hi everyone,

interested in showing my cocker spaniel, she's only a pup at the moment, but has excellent pedigree and good potential i think- where do i even start to compete?

thanks,

Hi there!

Firstly, I would talk to your breeder and see what breed specific advice they can give you.

I would recommend enrolling in a local ring craft class to give you an idea of what showing a dog entails, as well as working on your stack (which is making your dog stand correctly), movement and socialization.

I would recommend having lots of people 'go over' your dog, looking at their paws, teeth and back while he's young, as this is also very important for show dogs. Keep training sessions short as puppies have short attension spans.

You can also get involved with fun dog show to begin with, which are much less competitive than open or championship shows, and are good experience for getting yourself and your dog used to the show ring.

Here’s some good advice from the kennel club:

Starting out in Dog Showing - The Kennel Club

Good luck

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Have a look at companion shows in your area, thats where to start. Also pick up Dog World which is a Weekely dog show paper taht will give you an insight to the show would at present

what area are you? there might be someone on here that might take you under their wing!

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love me love the dogs

in surrey- im not sure she's 'up to standard' but she has really excellent pedigree and her parents were beautiful dogs, she's got that cocker jolly walk too. i'll have to do some more research into open shows etc i guess!!