Showing and Showing Off Your Well-Trained Bulldog

In This Chapter

• Becoming a canine good citizen
• Understanding disciplines for fun and for show
• Showing your Bully in conformation
• Performing in obedience, agility, and tracking events
• Spreading the love around: Therapy Bulldogs

You and your Bulldog can enjoy many activities together. This chapter highlights some events that you can accomplish with your well-trained pet. Note the word “well-trained.” These fun activities also mean a lot of work. You need to train your Bulldog to pass the exercises in the Canine Good Citizen test and in obedience competition. A conformation dog show may look easy, but you need to coach your Bulldog for that, too.

Becoming a Canine Good Citizen

Preparing for the CGC test

Tip

Although you can certainly train your Bulldog yourself at home, joining a class has the advantage of following someone who can help you with problems and familiarize your Bulldog with other people and dogs.

Warning!

If an instructor yells at or hits any dog, run — don’t walk — from the class. Yelling and hitting only confuse the dog and may make a dog aggressive or fearful. A first-rate instructor knows how to train without raising her voice or her hand.

Taking the CGC test

– Your dog must allow a friendly stranger to approach. In this test, the evaluator walks up to you and your dog to greet you, ignoring your dog. Your dog must show no sign of resentment or shyness and must not break position or try to go to the evaluator.

– Your dog must sit quietly and allow the person to pet him. With your Bully sitting at your side, the evaluator pets him on the head and body. You can talk to your dog during this exercise. Your dog may either sit or stand, but he must not show shyness or resentment.

– Your dog must allow someone to groom him. You supply the brush or comb, and the evaluator runs it lightly over your dog’s body. The evaluator also examines your dog’s ears and gently picks up each front foot.

– You must take a walk with your dog on a loose lead. This test isn’t a formal heeling exercise, so your dog doesn’t need to be on your left side and doesn’t need to sit when you stop.

– You must walk your dog through a crowd. You and your Bully have to walk around and closely pass at least three people. Your dog may show interest in the strangers but continue to walk with you without being overly exuberant or shy. Your dog shouldn’t jump on people in the crowd or strain on the leash.

– You must ask your dog to sit and stay down; then you must leave your dog and return to him. In this exercise, the evaluator replaces your leash with a 20-foot-long line. You can leave your dog in a Sit or a Down position for the Stay command, and you can issue more than one command to Stay.

– You must call your Bully, and he must come when called. You walk 10 feet from your dog, turn to face him, and then call him.

– Your Bulldog must behave politely around other dogs. You and another handler, each with your dogs, approach each other, stop, shake hands, exchange pleasantries, and continue on for about 10 feet. The dogs should show no more than casual interest in each other, and neither dog should go to the other dog or his or her handler.

– Your dog also tests on how he reacts to distractions. In this test, two distractions take place. Because many people who have their dog tested for the CGC are also interested in therapydog work, the distractions are frequently wheelchairs or a person using crutches or a walker. To test how well your dog recovers from being startled, the evaluator may throw the crutches to the ground or knock over the walker.

– You must tie up your dog or hand him to someone to hold, and go out of sight for three minutes. Your dog can move about but must not whine, bark, or pull to go after you.

Remember

If, at any time during the testing, your dog growls, snaps, bites, attacks, or attempts to attack a person or another dog, he fails the test.

Exploring Conformation Shows for Your Bulldog

Show-quality dogs compete for championship points. To earn a championship from the AKC, your dog has to win 15 points.

Tip

If you decide to enter your dog in a conformation show, ask your breeder for help, or find someone in your area to be your mentor. The breeder or a mentor helps you enter shows and gives you advice in several areas:

• Deciding what to take with you to shows
• Determining what judges may like your dog
• Filling out entry forms
• Handling your dog in the ring
• Revealing grooming tips, too
• Wearing the appropriate attire
• Understanding conformation classes

– The puppy class, which further divides into puppies 6 to 9 months and 9 to 12 months

– Dogs 12 to 18 months

– Novice (open to all dogs who haven’t yet won three blue ribbons)

– American Bred for dogs bred in America

– Bred by Exhibitor for dogs bred by the person showing

– Open (for all dogs, regardless of who’s showing them, where they were born, or how many wins they’ve had)

Tip

Dogs who are already champions don’t compete in the regular classes. They enter the Best of Breed class and compete against the Winners Dog and Winners Bitch. The Champions don’t earn any more points, but when dogs are “specialed” (entered after they’re champions), the goal becomes earning group placings and Best in Show wins. The more wins, the higher the dog’s standing in national rankings. A high standing adds prestige to the kennel and gets more people to want to use the dog at stud, and the breeder can ask for a higher stud fee. For winning bitches, their puppies have more value.

Scoring your Bulldog

Junior Showmanship

Junior Showmanship divides into two classes: novice and open. Junior competitors who haven’t won three first-place awards with competition components compete in the novice class. Juniors who have won three first-place awards with competition present compete in the open class. Classes divide further into junior and senior classes. Junior classes are for boys and girls who are at least 10 years old and under 14 years old on the day of the show. Senior classes are for boys and girls who are at least 14 years old and under 18 years old on the day of the show.

