Teaching the puppy to trot for the show ring:
It goes without saying that you yourself should be able to recognize the trot, as opposed to the pace. The TROT is a two-beat gait in which the feet at diagonally opposite ends of the body strike the ground TOGETHER. (right front, left rear strike the ground at the same time, left front, right rear strike together, etc...) In the PACE the feet strike the ground together on the same side of the body. Also, they usually Move in the same direction in the pace, in other words, both right front and right rear move forwards together and strike the ground at the same time.....both left front and left rear the same.

To train your puppy to trot, always use the SAME SIGNAL and click at the appropriate gait. (most puppies who are well built will pick up into a trot right away.) As a matter of fact, I used to pick out puppies by checking whether, at the age of 8 weeks, they were TROTTING around while playing with other pups, rather than GALLOPING. I use the word “HUP!” and train the pup by trotting a few feet (perhaps ten feet) clicking as the puppy breaks into the trot and giving the reward after he/she has trotted a few feet. I prefer to do the actual show training ON LEAD (with a harness until the puppy is accustomed to a collar and is no longer “fighting” the collar) and as soon as I stop the puppy, using the words “easy....stop”, I walk the puppy into a stack and offer the treat (show ring: bait is allowed), There are great recipes for home made “bait” later on.

The trick is to practice over and over, a brief "trotting" and then nice "slow" and "walk" the puppy into a natural stack to begin with, gradually training him that you will pick up his front feet and set them after he stops. (HINT: pick up the entire front leg by sliding your hand to the inside of his elbow and gently lifting up under the CHEST or BRISKET (thus allowing the leg to lift off of the floor) only one or two inches and then allowing the leg to "settle" back into a natural position.) At this point in time I do NOT worry about placement of rear feet but do try to get the front feet nicely positioned and not too close together, at first I do this by walking the puppy into the stack and later on placing the feet before I will bait the puppy. If you are clicking, you should be clicking twice during this exercise, once when the puppy goes into the gait, and offer the treat while the pup is moving and as you are bringing him to a stop, and once again as the puppy is standing with front feet correctly placed. At first do not attempt to touch the front legs or feet, simply walk the puppy into a position where the front feet are pointing forward and the head is up and he is focusing on you. You can put your hands under his front (NEVER pick him up by the “elbows” but rather place your hand between his front legs and lift his chest) and life him slightly and then “settle” him down on to his front. You are going to be carrying the clicker in your LEFT hand and the treat in your RIGHT hand, and you are going to be watching and BE SURE that you only click when the pup is trotting. (yes, it helps to have someone else around to click for you if this is possible, especially if you are not good at “multi-tasking!”)

EXCELLENT TRAINING TIP: Use a broom handle (or any type of long stick) for helping the pup switch into a trot if it is a “pacer”. Simply lay the handle in the path as the puppy begins to move, so that it must go over the handle. The pup will automatically switch into the trot. CLICK this behavior.

Another way to insure that your dog will break into a trot and not a pace is to slightly turn the dog just as you are starting. You May have noticed at dog shows that handlers will often turn the dog in a complete circle before starting off on the “down and back” in front of the judge.

Speed should be moderate to start with. You will find that it is easier later on to regulate speed to a SLOW trot vs a FAST trot as you and the puppy become accustomed to each other’s movement and also, as the puppy grows, the speed will change.
HINT: If you have a large breed male, you will need to learn to STRETCH your legs. Practice the “power walk” and stretch each leg as far as you can to get yourself into condition. If you have a small breed, it will NOT be correct to take smaller steps. It is better to practice taking the same length step that you always take, simply walk SLOWER or FASTER to change the gait of the puppy.
ALWAYS start the trot from a stand, and practice trotting several feet, then standing and “baiting”, trotting several feet, and “baiting” again. Practice this at least five or six times before doing a different exercise or stopping the training period.

HINT: An obedience instructor will have you “heel” your dog and then “sit” your dog each time you stop. DO NOT DO THIS. You will be “gaiting” your dog, then “standing” your dog when you stop. If you do attend an obedience class with your puppy (this is NOT a bad idea, it teaches him how to behave around other dogs), just explain to the instructor that you are training him for SHOW and you will not sit him, most instructors will accommodate you and if they don’t then don’t take their class!

HINT: Does your town have any window/store fronts that extend clear to the sidewalk? These windows, especially if there are a group of them together, are WONDERFUL mirrors. Your town will begin to call you “the crazy dog lady” (like me) as you take your puppy DOWNTOWN to practice trotting and stacking in front of the windows! Not only will you be able to watch how you and your puppy look together, your puppy will become accustomed to bikes whizzing by, traffic in the street, strangers walking by, and city noises..

PRESENTING YOUR DOG TO THE JUDGE (NEXT)