# Mimi and I went to our first Show Handling Class



## EmmasMommy (Jun 2, 2008)

I apologize for not having any accompanying pix. I promise pix after the next class.

For you that do not know us Mimi is my new Pup that I bought with a show contract from Diamond Maltese. Du Tran the owner encouraged me to attend the Central FL Handling classes. Its held by a great club I think its Orlando Dog Traning Center www.ODTC.org. The organizers were great , the Conformation/Handling Trainer was so nice. They had conformation classes, agility ( I think 2 levels), rally, puppy class and I think 1 other class. The place was a hive of activity with all breeds and so many beautiful dogs & puppies at various levels of performance.

I think Mimi was the youngest and the smallest (3 lbs- and 5+ months old)
=
Mimi of course had no idea what to make of the whole thing. So many new things to see and all those doggy friends !

The trainer had us all in size related groups of 4 or five dogs. We were with a Frenchie, a beagle, and the Havanese.
Mimi seemed to like the other dogs without being too wild.

Initially she was tentative and I could see her looking to me for " What do I do now Mom?" First time up, she flattened herself down on the judging table and looked up with soulful eyes. The crowd chuckled. The first time on the show lead at the class was NOT good........at least she walked but her tail was down and I could tell she was unsure. By the 3rd time she started to really relax between turns and she befriended the Havanese female that was next to us named Sami.
Every turn she improved, the tail crept up and by the last time she stood well on the judging table and pranced her little legs off on our movement part.

We really enjoyed the class and definitelyhad a great time. She and I both learned a lot and met some new friends. I promise some pictures next class.
I have attached a recent photo but not at the class.

I would encourage anyone to look into these type of classes in your area. It was definitely worth the price. They charged $10 for 1 class or a coupon book for $50 I believe had 8 coupons.


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## CeeCee's Mom (Sep 14, 2006)

Oh, she sounds like she is just a cutie pie. I would have loved to have seen her with her paws spread out and looking up at the judge with soulful eyes! Sounds so precious!!! She seems to be well socialized and will get everything under control the more she goes~~~Yes, please take pictures next time!!!!


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## princessre (Dec 23, 2008)

How exciting that you and your new pup got to bond and experience the handling class together?! I love the coat on your Mimi. :wub: I bet she will be a pro in no time!


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

:aktion033: Yeay! Good for you guys! 

Ava and I go to class once a week - in the beginning she would walk beautifully on the lead but collapse on the table and shy away from anyone wanting to touch her. Fast forward a couple of months - now she's hopping around the ring like a crazy lady on two back legs :smilie_tischkante: ........but she stands very nicely on the table and the judge can touch her. I can't wait to get it all together!!! 

Sounds like a great class you're in.


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## almitra (Apr 24, 2009)

What a fabulous first experience--she's gonna be a natural at this!


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

oh i didn't know you were going to start showing! how awesome is that? She's a real cutie, I think you guys will do very well. It's not as easy as it looks is it?


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## EmmasMommy (Jun 2, 2008)

No, not nearly as easy Stacy, but I was encouraged by her improvement in the 1 hour. What a difference 1 hour made. I kept holding the lead with 2 hands ( a no no) and I was trying different walk rates.... I guess she and I were a comedy of errors but everyone starts somewhere and I can always laugh at myself. 

There was quite a crowd both of students (us) and spectator /friends. One young man who had a lovely Australian shepard was RUDE .........the only rude person. He said" How old is she?"referring to Mimi and I told him she would be 6 months old Nov 24th.Then he said, "You're not going to show her are you?"

I was a bit insulted, but tried not to have my face show what I was really feeling. I said" Yes,of course I am planning on showing her. Why do you think I shouldn't?" He said "She'sway too small" I said" Do you know about Maltese and their standard?" I tried to sound informed. He sort of backed off and said no 
I said the standard is 4-7 lbs...and her breeder thought that she would be around 4.5 lbs as an adult. The lady next to me with a cute Havanese whispered "Just ignore him" I guess there is one in every crowd. 

Everyone else admired Mimi and said nice things. I in turn admired many of the other dogs and gave compliments galore. The rally and agility classes werestill still on as we were done so we watched a bit. It was all very exciting. I loved it.


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## Remmy's Mom (Feb 23, 2009)

Hi Cat...Glad to hear you and Mimi had a great learning experience. I would guess that even the "Best" show participants had to have that 1st awkward, don't know what the heck I'm doing moment. Looking forward to seeing pics from the next class. Keep up the good work!!


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

I am so glad you had a nice time. If there were shows near me I would love to have got into showing with a showgirl  I used to have an Irish Setter that was show quality, we did the training and went to a couple of shows, but it would have taken a lot of traveling to get further. I thought it was really fun though.


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## Tina (Aug 6, 2006)

Glad you found a good place to start training Emma. There are many rude people in confirmation showing, just ignore them. I am sure you are doing great.

Tina


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## bellaratamaltese (May 24, 2006)

QUOTE (EmmasMommy @ Nov 5 2009, 11:14 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=847662


> No, not nearly as easy Stacy, but I was encouraged by her improvement in the 1 hour. What a difference 1 hour made. I kept holding the lead with 2 hands ( a no no) and I was trying different walk rates.... I guess she and I were a comedy of errors but everyone starts somewhere and I can always laugh at myself.
> 
> There was quite a crowd both of students (us) and spectator /friends. One young man who had a lovely Australian shepard was RUDE .........the only rude person. He said" How old is she?"referring to Mimi and I told him she would be 6 months old Nov 24th.Then he said, "You're not going to show her are you?"
> 
> ...


Don't you just love it when people think they know it all? I'm glad you made friends though! That's the fun part. I wish we had handling class where i'm at - the one we do have is 6 weeks a year and this last time, i was typically the only one there and had to bring my own table. So.. not a whole lot to be learned or experienced. The closest one is 45 min away and i just can't get myself there, LOL. 

You will definitely learn a lot and have a lot of fun doing it. You have a beautiful girl to start with and that makes things much nicer!


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## revakb2 (Sep 8, 2006)

Cat, your class sounds really cool. Bogie and Cassie and I have been doing obedience and agility classes for a while. I am probably the worst handler out there. I usually turn the wrong way in obedience and definitely give Bogie the wrong signals in agility. The two of them do great in class. I on the other hand need much more training. Maybe someday if I ever get trained, we'll compete. I enjoy the classes as a bonding and socializing experience with the dogs. We have a very nice training club here also. I understand there will be several shows in your area soon. Are you planning on going? Mimi is just beautiful, and I'm sure she will do well in the ring. There is a Diamond pup in Bogie's agility class. He's also a cutie.


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