Nervous at indoor shows

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

Does anyone have any tips at helping relax Charlie when we go to shows?

I'd completely forgotten about this, until we went to an indoor show yesterday. We've luckily been ouside all year.

Outside he is fine. Indoors, he's happy to sit, to watch, to walk...but the table or standing in the line up before/after - no. Is there anything I can do to try and relax him; he always seems a little nervous?

He can be nervous anyway, I think it's the extra noise from the echos that is too much for him.

I was thinking, ringcraft + thundershirt for a few weeks just to see if it helps him, and then remove the thundershirt and see if it helps him? But otherwise I'm out of ideas

[katie94]

Ring craft definatly a good idea. At our last show which started indoors I was able to walk and stand Rufus in the ring before the classes started, would this help Charlie? Also have you tried rescue remedy - works for some dogs but not Rufus. At our last  show they decided to move the ring outside which upset Rufus who wouldn't then stand on the table and let the judge go over him but was happy enough for the steward to go over him as we came out the ring

[Emilyoliver]

Ringcraft, or if you don't have specific ringcraft classes closeby, then standard obedience classes indoors.  You could stack him, and whatever while waiting your turn, he will also learn to wait his turn amongst other dogs, and being indoors with all the other dogs should acclimatise him to the noise in a hall.

[dipsydoodlenoodle]

He doesn't mind the noise in the room until he has to stand.

We walked around the ring so many times yesterday, definitely didn't help.

We have ringcraft close by but he's the same there, always has been