Maude Bicknell
She puts the BEST in Show
Maude is a very familiar face in Ontario. You hardly go to a show that you won't see her. Maude got started in conformation in 1974 when she bought her first Siberian Husky bitch. She bought a male Siberian that finished in two weekends and also went Top Siberian. 
Maude also had Norwegian Elk Hounds and most will recall Kobanko's Chase Manhattan and Care Bear from Barb Inniss. Chase was an Canadian/Bermuda/ American Champion.
As impressive as Maude's Elk Hounds and Siberians were, she is just as well known for her work around the show rings. About 15 years ago, Hilda Depew contacted Maude about setting up and cleaning up for shows. Maude makes sure that everything is ready to go for the show to start and she keeps a vigilant eye on the condition of the show site all weekend. Maude provides much of the show equipment and on occasions rents some of the equipment out to kennel clubs.
When I asked Maude what keeps her interested in dogs, she said that she likes the people. She enjoys working with the Kennel Clubs to put on the best show possible. She stated that she always does her best, or she won't do the job.
Maude would agree that she is a woman of very few words. She can be a bit crusty and she runs a tight ship. But, Maude is the woman that does everything possible to get lost items back to their owners. She has been known to change flat tires while the car owner is inside showing dogs. Maude gives advice to Newbie RV owners that show up without enough hose, electrical cord or the proper electrical plug. She has been known to have extra and to loan it out, plus give instructions on what to have, where to buy it and how to use it.
How many in Ontario know that years ago, exhibitors were not allowed to leave their dogs in the arenas overnight? Well, you can thank Maude for changing that rule. She started allowing dogs to spend the night in the arena, but to be certain every dog was safe and cared for, she would spend the night in the arena with them. She would bring a cot and find an out-of-the-way spot to sleep for the weekend.
Maude makes sure that the show site stays clean. She sanitizes the rings at the end of the day and keeps the areas ringside swept and clean. When you hear "Clean up Ring 1", Maude has made sure that it gets cleaned up and that the Mop and Bucket with disinfectant are nearby. One of Maude's pet peeves about Exhibitors are the people that do not clean up their Set Up area. She says bring a broom with you and sweep up the hair and trash and properly dispose of it. If you don't have a broom, ask her to borrow one. Scoop your Poop! She said, its just plain rude to expect someone else to pick up your dog's poop. Better not let her catch you not Pooper Scooping. She says that Exhibitors should encourage each other and show good sportsmanship.
Maude will allow exhibitors that would like to practice in the ring after the show to use the rings, but she says that the exhibitor should be respectful enough to clean up if their dog has an accident. She's not there to clean up the ring twice.
Maude's view on dog shows now versus years ago is that there is too much back biting and too much gossip. She said it used to be more fun and people were nice whether they won or lost. She worries about the cost of showing dogs now. Everything is so expensive, she knows a lot of people can't afford to show any more.
Maude is a heart of gold under that crusty exterior. She would help anyone that has a need. I shutter to think what will happen when Maude decides its time to retire. There will never be anyone as great as Maude. Perhaps if we all keep our Set Ups clean, we follow proper show etiquette and we let Maude know how much we all love and respect her, she will keep our shows running for many, many years to come. Maude is one of those people that hasn't got enough recognition over the years for her contributions to the Dog Fancy. Stop and think what it would be like without her.
The list of people that love Maude is vast. Thank you so very much from our entire Dog Show Community for your many years of hard work and dedication.
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| Jo Anne Griffith |
Thanks so much to Jo Anne Griffith for providing the show photos to me to use in this article. Much appreciated.
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| Kate Barnett |
Setting Realistic Goals For Showing Dogs
by Kate Barnett
Many of us
step foot in the ring without a clear goal in mind. Sure, we are there ‘to
win’, we believe that our dog is the most deserving, and we cross our fingers
and hold our breath when the judge makes their final decision. When we win,
we’re happy, and when we don’t… well very few of us can leave a show empty
handed, day after day, and still feel excited about coming back next weekend. I
say we change that.
No, I’m not talking about changing
the way shows are judged, making everyone ‘winners’ so we can feel proud of
ourselves. That devalues the win and doesn’t help anyone in the long run. What
I am talking about is setting realistic, attainable goals; goals that we have
complete control over.
An Outcome Goal is something like “I
want to win the Major on Saturday”. It doesn’t take into account all the
factors involved, such as the skill of the handler, training of the dog,
experience of the judge, the quality of the competition, and whether there is
enough competition to make a Major (to name a few). Many of us set Goals like
this, and it’s really hard to learn from them. If your goal is to ‘win the
Major’, what steps can you take to help you achieve that goal? Well, you can
study the likes and dislikes of the Judge, and hope he likes your dog. You can
scout out your competition, and hope your dog measures up against them. You can
keep your fingers crossed that there wasn’t a mistake in the entry count, and
nobody is absent to break the Major. Finally, you can work on your own
performance, the only thing in this scenario that you have any control over. It
seems that the odds are stacked against you achieving your goal, as your goal
is only to win, and doesn’t focus on how you are going to win.
