Showing with Homer as a pup...
An extract from an email I sent to the breeder after deciding at 4 months maybe Homer could be a showdog (obviously I was seriously disillusioned)
"Well thank you for sending me into the lions den!
Phoned around & found a ringcraft class in nuneaton (about 12 mile away) & they told me to bring my dog along, they would assess him & see whether he had any potential for showing (character rather than breed, didn't seem to know much about labs in general)
So went along to my first ringcraft class last night with my vietnamese pot-bellied piggy.
Was another world in there (in a sports social club with carpet (gulp) nice shiny wood floor etc) Must have took Homer outside 5 times just to make sure he didn't do anything.
First thing I noticed was they all walk round on leads that look like leather whips (thought it was some sort of sexual thing but obviously not) Homer looked a star in his bright red nylon collar & non-matching black nylon lead - The trainer said 'Did I realise it wasn't a show lead?' I did by then. She advised me to find out what the labrador show lead was like & to get one - give us a clue on that?!
He spent a solid hour farting, which is his speciality anyway (the woman did query if he needed the toilet as he appeared to have 'wind')
All the dogs were weird speciality ones, one woman gave me the entire snobby life history of her 'outer mongolian ridgebacked wheaten terriers', how grandad had won every medal & cup known to man etc etc. Strange dog looked like a mongrel to me with a shaved arse. She then fell out with the instructor as she refused to show him on anything but his left side (probably had big open sores on his right). There were a couple of 'normal' people though, but they all had 300 years history of breeding their strange hounds & knew every good & bad trait there was in their breed. Spoke to another women (not many men there) and she said ignore them all, they were all snobby buggers at the shows (she had some small grey hairy ugly thing with a moustache)
Homer attempted to 'stand' but he couldn't work it out as I have spent the last 6 weeks making him sit. Then he had to 'trot' along, another quandary to him as I have also spent the last 6 weeks making him walk slowly by my side. Then he has to return walking on my right hand side (so the judge can always see him?), which I have just stopped him doing as he was learning to always walk on the left. Think he quite liked the bit where he got his bollocks felt though
Had a word with the trainers after the session and asked how do I know whether he would have any potential for showing - they said the only way to find out is to bring him along, get him trained up & they we will enter him into a show at 6 months (don't think they were humouring me as it wasn't a money thing they only charge £2 membership & a £1 a week)
Ryton (about 10 miles down the road) does a lot of dog shows so they are getting the up to date list of future events to find out what is on
Only 2 months away! - Think I will try hypnosis with him…"