In major dog shows like Westminster in the United States or Crufts in the UK, there are over 130 different breeds of dogs that take part in dog show competition. It may look easy but there is more to show dog training than just ‘sit’, ‘stay’ or circling around the show ring. Every dog breed contains a select portion that is more ‘ideal’ than its companions. The first selection criteria is ‘conformation’ where arrangement of legs, tail, head, ears, etc, that are set appearance. Puppies often do not exhibit measurable signs of these components. For this reason, show dog training begins life with the offspring of other notable show dogs.
With a show dog offspring in hand, the next step is establishing a dedicated training regiment. Training commences with a course of daily training sessions that span several months or several weeks. The first step is establishing basic expected behaviors and move forward to more advanced behaviors. At all times, the trainer maintains a keen eye towards the dog’s progress.