Question for some show folks out there.

1596 Views 8 Replies 6 Participants Last post by Murreydobe, May 1, 2007

Acooper

Discussion Starter · Apr 22, 2007 (Edited)

I know that some of you have handlers who show for you, and they take your dog on the road with out you.

I was just talking to a friend of mine and we got on the subject of when the dogs stay overnight at the vet, or get boarded.........how we miss them and worry.

It got me thinking about dogs that travel without the owners..................

How do you handle it? Did it take a big adjustment, or just not that big a deal??

I just think if my dog were going somewhere, I would need to go too. Call me crazy, but nobody loves them like mama, LOL

EDIT: to add I am sure you don't trust your babies to just anyone, but I don't think I could do it.

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DobeMom616

· #2 · Apr 22, 2007

OMG! I felt the same way when Cole had to go on the road. His first road trip was without his momma or his breeder. He went alone with his handler. But, by then, they had forged an excellent relationship. Sharon loves him as if he were her own. And being an only child, Cole loved playing with the other dogs that Sharon had with her in the trip.

When I took him to her to travel overnight the first time, we met on the turnpike as Sharon was going to Masschusetts. Cole knew which crate was his and jumped right up and into his crate. He was ready to go!! I never, ever had any issues with him going with Sharon. She is the best!

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Acooper

Discussion Starter · #3 · Apr 22, 2007

I guess Cole made it easier on you, LOL...being such a good boy and hopping right in

I am sure if he would have acted reluctant in any way it would have been horrible for you.

I am sure Sharon is very good to him, but I don't even like it when Orson goes around town with my Husband....Hahahaha, I always think he isn't going to watch him as good as he should.

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MaryAndDobes

· #4 · Apr 22, 2007

The husband probably doesn't. LOL But the handler gets paid to ... ;-)

Generally, my handlers are ringside dealies and I'm right there. However, I did send Rocket away for 4 months to California and that was really, really hard. I trusted that the handler was taking good care of him (she also owned his sire) but I missed him terribly and worried that he wouldn't be the same when he got back.

The day I went to the airport to pick him up and they took me to the cargo area where the crate was, I could see it in the distance. As I got closer, it appeared that the crate was going to explode. Rocket was spinning and jumping so hard hearing me coming that it's a wonder the crate didn't just let go. Everything was just the same as when he left. We just picked up where we left off.

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dobebug

· #5 · Apr 22, 2007

I go to most of the shows with the dog who is showing and work for the handler--sometimes I travel with her but she definitely has a routine that works for making sure I don't get to missing my dog if she takes him and I am not going.

She leaves me a dog--usually a puppy so there isn't a big problem with the question of whether the dog she leaves will get along with my dogs. My deal with her is that she leaves me only males--no bad little bitches.

So last weekend she picked my dog up and dropped off a very charming year old champion that had just finished--they just traded crates--Toad went into Jet's crate and Jet went into Toad's crate at my house. So I had gone to work leaving a fawn dog in a crate and came home to find a black dog in the crate. Sweet dog--by the time we made the trade again on Sunday night Jet was running with my dogs and having a wonderful time.

I never worry about dogs I send on the road--I don't do it all that often but when they go they are thrilled to go--they adore the handler (who also bred most of my dogs) and can't wait to get into the van--they too know exactly which crate they go into.

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Acooper

Discussion Starter · #6 · Apr 22, 2007

MaryAndDobes said:
The husband probably doesn't. LOL But the handler gets paid to ... ;-).........

Hahahaha, Glad to see you understand where I'm coming from!! I think when Zac (my youngest child) was younger, everytime I left him with my husband I came home to a new bump, or scrape! That is probably where my silly ideas about him watching the dog comes from! LOL

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Fitzmar Dobermans

· #7 · Apr 22, 2007

Acooper said:
I know that some of you have handlers who show for you, and they take your dog on the road with out you.

I was just talking to a friend of mine and we got on the subject of when the dogs stay overnight at the vet, or get boarded.........how we miss them and worry.

It got me thinking about dogs that travel without the owners..................

How do you handle it? Did it take a big adjustment, or just not that big a deal??

I just think if my dog were going somewhere, I would need to go too. Call me crazy, but nobody loves them like mama, LOL

EDIT: to add I am sure you don't trust your babies to just anyone, but I don't think I could do it.

I never did it when Velma was showing, but then again, I didn't have the money to do it either!

With Louise, it was hard the first time I dropped her off at her handlers, but I trusted the handler to take really good care of her. I was told that I'd hear from her for 2 reasons only: 1: My dog went winners or 2: My dog was sick. I've only ever gotten the first kind of call.

Truthfully, I knew that she was fine the second time I brought her to her handlers house and Louise went wild with joy at the sight of Gwen - she absolutely loves her handler.

Louise did go through a period of time where getting her to eat was tough - it was that adolescent teenage period that seems to affect so many Dobermans in the appitite catagory. She got over it as fast as she went into it. Her handler had a tough time getting her to eat and she did lose weight, but as soon as she started eating again, she never stopped and eats when traveling now. The last time I sent her out, I had to put her on a diet because her handler told me she was "fat" - LOL!!

I do really miss her when she is gone and I think I would be lost if I did not have Velma at home. It is good for Velma though because she gets to be the spoiled only dog for a few days. Louise is always happy to come home.

I'm hoping that most of her "send out" days are gone as all of her upcoming shows are local and I can make almost all of them. She only needs 3 single points to finish............. I'm really knocking on wood all over the place

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Murreydobe

· #8 · May 1, 2007

Acooper said:
I know that some of you have handlers who show for you, and they take your dog on the road with out you.

I was just talking to a friend of mine and we got on the subject of when the dogs stay overnight at the vet, or get boarded.........how we miss them and worry.

It got me thinking about dogs that travel without the owners..................

How do you handle it? Did it take a big adjustment, or just not that big a deal??

I just think if my dog were going somewhere, I would need to go too. Call me crazy, but nobody loves them like mama, LOL

EDIT: to add I am sure you don't trust your babies to just anyone, but I don't think I could do it.

While most of the time I drop my dogs off at ringside to be shown, it's not really because I can't stand to be away from them..it's because I like to see them in the ring.

But I think it's a good thing to have some "spaces between the togetherness", to quote Kahlil Gibran. I think it's a GOOD thing to send them off with a handler now and then for short circuits-they come back the better for it, a bit more independent and confident, rather than looking to you for their confidence.

I love my dogs very much, and miss them when I'm not around them. I just got back late last night from vacation, the dogs have been in a kennel for 2 weeks. I can't WAIT to see them. But as much as they enrich my life, they're not my WHOLE life-and there are times they can't be with me.

IMO, it's not just emotionally healthy for either the owner or the dog to be so wound up in one another that neither can stand any kind of separation, even for short periods of time.

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Murreydobe

· #9 · May 1, 2007

dobebug said:
I So I had gone to work leaving a fawn dog in a crate and came home to find a black dog in the crate. Sweet dog--by the time we made the trade again on Sunday night Jet was running with my dogs and having a wonderful time.

I really like Jet, he's a cool guy!

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