If you’ve never been to a dog show, you’re in for an exciting, and perhaps, confusing time. At an All-Breed Show (where every breed accepted in a registry is allowed to show), you’ll find a huge variety of breeds, and even varieties within a breed.

For instance, in the Cocker Spaniels, they have Any Solid Color Other Than Black (ASCOB) which includes the well known blond variety, the Black Cocker, and the Parti-colored. The Black Cockers can have some tan on them, but must be less than 10% of the total coloring. The Parti-Colored are the ones with white and another color in splotches or spots. Each variety is shown, then, the Best of Variety goes into the Group Ring, just as a Best of Breed would.

The Collies, too, come in varieties. There is the Rough, which reminds you of Lassie, and the Smooth. The Smooth is build like the Rough, but with substantially less coat. It can be rather amazing to see what lies beneath all that beautiful coat.

Chihuahuas are long- and short-coated, the Welsh Corgi comes with (Cardigan) and without (Pembroke) a tail, the German Shorthair Pointers come in smooth and wire-coats, and there doesn’t appear to be a lot of difference between the Curly-coated and the Flat-Coated Retrievers (except the coat, of course), although they are shown as different breeds.

Chinese Crested dogs come in the standard variety with almost no coat and in the powder-puff variety with a total coat. Beagles come in two sizes–13 and 15 and Daschunds come in three coat varieties, as well as Standard and Miniature sizes.

Underneath all these variations, though, there are basic characteristics that each breed must adhere to. These are called the Breed Standard. Most Breed Standards will describe the ideal dog and any disqualifications that would keep a particular dog from being shown, such as too much white on the Cockers (except the parti-coloreds).

Once you find the breed(s) you want to observe in the ring, you’ll find that all breeds show the dogs (males) first. From 6-9 Month puppies up to the Open dogs. The winner of each of those classes will come back into the ring for Winner’s Dog. Then, the bitches (females) are shown the same way and go for Winner’s Bitch. Next, you’ll see the Best of Breed competition which the Winner’s Dog and Bitch will be entered in. Other than those two, all the entries in Best of Breed are Champions. From these, the judge selects the dog or bitch that best exempflies the Breed and a Best of Opposite Sex. If neither of those is the Winner’s Dog or Bitch, one of those will be selected as Best of Winners.

The way a dog or bitch becomes a champion in the AKC is to garner points from wins. Fifteen points are required for a championship with two majors needed. A major is when a set number of animals are entered in a competition. The numbers vary from area to area so it is difficult to tell you the exact numbers required. You can find that information on the AKC website (www.akc.org). Points are awarded according to the number of entries defeated in the classes.

Once all the Best of Breeds have been determined, it’s time to go to the Group Ring. Here, the Best of Breed for each type of dog in a specific Group (i.e., Sporting, Non-Sporting, Hounds, Herding, Terriers, Toys, and Working) will be judged. They will be placed 1-4 and the number one winner will go on to the Best In Show competition.

In the Best In Show ring, there will be only seven entries. These are considered the cream of the crop for that show and only one will be selected out of them. Winning Best In Show is a huge honor and competition can be fierce throughout the climb to that exalted pinnacle.

If it all sounds a bit confusing, well, yes, it can be for the neophyte. If you attend several shows, though, it slowly becomes more clear and the fun part is, you can pick your own choices and see how you did compared to how the judges place the entries.

As you get to know the ins and outs of showing and familiarize yourself with Breed Standards for any breed you’re interested in, attending dog shows will become even more fun and you’ll get caught up in the air of excitement and competition there.

If you wish to learn more about a breed, it is best to talk to the competitors after they show and, please, always ask to pet a dog before you do. For some of the breeds, there is a lot of work that goes into grooming for the show, and they will not thank you for messing that up.

Go, watch and enjoy a few dog shows. It’s a great way to spend a day.

C. Rogers Upson has been training dogs and studying them for nearly 40 years. Her website is Dog Potentials and she has two dog-related stores at Keeping to the Borders and Dog Potentials-The Store.

