Jan. 17— Gone to the dogs

Pooches, owners become athletes and trainers in

Susan Schell / of the Herald

More than one dog exhibitor at the American Kennel Club Winter Cluster All Breed Dog Show compared the demanding hobby to training an athlete.

It involves a strict diet, a balanced exercise regimen, hours of preparation and grooming for a dog to be ready for the runway, said dog exhibitor Megan Hof, from Portland, Ore.

“It’s a lot of maintenance,” said Hof, 23. “It’s kinda like training athletes.”

The AKC dog show was hosted at the Puyallup fairgrounds last weekend, bringing judges and dog exhibitors from all over the country. This is the first of two AKC dog shows to be conducted at the Puyallup fairgrounds each year — the next one will take place in June.

Hof has been involved with dog shows since she was 7, she said — and now it’s almost every weekend that she’s preparing clients’ dogs or her own dogs for shows. She specializes in handling Australian shepherds and Alaskan malamutes.

Bill McFadden, from California, is a handler who showed one of Bill Cosby’s Lakeland terriers at the Puyallup show. That’s right — the comedian hired McFadden to show one of his dogs.

McFadden said he just got lucky, because he knows and happens to live near the woman who Cosby partnered with to breed dogs. McFadden has been involved in dog showing for 25 years.

“I like dogs,” he said. “That’s how I got started.”

One of the main challenges of participating in a dog show, he said, is that each dog will give a different performance each time, and it can be hard to predict.

“They get babied quite a bit” as a result, McFadden said.

He recommended those interested in the hobby to pick a breed, attend shows and talk to successful exhibitors for advice. It’s best to learn from mistakes, too, rather than be perfect the first show.

McFadden cautioned that certain breeds of dogs, especially poodles, involve a lot of grooming — some even require pulling hairs off by hand, as if the handler is creating a sculpture. And larger dogs need controlled exercise so that they don’t hurt themselves. The extra weight means more is at risk.

It’s also important to keep dogs’ minds fresh because shows can get repetitive, and animals may get bored, McFadden said.

“It’s just like an athlete,” he said.

In shows, dogs are judged on a set of standards written for each breed by breeders, said Bill Russell, president of the Tacoma Kennel Club. Judges touch and feel each dog to make sure they’re healthy, and watch them walk to see that their legs are straight and work properly.

“It’s easier to be a brain surgeon” than a judge for a dog show, Russell said. “They judge the whole ball of wax.”

Lorraine Bisso, a dog show judge from New Orleans, said all judges must pass difficult tests to qualify.

“It’s a very intensive process,” she said.

Standing on the sidelines, Russell noted as judges inspected each dog.

“It’s very competitive,” said Russell, who has been involved in dog shows in some form or another since 1959, when he first helped a neighbor with a dog show and became interested in the hobby.

The road to “Best in Show” starts with confirmation contests, in which a dog must receive a certain amount of points to become a “Champion.” From there, the dog must win its “Best of Breed” contest before it can compete in the group contests, of which there are seven. Each dog that wins the group competitions goes on the “Best in Show” final contest.

Dog show exhibitor Kelly Scholting brought her 8-month-old cocker spaniel, Piper, to the show but didn’t enter her into any of the main contests. Instead, she decided to get some practice by entering the “fun” show, which is what it sounds like — just for fun.

Scholting, from Port Orchard, has been doing dog shows since 2000. She was inspired by her mother, who owns cocker spaniels and always wanted to enter them into shows. Also, Scholting’s grandfather showed Irish setters in obedience contests.

Piper, who was energetic and eager to be done with the grooming table, happily gobbled up some food before Scholting headed over to the practice show.

“She’s a happy girl,” Scholting said.

And that’s what is most important, according to Scholting, Hof and other exhibitors. Aside from all the prep work and long hours, the dogs have to be interested and content.

“They have to be happy,” Hof said.

Reach Reporter Roxanne Cooke at 253-841-2481 Ext. 314 or by e-mail at roxanne.cooke@puyallupherald.com.