Thanks YT Mentors!
 

My SweetPea and I went to our first show (as spectators of course), and what a learning experience for me. As suggested my YT mentors, I connected with the people, specifically with three individuals who were either a breeder/s and a handler/breeder. I also managed to ask for their opinion and assess My SweetPea. Separately they thold me (1) she has a "good topline"; (2) she is "very promising, let us hope she does not change, which they may do in 8-9 months"; (3) and she has "good potential, you should try to get her in the ring to show".
I would have not have the courage to approach them were it not for the advise and positive encouragement of YT mentors, most especially Mardeline, Tegamom1, Feminvstr and Dray.
Now I am more confident knowing the next steps to take.
Thank you, :thumbs up thank you for pointing me to the right direction!:)

Hugs,
Lita, Newbiemom to My SweetPea

Aren't those shows fun!! How cool for them to tell you those encouraging words. ARe you going to try showing her?

Post some pictures of her! Let's see this adorable girl!! :)

Sounds like you'd better get busy and get ready for the show ring. How very exciting! Congratulations!

Congratulations on the great feedback, I hope your girl turns out well for you. Now its time to get into the ring and show her off.

Today, My SweetPea and I attended a conformation class, . But we had to sit out the first class and wait for second one because My SweetPea was too scared:eek: . The trainer was kind to give me additional tips after class. My Sweetpea is so new at this, she still has to learn to walk on a leash:aimeeyork . I have enrolled her in beginners class also. I really just feel so ignorant, but luckily;) , I have not been short of encouragement from everyone. I feel for My SweetPea. We've been out of the house and in the Dog Training Club for almost three hours this evening! And she is just so tired:( (and confused like me, I suppose:confused: ).
Thanks again.:)

There is a sanction B Match for yorkshire terriers only coming in 24 days. Makes me wonder :confused: if My SweetPea will learn basic conformation by then. It really is so inundating :eek: for a newbie like me. But just the same, I paid the pre-entry fee. There are no major pointed dogs allowed in this match, which evens out the playing field a bit. I will just be so happy if she walks inside the ring and get that first experience under her (my) belt :D . I will let you know how that turns out! I am so anxious about all this.:eek:

A scared newbie

I took these two pictures on the right tonight just for you. As you can see, My SweetPea has never been professionaly groomed (and I do not know how to groom her yet, I just give her baths, but I received a lot of helpful tips from MARDELINE, THANK YOU AGAIN!). Hopefully I will be able to do her ears soon.
The last two pictures were taken last Sunday at the fairgrounds during the show.

Sounds like the show bug may have bit you. It's a great way to enjoy your dog and meet others that share your passion. Take your gal out as much as possible. Get her used to meeting strangers and having them touch her. The judges at matches are very kind and understanding with these pups. She'll do fine and so will you. Have fun learning with your new lil show gal.

Way to go Lita!!! You're doing great and I'm really looking forward to keeping up with your progress in the show ring. Absolutely go to that match and have a great time. Don't get stressed at all, just enjoy. The training and experience will be wonderful for both of you and SweetPea!! Good luck and remember to keep us posted. Mary should have her internet up and running any day now but remember, you can call anytime!

Maybe you can start taking her on short walks every day around the block so walking on a leash becomes second nature to her and then the ring will be easy for both of you. Take her any where and everywhere you can get away with it .

She's gorgeous!!! Love that topline!!! Oooh...very exciting. Good luck with showing her. This will be fun to watch her journey here on YT! :thumbup:

I am truly enjoying My SweetPea, and adore her. I need to learn the sport because she has to try to reach her best potential. However, I would rather that a professional handler showed her, and I to just stay back and enjoy the show.
Thanks for your suggestion. I will do just that, perhaps bring her to the park and allow people to hold her? She does need to be comfortable with strangers touching her. During her first time out, did try to cling to my arms with her legs and paws and all and her body stiffened when strangers come near her. But at home, she is one bundle of joy, relaxed, with a great, happy temperament!

This afternoon, I purchased the lightest nylon buckle collar for My SweetPea, and a light leash. I put in on her, and allowed her time to get use to it.. she dragged it around.:p
Then I planted myself stationary in one spot in the middle of the concrete pad of our backyard, just holding the leash in one position. She struggled and pulled. I did not budge or move, and I stayed quiet, not a word from me.. and just allowed her to pull and struggle, but no reaction from me. I did not tug on the leash... I just let her be....

After about ten minutes of this, I think she got tired, because ... she finally got up and came to towards me. And when she did, I showered her with overtly happy, happy, many praises:bravo: !!!

