# Ruger's first show and some other cool things!



## rugersmom (Oct 28, 2013)

Ruger's first (and my first) dog show was a success! We got a blue ribbon in our amateur owner handler class (I'm not going to tell you all how many were in our class  ) after our debut in the conformation ring we went on to do our TDI testing which I am so happy to say Ruger passed with flying colors! After that we did our canine good citizen test which Ruger also passed! All in all it was a great day, I learned a lot and met some great people who were super helpful! The judge was very friendly and even offered me a few quick tips, she could tell it was our first show. Oh and Ruger even got to go on the news to talk about the show with his dad!!! I seriously cannot wait till Ruger's cost grows out and we can really start to compete with all the golden fluff balls!


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## rugersmom (Oct 28, 2013)

On the morning news!


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## Shellbug (Nov 14, 2013)

Oh wow impressive !! Not only a blue ribbon but television success  congratulations. He is very handsome. 


Sent from Petguide.com Free App


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Good job! Good for you for getting out there and seeing what Ruger can do. It is hard to put yourself out there in the show ring while everyone is looking at you. 

My first time in the ring was last year. We got 2 blue ribbons also in the puppy 9-12 month bitch class. Yes we were the only puppies in that class, but it was fun. As I entered the ring, I told the judge it was my first time. The judges were both very nice.

So get out there and do it again. You've got a great looking boy!


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

Such happy faces! Congratulations.


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## Roushbabe (Feb 20, 2011)

That's awesome! Congrats on your first showing experience and to hear all the success afterwards is just great! I've never had my dog on TV before so you have me beat! LOL I also won my first shows with Keisel when he was 6 months old and yes, he was also the only one in his class - but it was a great experience! Keep at it!


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## Kylie (Feb 16, 2013)

Congratulations! That was quite a successful first show! So did Ruger earn any points toward his championship title? Or can you even earn points in the amateur owner handler class (I don't know much about conformation)?


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## Kmullen (Feb 17, 2010)

That is awesome! Huge Congrats!!


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Unfortunately only one boy and one girl will get the points toward their Championship. If they have a Championship or Grand Championship (GCh) then it's an entirely different point system. But with dogs and bitches working towards their Championship all the winners of each class such as the Amateur Owner Handler dog winner, goes on to compete against all the other dogs (boys) that own their classes. From those winners one dog and one bitch will be picked as the overall winners and will get the point(s). Conformation showing is tough, it's not like you get something for winning your class other than a ribbon. I've only showed my girl, never gotten a single point on her yet. It could be a very long process or a quick process for Ruger to get enough points to be a Champion in conformation.

Does anyone have the AKC link to how points work?


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## rugersmom (Oct 28, 2013)

Thanks Alaska! That is my understanding as well. Because we won our class we went back in against all other class dogs where they picked an overall winner and reserve which we were not. I plan on not showing him for probably two months aside from possible obedience if a show is close by because I need his coat to finish coming in before doing more conformation. I'm not opposed to putting him with a handler, but I do enjoy showing and am a quick learner.


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Congratulations to you and Ruger, such a handsome boy. 

And a TV star too, awesome!


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

How old is Ruger now? My Lucy has no coat yet either. She's 1/2 Pebwin which mature rather slowly. She'll be 2 in June, so I'm hoping for a better coat too.

What showing schedule are you thinking? How far are you willing to travel for shows? It's a lot to think about isn't it? Then you have to look at the size of the shows, which size you enjoy the most. Are you getting any help from his breeder?


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## rugersmom (Oct 28, 2013)

Alaska he is two in April but I shaved him a few months ago, there was another thread all about that, my bad I know :uhoh:. His coat is coming in pretty quickly in my opinion, I'm hoping it will be almost all the way grown out in 2 maybe 3 months. As far as showing I'm in north florida and my boyfriend and I will probably travel up to 5-6 hours for shows. But there are quite a few right at 2-3 hours so we are lucky for that. Once his coat is grown out we will probably be able to do 1-2 a month depending on our schedule. I've done horse shows my whole life so while I'm not at all new to showing animals I am new to dog shows and really do need to learn the tricks of the trade. My breeder was at this show, she groomed him for me but she's had some very tragic family stuff so I don't think she is going to be going on the road and showing at all. She is totally in love with Ruger though, she might be biased just like me though  I met a few people this weekend and may have met one that I think might be willing to help me out a bit with some advise because I could definitely use a mentor.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

Are you getting any help from local GR club members? I've been very lucky here that they are very nice people up here and really help each other out. We tend to set up our grooming areas together at shows. It makes it really fun. There is also a fun Facebook group called: Learning To Show Dogs. Look for it. There are probably people in your area on their group. They do have group meetups at shows. So it might help you get going. So much for me to learn since I didn't show horses. Have fun.


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