Would you mind sharing the name of your preferred handler? Thank you.

Norman

My dogs like Joy best.

Jen L is great too... It depends on the dogs some like one handler better over the other.

Rusty and Jen Howard

Jen and Rusty Howard. There are many great handlers out there, but these people are not only good at what they do...they are NICE.

CASSI BELLI

Ellen Cottingham

While not his only breed, Carlos does a great job with labs, takes great care of the dogs (lots of time out of their crates, etc.) and the dogs love him!

Jeff Heim...he also handles other breeds

Erin Hall the dogs love her, she doesn't take so many that she can't spend time with them and to top it off she's reasonable.

Erin might be nice to the dogs... but you better hope you don't cross her on a bad day.

Jen L..

merlin's preferred handler...

Cassi Belli...The Best

Kathy Mines !!

Norman for sure

Rusty & Jen, all the way!!

Rusty and Jen Howard. Good dog people, and they will get the job done.

Owner/handler is the best in my book!

I second that! Owner/handlers are great and breeder/owner/handlers are second to none. I love watching the bond between some owners and handlers when they show.

karen day,,hands down,,never met a dog that didn,t love her,,or give her it,s best,,,even years later the dog will see her,,and go nuts,,her love and care and knowledge...go a long way,,,,,

Rusty and Jen Howard
They really show the dog so very well in the ring.
More importantly, they take such great care of the dogs in their care.

Erin is a very talented handler and good with the dogs...but not worth the headaches that go along with.

Rusty & Jen...very professional and they do a wonderful job presenting their dogs. They would be my choice hands down.

Norman is not only great with the dogs, they just adore him, so he gets my vote!

I second (or third) a vote for Norman! Trust him implicitly

Thanks so much for all of your input folks. Much appreciated.

I've had a terrible thing happen to one of mine while in the care of one of the teams described here as being so wonderful...not. He said he "didn't know" what had happened to my dog...shouldn't he be able to answer that if I was paying him to take care of the dog while being shown? The dog was severely traumatized and took over a year before the dog would relax in a building again. We were finally able to piece together what must have happened but got no information from the handler about the incident. Not good in my opinion....I know that accidents happen all the time, but at least be able to tell me what happened rather than to whine that "I don't know what happened."

I know all the handlers except for Jen L. Someone please let me know who that is???

I have had a few Pro's handle for me over the years.
If you really want to know what is happening with your dogs go and watch or have someone report. In some cases you will be happy in other cases horrified. I park by these Pro's and their rigs at shows. Some very scary. I will say that I have watched Kathy Mines for a long time. They get every dog out and exercise them at least twice a day, not just an x-pen. She is kind to the dogs and cleans everything. She will also speak to you even if she is not being PAID by you!

I've parked by some of these pros too. There are some that I would never let touch one of my dogs. You really do need to do some watching from a distance after hours.....

Kathy Mines. She treats the dogs like individuals, she always knows their names and I have never heard her refer to a dog as 'that' or 'it'. She's extremely generous with her time and her knowledge and she's always willing to help. My dogs are better dogs when they come home from a weekend with her.

I have used Rusty (and now Jen) for 20 years with excellent results.

Results can indicate different things to people, I want the end result not just to be a win, but my dog be treated great with individual attention while on the road. Watch at shows, look at the dogs as they are handled and groomed and in the trailers.

To owner/handler
I agree with you that you have to watch how a dog is treated at all times.
In the ring, ring side, at the setup, at the van...
Watch not just the handler but look and see how the helpers they have hired treat the dogs too. Very important! Is the area clean? Do the dogs have water?
Are the dogs happy when they are out of the crate with whomever is walking and grooming them?
Do the people caring for them talk to them?
I observed and that is why for the last 10 years I have used Rusty and Jen Howard to handle my dogs.
My dogs love them and get very excited whenever they see them. That says alott to me.
There are other handlers I have met at ringside to show my dog when Rusty was not at a show, but I have only used the Howards to take my dog on a trip.
They care and they are Lab breeders to boot!

Another very important quality is to look if the handler is professional in their treatment of the dog's owners and people around them. Watch their actions and behavior in and out of the ring. These dogs don't pay their own handling bills, their owners do and its important that clients are treated with respect as any working professional would behave with their customers.

Another very important quality is to look if the handler is professional in their treatment of the dogs owners and people around them ---- watch their actions and behavior in and out of the ring. These dogs don't pay their own handling bills, their owners do and its important that clients are treated with respect as any working professional would behave with their customers.

I had a handler that I felt was awesome. She does a great job in the ring with the dogs, appears to take very good care of them outside, and is very personable. Although, when she found what she felt was a nicer dog or a higher paying client she dumped my dog for the other. Watch out for those handlers as well!

The OP asked for people's opinion on their favorite handler...good thing Secret Agent didn't list names...that's border line slander

What do you do * ? Read through all the posts on this entire forum and find things that you can contradict and critize? People who spend their hard earned cash on a dog handler should know all the pros and cons involved.