Badger Kennel Club

Dog handling: A family affair

In 2000, director Christopher Guest in association with Castle Rock Entertainment and Warner Bros. Pictures released “Best in Show,” a fictional, 90-minute film about dog handlers and their trip to the top - of the dog-show circuit.

The film’s profiled handlers are several contestants qualified and in competition for the elusive and fictional Mayflower Dog Show championship, including professional handler Scott Donlan and life-partner/salon owner Stefan Vanderhoof, dedicated to their prized shih tzus.

While John Michael Higgins and Michael McKean may have ridiculed about 46 million American households with pride in their canines through their performance, Cori Countryman puts a real face to name with the dog-show industry.

“I love showing and handling dogs,” Countryman said. “It’s like I have a true connection with the animals, and it’s something I’ve always loved doing.”

The 13-year-old high school freshman said she is a junior handler, not to be confused with professional dog handlers.

“In juniors, technique is based and judged on how we are handling the dog, how well we can show off the dog that it’s the top of its breed,” she said. “It’s not necessarily about the dog, but how well we as handlers can present the dog and how smooth our technique is.”

Countryman said junior handling is practice to become a professional handler. She said the category teaches her techniques to make it more about the dog, what a professional-level judge solely focuses on.

Her father, Stan Countryman, said Cori and their family became involved in handling by accident.

“We had always gone to the Lubbock dog show, and just about three years ago, we had just gotten a Pembroke Welsh corgi,” Stand said. “Talk to some ladies ringside they said we could show our puppy. It worked out for us that night and it’s been a lot of fun ever since.”

Stan, Estacado High School head softball coach, said he enjoys his daughter’s showing from all aspects.

“Junior handling is unique in that, yes you have to win to advance to the big shows like Eukanuba and Westminster, but they’ve got other factors like GPA taken into account,” he said. “Just like a college, an application and a transcript required.” Cori said her experience with different dog breeds spans into the dozens.

She said the different breeds have different styles of handling. “I have a Pembroke Welsh corgi, a Finnish spitz and Siberian huskies and I’ve been able to work with other dogs as a junior handler and with anybody that we’ve helped,” she said. “I’ll work with any breeds and be able to learn different ways of handling.

INTERVIEW: Wisconsin Dog Fair 2010 | Tastes Like Bad Decisions ...

The Wisconsin Puppy Honest is an amazing celebration held each and every yr correct here in Madison. The event features routines, demonstrations, and examples of practically every single breed of canine imaginable. Mad About Pets was fortunate to score an job interview with Pat Discher,&nbspa representative of Badger Kennel Club, to get the inside of scoop on this extremely well-liked function to be held November 7, 2010. The Badger Kennel Club is made up of about one hundred people that enjoy dogs! We have arrive collectively above the years to reveal this canine affection with other people of like minds. As you can picture with a membership this huge, the interests fluctuate tremendously from those that have one pet and desire to do meaningful routines with it to members who actively contend in the a lot of areas of the “activity of dogs”. Breeders make up a excellent aspect of our membership as well. What is so great about the BKC is that there is a thing for every person that meets their wants and wishes. We give courses in obedience, rally, agility, conformation, puppy socialization and kindergarten, treatment and Canine Excellent Citizen and typically other specialized courses such as interest, tricks, and freestyle. The neatest aspect about our classes is that they are all taught by volunteers. These volunteers account for hundreds of a long time of instruction expertise and won’t be able to be topped. A single of the massive draws is the approximately 160 diverse breed associates. These men and women are entrepreneurs/breeders that really like to speak about their breed, telling men and women about all aspects of their canines. Then you there will be about 90 vendors that will be both marketing puppy goods, promoting a variety of puppy associated organizations or representing rescue groups. In the demonstration line of activities you locate obedience, frisbee, tricks, carting, Sheriff’s Division&nbspK9, rally, earth dog, lure coursing, agility, Junior showmanship and mushing. These will all be in ring 1. In ring two you uncover breed parades for every AKC group of dogs, such as one particular for the Miscellaneous group and uncommon breeds as well as a parade of rescued canines. And to top rated off all of this there will be 1/two hour seminars in Eastern Medication, Vaccines, Puppy socialization, grooming, and incorporating a puppy to your loved ones. Each year a Dog Hero is acknowledged and award a unique plaque. &nbspin Halls C and D. The hours are from 10am – 4pm. The admission charge is $ 7.00 for adults, $ 5.00 for seniors, $ one.00 for young children and under 5 are free. The Dane County Fairgrounds does cost for parking but attendees can download a Free Parking Pass from our internet site: http://www.badgerkennelclub.com/ or decide on a single up at a single of the region Mounds Pet Foods shops.