Conformation



CONFORMATION CLASS Breed Handling Signing Up for Class In order to secure your place in a class, please book online or call 207-642-3693. You may pay with either a credit card (MC or Visa) or a check made out to Telling Tails. Conformation Presentation Class with Beth Collins For those of you interested in showing your dog in conformation shows, this class is for you. Whether you are a beginner or have shown dogs before, we encourage you to come out for this class and get you and your dog ready to work as a team to help you be as competitive as you can be. For Beginners: Learn about how to enter a show, what classes to participate in, ring procedure and basic dos and dont’s. Get comfortable in this ring so you can feel at home in a show ring. The outdoor shows are starting up in Maine in mid May. This gives us time to start so you can be ready to go in May. For Moderately Experienced Handlers: We will give you pointers on things you can do better, and review the better and weaker qualities of your dog. Be prepared by knowing your breed’s standard as you will be asked to ‘describe’ your dog to me. Let’s see what things you can do to present your dog better. For Very Experienced Handlers: Get your new shining star out on the mats and I will lend a very critical eye to your presentation and offer my opinion of what looks great and what could look better. In all cases, your dog will get handled as though it were in the ring with a judge and will get the experience of being in the ring with other dogs. You each have 3 minutes in the ‘real’ ring to make the best impression possible. Let’s work together to make those 3 minutes count! Beth Collins Bio Conformation Presentation Class: Intermediate/Advanced* 4 Weeks ~ Wednesdays to be scheduled for summer, 2012~ 7:00pm - 8:00pm ~ Instructor: Beth Collins Conformation Presentation Class: Beginner 4 Weeks ~ Wednesdays to be scheduled for summer, 2012~ 5:45pm - 6:45pm ~ Instructor: Beth Collins You must sign up in advance for Conformation classes by calling 207-642-3693, or e-mail here. What to Bring to Class A show collar and lead. I suggest bringing a couple different types of each, if you have them, so we can see what seems to work best for your dog. Bait. Please, something not crunchy and not overly chewy. Freeze dried liver, hot dog, cheese or fresh cooked meat works well. It should be easy to nibble on without leaving lots of crumbs on the floor to distract the other dogs. ******************************************************************** We will be open for one hour for an organized and structured conformation mat time. This is a good opportunity to bring out both new and experienced dogs, dust off the cobwebs and get back into the conformation groove. It will be run like a dog show, with classes and groups divided, if there are enough participants. There will be an acting Judge who will go over the dogs and run the class. This class offers very simple instruction and does not get in depth and personalized like the conformation presentation classes, but is a good venue for getting dogs around other breeds, standing for exams and allowing the handlers to experiment with various techniques to see what fits with their dog. Bring show lead and collar (or a variety if you are experimenting), bait, running shoes and a crate if you want to allow down time for the dog or if you are bringing multiple dogs. Cost: $10 for the class, regardless of number of dogs. Maximum dogs per person: 3 Participants will be expected to conform to the class style.