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You have been to a few dog shows and hopefully had a look at what goes on, in and around the show ring. Hopefully you have also spoken to a few Dalmatian people and met their dogs. Perhaps there were a few dogs that caught your eye. You might like that type. Ask the owner about the dog, where did it come from, who is the breeder. Then it is a simple step from there. Look in the show catalogue, which contains all the details of each competitor and contact the breeder.
Have you bought your puppy or are you still looking for a puppy?
If you have already bought your puppy, contact the breeder and ask his advice. Is your puppy good enough to be shown? Perhaps your puppy isn’t suitable for showing.If the breeder tells you NO then ask why and get him to explain the faults on your dog.If he how ever says yes, ask for advice and start training your dog.
Get the breeder to hold up the puppy for you and explain its good point and the bad.You can NEVER guarantie what a puppy will turn out like but it has a potential.Best time to “see” a puppy’s potential is around 6 weeks.
This is a patched Dalmatian puppy.
Firstly do you remember what the Bitch - mother of the puppies looked like? What do you know of the sire - Father of the puppies? Then the next step is the following.
A simple thing like -- Is it built right? This young chap is too short in body and he has a big head and the neck is extremely thick 
What do I mean? Look at the breed standard.That will give you a rough idea.Your dog should be square in shape. So, is yours too long or too short in body? Just remember PUPPIES do change.They grow up at different parts of the body.One day they look high over the back end,next time they are high in the front end. It’s a continuos process untill they are around 1 year old.
How about height? Does it look really big or tiny? Again look at the breed standard.
Movement. Look at your dog when it trots.Are the back legs moving close together ? - meaning are the back legs touching or crossing over when he trots. Or are they so far away from each other you can see the forest up ahead between its legs?That is Wrong.
How about when the dog trots towards you? Is it equally as bad?
 A good way to think about the movements seen from the front. Stretch your arms straight out in front of you and move them up and down. If you bring your arms together - arms still held straight - that is wrong movement.Too wide in front is also wrong.
The best advice I can give, is go to a few Championship Dog shows and look at the movements of the dogs.This will give you some idea of what YOUR dog should move like
Has your dog got blue eye(s), missing pigment, missing eye rim, deaf, patched, is a lemon / orange or tri - colour. Temperament unsound.(in other words nervous or aggressive) or has other breed disqualifications, then you cannot show!
This dogs front is wrong.Narrow and elbows tucked under the body See his feet ? They are pointing outwards.
IS YOU DOG KENNEL CLUB REGISTERED? If not YOU cannot show your dog
But if your dog has none of the disqualifications mentioned above then “nothing ventured, nothing gained”.
When it comes to the markings or spotting, then there are really NO rules there. Some dogs are heavily marked, others are very white. It all comes down to “likes” and “dislikes” Liver or blacks.Again it makes NO difference. It is the quality of the dog that is judged.
Dog shows are an expensive hobby. It costs around £20.00 at the moment to just enter 1 dog. Some Championship Shows also charge extra for parking. (don’t forget you have to pay for transport and refreshments ) but they also give you a lot of satisfaction.
Friendships are easily found and given. This is a social event too.
Remember to always smile and make a fuss of your dog even if you have no luck. It’s not the dog’s fault if things goes wrong. You ALWAYS take home YOUR CHAMPION.
A Patched girl ..Excellent pets but no good for the show ring.
If you want to have a go at showing, go to a recommended breeder who has had some success in the ring at Championship level and let the breeder know that you would like to try showing your dog. The breeder will look for a puppy for you which might have a showing potential. It is in the interest of the breeder to help you to select a good puppy, as this puppy will have the breeders affix and name associated with it.The last thing a breeder wants in the ring is a dog that is a “poor” specimin” of the breed.It does not reflect well on his /hers breeding
This is another patched bitch.
There is no such thing as a SHOW DOG puppy. A dog has the SHOW POTENTIAL.
What do you do next?
Your puppy is now waiting to come home to you. But before you get your puppy home, do some looking around for a RING CRAFT training class. This is where the serious lessons start.
 
At ring Craft you and your dog will also meet a lot of other dogs and their handlers.It is a great place to get your young dog used to all the noice and the attention he will get
The first stage for your puppy’s show training starts at home because you cannot take your puppy out until he has had the final vaccination. Simple things like making the dog stand and wait for food, hopefully with the tail wagging. Give it the order to stand! The puppy will soon associate standing with a treat. DO NOT teach you dog to SIT.You do not want to end up with a dog that sits in the show ring.
Then we have the lead training. A few minutes every day on the lead around the house and garden. Up and down, in a circle and in a triangle. Teach the puppy to walk on the left hand side as well as the right hand side. Do not allow the puppy to pull.Reason for this is that some judges wants you to move up and down so the judge can watch movement from the side. ALWAYS make sure the dog is BETWEEN YOU and the JUDGE.
