72 THE AIREDALE 



his deserts in the show ring, if not properly han- 

 dled. The professional handlers are past masters 

 at the art of making a dog appear at his very best 

 in the ring, and a great deal of their success is 

 due to this skill. The cry of the partiality of 

 judges to professionally shown dogs has been 

 often heard, but it is not so serious to one who 

 will watch a class actually being shown on the saw- 

 dust. The humorousness of the man who can 

 realize the better showing of the dogs handled 

 by the paid professionals in every ring but his own 

 appeals to a close and impartial observer. 



The novice cannot do better than to steal a 

 leaf out of the book of the professional handlers, 

 and by a careful study of their methods, learn to 

 show his own dogs so that they will always be at 

 their best, making their strongest points apparent 

 and hiding their weaknesses, and religiously see- 

 ing to it that he catches the judicial eye. 



It is well to take a puppy destined for a show 

 career and to teach him to show. It is just as 

 easy to teach him to stand firm on his pins, all 

 alert, full of fire, yet not bobbing about like a 

 jumping-jack, as it is to have him sit up and 

 beg or to " play dead." To a " public dog " it is 

 an innately more useful accomplishment. 



A little bit of boiled liver, the sweetest tit-bit 

 on a dog's menu, is an excellent thing to carry 



