Since I could talk I wanted a dog. When we moved to Georgia from California, my parents decided to purchase a Great Dane. My mother grew up with Great Danes so my dad thought it was a good idea to get one, but at first my siblings and I protested. We did not want some big scary dog when we could have a Golden Retriever like Air Bud! However, parents rule.
We searched for a fawn female Great Dane for over a year. We eventually came back to one of the first breeders who said that if she had a fawn female in her next litter she would give her to us. A year later the litter arrived and there was only one fawn female—she was the pick of the litter! The breeder stayed true to her word and sold her to us. In return, we honored her request of bringing her to at least one local dog show just to see how she would do.
Growing Pains
I first went into the ring at the ripe age of 10, at a dog show in Atlanta, Georgia. Savannah was a puppy and we were both new to the sport. All was well until the last go-around when Savannah thought it would be fun to play with the dog in front of her. Being inexperienced, I had the lead wrapped around my hand. When Savannah took off, I did a face-plant and was dragged to the other side of the ring.
My dad was filming it all until I fell. You suddenly see the camera go black when my dad dropped it and ran into the ring. Meanwhile, Savannah was wagging her tail while towering over the dog that was lying on its back beneath her. I came out of the ring crying, just like any 10-year-old being dragged by a Great Dane would, and that night she slept under the coffee table knowing that she did a bad thing. She has never done anything horrible in the ring since.
Now I watch the film and laugh at myself, and my dad’s heroics, jumping into the ring after me. It was a moment when many believed I would quit, even myself, but something nagged at me to not give up.
Training 101
After that first “incident,” we had a professional take Savannah into the ring. Meanwhile, I showed a Whippet in Juniors. I couldn’t find anyone to train Savannah, so I ended up doing it myself. Susan Wise, a professional handler who has a weekly class, became my teacher.
As I attended class with Savannah, my progress in the Juniors ring also began improving. About a month into our training, our professional handler who was showing Savannah had a conflict, and I had to take her into the conformation ring myself. What a trip that was! In the puppy class I was placed third of seven, and that was the beginning of my career in conformation. Once Savannah was trained, I gave back the champion Whippet. I was so happy to have done it myself, with some help, of course. Now I am not only a student of Ms. Wise’s, but I work for her as well.
The hardest challenge in the ring with a big dog is turning sharp corners or changing hands in a pattern. It takes a well-trained dog <I>and<I> handler to be able to do these maneuvers.
I was speaking to a woman at Westminster in 2007, while we watched the Herding Group. The lady commented on how the Bouvier des Flandres and its handler looked as graceful as pair of ballroom dancers. Being fond of ballroom dancing for a long time, I understood the connection. Presenting your dog’s gait is not only about how the dog looks, but how you present yourself. You are creating the perfect picture for the judge. The dog may look perfect but the handler’s choppy gait paired with an elegant, striding Afghan will clash and could cost the win.
This was a valuable lesson to learn and I took it into consideration when training my other Great Danes. Through my showing career, my dad has recorded my performances in the ring. Now I know what to look for in my patterns and go-arounds—I look for the perfect picture of the dancing couple.
The Junior Breeder
It was tough finding a sire that would compliment Savannah’s features, like her long back and flat top line, but also to hide her not so glamorous features. After searching for a few months, I decided Ch. Fireside’s I’ve Got to Be Me (Casey), was going to be our litter’s sire.
I was on my way to the school bus that morning when the litter was finally born. Note to all breeders: when your soon-to-be-mother is in labor for a long time, give her an apple fritter!
I was able to deliver five out of the nine puppies that were born that morning. A big thank you goes to breeder Patricia Thurow for helping us, or else those puppies might have never made it. From that day until 12 weeks later, when I was not at school or after-school practices, I was on puppy-watch or clean-up crew. Seeing the puppy’s cute little faces and smelling their puppy breath was worth all the trouble. I loved and bonded with every one of them. It was hard to let them go, but I knew that they were going to happy homes.
Now I help deliver puppies with Susan Wise, my dear friend and “show mommy,” as well as boss. It is an honor and privilege to help bring life into the world. It is not something that can be described in words.
The Show Life
I was the first to begin showing dogs in my family. [Shannon’s little sister Kylie now shows in Juniors as well.] My parents have always been supportive. They attended all my soccer and softball games, as well as jazz, tap, and gymnastic performances. Not to mention paying for all of it, because I was too young to get a job! They still help me with entry fees and gas, but being older, I now have my own responsibilities and we have an understanding of how much is too much. We enjoy the time we spend together at dog shows.
I love to travel, and so does Lance, Savannah’s son and my 4-year-old champion. He whines when I bring out the grooming bag and start packing the car. He is petrified that I might forget him!
Before we go into the ring, Lance, and I sit ringside to watch the juniors showing before us and cheer them on. Lance enjoys laying his head in my lap and I massage his feet and joints. It is our own way of relaxing before we go into the competition.
My main goal is to have Lance be in the top 20 of the breed. I would also like to maintain or increase my junior ranking in the Working Group. I try to attend large shows because I believe that in order to fulfill these goals, we need to beat the best out there—so that I know that we deserved the title.
Big-Breed Blues
The worst characteristic of Great Danes is their short life span. They are just so big, and their organs have trouble pumping blood and expelling toxins as they get older. It is very sad, but that just means that us humans just have to make their short life that much more enjoyable.
Having a huge dog, the most frequently asked questions I receive from people not involved in dogs are: “Where is your dog’s saddle?,” “Is he friendly?,” and my personal favorite, “How do you control him with such a thin chain?”
My reaction to each one is different: No, my dog does not have a saddle, because his back might break if I put more than 30 pounds on it. Yes, my dog is friendly. My dogs must have a good temperament, as the standard calls for. The reason I have such a thin chain is because I trust my dog knows that a pop on the lead means that they need to pay attention to me. The synonym of controlled is trained. What I say is law to the dog. The lead and chain is simply the messenger that helps enforce the command if necessary. When training a dog, you develop a special bond and you can sense what the dog is about to do just by looking at their expression of muscle tension. It really is remarkable.
The Joys of Junior Showmanship
There is not one thing you can not like about Junior Showmanship. The friendships, competition, and bond you form with your dog over the years of showing are all wonderful things to experience. Winning is just the cherry on top.
Shannon Soafer lives in Roswell, Georgia, and turns 17 next month. She hopes to become a professional handler as well as a cardiologist for large-breed animals.