German Conformation for VP and SG

[GSDOWNED]

I'm thinking of showing Yurik in German (SV) conformation. To my understanding, you don't have to belong to the SV or have a working title. Would love to do schutzhund but we have no clubs or anywhere to train within a three hour drive. He will however, be shown in obedience and rally.

My question is, would it be a good idea to get his VP rating and SG rating?

Thanks for any info you can give me.

[Ramage]

I would. It won't hurt anything and will only help IMO. Might as well do it now, because after he is 24 months old you won't be able to (unless he has a working title).

I must correct myself. You could still show over 24 months in the Open Class with WDA. Not sure about UScA.

[Uniballer]

Originally Posted by Ramage

I would. It won't hurt anything and will only help IMO. Might as well do it now, because after he is 24 months old you won't be able to (unless he has a working title).

I must correct myself. You could still show over 24 months in the Open Class with WDA. Not sure about UScA.

VP is only offered in the puppy classes (i.e. < 12 mo). If you receive SG in the 12-18 mo class and up it can serve as meeting the conformation rating requirement for a breed survey after meeting the other requirements. Of course, if your dog could earn a V then you would have to show him again after titling to SchH 1 or HGH to get it.

You can receive SG in the 24 mo and up untitled class, but it does not meet the conformation rating requirement for breed survey purposes.

I'm not a show guy, so VP is not important to me. Getting an SG could be a hedge against future problems in the show ring.

[wolfstraum]

If you aren't really going to show competitively, but want to dabble, and get a real show rating (between 12 and 24 months) doing the VP puppy class is good practice, for both you and the pup.

Lee

[GSDOWNED]

Thanks so much everyone. Yurik will be going to his first show and trying for his VP in November. He'll be 9 months old.

[Liesje]

I agree with Lee, if it's not too much trouble I would do the puppy class even though it won't count for a breed survey. Then you can get your G or SG later on and the dog has some ring practice. As the dogs get older, more is expected of them in the ring. Puppies can get away with a lot and don't really require a lot of ring training, but once the dogs are a year old, often the judges want to see various paces, down and back in groups, they do the gun test, they are more picky about teeth (so the dog should be OK with having the teeth examined pretty carefully), etc. I'm showing Pan in the 12-18 class next weekend and never did a VP rating but I did a few UKC shows with him and have always practiced stacking him (not training him to stack himself, but getting him used to being placed and standing still), touching his teeth, strangers touching him, etc. You don't have to be really serious about showing but IMO it's only fair to the dog to have a bit of training so they don't get totally confused.

[GSDOWNED]

Originally Posted by Liesje

I agree with Lee, if it's not too much trouble I would do the puppy class even though it won't count for a breed survey. Then you can get your G or SG later on and the dog has some ring practice. As the dogs get older, more is expected of them in the ring. Puppies can get away with a lot and don't really require a lot of ring training, but once the dogs are a year old, often the judges want to see various paces, down and back in groups, they do the gun test, they are more picky about teeth (so the dog should be OK with having the teeth examined pretty carefully), etc. I'm showing Pan in the 12-18 class next weekend and never did a VP rating but I did a few UKC shows with him and have always practiced stacking him (not training him to stack himself, but getting him used to being placed and standing still), touching his teeth, strangers touching him, etc. You don't have to be really serious about showing but IMO it's only fair to the dog to have a bit of training so they don't get totally confused.

Thanks! We've been doing stacking since we brought him home from the breeders. We've really gotten serious about it this last month since he'll be going to the show in November. We do have strangers handle him and I've been working on handling his teeth and mouth. Lots of work but I think this will be a great experience for both he and I. We are unable to show schutzhund but may train in herding. Training is still 2 hours away but a lot closer than Schutzhund training. He's already in obedience classes and is doing very well. I was going to take him for his HIC this month but I don't want to overwhelm him since he's in obedience and training for the show in November.

[Ramage]

Originally Posted by GSDOWNED

I was going to take him for his HIC this month but I don't want to overwhelm him since he's in obedience and training for the show in November.

You should do it! I have one girl here that does herding on Saturdays, Schutzhund on Thursdays and Sundays, AKC obedience training with me the rest of the time ... and we still work on stacking and ring training. I'll bet you'd have no issues getting that HIC and your boy would probably think it's a fun break for him

[VTcoach]

Some other/random things to think about for SV conformation shows:

The males need to have both testicles and the judge should check to verify.
You should practice having someone touch this area as well as the mouth/teeth, so he doesn't bite the judge when he/she checks ....lol If your dog is not intact, then you will be placed last or disqualified. Remember, the SV conformation shows are part of the process of evaluating dogs for eventual breeding worthiness.

Tattoo or microchip identification is needed, certainly on dogs over 12 months and I think they usually require at the younger ages too.

The dog needs to pull out on a leash in a trot ahead of the handler. To help this aspect there is usually a double handler on the outside of the ring ahead of the dog calling him or at least keeping his interest in the forward direction. This is usually the owner (you). The handler is usually not the owner.

You really should go to a show and watch, or in your case as a minimum, you should definately watch the classes before your dogs class to see how it all works. The young dog classes can be chaotic as there are always new dogs and owners try to figure things out.

Good luck.

[GSDOWNED]

Originally Posted by VTcoach

Some other/random things to think about for SV conformation shows:

The males need to have both testicles and the judge should check to verify.
You should practice having someone touch this area as well as the mouth/teeth, so he doesn't bite the judge when he/she checks ....lol If your dog is not intact, then you will be placed last or disqualified. Remember, the SV conformation shows are part of the process of evaluating dogs for eventual breeding worthiness.

Tattoo or microchip identification is needed, certainly on dogs over 12 months and I think they usually require at the younger ages too.

The dog needs to pull out on a leash in a trot ahead of the handler. To help this aspect there is usually a double handler on the outside of the ring ahead of the dog calling him or at least keeping his interest in the forward direction. This is usually the owner (you). The handler is usually not the owner.

You really should go to a show and watch, or in your case as a minimum, you should definately watch the classes before your dogs class to see how it all works. The young dog classes can be chaotic as there are always new dogs and owners try to figure things out.

Good luck.

Thanks! Yurik is intact and both testicles are down. He's fine with them being touched. I have been watching SV conformation classes online as well has speaking with my breeder. I'm trying to prepare in every way and really appreciate all the help I can get.

Regarding his tattoo, Is there any certification needed before we show? If there is, what kind?

At this point, I will be his handler and my husband will be the double handler. If there are handlers at the show, I may consider that as well. I just want him to show the best he can.