The Art of Handling 犬只指导的艺术（上）

The Art of Handling 犬只指导的艺术（上）

There have been numerous articles written on the handling of show dogs, and a good many books as well. Some of them are very good and others much less so. Still, I am hopeful that you will glean something from what follows that will prove fruitful in and out of the ring.

相信你们已经看过很多关于犬展指导手的文章以及书籍, 有的益处颇多,而有的则枯燥乏味. 但是,我依然希望你们能从下文中获得关于指导手,犬展的有用信息.

Owner-Handlers vs. Professionals 犬主-指导手VS 专业指导手

The sport of purebred dogs is one of the very few where amateurs compete directly with professionals. There are those who have long felt that this condition was and remains unfair, and have, for years, made their feelings known, so, in response, the American Kennel Club gave us the National Owner-Handler Series. However, I have known many owner-handlers who could compete on equal terms with the most capable and accomplished of professional handlers.

犬展是一项少数业余爱好者与专业人士直接竞争的运动。因此长期以来,有的人认为这项运动缺乏公平性，多年来也一直在向公众表达他们的观点. 为解决这种处境,美国犬业协会批准培养犬主指导手. 然而,我已经见识过许多犬主指导手,他们完全有能力与出色的专业指导手进行同水平竞争.

Whenever I speak on this, I am taken back to a situation I observed more than thirty years ago when I was younger and much more impressionable. At the time, there was a lady, an amateur who had built an enviable reputation as an owner-handler of Afghan Hounds. At this particular show, she won the Hound Group with a gorgeous black masked, cream colored dog. A professional handler had taken the Terrier Group with a Scottie. The judge (who, I was told, had a particular affinity for pretty women) had gone over the seven finalists and seemed to have narrowed his decision to the Scottish Terrier and the Afghan Hound. Appropriately, the judge called the two handlers to the center of the ring. The amateur never made a wrong move, her dog was in excellent condition and immaculately groomed, two of the more important aspects of good handling.

每当我谈起这个话题,我总会想起30多年前的一场犬展,那时的我只是一个初入犬界的新人. 我遇到过一位女士, 她是一位阿富汗猎犬犬主指导手, 并且非常有名望. 在这场犬展中,这位女士带着一只面部具有类似面具的花纹,被毛呈奶油色的阿富汗猎犬赢得了猎犬组的BIG. 而另一位专业指导手则带着一只苏格兰梗犬. 该场犬展的审查员在冠军角逐中已经淘汰了其他五只犬只, 决定在阿富汗猎犬以及苏格兰梗犬中选出最后的胜者. 审查员要求两位指导手以及他们的犬只重新进入赛环,进行最后的展示. 这位业余犬主指导手没有出现任何差错,她的犬只状态良好,外观漂亮,完美展现出了它的动态, 这更多的要归功于指导手的卓越技巧.

Both handlers presented their dogs superbly, and as the moment of anticipation for the Best In Show nod approached, she confidently glanced at the judge with a warm, genuine smile. Now, guess who won? I could, of course, recount many similar instances of extreme competency displayed by amateurs and not just among the “fairer” sex. I know many owner-handlers of both genders who can cause the most successful professional handler to wish he or she was competing with someone else.

两位指导手均完美的展示了他们的犬只, 然而作为一名业余爱好者,作为一位犬主指导手却能一路杀进全场总冠军进行角逐,这位女士自信满满, 带着大方的微笑,十分优雅的与审查员拥抱. 那么你们可以猜测一下,冠军到底花落谁家呢? 当然,我可以给你们举出很多杰出犬主指导手的列子, 不仅仅是以性别优势来获取关注. 我认识的许多犬主指导手,无论男女, 甚至让一些最出色最专业的指导手都无法忽视他们的能力.

1.The Importance of Conditioning 犬只适应能力的重要性

The acquisition of superior handling skills can be a long process. The result, a significant accomplishment. For the beginner, I will note some of the more important requisites.

想要练就娴熟卓越的指导技巧，需要经历一个长期的过程。一分耕耘，一分收获。在这里，我会出罗列出成为优秀指导手的几项须知，这对于新手指导手来说，更加需要了解。

Heading the list is the conditioning of your dog. Make it a priority to always have your dog in tip-top condition. Build a reputation of having well-conditioned dogs. It will pay off in the ring over and over again. That little bit of extra conditioning will often tip the scales in your favor, and whether amateur or professional, you will be surprised just how much this will be noticed. Judges, handlers and exhibitors can often be overheard to say, “So and so always has his or her dogs in great condition.”Such observations and comments serve to help build a reputation of success in our sport.

首先，需要注重犬只适应赛场的重要性。只有充分适应了一个新的赛场，新的环境，你的犬只才会保持其最好的状态。训练你的犬只成为具有超强适应能力的犬只，比赛将会回报你所有的付出。即使是加强一点点的适应能力都将提升你的青睐，无论你是业余的亦或是专业的，你都会惊讶的发现，即使是这微不足道的一点提升，都将为其加分。审查员，指导手以及周围的观众都会如此评价，“看看，他/她的狗总是处于完美状态中。”而这样的评价只会让你以及你的犬只在业内名声高涨。

I know your next question has to be，“So, how do I condition my dog for the ring？”. This is a multifaceted question because it concerns proper feeding, the right amount and type of exercise, skilled grooming, and effective training. With the breeds that require a great amount of coat work, here is where much of the “art” comes in to play. Some people possess more natural talent for grooming than others, but even the most gifted along these lines have studied and worked hard to hone their skill. The hard work can be very rewarding, and if one really possesses of the proper desire, ultmate success will be his or hers. If, however, you expect it to come easy, it most certainly will not.

我想，接下来你可能会问,”如何使我的犬只适应赛场呢？” 这个问题涉及了多方面：犬只的饲养与繁育，适量有效的运动和锻炼，正确的日常管理以及美容方式，以及有效的训练。而如今，犬种的美容方式需增添更多的艺术性。或许有的人比他人更具天赋，但即使是最有天赋的人也必须磨练技巧。如果你真的想在这方面有所突破，那么努力了就一定会有回报，最终的胜利将属于你。反之，如果你认为凡事都能轻松得到，那么成功将与你背道而驰。

The secrets of conditioning dogs for show ring competition has been the topic for entire books. I make no pretense that this article will give you the winning secrets to conditioning and handling in a mere 2800+ words. Much can be learned from reading articles and books, but I think there is much more to be gained by observation. By that, I mean, closely watching the highly successful owner-handlers and professionals that show your breed. Watch every little thing they do while they are in the ring. If and when the time seems right, ask, “What do you do to condition and prepare your dog for the ring?” Please remember that what works for one handler and one dog cannot be expected to work for all handlers and all dogs.

如何使犬只适应赛圈的秘诀可以写一本书，我不会虚伪的认为你们一定能从这篇2800多字的文章中学到很多。的确，很多东西可以从书本当中获得，但我认为，提高技巧更多的是需要仔细观察。我指的是观察一些十分优秀，十分专业的指导手是如何在赛场中指导你的犬种，观察他们每一个细微的动作。如果情况允许，大胆去询问他们，”您是如何让你的犬只充分适应赛场呢？” 不过要记住，适合他的技巧，适合他的犬只的方式，并一定就适合你，适合你的犬只。

Transferred from Canine Chronicle, compiled by DOG SHOW WORLD.
转自Canine Chronicle，中文由犬界网编译。

图片均为犬界网原创，未经允许不得转载。

Do Not Transfer the Photos without permission.