It is very important that your puppy gets used to being handled, as every judge will check the dog at each show. So regularily go through the routine of looking at the teeth, touching the feet to look at nails, feeling the tightness of the paws and stroking of the tail.Touching around the rib cage and down the legs. If the dog is a male, feel the testicles as both testicles have to be in the sack.And they have to get used to that part .
The most important thing to remember is that the DALMATIAN is a free standing dog. So we do not put it into a show position.(stacking) We do not place the feet, hold their head nor hold out their tail. There is simply NO touching once the dog is standing in the ring.
When the puppy has had its final vaccination you take it to RING CRAFT training. The breeder might be able to help you to find a good Ring Craft Club. You can also contact the Kennel Club and ask if there is a dog club near you. Most dog clubs have ring craft classes
This is where you and the puppy learn how to show and behave around the ring. The dog will get used to people patting and stroking it, running straight up and down a mat, doing triangles and standing still while a “judge” goes over the dog.
It is very important that you make this a positive outing. Let the puppy play with other dogs which also teaches the puppy to be friendly.
You cannot start showing your puppy till it is 6 months old and the puppy MUST be KENNEL CLUB registered.
Where do you find out about dog shows in your area?
The ring craft club will be a good place to start. There will be show schedules available. When it comes to filling in the entry form for the dog show ask them to help you or read on and all will be explained.
You can also buy the dog newspapers such as OUR DOGS and DOG WORLD. These are weekly dog newspapers and will have advertisements for all the dog shows around the UK. There are Open shows and Championship shows.You can go on the net and find their contact numbers there.This really is a must news paper for anybody showing
The Kennel Club also has details of every Show held in the UK.
How do you know which class to enter your dog?
In every schedule you will find a list of classifications. The most common ones are:
Minor Puppy class for dogs from 6 months to 9 months
Puppy class for dogs from 6 months to 12 months
Junior for dogs from 6 months to 18 months
Graduate for dogs who have not won a Challenge Certificate or 4 or more first prizes at Open or Championship shows
Post Graduate for dogs who have not won a Challenge Certificate or 5 or more first prizes at Open or Championship Shows.
Limit for dogs who have not won 3 Challenge Certificates under 3 different judges or 7 or more first prizes in all at Championship Shows in limit and open classes, confined to the breed, whether restricted or not, at shows where Challenge Certificates were offered to the breed
Open for all dogs of the breed for which the class is provided and eligible for entry at the show
You NEVER put a puppy or Young dog in this class at CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWS unless it has to. (if it is a Champion and is over 18 months)
OPEN SHOWS
Open shows cater for all breeds, and are run by a large selection of dog clubs. You do not have to be a member to enter as the show is open to all. Some Open shows do NOT have Dalmatian Classes.
They are generally fairly inexpensive shows to attend. Here is a typical schedule for a Breed Special Open Show
There are no CC’s (Challenge Certificates) on offer here. The classes are also limited to just 3, 4 or 5 classes, in a non-specific Open Show.
This is a good place to start showing your puppy. Watch and learn!. This is where you will put into practice what you have been learning at the ring craft. Do not get offended if somebody comes up to you and gives you a bit of advice. This is a good place for you to ask questions from fellow Dalmatian Exhibitors.
An Open show has many breeds entered or it could be a breed specific show, which would have Dalmatians only. At breed specific open shows you will have a wide range of classes, from minor puppy to senior Veterans( or special veterans, being dogs over 10 years)
GENERAL CHAMPIONSHIP SHOWS.
These shows are run by a selection of dog clubs but have been given permission by the Kennel Club to give CC’s. Again you do not have to be a member to enter at these shows.
If you feel like having a go at showing at this level, do so. We all have to start somewhere. Just remember it is more expensive to enter at Championship Shows so make sure you have a fairly well trained puppy. If your puppy is good enough it will do well.
The Championship Shows are the shows where CC’s are given. A CC is a Challenge Certificate. This is the one award that all dog show enthusiasts want. 3 of these CC’s under 3 different judges at a Championship show and you will have a UK Champion.
The Championship Shows are also Crufts qualifiers in certain classes.
Again you have Breed specific Championship Shows, In our case -for DALMATIANS only.
You can now enter your dog at Chmpionship Shows via the internet The providers cover different Ch.Shows around Uk and some now include Ireland,France,Germany , Holland and Belgium. You register with them, fill in your dogs details and simple follow instructions.It is so much easier and you do not have to rely on the post.! Just make sure that if you do go this way COPY everything and keep it in your file.It’s your only record of entry to the dog show. So have a look at the following internet sites.
www.highampress.co.uk www.dog.biz www.fossedata.com
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