During the competition, the dogs show how they are in charge of their movements and their skill as they navigate around a path, without a leash, in positions that necessitate unexpected changes and levels of complexity. The contests have specific obstacles, grading, and measures they anticipate from each of the dogs that have entered. To receive outstanding marks for your dog, you need to be completely prepared prior to the day of the competition. The goal of a competition is for the dogs to prove to the judges and their trainers their responsiveness. You will want to spend time readying your dog in the areas of nimbleness physically (he will need to this for quick movements through weaving), self-control, and fortitude. You and your dog will need to develop an excellent team-working relationship so the dog’s ability to listen to your commands (or hand signals) is paramount to success in this sport.

You can begin training your dog for this sport as early as puppy stage (around four months old). Training during this time is more like playing and that is what the dogs like the most anyway. You never want to make the puppies jump over poles as their bones are not strong enough, but you can begin teaching them the general idea by having them cross over a pole on the ground and as they grow begin raising it until they are at competition level. Puppies love to run – in and through everything – so training them to go through tunnels is actually quite easy. As you are training your puppies to learn basic commands you can incorporate those same commands to get them through the tunnels. This same principal applies to teaching them how to lie down on the table. They will learn the quickness of the table early. You can use a touch stick to begin introducing the aspect of weaving through the poles to the puppies (they love any type of activity where they can move). Puppies are so enthusiastic to learn and so happy to please. They pick things up fast. Once a puppy learns an obstacle, they will not forget it. Another advantage to teaching the obstacles of an agility sport to the puppies is the socialization they are getting with each other.

During an agility competition the dog and their handler move from each consecutive course, the difficulty increases. The advanced courses entail split-second timing for the dog to complete the course within the established time frame. If you are worried for the protection of your dog, you can relax because each barrier has been carefully considered with the safety of the dogs as well as the amusement of those who are watching. Agility competitions are fun for the dogs, trainers, and spectators. They are a great way to show everyone how agile your dog is as you leads him through various obstacles,

Agility trials are open to all dogs. Dogs of medium build that come from breeds and/or lines of breeding that have maintained their original working abilities have a tendency to be the most undefeated in agility competitions. However, no one breed dominates agility trials. Because of the athletic demands of the sport, dogs that are less agile are rarely seen or successful in the forms of the sport conforming to international rules. This applies mainly to the larger, giant breeds and to some degree the short-legged, long backed breeds.

For those who love dogs and love competitions this is a great sport to become involved with. You can cheer and support your favorite dog or simply enjoy watching the dogs as they show the judges their best.

Zahid N. Sindhu is a dog enthusiast who, after noticing the lack of an online resource for dog lovers in Pakistan, decided to launch http://www.DogsPK.com The site features a comprehensive list of breeds, breeders, veterinarians and online classifieds. The site also has a forum where people meet to discuss their canine friends.

Obedience training is an important aspect of raising your dog. A well trained dog is a happier dog, because a well trained dog has fewer restrictions imposed on it. The more reliable the dog is, the more freedom it can be given. For example, a well trained dog need not be banished to the other room when company comes over to your house. A well trained dog also attracts more attention and praise from others.

Training your dog helps to strengthen the bond between owner and dog. Communications, understanding, trust and respect are all established throughout the training process. Throughout the process of training, your dog will come to learn that you are the leader.

Training your dog properly could also come in handy if certain situations arise, such as your dog getting itself into a dangerous situation. Your voice commands may, at some point, be the only thing standing between your dog and imminent danger. A well trained dog will heed its owners calls and potential tragedies can be averted. Obedience training will help your dog become more responsive to your voice.

Without proper obedience training, many dogs are likely to misbehave. When dogs misbehave, their owners, families, or even strangers could suffer. You don’t want your children, or random strangers near your dog if it misbehaves and you don’t really have much control over it.

A well behaved dog is a pleasure to own, because you don’t have to worry as much about it misbehaving, or getting itself into trouble. A well trained dog is less likely to be a nuisance to others, which is good for everyone.

A well trained dog can go virtually anywhere without being a risk to others, exhibits proper behavior in all situations, is reliable around children, and doesn’t threaten other dogs or people.

