A sense of perspective
by Averil Cawthera-Purdy
29 May 2008 11:20
I was really pleased to be invited to judge the handling classes at Coventry Ladies CS recent open show.
As some of you will be aware I don’t accept that many handling appointments as I think that, just like judging breeds, you should only accept a maximum of one ch show a year or a couple of open shows in different parts of the country. There is nothing worse than the same names coming up time after time – you get different opinions not the same ones.
Respect
Anyway off the soap box now and back to Coventry. I do really respect this society as they have supported the handling corner for years. In fact the West Midlands has been a stronghold of adult handling since its beginnings about a 15 years ago now. The Coventry Ladies part in all this was to give a competition structure and adult handling final that works in a very similar way to the JHA competition we see for junior handlers. The society invites other local, and some not so local, open shows to classify adult handling classes and offer Coventry Ladies KA Diplomas diplomas which mark qualification for their annual handling final.
A couple of years back I was invited to be one of the judging panel at this event and was impressed by what I saw. The competition has continued and must be in about its fifth or sixth year now and if the entry I had at Coventry is anything to go by the competition is going from strength to strength.
Having said all this the society doesn’t forget the juniors either and schedules JHA qualifying classes at its shows. These usually draw high entries and this could possibly be linked to the care the society takes in choosing its judges, they use recognised handling specialists. I was certainly pleased with my entry of 25 handlers in the two junior classes and a further 25 in the adult classes.
The well filled six-11 years class could have usefully had a bigger ring but thanks to the spectators and a bit of initiative it was able to be ‘stretched’ to its limits which made it much more workable. The range of handling in this class was vast, as it often is in the younger group.
There was everything from those just starting out to some pretty competent youngsters who would give their older counterparts a run for their money. The main areas to look at improving would be corners on triangles, thinking about your own and your dog’s positioning so that you don’t end up crowding yourself when there is no need and, quite a basic one really – lead control. Having said this there were strengths in rapport with your dogs and spacing in a difficult ring.
Very impressed
Dress was generally good although some could usefully smarten up a bit. I was very impressed with my winner, ten-year-old William Croxford handling an Elkhound – a free standing breed and so not easy. This lad has all the right ideas and a lovely manner with his dog. To push on he needs to work on smoothness and keep thinking through how he is projecting the dog in the ring. A little more polish and he will challenge the best of his generation. He certainly pushed the eventual best junior handler very hard in the challenge but Leanne Roberts with her Sibe, another free standing breed and so not easy at all, scored highly on the smoothness and the excellent rapport she has achieved with her dog. She needs to watch her lead at times but her excellent lines and presentation of her dog pushed her through to win today. For the future she needs to work on smoothness and accuracy at speed and under pressure.
Charlotte Nickel is a handler I have judged on a number of occasions over the years, from the younger age group class right through to adult handling now. I have watched her develop into a competent and careful handler who puts the true emphasis on showing their dog not themselves. She won here in strong competition as she makes few mistakes and those only ever very minor. The 40s and over produced a strong class but perhaps without the hardening experience of those junior years to really smooth off the edges but I was well pleased with my first three places and my winner, Mary Small handling a Border Terrier, was the style of handler I so appreciate calm, quiet and determined to do her best for the dog. Thinking through carefully and adjusting her own handling to meet each new situation.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself and hope my entry did too as one of the things it is vital to maintain in handling is the sense of perspective that it is almost a competition with yourself to se how over time you can improve you handling skills. Winning is always nice but try to keep in mind that the taking part, learning and enjoying time with your dog is also important too.