There really are two separate ways to use a handler. You can use a handler briefly in order to finish your dog....and you can use a handler over a long period of time to special your dog. For the dog, the difference is pretty significant. In our case, we wouldn't want one of our dogs to be gone from home for any real length of time so we aren't interested in specialing a dog. We both absolutely hate handling our dogs, and neither of us feels that we are very good at it, so we use handlers to finish our dogs in AKC. It has worked out well for us, and the dogs are fine with it. They love their handlers and they seem to love the show ring. We drop them off a day or so before the show, and pick them up as soon as they walk out of the ring. There simply is no doubt but that a professional handler is able to get more out of our dogs than we can. Patrick is a fair handler. I am downright pathetic. The dogs know it, I know it, and my feelings aren't hurt when other people know it too. The handlers that we have used are wonderful at grooming the dogs, but nobody has come back trimmed, bleached or dyed. There are lots of reasons that people use a handler. Some people just plain don't like to do it, and some of us are just lousy at it. Myra Savant
>From: Cavatibs <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel List ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Re: [CKCS-L] Progressive Toy Dog Show & Professionals >Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2002 01:07:33 -0500 > >Oh dear -- I'm sorry I mentioned that the majority of the dogs at >Progressive >were Pro handlers!! It was simply an observation and was not meant to >demean the >Pro handlers. They have an incredible stamina in what they do and many of >them >do it to perfection. Personally, I prefer to handle my own dog plus I am >not >wild about them living for weeks and months away from home -- but I compete >in >Agility Trials and have had to use a Pro handler over a weekend when the >shows >have coincided. I have also beaten Pro handlers many times, both with a >Specials >bitch and my other class dogs. The difficulty is when you get into the >Groups. >The dogs and their handlers (pro or not) have an unfair advantage in that >they >are advertised extensively and shown to each and every judge in the >country. >Those of us who show here and there and are not interested in continually >supporting Dog News or other such publications with the advertising of our >faces >and our dogs, have a distinct disadvantage. > >I believe that Michael's comment: > > > > most of us would like to have our > > dogs judged on their correctness and not on the relationship of the >person on > > the end of the lead to the judge. > > > >is all people on this list were referring to. It would be nice if this >were the >case in the Groups too. There is no way that I would ever have the time or >the >inclination to attend 100 shows per year, nor would I want this for my dog >-- but >to each his own. In many cases the dogs have no choice in how many shows >and >how often they are made to perform. Some dogs have the attitude to >withstand >this rigorous schedule and others do not. It's the ones who do not that I >feel >sorry for. > >According to George Alston at one of his seminars, he states (and I quote) >"I put >four kids through college on professional handling". Obviously the >successful >pro handlers do pretty well. > >Anne > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > In a message dated 2/9/02 3:44:49 PM Eastern Standard Time, > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: > > > THE CONTROVERSY OVER BASHING > > > PROFESSIONAL HANDLERS HAS ALWAYS BOTHERED US. I WOULD LOVE ONE OF >THE > > > PEOPLE WHO HAVE SUCH A CHIP ON THEIR SHOULDER ON THIS SUBJECT TO >TRAVEL WITH > > > A HANDLER FOR ONE CIRCUIT AND SEE WHAT THEY HAVE TO DO IN A 24 HOUR >DAY AND > > > IT IS A 24 HOUR DAY BEGINING TO END. THE TRAVEL IS GRUELING, THE >EXPENSES > > > HIGH, THE COMPETITION KEEN. MOST HANDLERS ARE NOT WEALTHY DOING THIS >AND > > > THERE IS AN INNER LOVE FOR DOGS THAT KEEP THEM GOING. > > > WE HAVE SPECIALED OUR CAVALIER BITCH AM., CAN., INT(UCI), >MEX(FCM) > > > INT .(FCI ) CHAMPION Y'CYMRY MAGDALENA AT FULL OF MALARKEY FOR THREE >YEARS > > > . SHE HAS DONE OVER 300 SHOWS ABOUT HALF BEING SHOWN BY WITH A > > > PROFESSIONAL HANDLER THAT WE TRAVELED WITH AND ABOUT HALF OF WHICH MY > > > HUSBAND PATRICK HAS SHOWN HER. > > > > > Not to be confrontational, but it sounds like you are professionals but >not > > paid by anyone else and instead are showing your own dogs. I assume you >are > > part of the show "scene" if you travel that extensively and stay in >hotels > > with the handlers and the judges. I don't know who has a chip on their > > shoulder regarding handlers, I hear that most of us would like to have >our > > dogs judged on their correctness and not on the relationship of the >person on > > the end of the lead to the judge. > > Michael > > > > ========================================================= > > "Magic Commands": > > to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: > > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL > > to start it up gain click here: > > mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL > > > > E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. > > Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html > > > > All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author. > >========================================================= >"Magic Commands": >to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: >mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL >to start it up gain click here: >mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL > > E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. >Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html > >All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author. Myra Savant Gardengate Cavaliers _________________________________________________________________ Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
