5 shows in 5 days....we made it! Going into these shows, we had been told that they are tough and not to expect too much....but we had no idea what we were in store for. I secretly had visions of taking this show by storm and surprising everyone with just how amazing Jack is. Well......that is not quite how it played out. There were about 15-25 Boxers there daily - and they were all amazing dogs!!!! Jack, since he just turned a year old last week, is now in the 12-18 month puppy class. The other dog in our 12-18 month class was just bigger than Jack and more developed - as he should be since he is almost 6 months older. Also, most of the handlers there have been handling dogs 15-20 years - so I really was a very small fish in a very, very large pond (maybe the ocean). I just tried to make sure that Jack had fun and that this was a great experience for him, which I think I was very successful at. Jack had so much fun and I was so proud of how well he did. An amazing thing happened on the last day - another handler asked if I would handle one of her dogs in the winner's dog competition if she ended up having 2 dogs to show (which she did not), but the fact she thought enough of my handling to trust me with her dog was just amazing and shows that I can do this.
I did learn so much these past 5 days.....some are lessons that are a little tough to swallow. I have learned that no matter how long that I do this, I will always lose more than I will win and that I am going to get lots of practice on losing gracefully and with class (not easy to do day after day after day). I learned that Jack needs to just grow some more so that he can really compete with the big boys and that right now these shows are really just practice. I learned that I am paying for the judges opinion and that no matter how hard I try I may never understand why certain decisions are made and should stop trying because I will drive myself crazy. I also learned some wonderful handling techniques and grooming tips, which I was able to put to use and see immediate results from.
I have tried to think of one word for what I would call this series of show, and I just cannot narrow it down to one, so here is my list: Exciting, scary, humbling, frustrating, confusing, amazing, fun, defeated, proud (of my gorgeous pup).
So, now time to take some time off, let my pup grow and look forward to our next shows in April. But, like I have said before, I got to leave with the best dog there - would not have it any other way.
Jack being checked out by the judge
Free stack
12-18 Month Class
Before our group
Last day...
Videos below
