My girl ,2 years, has been shying away from some judges. Not all. The one judge I spoke to said "shyness is not in a Labrador's temperament. Any shy Lab should not be added to your breeding program." I explained her line is not shy. I guessed she was shy because she had not been out in awhile and should be fine once she practices some. He stated that he will except shyness in other breeds but never a Lab. I just thanked him for his opinion and moved on.

Any thoughts?

Assuming her temperament is correct, [a big assumption on my part] , this is your problem , not hers.
Did you socialize her as a puppy ? Do you attend a regular training class ? Have friends dress up in coats and HATS , and scarves that fly , and practice approaching, have them feed her a treat when they do the approach. Use umbrellas, noise makers , children on bikes, etc. Train, Train, Train !

Yes, I feel her temperament is correct. Was well socialized as a pup then I was busy with full time school and work for a year. She did not get out. We have no neighbours. Now that she is out again she is doing the shy sometimes. I have her in two classes now and she goes everywhere I can take her to try and "fix" this problem I myself have created. Maybe I began to show too soon before she was ready? Or other part of me says positive showing will do her good. I do see progress since I have started getting her out. Just that comment from that judge had me looking for other's opinions. Thank you.

I have had this happen and it was a total shock because the dog was so totally outgoing and unafraid of anything else but the judge going over her! Practice made perfect and she ended up fine. While the judge was going over her head and bite, I put my left hand in the flank area to prevent her from collapsing in the rear. Then after the judge was done, I gave her some firm pats and used a rev-up voice "good girl!" to get her back in happy mode. I think since she was the low dog on the home totem pole, she naturally was showing the judge that fact.

You are doing the right thing in socializing and giving her lots of new things to boost her confidence. There are other things to consider, also. Is she close to being in season? Was it her first indoor show? Does she favor men or women? I would try matches and other classes until she is more confident. Also try to key into what is going on in her head so you can remedy it.

I had one who was bomb proof till about 18 months old...then started to sit and scoot away during the judges exam....I was shocked b/c this was my "stand square" never shy rock solid girl.....it turned out (it took me almost a year to figure this out) that she had injured her back playing with other dogs and the pain was increasing as the injury remained unchecked..... a few visits to a reputable veterinary chiropractor put her back on track and she is standing like a champ again. I think she was anticipating the judges exam was going to hurt.....it took a little desensitizing her from anticipating the pain...but once she believed it wasn't going to hurt anymore, she now loves to show again. Just a thought.

Having had 2 such labs in the years I've been showing, I found that the female eventually outgrew her backing away from judges right around 2 years of age; and, the young boy was very sensitive to scents eminating from certain judges. I asked a few judges that he was backing away from if they smoked and they did. No one smokes in our home and he was not accustomed to it. Once he got used to the scent, he was fine. The female was first and looking back, it could very well have been a scent issue with her too. We have as scent free a home as possible because of human sensitivities.

There are some great suggestions in this thread. Don't blame yourself. We all have other lives and can only do the best that we can at any given period. Keep taking her places, be very aware of when she is uncertain so that you can support her and flood her with pleasant, challenging experiences and hands on exposure.

Good luck. I'm sure she'll come around.

Can you find some comformation or even obedience classes to go to? That helps a lot. Don't protect her if you find something that stresses her. Reassure her and keep exposing her her to the problem until she accepts it. Make a game out of and be very upbeat.

I had one like that when she was younger. She absloutely hated the generators and a lot of other things. Now she can't wait to go.

Be persistant.

Try another show. Maybe it was just that particular judge. It may be a sex thing too if she shys away from men.

my husband was showing a puppy in a show in Fort Worth last year. The judge ( can't remember who) was a big man. The puppy tried to pull back as he approched her. He said " I seem to be having that effect on everyone today, must be how I smell" I think that it is not so much a problem with a dogs temperament as much as it can be a problem with certain scents. It could also be the fact that he was quite intmidating size wise. I think he is a Golden breeder actually?

I notice some judges smell of heavy perfume/cologne and dogs pull back. You'd think someone would tell judges not to use perfume/cologne when judging.