Hello every one,

Im new to the forum and new to showing. I own a male GSP and love the breed so much I want to get into showing.

He is 16 months old and we have attended three local ring craft classes so far (held on wednesday) I know it would have been better if he had ventured out to these classes when he was a little pup but back then it hadn't event entered my mind to show him.

We have our first show in a couple of weeks and i'm really worried we will not be ready (however I do have a sense of humor so if it all goes terribly wrong on the day ...hay ho!)

The problem I am having is my quietly confident dog is not so confident with out his other half...my Weime 22 month old bitch.

When at home my GSP will stand beautifully as he is confident in his own environment. When we go out for walks he holds his tail well and looks the part. However at Ring Craft Classes he goes into him self. He will stand well and let the judge go over him however his back slightly arches which does not make him look his best.

When we walk the triangle and straight up hand down he moves with out interest or confidence with his tail between his legs. Obviously I would like him to enjoy him self but he seems disconcerted that my other dog is not with him. I would love him to have confidence with out having to be with my other dog but not sure how to achieve this...

Obviously I would like him to work well in the ring for our first show so any helpful tips on getting him to walk proudly with tail up and also stand with out a hunched back will be gratefully received, but most importantly of all helping him to have 'self confidence' without the aid of his pack mate is one of my priorities.

Thanks in advance