The CKC Junior Kennel Club is split up in zones and each zone has a director. Kennel Clubs sponsor the Junior Clubs and provide mentors, seminars, handling classes and field trips for the Juniors. Juniors can start as a Pee Wee or Junior Novice A from the age of 4 and can be a Junior until they are 18 years old. To move from one class to the next higher, the Junior must win six competitions in their currant class. There are Junior competitions at dog shows that we should all take more interest in.
There is a Zone competition for Best Junior Handler. Each winner from the zones then competes at the National level. There are four place winners and the first is declared Canada's Top Junior Handler. Second place is Reserve Winner. It takes fundraisers, Dog Club donations and fellow dog exhibitors to finance the opportunities for Juniors.
Royal Canin Canada partnered with the CKC to support National Junior Handing in 2012. They sponsored the Junior Handling Program with support for the Junior Handling Zone Finals across Canada. They also provided support for National Championships held in Orillia, Ontario this year with financial help for competitors, gift packs and a dinner celebrating their achievements. Royal Canin Canada also will help send the National Junior Handling Conformation Champion to compete internationally and represent Canada at Crufts, one of the world's great dog shows, in March.
Other than the fact that it's FUN, there are lots of good reasons to show in Juniors. It is a great learning experience. It gives the Junior self confidence, teaches good sportsmanship, prepares them for the conformation ring. It helps them become a better handler by making them focus on their handling skills and encourages them to improve. They get to meet friends who share their interest in dogs. Juniors get a solid foundation in doggy hobby. The list goes on and on.
The judge is supposed to evaluate the Juniors in 4 different areas: 1-proper breed presentation, 2-skill in presenting the individual dog, 3-knowledge of ring procedures, and 4-appearance and conduct. Some things that a judge looks for are: economy of motion (no over or under handling) and correct breed presentation, do the dog and handler work as a team, is the dog posed and interested at all times, is the dog under control, is the dog moved correctly, are the dogs main faults minimized, are the dog and handler relaxed, does the junior know proper ring procedure, is the dog correctly groomed, and is the handler's appearance suitable?
Hopefully, now that we have a better understanding about the Junior Handling Club, what can we do to get more kids interested in participating. I'm not sure, so I asked some experts. See what they have to say in the next Feature, "Ask the Expert".
ASK THE EXPERTS
This is a regular feature of my blog. I will be asking a question to a cross-section of Canadian experts involved in various areas of the dog world. If you would like to participate or have a question you would like to have asked or have an expert you would like to answer a question, feel free to contact me. |
| Stephanie Chuchman and Amelie Syvestre |
I have used Juniors during my
entire 35 year show career. I use them for many reasons. They are friendly, warm, wanting to
please, and it allows me to extend the number of dogs I can show at any given event. The cute
factor with well groomed and trained pee wee's is just off the chart fun. I had Maira from the time she was 6 to 11 handling for me in the USA and Canada. She won many times during our partnership. Amelie started with me at 12 she is 15 now. She took our dog to #1 in Canada. I
could not of done it without her.
What could be done to promote more Junior participation? I think scholarships for university would be a great start to get Juniors in the sport. Host Clubs could offer discounts to exhibitors that have Juniors handling
for them. This could promote more owner/handers to use the Juniors. Perhaps if they changed the rule so Juniors could show all 3 days instead of just 1 day a weekend. I would like to see a Juniors Best In Show. That would provide a larger audience for their competition. The Photographers could offer a free winning Photo for Juniors. I could go on and on with ideas of how to promote the Juniors program and how to help Juniors. This is a wonderful program. I hope more people will take advantage of the opportunity to work with a Junior.
Expert: Sarah Muth, Junior Handler
I got involved in
Junior's because of my parents, who are in the business and I grew up with dogs. I would dedicate my success to my
parents.
I think for a young person to
get involved with Junior Handling that does not come from a dog show family would be relatively hard. They would need to have access to purebred dogs and dog shows. They would need to be aware that CKC Junior Handling is available to them. It would also be difficult for them to
learn the strategies that a junior needs to be successful in the sport, without someone with a dog show background.
In my opinion, the positives for being a
Junior is the experience you get when you work and handle so
many different breeds. Everyone has to start somewhere and being a Junior
allows you to have many opportunities to work with amazing people, and learn the
ins and outs of what it takes to be a handler.
Nagatives of
being a Junior are politics. Politics play a huge role in the reason kids don't stay or enjoy
juniors anymore. I think Juniors should be about fun, and learning new things, if this
is how it is when you start Juniors why would you want to stay?
In order to promote
Juniors in Canada, I believe we should have more classes to help newcomers
practice, such as sanction matches for Juniors, and speeches about what Juniors is about and
how the sport works. Juniors want to learn about dogs and if the clubs could
be more involved in teaching us about breed standards, movement, health issues and the business side of handling, we would be much more successful.
A good working
relationship between an owner and a Junior handler is the big S for Support. An owner
that wants the Junior to succeed just as much as they want their dog to succeed, is what I think
everyone should expect in this relationship. An owner is someone who puts
trust in the Junior to make the best presentation of themselves and their dog. Being a good Junior is about goals, and I think
one of the goals every Junior needs to remember before going into the ring is to be a good sportsman and treat your dog with just as much respect any team member. And the other goal should be to have FUN!
Expert: Hailey Griffith, Past Junior Handler now Professional Handler
How to "Refresh" the Canadian Junior scene?
Showing dogs on both sides of the border, I see the pros and
cons to each "system". In reference to Junior handling, in the United
States it is very successful with large turnouts, many rules and VERY
competitive, so why is it in such decline in Canada where just having fun is
the main emphasis?
With anything in life when you put more care into it, you will
receive more in return. Structure and priority is the ONLY way Juniors will
flourish again. Some ideas are; Using licensed judges, charging a small fee and
having a cash prize for best overall (Model after sweepstakes) and also having a
top Junior Handler tallied by points on Canuckdogs.com -the winner can be
awarded at the Top Dog Dinner. Another idea would be to somehow approach the
local schools to offer some sort of credit for an accumulation of first place
wins, or best over-all wins, much like is done with hours of Community Service.
Growing up as a "dog show kid", Juniors was a large
part of my life, I am so blessed for the assortment of animals I had the
pleasure of exhibiting from the very glamorous CH Dawin Quick Trick (Hillary)
to a puppy fox terrier my first time in the ring. It was all a learning
experience, and I must extend my gratitude to the people who lent me their
Canine charges and shaped me to be the handler I am today. I urge all the kids
out there to: find a mentor, get in the ring and have some fun!
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.
Spotlighted this week is: Maria McDonald, Owner of Kohlein German Shepherds Kennel in Victoria, British Columbia.
Canuck Dogs Volunteer
Maria has the distinction of being the
very first Canuck Dogs results volunteer. The first show she sent in results
for was the Oceanside Kennel Club show (March 23-24-25-26, 2006 in Maple Ridge,
BC).
She has bred 29 Canadian |Champions, 3 American Champions, Best In Show, Best in Specialty, Best in Futurity, Best Puppy in Shows and Obedience/Agility titled dogs. Also among her many accomplishments are her two daughters who were Junior Handlers with a lot of success of their own.
When you are looking up British Columbia's show results, please think about Maria and thank her for taking the time to report the show results to Canuck Dogs. Her dedication as a Canuck Dog's volunteer makes it the great website everyone loves and can't live without.
Remember to watch for "Nice Deeds". They are happening all around us. Let's talk about the people helping others.
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
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
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