Junior Showmanship

Junior Showmanship (dogs), also called Junior Handling, [cite web
url= http://www.nipissingkennelclub.com/glossary.htm
title= Dog Show Terminology
accessmonthday= 04/14
accessyear= 2008
author= Nipissing Kennel Club, Callander, Ontario
quote= ] is a sport for young people (called "Juniors") in which they exhibit their dog handling skills in an event similar to a conformation dog show. [cite book
last= Olejniczak
first= Anne & Denise
title= Best Junior Handler
year= 1997
publisher= Doral Publishing, Inc.
isbn= 0-944875-45-9
chapter= Ch.1, What is Junior Showmanship?
quote= Junior Showmanship is a preteen and teenage version of showing dogs in conformation events...]

History

County agricultural fairs in the United States began holding livestock judging contests for members of the 4-H,a club run by state agricultural extensions for children of farm families, in the early 1900s. Showmanship, in which the child was judged for ability to display "an animal to its greatest advantage" [cite web
url= https://www.nsassessment.ca/agri/4h/show/intro.shtml
title= Livestock Showmanship Guide
accessmonthday= 04/14
accessyear= 2008
author= Nova Scotia Department of Agriculture
quote= Showmanship is defined as the act of displaying an animal to its greatest advantage.] was a component of livestock judging. As the idea of 4-H as a youth development club, not just a club for future agriculturalists, spread around the world, horses and pet animals were added to showmanship categories. [cite web
url= http://www.4hcentennial.org/history/category.asp?catid=1&mainid=2
title= Organizing 4-H - The Third Decade ‚ 1923- 1932
accessmonthday= 04/14
accessyear= 2008
author= 4-H Centennial]

The first dog handling competition for children at a formal dog show was held in 1932 at the Westbury Kennel Club Show in Long Island, New York, in the United States. In 1933 the Westminster Kennel Club in New York offered a children's handling class, and prizes were established in the names of early promoters of children's events, Leonard Brumby, Sr, and George F. Foley. The American Kennel Club recognized Junior Showmanship as a dog show class in 1971. [cite book
last= Olejniczak
first= Anne & Denise
title= Best Junior Handler
year= 1997
publisher= Doral Publishing, Inc.
isbn= 0-944875-45-9
pages= pp105-107
chapter= 11, The History of Junior Showmanship]

Today, major Junior Showmanship competition is offered worldwide through Fédération Cynologique Internationale clubs, [cite web
url= http://kennet.skk.se/jh/
title= World Dog Show Junior Handling
accessmonthday=04/14
accessyear= 2008
work= Svenska Kennelklubben
language= Swedish, English] as well as through the Kennel Club (UK), [cite web
url= http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/item/1562
title= YKC Handling
accessmonthday= 04/14
accessyear= 2008
author= The Kennel Club
quote= Handling is the skill and art of presentation of a dog that is taken into the show ring for the judge’s assessment. ] The Canadian Kennel Club, [cite web
url= http://www.ckc.ca/en/Default.aspx?tabid=98
title= Junior Kennel Club
accessmonthday= 04/14
accessyear= 2008
author= Canadian Kennel Club
work= Canadian Kennel Club http://www.ckc.ca/en/] The American Kennel Club, [cite web
url=http://www.akc.org/pdfs/rulebooks/REJRSH.pdf
title= Junior Showmanship Regulations
accessmonthday= 04/24
accessyear= 2008
author= American Kennel Club
format= PDF
publisher= American Kennel Club, Raleigh, NC
pages= 22 pages] The United Kennel Club (US) [cite web
url= http://www.ukcdogs.com/WebSite.nsf/RulesIndex?OpenView&group=DE#TotalJuniorRules
title= Total Junior Rules
accessmonthday= 04/14
accessyear= 2008
author= United Kennel Club] , as well as 4-H [cite web
url= http://www.fourh.umn.edu/mndog/showmanship.html
title= Dog Showmanship
accessmonthday= 04/14
accessyear= 2008
author= Minnesota State 4-H] and similar clubs. Other show-giving dog clubs and businesses may also offer Junior Showmanship events.