Showing a dog requires more than the dog!

Preparing your dog for competition

Grooming your dog beautiful

What to bring to the show

Tip

Take beverages and maybe a picnic lunch for yourself. Food vendors sell concessions at most shows but not always, and the food generally consists of hot dogs and hamburgers. If you stay at the show through your dog’s dinner hour, pack his food as well.

Warning!

Never, ever leave your Bulldog in a closed car, even on an overcast day. Even on a cloudy day, a car’s interior temperature can soon climb to a killing temperature. Take your dog with you to get your armband. If you need a bathroom break, find someone to hold your dog.

Tackling Obedience Trials

Receiving your Companion Dog title

– Heel on lead and figure eight (40 points): During the heeling exercise, the judge gives you instructions, such as forward, right or left turn, fast, slow, normal, and halt. You and your dog must execute each command, with the dog always on your left in the heel position. For the figure-eight test, two stewards form “posts” 6 feet apart, and you and your dog move around them in a figure-eight pattern.

– Stand for examination (30 points): The stand for examination is just that — you must remove your dog’s lead, leave him standing, and move away while the judge lightly touches your dog.

– Heel off lead (40 points): In this exercise, you and your dog execute instructions given by the judge off the lead. These commands include forward, right or left turn, fast, slow, normal, and halt. Your dog must always remain on your left side in the heel position.

– The recall (30 points): On the recall, you put your dog in a Sit, tell him to Stay, walk about 35 feet away, and turn to face your dog. When the judge gives you a signal, you call your dog, who should move eagerly toward you and sit in front of you. When the judge signals again, you command your dog to Heel, and he should do so.

– The long Sit (30 points): The long Sit is a group of exercises in which all the dogs and handlers competing line up in a row. All handlers put their dogs in a Sit, tell the dogs to Stay, and then move across the ring and turn to face the dogs. In the long Sit, your dog must remain seated until you return to him in one minute.

– The long Down (30 points): The long Down is another group exercise in which all the dogs go in a Down position. The handlers instruct their dogs to Stay, move across the ring, and turn to face the dogs. In the long Down, the dog must remain lying down for three minutes.

Tip

Group exercises are a good reason to join a class. A class helps your dog get used to other dogs, and your instructor may use distractions to help teach the dogs not to move until given the command. If your dog can handle classroom distractions, he may be fine in the ring.

Earning your Companion Dog Excellent title

Warning!

If you decide to pursue a CDX, have your veterinarian examine your dog first. Bulldogs, unlike other breeds, have lax joints, and unstable joints may lead to jumping injuries.

– Heel and figure eight off lead (40 points).

– Recall exercise (30 points): At the CDX level, as your dog moves toward you, he must drop into a Down at your signal. Then you call your dog again, and he finishes the recall.

– Long Sits (30 points): The long Sit lasts for three minutes, but this time, you leave the ring — out of sight of your dog. You have no way of giving your Bully the evil eye if he looks like he’s going to change position!

– Long Downs (30 points): The long Down lasts for five minutes, and once again, you leave the ring — out of your dog’s sight.

– Retrieving on the flat (20 points): In this exercise, your dog waits at your side while you throw a dumbbell and then, at your command, retrieves the dumbbell.

– Retrieving over a jump (30 points): The AKC regulations state that the minimum jump height for Bulldogs is “the nearest multiple of 2 inches to 3⁄4 the height of the dog at the withers.” The regulations also state that the minimum jump height is 8 inches. So your Bully probably has a 12-inch jump.

– The broad jump (20 points): This jump is twice as long as the height of the high jump. If your Bulldog jumps a 12-inch high jump, he needs to jump 24 inches in the broad jump.

Your Bulldog may not see the point in going over a jump at all. Many Bulldogs seem to enjoy just going through a jump rather than over it, even though the jump is possible, as seen by your dog’s jump on the couch everyday at home.

Tip

Slowly teach your dog to jump consistently. Start your training with low jumping, getting your Bulldog used to jumping on command. Keep the jump low until your dog is comfortable, and raise the height gradually. Pushing your dog can lead to injury and may make him refuse to jump at all. With the broad jump, start small and work up to the required width.

Striving for the Utility Dog title

– Signal exercise (40 points): During the signal exercise, all commands to your dog are hand signals. As you’re heeling, the judge issues several commands, including “stand your dog” and “leave your dog.” When the judge signals to down your dog, have your dog sit from the down position and then “come” and “finish,” all by using hand signals.

– Scent discrimination, metal article (30 points), and scent discrimination, leather article (30 points): In this exercise, your dog has to select the one article out of nine that has your scent on it. You supply these articles — five metals and five covered in leather. The articles have a dumbbell shape, and each has a number.

– Directed retrieve (30 points): In the directed retrieve, while you and your dog have your backs to the steward, she drops three white gloves in a line. Next, you turn to face the row of gloves, and the judge indicates which glove your dog has to retrieve.