A Performance Goal is different.
Instead of focusing on winning that Major, for which you have little control
over, you are instead putting focus on one area of your performance. Let’s say
your Goal is for your dog to land the perfect stack at the end of the down and
back. This is something tangible, you can practice it, and achieving the goal
has nothing to do with the other dogs in the ring or who the judge points at.
If you do achieve your goal, you’ve mastered an important skill, and have a
better shot at winning that Major, and if not, you have something to work on
before the next time you enter the ring.
Goals should be able to be evaluated.
After your performance, look back and determine if you were able to achieve
your goal. If not, why not? What can you do to ensure you achieve your goal
next time? In our example of the perfect stack, we can say “The stack wasn’t
achieved because there was a barking dog in the next ring and it spooked my
dog. To achieve my goal in the future, I will practice with my dog in a variety
of areas to ensure he won’t spook in the future.” We can’t say this about the
Outcome Goal of winning the major, maybe you lost because the other dog was
better, or the judge didn’t like the colour of your shoes, or it was too windy,
or, or, or… There is no clear way to evaluate an Outcome Goal, and the only
advice to move forward is “better luck next time.”
Future Goals should build upon goals
already achieved. Now that you have mastered that perfect stack and can repeat
the performance consistently, we can build on that goal, by saying we want the
dog to do stack perfectly at the end of the down and back, and while the judge
is making his final decisions. Next, add in a rock solid stand for the
examination, as that ties in with the stack you’ve already attained. Before you
know it, you and your dog will have mastered the entire ring procedure, and you
can bet you’ll be proud of what you and your dog have accomplished!
As you achieve your goals, your
confidence improves, which improves your ring presence. You are more relaxed,
because you have had success in the past, and know that you can achieve the
goals you have set for yourself. In turn, your dog is more relaxed, as we know
every emotion we feel in the ring travels right down the lead to our dog. You
paint a beautiful picture when you are in the ring together, working as a team,
and delivering a wonderful performance. And it’s very hard for a judge to deny
a dog who “asks for the win.” And before you know it, you are being rewarded
with those Majors! When you win them, enjoy it, but enjoy it because you and
your dog earned it together, and you had a great time together along the way.
Kate Barnett (Curlious
Reg'd) is a first generation "dog person", living vicariously through
neighbours dogs growing up until her parents finally allowed her to have a dog
of her own. When the internet came along, so did information about dog shows,
and it wasn't long before Kate knew she had to be a part of it. She chose the
Chinese Crested, and has successfully piloted numerous dogs, both hairless and
powderpuff, to their championships in both Canada and the USA. Kate is a CGN
evaluator, involved with the National and Regional Chinese Crested breed clubs,
and will embark on a new chapter this year as she steps foot in the ring with
her first Afghan Hound.
Have Something To Say?
This is your opportunity. If you have something you would like to write about pretaining to the Dog Fancy, please send me your article. There are only a couple of things to keep in mind. My blog is meant to be used for encouragement, instruction and humour. Please incorporate that into your article. Keep your article to around 1000 words and include pictures with captions if possible. Personal stories of your experience in the Dog Fancy or a funny story about something that happened to you would be great. Don't worry too much about grammar, I edit everything.
I like to share, so go ahead and send me your article to djenkins@shaw.ca Be sure to put Blog Article in the Subject, so I won't overlook it. My blog is Canada-wide, so I'd love to hear from you folks outside of Ontario, too!
I like to see people do nice things for others. If someone does something nice for you at a show or you see or hear about something nice being done, please send me an email at djenkins@shaw.ca. Be sure to put in the subject: Nice
We will mention that person by name in the blog.
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| Jan Carpenter |
This week I want to thank all the people that take pictures of my guys and dogs in the ring and send me the pictures. Everyone loves to get those unexpected shots from the show. Sometimes they are just too funny, too! These nice people emailed me pictures they took at the Erie Shores Kennel Club Show this weekend. Thanks so much! I really appreciate getting them.
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| Jospehine Lambert |
Has someone taken pictures of your dog? Wouldn't you like to say thank you here? Just drop me an email.
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| Stephanie Chuchman |
Remember to watch for "Nice Deeds". They are happening all around us. Let's talk about the people helping others. Send your "Nice Deeds" to me at djenkins@shaw.ca
Be sure to go to Canuck Dogs, http://www.canuckdogs.com, to see all the upcoming events and to check stats. You should bookmark it. That's where you will find my blog.
XXXOOO
XXXOOO
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