trick from the attendees. Sometimes we switch off dogs, it always helps for your dog to know he needs to perform/cooperate with anyone who has his leash, and it gives everyone a new perspective of different breeds. We also switch dogs in the advanced Obedience class, after working with Bulldogs for so long it drives home how super-easy Labs, Goldens, Shelties, etc. are to train. But I always bring my own dog home because they are the best for me!

BTW, my 'grand dogs' were the single entries in the 12-18 month classes. I haven't seen photos of them since they were about 3 months old and wonder how they are maturing.

Last question

Submitted by HOLLAND75 on October 5, 2011 - 1:23pm.

Do I absolutely have to cut his whiskers? It seems wrong

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Silverback's Immaculate Interception, "James"

Stoney doesn't mind at all

Submitted by Peggy and Stoney on October 5, 2011 - 2:09pm.

I was worried at first too but he could care less. Now I think he looks so much better, when they start growing in I think he looks scruffy. Not sure if it's a requirement in the ring though.

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Peggy and Stoney

Yes.....

Submitted by baylynnbev on October 5, 2011 - 8:25pm.

It is to give the face a clean look.....I have never seen a bulldog at a show with out it done.....just remember when they start to grow back he will be prickly......LOL

I been debating the whisker

Submitted by strictlyred on October 6, 2011 - 1:20pm.

I been debating the whisker cutting issue as well.

I don't want to do it,,but every one eles said DO IT.

So for his first show he will be clean faced..but not sure I will keep up with it..

I am sure harry has other issues that will be pointed out to me..whiskers are probably the least of them LOL

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well, it cant hurt

Submitted by HOLLAND75 on October 7, 2011 - 1:22am.

last thing we need is another strike against us...thanks guys!

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Silverback's Immaculate Interception, "James"

Definitely trim whiskers

Submitted by Jacinda and the... on October 7, 2011 - 10:14am.

This is what I do. I trim the whiskers with a beard trimmer then I cut any whiskers still poking out with scissors. I shave this lips and any black areas on the muzzle with a razor. Trim any other long hairs with scissors and the hair just inside the ears with a beard trimmer.

Also, trim the "swirls" on the back of the legs so that it blends in with the rest of the hair. Make sure the dog is bathed and free of stains on the coat. Nose wrinkles should be dry and not yeasty smelling. Nails should be trimmed and very short. That's just the basic stuff.

The handler of the dog should be dressed professionally and act in a professional manner. It's ok to be nervous but, try to relax because your dog can sense your nervousness.

Yes --- You definitely

Submitted by Deb and MacKenz... on October 7, 2011 - 2:03pm.

need to trim whiskers. If you don't do anything else but bath, whiskers need to be trimmed. It makes a huge difference in showing off the head and jaw. I also shave the whiskers first with clippers, then I cut with scissors the ones that are long. I put my finger inside the lip and roll the lip over my finger to push the whiskers out...because they will retrack them and once they relax you will have long whiskers showing. I shave all the black areas on the muzzle with a fine bladed clipper. I personally don't like using a razor because you can razor burn them and it can make all the black pigment on the lip red (which looks horrible). After you shave the face rub vitamin E oil on the shaved areas. I like to shave along the edge of the lips closely even the white to clean up the loose hairs. At the show I apply Silverado Face Glo (horse product) on the black areas on the muzzle. You can buy this online and it comes in a clear or black. I use the black and rub in well. It has a very slight black tint.

Any trimming of body hairs (cowlicks) should be done with thinning scissors. If you use regular scissors you have a big chance of making it look chopped.

Also the trimming of the hair in the ears can hurt or help the look of the head. If you have a dog with huge wide flying-nun ears I would not trim the inner hair in the ears...it will only accentuate the bad ears, same as if the ears are poorly set.

Have fun...you can really go crazy with the grooming if you want...but bottom line is they should be clean and whiskers should be cut. All the extra stuff is an enhancement.