The question really shouldn’t be. ?Why train you dog??, but rather, ?Why wouldn’t you want to train your dog?? Everyone benefits from a properly trained, properly behaved dog.

Chris Geldof is a dog lover and owns a dog-related website. Visit Easy Dog Training Tips for more information on dog obedience and dog training.

Every shih tzu owner must eventually deal with some unwanted behaviors on the part of their four legged companions. Some of the most frequently encountered training problems with shih tzu puppies and shih tzu dogs alike are jumping on people and performing those amazing feats of escape.

Jumping up on people

Jumping up on people can be a cute trick for shih tzu puppies, but it quickly becomes a problem behavior as the shih tzu gets older, larger and heavier. A very heavy shih tzu can easily knock a child or even a small adult off his or her feet, so jumping on people can be a dangerous problem as well as an annoying one.

The reason shih tzu puppies and older shih tzu jump on people is obvious ? they are excited and happy to see them. Many people are reluctant to discourage this exuberant behavior, but it is important to redirect that happiness and energy in other ways. Many well meaning owners, family members and friends inadvertently encourage this jumping up behavior by picking the shih tzu puppy up, kissing it or otherwise providing encouragement.

This type of inconsistency is anathema to proper shih tzu training, and in order for the shih tzu to be trained not to jump, every member of the family must recognize and accept the importance of the training. If one member of the family allows the shih tzu dog to jump up while other family members do not, the shih tzu will understandably become confused and frustrated. The training must be firm, kind and consistent in order to be effective.

One way to redirect the shih tzu dog?s happiness and excitement from jumping is to teach him to lift his paw when greeting you. This ?shaking hands? posture is an acceptable way for the shih tzu to show his happiness and his respect. Many people even teach their shih tzu to do simple tricks, like rolling over, instead of jumping on people.

Escaping and roaming the neighborhood

A responsible shih tzu owner would never dream of allowing his or her shih tzu to roam the neighborhood freely. Allowing a shih tzu to roam on its own is irresponsible, dangerous (to the shih tzu and the neighborhood), and probably even illegal. Most towns have ordinances which prohibit dogs from being allowed to roam around free, so you could be in legal trouble if your dog is found wandering the neighborhood unattended.

Of course sometimes that wandering shih tzu is not the owner?s idea, and many dogs perform amazing feats of escape when left on their own. The temptations for unattended dogs are many, including passing bicycles, joggers, children, cats and other dogs. It is much easier to prevent escapes than to recapture a loose shih tzu, so let?s talk about some preventative measures every dog owner can take.

Removing the motivation to escape is a big part of the solution. A bored shih tzu is much more likely to spend his day plotting the great escape. A shih tzu that is surrounded by everything he or she needs, like lots of toys, a soft bed, and plenty of fresh clean, water, is more likely to spend his or her day contentedly sleeping or playing with toys until the owner returns.

In addition, a shih tzu with lots of pent up, unused energy is likely to try to escape. Try incorporating several vigorous play sessions with your shih tzu into your daily routine. Make one of those play sessions right before you leave. If your shih tzu has a chance to work off his or her energy, chances are he or she will sleep or relax much of the day.

Of course dealing with the shih tzu is only half the problem. It is also important to make the property as escape proof as possible, through proper fencing and other measures. For shih tzu that dig, it may be necessary to extend the fence underground by placing metal stakes in the ground every few feet. For shih tzu that jump, it may be necessary to make the fence higher. And if none of these measures work, it may be necessary to confine the shih tzu to the house when you are not at home.

Connie Limon is a shih tzu breeder. She publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts are offered to subscribers. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com

Some of us might remember that old song, How Much Is That Puppy In The Window? Even those that don’t recollect this once popular tune can certainly relate to the experience of simply falling in love with every cute little puppy you encounter.

It doesn’t take long to figure out where the phrase puppy dog eyes comes from. Unfortunately our animal shelters, swollen with older relinquished pets, are a sad testimonial to the fact that too many instances of puppy seduction end up in a household disaster because well intending folks simply do not understand the basics of dog behavior training.

