As some of you may know, there is our SVLRC specialty, along with supported entry this weekend, all 4 days of 4 point majors (hopefully they all show) anyways, I will be working for a pro handler that weekend, she also shows labs, and does not have any dogs in her Open Black dog class. I was thinking maybe I should put him on the pro I am working for, like I said, she has no other client dogs in the class, and she would still charge me (even though I work for her), but it might make the judge take a secoind look, versus if I show him.
Anyways, I was thinking about it, I know the two days of the specialties, the judges are from England, so they probably won't recognize the handler anyways, so I will probably show him myself, unless I am too busy, then will have my sister show him.
But I was thinking maybe I should put my boy on her for the two-day supported entry. There will be over 40 dogs, and 10 in just his class, and I want him to look his best. But what do you think? Go with the handler, and hope for a better shot, or stay with me, and save the money?
Will your dog show well for her? Some dogs get put on handler that they don't know and don't do well. Some judges do put up handlers no matter what the dog looks like (please no flames - we've all seen that happen). If you are nervous or inexperienced and think the handler will do a better job showing your dog then go for it as long as your dog accepts her.
The thing is, the only reason why I'd put my dog on a handler, is to not only have a better chance of winning, but to get someone new on him. My boys not one of the most gung-ho labs about shows, he easily gets bored by 'boring' family memebers, and seldom wags his tail, but goes crazy, nad wags like he should, when he shows for someone else.
My boy has never been under her before, but I'm sure he'll be ok.
I guess I'll just see how things go at the specialty this weekend, see how he does, and reacts to the handler, and make my choice for the AB shows then.
If so, they have probably hired breeder-judges and most of the breeder-judges (yes, even those from the US) look for the best dog, not those with professional handlers, unless of course the handler is on the best dog that day.
That is probably part of the reason why breeder-judges are usually hired for specialty shows and supported entry shows where everyone likes to show off their own dogs, besides REALLY knowing the breed.
At the end of the day, the dog should be shown by someone who can get the most out of him. Particularly at a specialty/supported entry where lots of very knowledgeable people are looking at every single dog very carefully.
Another advantage to having a professional or even another qualified handler on your dog is so that you can see your dog being presented at its best and be able to compare your dog to those in the ring. Specialty shows are known for having a deeper quality of entries than your typical all-breed shows and therefore it can be quite a good learning experience seeing how your dog compares to the others in the ring. If possible, you may also want to have some knowledgeable breeders help guide your eye and point out what they like about the dogs in the ring.
I'll be staying on the grounds this year so please feel free to come by and say hi if you get the chance.