Purpose

Learning sportsmanship and developing knowledge of the dog are given as the purpose for Junior Showmanship (Junior Handling) by most organizations. The Junior learns sportsmanship, ring procedures, and grooming and showing techniques specific to the dog he or she is showing, and develops a close bond with the dog. [cite web
url= http://legacy.decaturdaily.com/decaturdaily/news/070813/champ.shtml
title= 11-year-old Decatur girl is national dog-show champ
accessmonthday= 04/14
accessyear= 2008
author= Paul Huggins
date= 08/13/2007
work= The Decatur Daily News
quote= The key to a champion dog handler is the ability to communicate with the dog and earn its trust] For the major show-giving bodies, Junior Showmanship can also be an apprenticeship in dog handling, preparing young people for careers in dog handling, raising, and training.

Eligibility

In general, children and young people may compete with dogs of any breed or in some cases, mixed breed dogs. Competition is by age group, in various classification levels. Rules are specific to each show giving organization.

Children as young as two years old are allowed in the ring by the United Kennel Club (US), at age four by the Canadian Kennel Club, at age six by the Kennel Club (UK), and at age nine by the American Kennel Club and the 4-H. All end eligibility at age eighteen except for the Kennel Club (UK), which allows Juniors to compete until they are 24. Fédération Cynologique Internationale clubs have similar rules.

Nature of the competition

The Junior Showmanship competition is organized in a similar manner to a conformation dog show. The Juniors are separated into their age and experience levels, and enter the ring in order of the size of their dog. The juniors must move their dogs around the ring according to the instructions of the judge in pre determined patterns. The judge notes whether or not the Junior follows instructions correctly and presents the dog properly according to the dog's breed or type. Dogs are examined as in a conformation show, but the emphasis is on how the Junior interacts with the dog and the judge, not on the quality of the dog.

At the basic or novice level, children are judged on how well they follow the judge's instructions, their understanding of ring procedure and of the standard of the breed or type of dog they are showing. In some clubs, the children may be quizzed or questioned by the judge. [cite web
url= http://www.dogbreedinfo.com/showdogs/handlingjr.htm
title= Jr. Handling
accessmonthday= 04/14
accessyear= 2008
work= /www.dogbreedinfo.com]

In close competition between advanced Juniors, judging is also based on the Junior's knowledge of his or her dog's faults, and how well they disguise the faults through skillful handling so that "what a judge observes are animals at the top of their form." [cite book
last= Tietjen
first= Sari
title= The Dog Judge's Handbook
edition= first edition
date= 1981
publisher= Howell Book House Inc
location= New York, NY
isbn= 0-87605-512-9
pages= pg 203
chapter=17
quote= ]

Related activities

Junior Showmanship is a sport limited to children and young people, but many young handlers also enter adult show classes in conformation and performance (obedience, agility, hunting events, flyball, etc.) as well. Some organizations have set up separate performance event categories for junior handlers.

References

External links

* [http://www.brightcove.tv/title.jsp?title=284303505&channel=5977435 Video - Junior Handling (British Columbia)]
* [http://www.juniorhandling.co.uk/ Junior Handling in the UK]
* [http://www.akc.org/kids_juniors/index.cfm?nav_area=kids_juniors AKC Juniors website]
* [http://www.jrnewsandviews.com/ Junior Ranks & Westminster qualifiers]
* [http://www.bestjunior.com Bestjunior.com]
* [http://www.hkkennelclub.com.hk/new/english/history_history.html History: The Hong Kong Kennel Club recognized Junior Showmanship in 1951]
* [http://www.freewebs.com/silence911/juniorshowmanship.htm Juniors is competitive (blog)]
* [http://www.4-hdirectory.org/view.asp?ID={7DFBB3D6-DBF2-445A-AA9F-EB9A8283B23B} 4H Dog Dog Resource Handbook, including showmanship]