Dog behavior training should the first concern of new puppy parents. Put the crates, bedding, leashes and food aside for a moment. Your dog behavior training resources must be in order if you are to effectively transform that sweet little puppy into a functional member of your household.

Responsible breeders and pet shop owners should take the time to instill this requirement in the minds of new dog owners before you leave their facility. Too often, the excitement of a new pet and the completion of sale or adoption formalities distracts both parties from addressing dog behavior training as the highest priority of pet ownership.

On the surface one might conclude that dog behavior training is a process which benefits the new dog owner. While this is most definitely true from the perspective of owning a well disciplined, controllable pet, one ultimately comes to learn that it is the dog which benefits more from proper training than the owner. Simply put, an untrained dog quickly becomes a nuisance rather than a welcome addition to the home.

Owners unfamiliar with the basics of canine behavior and who have not pursued a path of effective dog behavior training quickly become frustrated with their newly acquired animal. This stresses the dog and seriously compromises the pet’s future potential for learning what is expected of him. The relationship of owner and pet quickly becomes a relentless downward spiral and eventually the animal ends up in a shelter.

Quality dog behavior training is the ultimate gift you can give to your dog. It ensures the dog’s experience will be positive and catalyze a long lasting, irreversible bond between your family and their new pet.

My site provides information on solving your dog’s behavior problems

Teaching a shih tzu to come when called is also called ?recall.? Recall is actually a series of behaviors. You want to make your shih tzu think that coming when called is the best thing that happens in his life. Practice a lot. Increase the distractions gradually so your shih tzu learns that coming to you is always more rewarding than anything else there is to do. Reinforce with different kinds of rewards.

Follow the recall with one of your shih tzu?s favorite things ? food, a toy, freedom, or playing with another dog. When your shih tzu is distracted, time your ?come? cue for the moment the shih tzu can most easily disengage from his other activity. Avoid repeatedly calling your shih tzu when you know he won?t or can?t come to you. Go get him instead. While you are teaching your shih tzu to come, never end your shih tzu?s play or fun by calling him to you. Always be enthusiastic and upbeat when your shih tzu comes to you.

Teach your shih tzu each part of the chain of behaviors separately. For food rewards, try chicken, liver, cheese, sardines, and other smelly, yummy, soft treats.

Teaching your shih tzu the cue: Go into a low stimulation environment where you and your shih tzu can be alone, like a bathroom or a bedroom. Say the word you have chosen for your cue, such as, ?come!? and give your dog a treat. Repeat this exercise 10 to 20 times. Do this exercise several times for two or three days.

Teach your shih tzu the beginning behavior by capturing it: When your shih tzu is about to come to you anyway, say ?come!? just before he gets to you, then say ?yes!? and give your shih tzu a reward.

When you take your shih tzu for a walk, suddenly call him and take several steps back. When your shih tz turns to follow, say ?yes!? and give him a reward. Tell your shih tzu what a great shih tzu he is! After a couple of practices, add in the sit and/or a collar touch. Say your shih tzu?s name, come, sit!?

Increase the distance and speed gradually. Start by calling your shih tzu a few feet, then a few more until you can call him through your house and across your backyard. Practice away from home in fenced areas, or in an open area using a long line for safety.

Teach your shih tzu to pay attention when you ask, separately from teaching ?come!? To get your shih tzu to pay attention to you, work attention games into everyday life. For 10 days or so every time your shih tzu looks your way reward him with praise, affection, or a treat. Do this throughout the day. After a couple of days of rewarding the natural check in, start occasionally saying your shih tzu?s name and reward him when he looks your way.

Putting it all together: When your shih tzu has learned all the pieces, you can start putting the behaviors together. The entire chain of behaviors are: responding to your request for attention, coming to you quickly, sitting or accepting a collar touch, waiting for the release. Practice several times and at various times during the day in low distraction environments to set your shih tzu up for successes. Only use your cue for recall when you are very certain he will come to you to help your shih tzu succeed. Keep practice sessions light and fun.