Then I moved away to another spot until the leash was fully stretched. Again! she sat on her butt and started to be stubborn. She tried to pull and struggle. I just stopped. I held the leash in one place, but did not pull on the leash. She did all the struggling, I did not say a word. I remained stoic. She sat there for a long, long time ... still pulling while seated on her hind legs, it was starting to make me want to just end the session . She was like this for a long time!!!!

But then she finally got up came to towards me!!! And so I showered her once more with happy, exaggerated praises. :bravo:

When I moved to another location the third time, she started to move with me!!!! YEYYYY!!!. However, I walked four steps, and she would walk only a few, then sat.... and stayed there... but this time, she did not pull back or struggle But she just sat there. So I hurriedly went to the ref and got cheese (I have no treats available). Tried the same way, and when she sat, I showed her the cheese. I had to make her smell it first, because she has not had cheese before. I think she likes it, because it made her stand up and come to where I was. I did this four times. Praises, praises, praises. :bravo:

Now, I am holding the leash, I am on top of her, and I start to make many baby running steps in one direction, and My Sweetpea is :animal37 trotting with me, (TRIPLE YEYYYY!!!). Praises, praises, praises.

Then I do it again, and once again, and she runs with me... but this time she is running fast and around and in front of my feet, and trying to bite my shoes:rollingey !! And every time I walked the other direction, she's now so excited and trying to run around me and bite my pant leg :dribble: !

Now what am I doing wrong??:cry8: Arrrghh!!

Bottom line... she now walks with me on a leash :clapsmile !!!. The whole thing took almost an hour.

Tomorrow, I will follow your advise, and try to walk her around the block! Hopefully she will be CALM :p , I can't wait!

Thanks for listening!

That is great!! First lesson is always the hardest. When you go for your walk be sure to get some treats for her , maybe some jerky cut into very little pieces or even a hot dog cut up very tiny so she will not choke on a piece and can chew it easily. Be sure if she drops a piece that you do not allow her to pick it up off the ground, that she only gets to eat from your hand. Be sure when she gets a treat from you that she has to have all four feet on the ground, this will help in the show ring.

Once she gets moving well on the lead , make sure you have the leash on your left and hold your arm out away from your body and that will keep her from running in front of your feet. Lots of praise and lots of treats and she will love the walks in and out of the ring.

Make sure she looks at you when you give her the treat, this will teach her to bait and look very pretty in the ring. But remember the four feet on the ground rule and no eating off the ground.

Everyone will clearly see why YT is so great a forum :yorkietal ! Where will you find people like you who are so encouraging and with an open door invitation to 'call anytime'?
And you are absolutely right... the best participants in the match are not only the winners, but also those who enjoyed the process of getting there and enjoyed being there! I really need to ease-up up just a bit :ip: , LOL. Poor My SweetPea... I wonder if she feels my anxiety :confuse2: !
Thanks for the reminder!:grin2:

The Yorkshire Terrier Club of Northern California is presenting the Sanction B-Match and an extravaganza (other fun activities) on Sunday, July 8, 2007, for Yorkies only. It will be held in an air-conditioned dog show training pavillion in Walnut Creek, CA, and parking is free. The fees are nominal. Only AKC registered yorkies are allowed in the match, but for the extravaganza portions, any:aimeeyork and all :aimeeyork yorkies (only) can join the talent show and other activities outside the ring. The ladies will have delicious homecooked buffet luncheon for $7.00. I volunteered to help serve lunch that starts at 2 PM. They will have raffle prizes, etc... The judging for the B-match begins at 1:00 PM.

I think it will be so wonderful if all YT members (and their yorkies) close to the area can come! :D

WOW, thank you for sharing that critical and very important detai! I think then that I should use some sort of a verbal command to look up? Is that allowed in the ring?

Thanks again Debbie!:)

Many people use different words, treat , cookie, Look, I whisper their name if they are not looking at me. But if you train them before you get to the ring that when you stop and they look at you they get a treat, they will be looking for it in the ring too. They will even look at the judge to see if maybe they have something to offer. I think the judges like it too.

WHAT A GREAT DAY it was today. My SweetPea and I practice walking (she 'trots', is that the term?) and we circled the perimeter of the concrete area of our backyard numerous times and each time 100% completed the entire circle without stopping. YEYYYY! :bravo:
Yes, yes, yes.... lots of treats worked! I'd have my right hand with the treat forward where she can see it, and she would just go. Then at the end of the circle, I say "Look" in a happy, high pitched tone and gave her the treat. And even after our practice, this entire evening I say "Look" in the same tone of voice, and My SweetPea looked up!:thumbup: (:thumbs up for the tip!) And of course, I rewarded her with the treat.

Now we have to work on her strides. Her pacing is uneven... sometimes its great, sometimes she goes very fast, sometimes she falls behind. What is the right pacing? How can one get the even pacing?

As always, I appreciate all your advice!

