Dog showmanship is a set of skills and etiquette used by handlers of dogs in a dog competition. Dog showmanship is not a competition in itself but a qualification of the handler to present a dog to its best advantage. Skills are technical as well as artistic. A handler must groom and display the dog for a judge in specific ways but a true showman can accentuate the best features of the dog and even mask any faults. Many professional handlers train and condition the dogs they accept into their program as they see fit. This means that dogs owned by others are away from home with their handlers for months at a time. Professional showmen may handle dogs as a sole source of income.
Most often referring to handling for dog conformation competition, showmanship can also refer to hunting dog competition, racing dogs, and tracking dogs. It also refers to the sportsmanship of competitors; able to lose with grace, win with humility and unflappable in the face of unforeseen circumstances.
A related competition is Junior Showmanship during which young dog handlers are judged on their showmanship skills regardless of the quality of the dog they use for the competition. They are scored on the grooming and handling of the dog as well as how the dog responds to them during the judging.
Equipment
In order to limit the distraction a leash and collar may be to a judge of dogs, showmanship includes use of specialized equipment, such as the show lead leash, which is quite thin and held out of view as much as possible. Many showman actually drop the leash while posing the dog and barely hold onto it while parading the dog around the ring to show off the dog's vitality and gait. A dog must be well trained to take full advantage of the show lead.
Some dog handlers use trade secrets to trim and style a dog for the show ring. Forced air blow dryers, shampoo recipes, hair tonics and training to show a dog at his or her best are tricks of the trade used to advantage in competition.
The Border Collie is a working and herding dog breed. They come from the Anglo-Scottish border region and are used to herd livestock, specifically sheep.
Schutzhund, currently known competitively as IGP and previously as IPO, is a dog sport that tests a dog's tracking, obedience, and protection skills, and evaluates if a dog has the appropriate traits and characteristics of a good working dog. It was developed in Germany in the early 1900s as a suitability test for German Shepherds, but soon became the model for training and evaluating all five of the German protection breeds, which included Boxer, Dobermann, Riesenschnauzer, and Rottweiler. Though any breed of dog can participate, today the sport is dominated by German Shepherds and the closely related Belgian Malinois breed. Dog owners and handlers participate in Schutzhund clubs as a group activity for training the dogs, and clubs sponsor trials to test the dogs and award titles. The best dogs can qualify to participate in national and international level championships.
A sheepdog trial — is a competition or test for working abilities of herding breeds dogs. It is a type of dog sport that emerged in the second half of the 19th century in New Zealand and Great Britain, and by the end of the 20th century gained popularity in many countries of the world. In competition, dogs demonstrate basic herding management skills assessed by the judge. International and national cynological and sports organisations, sheep and cattle breeders' societies are involved in organising these events. Usually competitions are held with sheep, sometimes other animals are used: ducks or cows.
In general, an assistance dog, known as a service dog in the United States, is a dog trained to aid or assist an individual with a disability. Many are trained by an assistance dog organisation, or by their handler, often with the help of a professional trainer.
A dog show is an event where dogs are exhibited. A conformation show, also referred to as a breed show, is a kind of dog show in which a judge, familiar with a specific dog breed, evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.
A hearing dog is a type of assistance dog specifically selected and trained to assist people who are deaf or hard of hearing by alerting their handler to important sounds, such as doorbells, smoke alarms, ringing telephones, or alarm clocks. They may also work outside the home, alerting their handler to sounds such as sirens, forklifts, and a person calling the handler's name.
Crufts is an international dog show held annually in the United Kingdom. Organised and hosted by the Kennel Club, it is the largest show of its kind in the world.
A leash is a rope or similar material used to control an animal by attaching it to a collar, harness, or halter. In British English, a leash is generally for a larger animal, with lead being more commonly used when walking a dog.
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is an all-breed conformation show that was hosted in New York City from 1877 to 2020. For 2021, the event moved to Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, New York and was held outdoors due to the pandemic.
A dog collar is a piece of material put around the neck of a dog. A collar may be used for restraint, identification, fashion, or protection. Identification tags and medical information are often placed on dog collars. Collars are often used in conjunction with a leash for restraining a dog. Collars can be traumatic to the trachea if the dog pulls against the restraint of the leash, causing severe pressure to the neck. Use of a harness instead of a collar may be beneficial for dogs prone to tracheitis or those with a collapsed trachea. Conversely, dog breeds with slender necks or smaller heads may easily slip out of collars that are too loose. This can be avoided by using a martingale dog collar which tightens to distribute pressure around the neck when training the dog not to pull. Any style of dog collar must be properly fitted to ensure safety and collars should not be worn when the dog is unattended.
Showmanship may refer to:
Showmanship is an event found at many horse shows. The class is also sometimes called "Fitting and Showmanship", "Showmanship In-Hand", "Showmanship at Halter" or "Halter Showmanship" It involves a person on the ground leading a horse, wearing a halter or bridle, through a series of maneuvers called a pattern. The horse itself is not judged on its conformation. Rather, the exhibitor is judged on how well he or she exhibits the animal to its best advantage, with additional scoring for the grooming and presentation of both horse and handler.
An obedience trial is a dog sport in which a dog must perfectly execute a predefined set of tasks when directed to do so by his handler. According to the American Kennel Club (AKC) obedience regulations
The basic objective of obedience trials, however, is to recognize dogs that have been trained to behave in the home, in public places, and in the presence of other dogs, in a manner that will reflect credit on the sport of obedience at all times and under all conditions.
Junior Showmanship (dogs), also called Junior Handling, is a sport for young people in which they exhibit their dog handling skills in an event similar to a conformation dog show. Unlike a conformation show, it is the young handlers who are judged, not their dogs.
Western riding is considered a style of horse riding which has evolved from the ranching and welfare traditions which were brought to the Americans by the Spanish Conquistadors, as well as both equipment and riding style which evolved to meet the working needs of the cowboy in the American West. At the time, American cowboys had to work long hours in the saddle and often over rough terrain, sometimes having to rope a cattle using a lariat, also known as a lasso. Because of the necessity to control the horse with one hand and use a lariat with the other, western horses were trained to neck rein, that is, to change direction with light pressure of a rein against the horse's neck. Horses were also trained to exercise a certain degree of independence in using their natural instincts to follow the movements of a cow, thus a riding style developed that emphasized a deep, secure seat, and training methods encouraged a horse to be responsive on very light rein contact.
The South African Sheepdog Association (SASDA) is an association responsible for organising and controlling sheepdog related activities in South Africa. This involves overseeing the competitions that are held by regional clubs during the year and maintaining the stud book to manage the registration of sheepdogs in South Africa. It also works with the regional clubs in an effort to further the spread of interest in sheepdogs as useful working resources in the life of the stock farmer and to encourage handlers to participate in competition. Competition is seen as a way to maintain the standard of breeding and training of working sheepdogs.
Rally obedience is a dog sport based on obedience. It was originally devised by Charles L. "Bud" Kramer from the obedience practice of "doodling" — doing a variety of interesting warmup and freestyle exercises. The doodles were usually parts of obedience exercises that taught the skills and improved performance and accuracy.
Temperament tests assess dogs for certain behaviors or suitability for dog sports or adoption from an animal shelter by observing the animal for unwanted or potentially dangerous behavioral traits, such as aggressiveness towards other dogs or humans, shyness, or extreme fear.
Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles. The handler's controls are limited to voice, movement, and various body signals, requiring exceptional training of the animal and coordination of the handler.
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