If you are planning to show your dog preparation is important! Enrol in a Ringcraft class in order to socialise and familiarise both you and your dog.  Here the trainer will teach you the basic ringcraft skills you will need to show and prepare your dog for being handled and examined. Most classes will accept young puppies once they have been vaccinated, the earlier you start the better. Remember to make it fun for your pup/dog as you will get more out of him/her if they enjoy what they are doing.

At home, get as much practice in as possible.  Let friends and family handle and look in your dog's mouth frequently in order to prepare him/her for being assessed.  If you cannot find a local ringcraft class contact either the Kennel Club or any local Canine Society for help.

If you do not yet feel confident enough to enter a show, attend a few shows as a spectator, have a look around, ask a few questions and just see what goes on.

Once you are ready to take the plunge and enter a show you then have to decide what sort of Show! There are 3 different types.

Limit Shows : Limit shows are run by individual dog clubs and are restricted to the members of that club.  These shows are probably the best place to start as you will be given alot of help and advice without the pressures of the larger, more competitive shows.  The classes at these shows are quite small making it an ideal place to start. Usually you have to subcribe to become a member to enter these shows, however this is normally only a small subscription of say £5 per year. 

Open Shows : These shows have a broader range of classes and tend to be more competitive.  In some classes you will be up against dogs of other breeds.  Open Shows can also be purely for one specific breed.  The top prize at this is The Best in Show, which is judged from the Best of Breed.  The Best in Breed is the best dog and bitch of that one breed.

Championship Shows : These shows can be breed specific, group specific, for example gundogs, working etc, or for all breeds.  These shows offer the widest range of classes and winning at these can gain the ultimate award of qualifying for Crufts, the most prestigious dog show in Britain.

Definitions of classes :

Minor Puppy - For dogs of 6 and not exceeding 9 calendar months of age on the first day of the Show
Puppy - For dogs of 6 and not exceeding 12 calendar months of age on the first day of the Show
Junior - For dogs of 6 and not exceeding 18 calendar months of age on the first day of the Show
Yearling - For dogs of 12 and not exceeding 24 calendar months of age on the first day of the Show
Maiden - For dogs which have not won a Challenge Certificate or a First prize at an Open or Championship Show (Minor Puppy, Special Minor Puppy, Puppy and Special Puppy classes excepted whether restricted or not)
Novice - For dogs which have not won a Challenge Certificate or 3 or more First prizes at Open or Championship Shows (Minor Puppy, Special Minor Puppy, Puppy and Special Puppy classes excepted whether restricted or not)
Tyro - For dogs which have not won a Challenge Certificate or 5 or more First prizes at an Open or Championship Shows (Minor Puppy, Special Minor Puppy, Puppy and Special Puppy classes excepted whether restricted or not)
Graduate - For dogs which have not won a Challenge Certificate or 4 or more First prizes at Championship Shows in Graduate, Post Graduate, Minor Limit, Mid Limit, Limit and Open classes, whether restricted or not
Post Graduate - For dogs which have not won a Challenge Certficate or 5 or more First prizes at Championship Shows in Post Graduate, Minor Limit, Mid Limit, Limit and Open classes, whether restricted or not.
Mid Limit - For dogs which have not won 3 Challenge Certificates or 5 or more First prizes in all, at Championship Shows i Mid Limit, Limit and Open classes whether restricted or not, at shows where Challenge Certificates are offered for the Breed
Limit - For dogs which 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 whether restricted or not, at shows where Challenge Certificates are offered for the Breed
Open - For all dogs of the Breed for which the class is provided and eligible for entry at the Show
Veteran - For dogs of not less than 7 years of age on the first day of the Show

In estimating the number of awards won all wins up to and including the 7th day before the date of closing of entries shall be counted when entering for any class.