Showing your Vizsla

Showing your Vizsla can be a fun and rewarding experience. Like any discipline (obedience, agility or hunting) it requires training and dedication.

Dog shows in New Zealand are sanctioned by the New Zealand Kennel Club (NZKC) and dogs are judged on how closely they conform to the breed standard for conformation and temperament.

Where to start
First you must join an affiliate club of the NZKC, like your local Gundog Club, Obedience Club etc.
After this you apply to the NZKC for your registration. Your puppy will have been registered by your puppy’s breeder. The NZKC will send you information and your membership number which you will use on your show entry forms. (See example of show entry form)

In New Zealand there are 3 main categories of Breed shows:

• Ribbon Parades are designed as fun days for clubs, training grounds for judges, exhibitors and exhibits. Entries are taken on the day of the show. Spayed and neutered dogs can be entered at these.
• Open Shows are conducted like Championship Shows with pre-entry and catalogues, but Challenge Certificates (C.C.) are not available. Owners must be financial member of the NZKC.
• Championship Shows must be entered in advance and a catalogue listing the details of each exhibit entered is produced. Owners must be financial members of the NZKC to enter. Challenge Certificates are on offer at these shows, 1 for Best Dog and 1 for Best Bitch in each breed. However it should be noted that the judge has the option to refuse this award, and no exhibit under 6 months of age will be awarded a Challenge Certificate.
  After having won 8 Challenges under at least 5 different judges, provided that at least 1 of the Challenge Certificates was given on/after the age of 12 months then the owners can make application to the NZKC for the prefix “Champion”.

Other awards on offer:-
Bronze Certificate of Merit – 20 C.C.
Silver Certificate of Merit – 40 C.C.
Gold Certificate of Merit – 50 C.C.
Platinum Certificate of Merit – 100 C.C.
Grand Champion – a dog having won 50 C.C., plus 3 Best In Show awards under 3 different judges at All Breeds Championship shows.

Breed Classes
Definitions of Breed Classes permitted at All Breeds, Group, Multi-Breed, Specialist Club, Championship and Open Shows:-

No dog must be shown under the age of 4 months.
Class 1: Baby Puppy Dog
Class 1a: Baby Puppy Bitch – 4 months and under 6 months on the 1st day of the show.
Class 3: Puppy Dog
Class 3a: Puppy Bitch – 6 months and under 12 months on the 1st day of the show.
Class 5: Junior Dog
Class 5a: Junior Bitch – 12 months and under 24 months on the 1st day of the show.
Class 6: Intermediate Dog
Class 6a: Intermediate Bitch – 24 months and under 36 months on the 1st day of the show.
Class 8: NZ Bred Dog
Class 8a: NZ Bred Bitch – for exhibits born in NZ 6 months and over on the 1st day of the show.
Class 10: Veteran Dog
Class 10a: Veteran Bitch – 7 years and over on the 1st day of the show.
Class 11: Open Dog
Class 11a: Open Bitch – for exhibits 6 months and over on the 1st day of the show.

All exhibitors will receive a timetable at least 1 week before the show which gives the following information:-
Commencement time for judging in each ring in the show.
A list of all breeds in the show and which ring they will be judged in and the order in which this will occur.
Number of exhibits entered in each breed in the show.

Judging Order
At Championship and Open shows judging must take place in a strict order. Breed classes are judged in numerical order starting with dogs and then bitches. The unbeaten winners of the breed classes will be judged for Best Dog/Bitch and Reserve Dog/Bitch.

After choosing the Best Dog and Bitch, the judge will choose 1 of these for Best of Breed, followed by Reserve of Breed.

The Dog/Bitch that wins Best of Breed then competes in Best of Group. The winner of the Gundog group goes through to Best in Show.

Preparation for showing
A show dog needs to be trained. They must learn to ‘trot’ and ‘stand’ on command and be comfortable being touched by people they do not know.
Training is best started shortly after your new pup comes to live with you. It is a good time (while still relatively small) to place them on a table or box starting with the front legs, place these right on the edge so they learn to stand upright on them. Using a firm voice tell them to ‘stand’. If they wriggle or move, hold them firmly and drop them over the front of the box/table and start the process over again. Once your puppy is standing still in the front begin on the back legs using the same procedure.
Once your puppy is accepting the lead and walking confidently on it you can begin to teach them how to trot beside you. Find out were your puppy likes the show lead to be placed while you are working them, (e.g. some will work better with the lead held straight up from the neck and others will prefer it under their ear.)

It is important to remember that your puppy is not an adult and as such does not move at the same pace, so you will need to adjust your speed and stride length to accommodate them. As they grow this will need to be adjusted.

It is your responsibility to ensure your dog is presented in an acceptable manner for judging. This means they should be washed and groomed, toenails clipped and if desired beauty spots and eyebrows removed to create a cleaner looking head. NEVER remove the whiskers.

Once in the show ring the judge’s routine is fairly straight forward, and the routines are similar. The judge will look at the dog from a distance to get and overall impression on type, balance and movement. Once the dog is standing (stacked), the judge will examine each dog individually, usually beginning at the eyes, ear and teeth, then proceeding to go over the dog nose to tail. This way they can check bone structure, musculature and conditioning. The judge should be able to compare what they have felt to what they saw.

After this the judge will ask the exhibitor to move their dog in a pre-determined pattern (triangle, straight out and back). This allows the judge to see the dog in every direction.

Whilst as a handler it is your job to present your dog in its best light the over whelming element of this all is to make it fun.

So you ask yourself why you ever contemplated showing as an activity – well…

You get to show off your fabulous friend.
You get to learn lots about your breed.
You get to meet lots of new friends.
Lastly you get to have a load of fun.

– Article by Viv Brien (Owner of: CH Debrecan Golden Hunter)