Connie Limon is a shih tzu breeder. She is publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. A professional newsletter with a focus upon health and wellness for you and your pets. Discounts are offered to subscribers. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com

A puppy of any breed can become a real handful as far as pulling on the lead if they are not taught properly from the beginning how to behave on a leash. Lagging behind, lunging ahead, stopping and rolling over and yelping and screaming are typical behaviors of a puppy who is not being trained correctly how to walk on a leash. Often owners of small toy dogs will give up and simply pick the puppy up, which only re-enforces the recalcitrant behavior. Large dog breeds can end up being an impossible situation for the owner and the dog may even be given up to a shelter, since he pulls so hard on the leash that he in uncontrollable.

Approach the leash training issue as you would any other training issue, step by step, in sequential order. The proper equipment comes first. A Harness is the beginning step. NOT a collar. Putting the puppy in a harness makes it impossible for him to back away. Thus that is a behavior that is stopped immediately, once the puppy finds out that he can’t back away. Furthermore, you can actually drag an unwilling puppy in a harness and you will not hurt him. Also be sure that you are equipped with treats. Do make sure the treats are small, so that you won’t overdo and make the puppy sick.

Put the harness on the puppy and attach your leash. Give the pup a treat. Then walk two steps away from the puppy, or just far enough that he must come forward a step or two and offer a treat again. Continue this four or five times and within just a few minutes he should be coming along at least a distance of ten or fifteen feet. Voila! You now have a puppy who will walk along on a leash. You can back off on the treats after a day or so of this but it is still important that you carry treats with you for a while so that if the puppy comes across things that are frightening, you can fall back on luring the puppy with a treat.

When the puppy is quite accustomed to a leash with a harness, you will probably find that he often begins to forge ahead or lunge. The most effective way to stop this in the young puppy is simply to stop dead in your tracks each time he lunges ahead. Soon he will realize that lunging ahead gets him nowhere. Simply stop. Even if he is a big and rambunctious breed and he bounces back and forth and pulls and barks, do nothing. When he is quiet and standing still and ONLY THEN, progress forward with your walk. If the behavior continues, turn and go the opposite direction.

Do not attempt at this time to teach the puppy to heel. Do not worry which side of your body he is walking on. Keep your pace brisk and he will soon be walking briskly, even trotting, along beside you with no hesitation.

More articles at articles database

A dog that growls at and/or bites its owner does so for some reason, even if the behavior appears to be unreasonable to the owner. If your dog displays aggressive behavior towards you, for the safety and welfare of you, your family and your dog, it’s important to find out why as quickly as possible.

Call your vet right away and schedule an appointment for a complete medical examination. Talk with your vet about testing your dogs hormonal balance, neurophysiologic functions and allergies. The test results may reveal the underlying cause. This has been especially helpful in dogs that have mood swings.

When growling or biting has erupted as a consequence of scolding or punishment for behavior such as chewing, jumping, general unruliness, or overprotection of food, these problems must be dealt with swiftly and firmly to correct the aggression it is initiating.

As the dogs owner, you must understand that your dog growls or bites at you as a result of defensive feelings. Even the dog that growls when ordered off the couch is reacting defensively, as it feels its dominance status has been threatened.

If scolding and punishment provoke aggression, your dog is reacting to a perceived threat to its physical safety. In either of these situations, your own threatening behavior may be producing negative results.

If the results of a medical examination show no signs of a medical condition that would be causing this behavior, you will have to examine your own behavior closely to determine what you are doing to make your dog feel threatened.

If you can’t hire the services of a professional, I highly recommend you pick up a copy of Secrets Of A Professional Dog Trainer by Adam Katz for indepth instructions on dog behavior training.

Heather Colman loves to spend quality time with her dog Gibson. She has worked closely with various professional dog trainers in the past 2 years to work through many of the behavior problems generated by Gibson’s previous owner. Visit Heather’s blog for more tips on dog behavior training.

This article is Copyright ? 2006, Heather Colman. Permission is granted to reprint this article as long as this entire resource box is included.

Lonely, bored, tired of eating that same old stick, then maybe you would like to dig yourself a hole.

