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!
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,,,,,
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 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.
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!
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.