# Puppy Conformation Tips & Tricks



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

High value treats + practice exams often. 

6-9 and 9-12 month classes - judges tend to be more patient with wiggly puppies as long as they are able to examine the pup and check teeth and gonads.


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## DanaRuns (Sep 29, 2012)

goldielynn said:


> ...in the ring for puppies, do you guys have any tips and tricks on how we can hold him to get him to stay still?


Here's a rule to remember: "Control the head, control the dog." For a distracted or unruly puppy you can grab the skin of the (non-show side) cheek, just under the ear and behind the flew, and simply hold the head firmly where you want it to be. When you do that, your puppy's not going anywhere, and if you hold the head perfectly still, you can use your other hand to move feet, let the judge examine the dog (after the bite exam, obviously), or "top and tail" the dog. Later, when he learns his job a little better, you can accomplish the same thing just by the way you hold the collar.

That said, puppies are puppies, and Golden puppies in particular are prone to antics in the ring. Most judges aren't bothered by that. I had a six-month old puppy who actually jumped up on the judge to greet her, and grabbed the judge's wrist in the puppy's teeth. I was horrified, but the judge just laughed and gently corrected the puppy, and my puppy even won the class that day. They expect antics from puppies, and can even be amused by them. What my puppy did was extreme, but she got away with it because she was a cute, exuberant pup. But if an older dog does that....watch out! You're likely to be excused.


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## goldielynn (Sep 5, 2020)

Thank you for sharing!! In these situations, an extra hand would come in handy: one to bait, one to hold the collar, and one to hold the rear. Hahaha.

At his first BPUP show at about 5 months, he did try to jump on the judge in the ring, and my heart just sank in embarrassment. But he came roaring back with lessons learned at the next BPUP show, taking a best of breed and a Group 1. At least we have a long runway until he hits 12 months. May the odds be ever in our favor until then


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

Puppies up to 12 months get a pass for me whether handling or judging, as long as they aren't just ridiculous, expect some movement and exuberance. They grow out of it. It's not a big deal.
I know learning to handle is not easy but what is easy is to over-do it with your puppy. I may train them a few times in my driveway before their first show, and stack them on the grooming table, beyond that all training is in the ring. They get bored or develop bad habits very quickly with show training. Best of luck.


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## DanaRuns (Sep 29, 2012)

K9-Design said:


> I know learning to handle is not easy but what is easy is to over-do it with your puppy. I may train them a few times in my driveway before their first show, and stack them on the grooming table, beyond that all training is in the ring. They get bored or develop bad habits very quickly with show training. Best of luck.


This. This may be the most important lesson.


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## goldielynn (Sep 5, 2020)

DanaRuns said:


> This. This may be the most important lesson.


Totally agreed! And it's helping me set appropriate expectations, and not be so hard on ourselves. Some of his best "training" was actually just us sitting with him watching either the breed before us or after us go (and we always try to find older goldens to go watch), and I can actually see him studying as he's calmly sitting and watching the other dogs in the ring. For the next 4-5 or so months, we're just going to have as much fun with it, and as he grows and as he completes more shows, discuss with our breeder and the community here about finding him a handler.


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