Thanks,
Lita, a newbiemom who is now gaining some confidence:D

Her even pacing will come from your even walking, her age has a bit to do with it too. So as you are practicing try to keep your pace even and let the lead come out of the bottom of your hand so that you can control her out bursts with just a small movement of your hand. Here is a picture, I know it is small but I looked for a better one. The leash is held thumb side up. My hand is a bit high in the first picture , try to hold it about waist high. The walk should be normal to a bit brisk depending on each dog, but the dog should not break into a run.

In the second picture you can see all the dogs looking for their treat.
The third picture the judge offering a treat, or so the dog thinks
The fourth picture, winning!!!


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I hope these help......

Oooh WOW... pictures do paint a thousand words! How exact and scientific the sport is! And in picture #4 you can see the difference in handling, that is, the other lady in front of you has her arms way out there, and gives the appearance of a possible difficulty in controlling the dog.

WOW, perfect yorkie! ahhhhh, :wub: so adorable. I think I really really am :crazy: crazy over the breed!

Thank you so much for your help, and for giving me specifics and details, and I appreciate the time you took to post these pictures:2photo: . These are great instructional photos!

I also noted your attire, and color of bow that you used for your yorkie. What goes into the decision of what color attire one should use, and the color of bow?

Thanks again!:daisy:

Well I think that jacket I am wearing in the picture may be a bit to colorful but it is so comfortable I wear it any way. I think there is a thread on here that talks about what to wear to show dogs and it also talks about what color bow. Most of the time you will want to use red or shades of red for the show ring. The dogs gold just looks better with the red.

good luck at the match. i got bit by the show bug, just this year. i love it, my husband also showed- until he went to Iraq. you will meet some wonderful people at shows, i know i have. i show 2 bitches.-and they each have a mind of their own.

Thanks for the thought! I would have love to see you there, and will feel more at ease with someone there for support. Although the Match show may not be anything big, it will be our only second experience around people who are avid breed lovers (and for me that is awfully inundating!!!:eek: ), and My SweetPea's first time in the ring. And she only has two opportunities to go to conformation class. I am anxious:( But very exicited and enthused!:p :D. I just know that I am more confident now than two weeks ago because of the support I get here in YT!:thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

My SweetPea may be the same as your bitches... she truly has a mind of her own.
During our practices, she appear to be following what is expected. But after we are done with practice, she is totally her own personality especially when she in the expen. She jumps over and over like crazy, she nips, she runs around like crazy, she barks.. and appear to be totally uncontrollable:eek: .

I want everything to be a progression of learning for her. ANd for the coming match, all that is important to me is for her to complete the routine inside the ring and get that under her belt. Hopefully it will be uneventful! ... I have no other expectation.

But what if in the ring she decides to be be crazy self:eek: ? And that, I think, is what gives me anxiety...

But what if in the ring she decides to be be crazy self:eek: ? And that, I think, is what gives me anxiety...[/QUOTE]

That is what is the most fun about showing puppies, the judges know they are puppies and expect crazy things from yorkie puppies as well as any other breed. Relax it is all good and it is entertaining to see a puppy go crazy in the ring and show its true colors. There are always more dog shows, tomorrow is another day. We can not expect our babies to be perfect, we only hope they are having fun what ever they decide to do in the ring......

i also took my oldest to conformation class, a couple of times. spoke of my anxiety at my kennel club meetings- and everyone had a story to tell. :) dog/bitch going pee-poop in ring,:eek: a lady wearing a skirt- got down on floor to stack her dog- went to get up, and skirt stayed on floor-:D I ONLY WEAR PANTS SUITS-because of this story. another story of a lady walking around ring- and her pants winding up around her ankels. - i just tell myself that it has already happened to someone- and then it happened to me- i had a young girl pitch hit for me- both of my bitches had to go back in the ring- so she took my oldest in for me- well guess what- she had to go poopie and go poopie in the ring she did:eek: just let her finish and continued walking her. my youngest (9-12 mth) had a bad habbit of being a hound dog in ring- :D she wants to sniff and eat bait off the floor- i was laughed at- the ladies thought it was so cute- i did not give up. my little one has a mind of her own, and i love them no matter what they do.;)

That is what is the most fun about showing puppies, the judges know they are puppies and expect crazy things from yorkie puppies as well as any other breed. Relax it is all good and it is entertaining to see a puppy go crazy in the ring and show its true colors. There are always more dog shows, tomorrow is another day. We can not expect our babies to be perfect, we only hope they are having fun what ever they decide to do in the ring......[/QUOTE]

Dear Debbie,
I printed this response of yours and placed it in my refrigerator door... like chicken soup for 'newbie-yorkiemom's-who-want-to-show' soul.
Thanks:rolleyes:
Hugs,
Lita