Tip

You can purchase sets of three Bulldog-size gloves from vendors at dog shows or order them through catalogs. When I first got into dogs, I thought that handlers had to buy two pairs of gloves and throw one away, which seemed a real shame. I also wondered how anyone knew what size glove to buy. What a relief when I found out that they came in various sizes and in sets of three!

– Moving stand and examination (30 points): For this exercise, your Bulldog heels beside you until the judge gives you the command to stand your dog. Without stopping, you command your dog to Stand while you continue to walk ahead another 10 to 12 feet, where you stop and turn to face your dog. The judge examines your dog; then you call your dog to the heel position.

– Directed jumping (40 points): The exercise has two jumps: the high jump (a solid jump identical to the one in CDX competitions) and the bar jump (a single bar on two upright poles). You send your dog away from you, and at the command to sit, your dog should turn to face you and sit. When the judge indicates either the high jump or the bar jump, you direct your dog to do the designated jump. You repeat the process for the second jump.

Considering even greater Bulldog obedience challenges

Competing in Agility: Yes, Bullies Can Do It!

• The American Kennel Club (AKC)
• The United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA)
• The North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC)

Tip

If you worry about dog injuries or stress, you can enter the AKC preferred class, which includes 12-inch jumps rather than 16-inch jumps and an added 5 seconds to the time allowed to complete the course. NADAC also offers a 12-inch jump for Bulldogs. The USDAA doesn’t offer these jumps, and in fact, if your Bulldog is over 16 inches at the withers, his jump height is 22 inches.

– A-frame, where the dog goes up one side of the A and down the other.

– Dog walk, which is a sloping board that leads up to another level board, which the dog walks across, and then another sloping board down that leads to the ground.

– Seesaw.

– Four types of jumps:

• Broad jump
• Panel jump, which looks like a wall
• Bar jump
• Tire or window jump

– Pause table, where, at the judge’s direction, you must instruct your dog to sit or down for the count of five.

– Open tunnel.

– Closed tunnel, or chute, which consists of an open, rigid entry area and an expanse of cloth for the exit; the fabric has no support, so the dog must push through it to exit.

– Weave poles, which is a row of poles through which a dog “weaves,” going between two poles, coming back through the next two, and so on. Weave poles aren’t part of an AKC-novice course.

Remember

Agility competitions can be fun for you both as long as you don’t let your dog overheat. Many agility events have kiddie wading pools for cooling off the dogs, but make sure that you still carry plenty of water and ice. You also may consider investing in a special jacket that you soak in water and put on your dog to cool him off. 

Sniffing Out the Fun in Tracking

– Tracking Dog (TD): For the TD title, a dog follows a track that’s at least 440 yards long, has 3 to 5 turns, and has been aged at least 30 minutes and no longer than 2 hours. The track can’t cross any paved area or body of water and has two starting flags — one at the beginning of the track and one 30 yards from the first one to indicate the direction in which the track was laid. The first flag lets you know where your dog picks up the scent. The second flag lets you know that you and your dog are moving in the right direction. At the end of the track is a glove or wallet, which the dog must indicate in some way. The dog may pick up the article, may sit or lie down, or otherwise show that he has found the article.

– Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX): Your dog must have a TD title before he can compete for a TDX. For the TDX title, your dog must traverse a track at least 800 yards long, containing 5 to 7 turns, and aged at least 3 hours and no more than 5 hours. Two cross tracks cross the main track, and two obstacles — a stream, a fence, a bridge, a lightly traveled road, a gully — must also be in a TDX track. Along the way, your dog needs to find four articles.

– Variable Surface Tracking (VST): VST tracking tests your dog’s ability to track over changing surfaces. A dog must already have a TD or a TDX title to compete for a VST title. In this test, the trail crosses three different surfaces, with one being vegetation and the other two a combination of concrete, asphalt, gravel, sand, hardpan, or mulch.

– Champion Tracker (CT): A dog gets the Champion Tracker title (CT) when he earns all three tracking titles.

Rallying Around!

– In the Rally Novice class, the dog remains on lead at all times, and the team completes between 10 and 15 stations.

– In the Rally Advanced class, all exercises are judged off lead, and exercises contain between 12 and 17 stations, including at least 1 jump. The jumps are the same as those used in obedience, broad, high and bar jumps. Dogs less than 15 inches at the withers jump 8 inches; dogs measuring between 15 and 20 inches jump 12 inches; and dogs measuring over 20 inches jump 16 inches.

– In the Rally Excellent class, again, the dogs are off lead, except for the “honor” exercise. During the honor exercise, one dog either sits or Downs at the judge’s direction and remains in that position while another dog-and-handler team completes the course.

• A one-point deduction occurs for each of the following:
• Being out of position
• Delaying or resisting responding
• Having a tight lead
• Interfering (on the dog’s part) with the handler’s forward motion
• Sitting poorly
• Touching a jump, pylon, post, or person

• Barking excessively
• Giving a loud command or intimidating signal
• Knocking over a post or pylon
• Lacking control
• Repeating a station

• Hitting a jump
• Performing a station incorrectly