Collie Dog Owners

By Gene, Collie Forum Member

You’ve watched the shows on TV and been to the local
Kennel Club shows. It’s interesting, looks like fun, and you get to meet
some really nice people. How hard could all of this be? Well…..

Step One:   Did you purchase your
collie as a pet or a show dog? If you purchased it as a pet, chances are
that the Breeder didn’t think it would make it in the show ring. If you
purchased a show puppy then you are one step closer to the show ring.

Step Two:  How much money are you willing to sink
into this business of showing dogs? I own a smooth coated collie and in
the first year of showing spent around $5000 on entries, hotels, gas,
and food. That is not counting all the grooming equipment that had to be
bought.

Ok, I’m not trying to scare you away from the ring, but it can get
rather expensive! Those of you with a Rough haired collie will need more
equipment that those of us with Smooths.

The basic equipment that is needed is as follows:

• A grooming table with an "arm"
• A traveling crate big enough for your dog to stand up comfortably 
• Water buckets
• A Tack box or something to carry all your grooming gear with.

Your basic grooming supplies are:

• Chalk
• Pin brush
• Slicker brushes (notice I said brushes),
• Cholesterol
• Waterless shampoo
• Towels
• Chalk Blocks
• Scissors
• Toenail clippers or grinder
• Collars
• Leads
• …and a lot of patience!!!

(Note: Those are only a few of the items that will end up in your
Tack box!)

Step Three:  I haven’t scared you away yet, have I?
You are just beginning the process of showing your collie. Now let’s
talk about handling. Are you going to show the dog yourself or are you
going to have a handler do it?

     If you are planning on doing it yourself, handling classes are a
must. These teach both you & your dog what is expected in the ring when
you are showing. Classes in most places are on going and will probably
have novices, like you, & those who are introducing new dogs to the art
of the show ring. If you are planning on having a handler do the job
make sure you do your homework. Most handlers charge for handling your
dog, plus expenses along the way. This usually includes boarding fees if
they keep your dog for long periods of time. Most handlers don’t like to
take dogs the day of the show because they don’t know how the dog works
in the ring. Your best bet is to drop the dog off about a week or two
before they are due to show, so that they can get used to each other &
learn what is expected of them. One question you will need to ask your
handler is where on the priority list you are. The more dogs the handler
has the more important this question is. These are just the basics on
handling; I could really go on for hours.

Step Four:  You have your equipment… you’ve
started handling classes… Now what? Do you know anything about how to
show groom your collie? Even though the show ring isn’t a
beauty pageant, you don’t want to present the Judge with an ungroomed,
dirty collie! If you have joined a local breed club, then ask some of
the older members to help you learn how to show groom. It’s an art form
to the handlers, and most breeder/owners have different ways of
grooming. You need to find your own special techniques while learning
from those who know how.

Step Five:  Okay, if you have done all the steps so
far, let’s learn about entries. The entry form for a dog show can
intimidate most novices. They are really fairly simple to do if you
follow the directions. Read the form very carefully & fill in the
appropriate blocks. You will need to fill in the right dollar amount for
the entry fees, your breed, variety and sex of the dog you are going to
show. Only one dog to an entry form please!!!

     After that, go on to the dog show class. Now, this is where it
can get complicated! There are 6 different classes to enter if you have
a smooth or 8 different classes if you have a rough.

The classes are as follows:

• Puppy: 6-9 months
• Puppy: 9-12 months
• 12 to 18 months
• American Bred
• Bred By Exhibitor
• Open

 For those of you with Roughs, the Open class is divided by
color:

• Open Sable
• Open Blue 
• Open Tri

The dogs are not shown with the bitches (Dogs: Male,  Bitches:
Female), so don’t worry there. Now back to the form… The next block to
fill in is the name of your dog. This is the registered name of
your collie (not what you call him at home). For example, I have a tri
dog whose "call name" is Ian.  However, his registered name is Dune’s Phantom of The Opera–that is what goes in the name block.
The next block has to do with the dog’s registration number. You will
find that on his registration papers. The number usually starts with two
letters, followed by six digits, a hyphen, and two more digits. Fill out
the date of birth & place of birth. Next you are going to fill in who
the breeder of the dog was, his sire’s Registered name & his dam’s
Registered name. The rest of the information on the form pertains to
you. If you are having a handler show your dog make sure their name is
put on the line asking for the name of the owner’s agent. Don’t forget
to sign the entry & give them you phone number! If you have an e-mail
address you can put it at the bottom of the entry form & MB-F with
e-mail you when your entry is made. Once you are done filling the entry
form (or forms) in, mail it to the address on the entry form where is
says "Superintendent". You are now even closer to showing your collie!

Step Six: You have gotten your collie ready to
show, but what about you?  Do you own any clothes that have pockets?
Pockets are the most important item in any piece of clothing that you
buy for dog showing. They hold bait, squeaky toys, money, collars,
leads…(well, you are getting the picture.. right?)!  I have been showing
for 7 years now & I won’t even consider a dress, skirt or a pair of
pants if they don’t have pockets in them, no matter how nice they are.
My sweat pants even have pockets in them!! You don’t need to spend a lot
of money on clothes, but if you make your collie look nice, you should
too. You want to look kind of professional, but there is no need to
break the bank.

Okay, you have followed all the basic steps to getting ready to show
your collie. Now there is only one thing left for you to do. When you
enter the show ring, I know you are nervous. All of us were when we
first started. The main thing to remember is this…

 HAVE FUN!!

---

This article
written Gene of
Dune Collies for our site. No one may reproduce
this article without the expressed consent of the author

Copyright
© May, 2002