Mount Olive resident trains pups for show

Almost everybody has watched, if not all, then clips of, the famed Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show on TV at one time or another. Smartly dressed men and women jog around a ring alongside meticulously groomed dogs who are being judged on how well they conform to the ideal standards set for their particular breed. Fittingly, this is called a conformation show.

Mount Olive resident Teresa Rose has been breeding, training and showing dogs for 58 years, and while she’s never shown at Westminster, she has entered her dogs in conformation shows in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, West Virginia, Virginia, and Maryland. And the message she wants to share is this: the three minutes’ worth of judging that a dog undergoes in the ring is preceded by “hours and hours and hours and hours” of training that begin the very day a puppy is born.

“When they’re born, and everything’s good, then from that second on, is when training starts,” Rose says. “I pick them up; I play with their legs, their feet, their neck, their ears, their face. From day one, every day, at least one time a day, I do all that.”

The simple act of touch is important for many reasons. First, it’s a natural bonding activity, and if a puppy goes on to become a show dog, Rose emphasizes the importance of “the dog and the handler being one.” Second, in competition a dog will undergo a physical exam by a judge, and it’s imperative that the pup not be skittish or snappy when touched. Third — and something that would probably never occur to people who aren’t in the business — by playing with their paws and moving their toenails from “hour zero” as Rose puts it, she’s paving the way for a smoother experience when it’s time to start clipping the dog’s nails.

Another vital training exercise occurs when Rose places a puppy on her grooming table and “stacks” that puppy. “What stacking means is, the front legs need to be straight underneath the shoulder, the back legs need to be in their proper position, and I will hold that puppy like that, and I’ll count for, say, six seconds. And when the puppy stands and does not fight me for six seconds, that’s great,” she explains. She documents that puppy’s performance, and then does the very same thing with all the others. It’s a process she’ll repeat many times in the coming weeks and months. “Table training never stops.”

It is crucial that the puppies get plenty of outdoor exercise, during which time Rose carefully observes and evaluates their movements. This is also an important time for socialization, which she describes as “a must for each and every pup.”

Rose works with the puppies to instill patience and focus, and she makes certain they’re comfortable being bathed and being dried with a high-powered blow dryer (this is a must if they ever make it to show, as they’ll undergo hours of grooming day after day, before each competition).

She emphasizes the importance of making sure the dogs don’t get bored or burned out. “I have to mix things up. I’ve got jumps at my house; I’ve got teeter totters at my house, to make it’s fun. If it’s not fun for the dog, he’s not going to be a show dog. He’s gotta love it. If he don’t love it, you’re wasting your time.

“By the time they are 14 weeks old, I have probably whittled it down to about four puppies that are prospective show puppies,” Rose notes, adding that the others go to pet homes. She points out that it’s not an exact science: “You have to work with the ones you pick, because you’re not quite for sure which one’s gonna end up cutting the mustard.”

Sometimes, it’s the puppies who pick her. Rose much prefers red and white Pembroke Welsh corgis over the black, white and tan tri-coloreds, and a recent litter produced one of each. She was determined that the red and white would become her show dog, but he wasn’t having any of it. According to Rose, his tri-colored brother was just the opposite. “He said, ‘I’m the one you’re gonna show. Look at me. Look at me.’ It was in him. He knows what his job is. He absolutely loves it.”

The Pembroke Welsh corgi is one of three breeds Rose currently works with, the other two being the French bulldog and the German shorthaired pointer. Early in her career, she worked with much larger dogs (German shepherds, standard poodles, Saint Bernards, Rottweilers, and labs), but an injury to her left hand — the hand that holds onto the lead when showing a dog — in 2000 forced her to move to smaller breeds. The smaller dogs are also better suited to Rose’s 4’7” frame.

The three breeds of dogs she now works with are very different from one another. French bulldogs cannot tolerate heat, Rose notes. “You have to really watch them very closely, like if I take one of them for a walk, I have to take a water bottle with me to make sure they don’t overheat. I take a spray bottle so I can spray their bodies in case they overheat.”

This is not an issue with the corgis or the German shorthaired pointers. One of the most endearing traits of the pointers, according to Rose, is that they have a lot of endurance. They love being active and will engage in play all day long.

Given the differences between the three breeds, does she have a favorite? “No, they’re all special in their own way.”

She points out that her dogs are more than just dogs for breeding and show; they are pets to her and her husband, Nick. Currently, they have three French bulldogs, four German shorthaired pointers, and six corgis. About five stay in their home at any given time, with the others in a kennel that has heat and air (where Rose says she spends 99 percent of her time). The dogs are rotated between the house and the kennel, she notes.

In addition to being unaware of how much training a show dog undergoes, Rose asserts that many people also have a misconception as it relates to money in this business. First, she says that most have no idea how much it costs to participate in shows. For example, twice a year, she goes to Raleigh for a nine-day show, and just a few of the expenses she incurs include: renting a space to set up her motor home for the duration, paying all the fees associated with entering numerous dogs in the show, and putting together five different outfits to wear on the different days she’ll be in the ring. Second, winning brings bragging rights and a ribbon or a trophy — but no money. Where she does make her money, Rose says, is when she leaves the ring and someone’s waiting for her, asking for a business card because they are impressed with the dog she has just shown. And that’s where “the hours and hours and hours and hours” of training end up paying off.

For more information, see Teresa Rose on Facebook, text 919-738-4844, or email redroselabs@aol.com.