When it comes to the canine thought process this could be the reason why Scraps keeps tearing up your finely groomed lawn. This article will help you find the behavioral reasons why your dog digs and offers some suggestions on how to stop your companion?s pesky habit.

First and foremost as an owner don?t go placing blame on your good friend until you are sure it is their fault. A good way to find out if your dog has been digging is to check its paws and nose for soil or pica. This is a good indicator to see if they have been eating dirt. In this case consult a veterinarian because there are all kinds of nasty bacteria in dirt that can affect your dog?s health. Another full proof method to find out if your animal is the culprit is to hold yourself a stake out and catch it in the act. Don?t start correcting the problem until you are sure it is your animal causing the problem. Otherwise you might cause the dog more anxiety than it has already endured from watching some other animal dig up its master?s lawn.

Once you have assessed that it is your dog doing the digging then you need to find out why it is digging. It is instinctual for dogs to dig for a number of reasons: boredom, loneliness, animals in the yard, to cool down, or just for fun. First you can judge by the nature of the whole and where it is located why your dog is digging. If your dog is digging next to the house or in shaded areas then it is probably too hot for it. If it continuously digs up the same spot in the yard then it is most likely a foreign animal and you should thank it for the early warning?gophers and moles can be a gardener?s nightmare. If the placement of holes is sporadic then it is not receiving the stimuli or attention that a dog needs.

After you?ve come to a conclusion why your dog is digging then you can try some of these suggestions to help thwart its efforts. If it is an animal causing the problem then you should call an exterminator or animal control to handle the matter. Building a dog house or adding a pet door can give the animal the comfort level it needs while you are away. The more difficult digging scenario to mend is the digging out of boredom or digging for fun case. Do not, I repeat DO NOT, physically punish your dog as this will teach the animal nothing except disrespect for humans which can lead to biting and other misbehavior. If your dog is digging out of boredom try giving it a tasty alternative such as a rawhide bone. It is a common misconception that dogs bury their bones. More likely if they are digging for a bone it is because they can?t remember where they left. So give them the treats where they can find them easily. If toys and chews don?t work then try exercising your animal more often throughout the day. It could be that they aren?t expending enough energy and need some kind of outlet. If these simple methods do not work then you might have to get creative. One method is to bury a piece of chain link fence where the dog has been digging?it will not like this rubbing against its paws. You can also bury a balloon or sneak up on it with a paper bag; the popping will work as shock therapy. Other suggested methods are burying the dog?s feces, mousetraps, or moth balls to deter the animal.

In my own personal opinion the best way to keep the mischief down in an animal is to give them more love than they know what to do with. When you leave them alone they will more curious as to when you will return than with anything else.

Stephanie Hetu
Find over 200 pages of dog training tips, information and cute pictures at Cutepuppydog.com

It is no secret that dogs like to bark, but sometimes it becomes so much that it can hurt relationships with neighbors. This can lead to serious issues such as fines or even lawsuits. Knowing the cause of the excessive barking can go along way to helping solve the problem. Some common causes include:

1)Separation Anxiety

2)Territorial Issues

3)Lack of Activity

Separation anxiety is a major cause of distress for dogs and can lead to such unwanted behaviors such as excessive barking or possibly even aggression. What happens is that the dog comes to depend on it?s master?s presence to be comforted. In the ?wolf pack? mentality, the dog is part of a pack consisting of the owner and family. When the dog is left alone, this is like being abandoned by the pack. The dog must learn that his owners will return.

Territorial issues often cause excessive barking. Dogs think that the back alley or side road are all part of their territory and that anyone passing by is intruding and trying to hurt their pack. So, they bark like crazy. This type of barking can cause the most strain between neighbors and so should be corrected as soon as possible.

Lack of activity will frustrate any dog. Dogs are meant to run and play in the open, and often people forget this. Let your dog run and play.

Grant Carroll proud father of three dogs and co-owner of http://www.littlepamperedpets.com with Dog Clothes and Small Dog Sweaters

Visit Elizabeth Austin for Wholesale Dog Clothes and Wholesale Pet Supplies