I was at a local show today and a well known handler told me my almost 15 month old boy should no longer do puppy classes. He also told me he would do better at specialty shows. He told he I should do Am-Bred with him. My question is I'm a novice, so do I go in Novice or Am-bred? Trust me I need all the help I can get

I was told you are supposed to enter the classes that pertain to the correct age. A 15 month old boy can still be in the 12-18 month class. That is not a puppy class.

You'll hear lots of confusing info about Novice and Am Bred. Might as well throw the new Amateur Owner Handler in there too. I don't see anything wrong with the classes, but you do want to be in with some other dogs to gain the experience in the ring. These 3 classes often don't have alot of entries unless you are doing a huge show like Potomac.

That said, sometimes I do like to take advantage of the break in entry fee price by using Bred By or AOH so that I can afford 2 days instead of one.

Short answer, I would keep him in 12-18 until he's over 18 months.

If you enter a Specialty, keep your boy in the 15 - 18 month sweeps class and the 12 - 18 mo regular class. Good luck

It sounds to me like what the handler was trying to tell you was your dog has a lot of substance so looks out of place in the 12-18 month class at an all breed show. That may actually be a good thing, it sounds like he is a nice, mature dog, so you might want to just put him in Open. The nice thing about Open is it is a bigger class so you have more time to relax, practice, and watch what the others in the class are doing. I always hate being in a small class, especially with a dog that needs ring experience. So if winning isn't the most important thing, if what you really need is some ring time, go ahead and put him in Open. BUT, if the problem is your dog still acts like a puppy, then put him in 12-18, the judge may cut him a little slack for silly behavior.

The exact thing happened to me in Jan. I had a very substantial 13 mo old who I decided to keep in the 12-18 month class just because he was such a clown, I decided the only way a judge would forgive him cavorting would be if they knew he was young. Guess what? He ended up going Winners Dog and then Best of Breed on the night Animal Planet filmed the group. Talk about out of the frying pan and into the fire! =:-O I was a little horrified at what he might do in the group ring, but he was a very good boy. So just keep on plugging, you never know what will happen. :)

Keep in mind, too, that the Novice class pertains to the dog, not the handler, and has specific rules attached to it. The dog can not have won a blue ribbon in any class other than the Novice class (I can't remember if puppy classes are included in this count), and can not have won the Novice class 3 times.

It is true that you can't enter a 6 - 9 month old puppy in 9 - 12. But you can enter a 6 - 9 month old puppy in novice or open (or other non age designated classes).

12 - 18 is often a tough class. I've won Novice or AmBred with 12 - 18 month olds and gotten into winners a number of times. As written above, the objective with young dogs is to get them ring time and going back into the ring a second time is great. Even when trying to win, always choose the class that will get you into winners.

Well said, Becky and thank you for taking the time to write so much. It helps us novice handlers better understand what is going on in the mind of the judge.

I agree that 12-18 is a hard class, especially with dogs maturing at different rates. I tried to put my larger bitch in open after advice was given similar to the OP because she looked mature. In the ring next to the older bitches, she really looked immature and small. She was large enough physically, but still "soft" and puppy like in her conditioning. I was actually embarrassed that I had done it because she did stick out, even to me and I think shes wonderful

So advice is great to hear, but I recommend getting it from several sources you know and trust and then make an educated decision.

Thanks Everyone for the advise! I'm actually getting ready to leave for day 2 here shortly. He will be in 12-18 months again today. I was told we don't have a shot because the judge always picks smaller ones. I'm doing it for the practice, and I probably won't be as nervous because I know I won't win anyway. I'm also having a problem with him gaiting. He wants to hop around or full out run. So yes he still acts puppyish!

a pet family of ours, wanted to show their pup just once. to try it. only wanted one ribbon.
I put him in his age appropriate class - 6-9 month. He was a very mature looking puppy, but his behaviours were most definately all puppy. He was the largest puppy in the class, stood out like a sore thumb.

another owner approached a friend of mine contesting that he was really that age- and assumed i entered him in the wrong class. was willing to bet $50 on that. the friend of mine- tried to accept that bet- as he was the sire's owner and knew when the pup was born.

The judge totally forgave his puppiness - and awarded him RWD out of a nice class of dogs.

Agree, with Becky, the handler just thought he looked mature enough to go in Open. Think I would try out American bred first. Open can be tough with the mature males up to 5 or 6 years, at the best you will see them.

"I'm also having a problem with him gaiting. He wants to hop around or full out run."

Just be sure to start out slow, and slowly pick up speed when you gait him, and a gentle leash correction when he jumps or tries to run. I talk to mine in the ring, a soft "yes!", when they gait the way I want them is good positive reinforcement.

Day 2 went much better. I was much more relaxed. He actually gaited well for me. Maybe once or twice he tried to sniff around, I just gave him a quick pop and he refocused. We got second!!!! We both need more practice.