It’s a dog beat dog world Handlers get ready for Paul Bunyan Classic Dog Show in Bangor

A dog show is not just a bunch of people showing off their dogs.

Showing your dog is “a lot of fun but like any competitive sport you’re there to win,” said Denise Wood of the Penobscot Valley Kennel Club and chairwoman of the Paul Bunyan Classic Dog Show at the Bangor Auditorium this weekend.

“It can get intense,” said Wood, who breeds and shows both German shepherds and petit basset griffon vendeens, but who is not entering them in the event she is overseeing. “You are trying to show the dog to its absolute best [and] it gets nerve wracking.”

For Jillaine Butler of Bar Harbor, who is entering five of the 15 salukis she owns, “the thrill of hoping to win” is one reason she shows her animals.

At the upcoming show, roughly 530 dogs and their owners will be trying to win. This year’s event marks the 30th annual dog show held by the PVKC and the ninth in Bangor.

There is a definite progression into showing and breeding dogs. “It is a competitive sport,” said Jeanne Gifford of the kennel club, who breeds and shows Siberian huskies. “It gets under your skin.”

First there’s the interest in dogs, often in a particular breed. For example, Wood became interested in German shepherds when living on a military base with her ex-husband.

Once a person has a high-quality dog, the person begins showing it, then moves on to breeding to have an even better quality dog for showing.

Butler said she had always been fascinated by salukis, a lean, willowy dog bred centuries ago to hunt gazelle. About 12 years ago she contacted a saluki breeder in upstate New York and bought a female named Deva. The breeder agreed to sell Deva under one condition: Butler had to show the dog.

Deva was such good quality that Butler took one of Deva’s daughters to the Westminster dog show in New York. “That’s the biggie,” said Butler, who works with her friend Deb Bumbaugh of Sullivan in raising and showing salukis.

Long-term preparation for showing dogs begins at “puppy socialization classes.” These classes, Wood said, let puppies get used to the show life and help owners weed out dogs.

Along with the socialization classes, handlers, who are usually the dog’s owner, need to take classes to learn what to do in the ring.

The immediate preparation for a show consists simply of grooming the dog. “My dogs are more or less wash and dry,” Gifford said about her huskies. She puts them in the tub the day before a show, trims hair, clips toenails, and blow-dries them to fluff their coats. Then they’re ready.

Along with looking good physically, a dog needs to look lively. A lackluster attitude is a handicap. Dog treats help keep the dogs alert. When a dog knows there’s a snack waiting in its handler’s pocket, it becomes very attentive, standing square with ears up. These are qualities a judge looks for, explained Gifford.

Pieces of liver and snippets of hot dogs are usual favorites. Wood keeps baked liver sprinkled with a little garlic powder in her blazer pocket.

But even while a handler is watching her dog to make sure it’s looking its best, the handler also needs to watch the judge, Wood said. The handler is trying to see what the judge is looking at. Also, because a judge only has two minutes per dog, the handler has to be attentive to the judge’s requests. A dog will get little attention if the judge feels the handler is not listening, Wood explained. “It’s all about presentation.”

There are numerous classes of competition in the show; some are based on a dog’s age or show-experience. In the initial stages of competition, the overarching divisions are breed and sex.

For example, at the start, male salukis compete against other male salukis, while females square off against females. The male and female winners within a breed then meet head-to-head to determine best in breed.

The best-in-breed winners then move into group competition against other breeds. There are seven groups: sporting, nonsporting, working, terrier, hound, herding, and toy. The seven best-in-group winners then move in to the best-in-show finale.

As Gifford said, “Shows are like a process of elimination.”

Gordon Bonin is an Orono-based freelance writer. He can be reached at cgbwork@aol.com.

Paul Bunyan Classic Dog Show takes place Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 11-12, at the Bangor Auditorium. Judging begins at 9 a.m. Admission costs $3 for adults and $1 for seniors and children under 8. For information, call 469-3852.