German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America

[Calvin]

I am very new to shwoing for conformation. In fact, we just went to our first conformation class tonight. The question I have will most likely have many answers, but here goes. What is the best type of show lead to use with the GWP?

Calvin

[cmmilach]

Hi,

In response to which show lead works best for your GWP, the answer is, whatever works for you & your dog. My male had to be shown on a snake chain collar & braided leather lead (it was the only thing that he could not break). My female does fine on a nylon slip collar & matching lead. My suggestion to you would be to see if it is at all possible to try different types of leads. You could ask to borrow some from the other students in your confirmation class.

Good Luck.

Cathy

[dw91165]

The best choke is the one that is best for you and your dog. Each dog is different...

For example, I have 3 dogs (2 Siberians & 1 GWP) My Ch Sibe works best with a 'parachute' nylon choke with a leather lead. My class Sibe works best with a fine metal choke with a leather lead. The GWP pup prefers the nylon choke but works best with a metal choke (for now - the little devil).

Try a couple of different types of collars and get a lead that fits well into your hand. If all else fails, go to a show and checkout what is working for others.

Good luck!
_________________
Diane
CAH/Artist/Programmer
Novato, CA, USA, Earth
http://www.snaosibegwp.net
snaosibe@hotmail.com

[ANGUS]

For my GWP male..who is now 80lbs and about 27" tall.I found a nice gold box chain and I use a choco brown braided nylon lead,,its about 3 1/2 ' long...this seems to be working for me..the chain looks cool to...have a look at some shows ,there should be some booths there selling show leads and other goodies..

[Jay-Mar's GWP's]

I prefer nylon training ( slip) collars made out of parachute material.
For a leash I use braided leather leads..small enough to be balled up in my hand but strong enough to keep from breaking. They also have parachute material braided into the center for added strength
You can go to www.cherrybrook.com to get sow equipment
Nikki
Jay-Mar's GWP's

[gwp4ever]

Regarding show leads- I completely agree that it is an individual dog thing. And I will take it another few steps and add that I think it is best to be open to adapting and changing your show lead as your dog grows and changes and hopefully becomes better trained. Ideally, the leash will become superfluous, as you and your dog will become such a team that your dog can perform perfectly in the ring off lead- stack, stand for exam, gait, free stack, etc.
As one who has shown plenty of wild and untrained puppies, I can say that I often try different leads to see what works for that dog.
Also- the color of the lead should not distract from the dog- blending in with the dog's coat is usually best.
I probably know a bit about this, as I have put major wins on dogs of many breeds from Chihuahuas to GWPS, worked for top pro handlers, bred group winning AKC champions with performance titles in three different breeds, and finished many GWP champions over the years. I am still learning, too!
_________________
Aablwch German Pointers,formerly"Darling's",
Ms.Mary Darling