By: Kelly Marshall
Submitted: 2009-08-17 13:39:19 | Word Count: 510
So, you think your Akita may have what it takes to be a “champ”, and you are interested in possibly entering them into a professional dog show competition. However, perhaps being new to the dog show circuit, you’re not quite sure what to expect. This is not a problem, as I will be more than happy to provide you with some helpful tips and tricks of the trade.
The first thing that you need to know is that you may not want to get involved in dog show competitions if you’re doing it just for fun. The reason for this is that the people at these dog shows are often extremely competitive. Most of them are there not only to show off their dogs, but they’re “in it to win it”! Therefore, you probably shouldn’t even both signing up for one of these shows unless you’re prepared to spend hours upon hours with your Akita, in order to properly train them. If you don’t have a lot of free time and your budget allows for it, you may want to hire a dog trainer and handler instead.
[ advertisement ]
You should know that not all Akitas are well suited for competition and rigorous training. If you’re unsure about this, you may want to hire the aforementioned dog trainer for at least an initial consultation. This way you can get their opinion on whether or not they think your dog has what it takes to be a champion.
There are a number of different types of dog shows that you may want to consider signing your Akita up for. For example, there are dog agility trials, obedience trials and specialty shows, just to name a few. There are three different types of obedience competitions which are novice, open and utility. The novice group is for the dogs that are brand new to competing in dog shows. If you’d like your Akita to be able to compete in the Novice group, there are several tasks that it must be able to successfully complete. For example, your dog needs to be able to come to you when called, sit and stay for one minute, lay down and stay for three minutes, just to name a few. In addition to being judged by what tasks they can and cannot complete, your Akita’s physical appearance will also be judged. The judges will take into consideration their body size, coloring, and how healthy their coat looks, as well as several other factors. What type of gait your Akita has is also important to the judges when deciding on which dog will ultimately be the champion. Also, prior to enrolling your Akita in dog shows, you will want to make sure that they are at a good healthy weight. The reason for this is that the judges like to see dogs that are neither fat, nor too thin, but just right.
Best of luck to you, and I hope that you and your Akita enjoy competing in the dog show!
