I wrote this letter to the Danish Terrier Club Magazine when Jackson won his last certificate and became show-champion. It was published in issue no 6 - December 1996:
My wonderful Wire Fox Terrier Jackson became champion last sunday. I am going to tell this story to all the private dog owners who has a beautiful dog at home, that they don't dare to show.You can do it without being a proff. The first 3 years of his life Jackson lived like a normal family dog, he was just ment for play, games and for pet animal, like most of the dogs in Denmark . He still is. We did not have any plans for him to have a show career, but people stopped us on the street and made comments on his beautiful looks. Then we read that there was a international dogshow to take place in Copenhagen and why shouldn't we take the largest show we could find. Without knowing anything about showing we signed up for this show. Daddy having the honor of walking the dog, we later learned that it was called "handle" the dog. (Handle is shopping in danish) The big day came along, and daddy was told to dress up and then we went to the show. Jackson loved this place. There was a lot of bitches that he could jump on to and a lot of dogs the he could show off to. He just loved it and it didn't bother him to get onto the trimming table at Inge Lonsdale from Vestegnens Hundesalon, she always follow her "customers" on dogshows. Daddy managed to drag Jackson in the ring. It was a bit difficult because there was a lot of interesting dogs outside the ring, but he found some new playmates in the ring. These dogs was constantly feed with goodies by their humans, so Jacksom immediately sat down expecting to get one too. It didn't help, but he managed to steal some from the dog standing nearest to him. Then daddy and Jackson was going to walk around in the ring. It was difficult because Jackson was sure that he was going to be in front, and he worked very hard to get there. Daddy was getting a bit harsh looking and the show-line was pulled very hard, Jackson's frontleg never reached the floor at that show.
The first 3 years of his life Jackson lived like a normal family dog, he was just ment for play, games and for pet animal, like most of the dogs in Denmark . He still is. We did not have any plans for him to have a show career, but people stopped us on the street and made comments on his beautiful looks. Then we read that there was a international dogshow to take place in Copenhagen and why shouldn't we take the largest show we could find. Without knowing anything about showing we signed up for this show. Daddy having the honor of walking the dog, we later learned that it was called "handle" the dog. (Handle is shopping in danish)
The big day came along, and daddy was told to dress up and then we went to the show. Jackson loved this place. There was a lot of bitches that he could jump on to and a lot of dogs the he could show off to. He just loved it and it didn't bother him to get onto the trimming table at Inge Lonsdale from Vestegnens Hundesalon, she always follow her "customers" on dogshows. Daddy managed to drag Jackson in the ring. It was a bit difficult because there was a lot of interesting dogs outside the ring, but he found some new playmates in the ring. These dogs was constantly feed with goodies by their humans, so Jacksom immediately sat down expecting to get one too. It didn't help, but he managed to steal some from the dog standing nearest to him. Then daddy and Jackson was going to walk around in the ring. It was difficult because Jackson was sure that he was going to be in front, and he worked very hard to get there. Daddy was getting a bit harsh looking and the show-line was pulled very hard, Jackson's frontleg never reached the floor at that show.
We could se that the others was put on a table to be examined. Jackson had never tried that before, so he was fighting for his life, crawling on the shoulders of daddy, while a strange man was looking. When daddy tried to open Jackson's mouth, he saw he chance to jump down from the table, but he was caught on the way down. It was a friendly judge. He didn't judge Jackson on his lack of experience, he only had nice things to say about him. But in the jugdement he wrote: This dog deserves a better handler. Then we learned that this word did not mean shopping. The Breeder Birgit Seloy called us later that evening. She was somewhere between laughter and rage and we had to promiss to start show training before we showed him again. But we never did, we started training him ourself, because now we knew all about showing !!
The Breeder Birgit Seloy called us later that evening. She was somewhere between laughter and rage and we had to promiss to start show training before we showed him again. But we never did, we started training him ourself, because now we knew all about showing !!
Jackson learned very quickly to stand on a table. When he stood still for just a couple of seconds he was feed with a goodie, that kind of training works very fast. He was put on every table we could find, and all visitors was asked to take a look at his teeth. Not everyone liked that task, but a friend is a friend and they all did the job. They could all do it safely, couse Jackson is the nicest dog in the world. It was very hard to teach Jackson not to react to anything when he was dressed in his show-line. No peeing and no playing. But at the end it almost worked. The hardest thing to learn (and it is not perfect yet) is not to SIT, when he knows that a goodie is comming up. He should stand and do it nice! A foxterrier is a stubborn creature, but master like dog. Mummie was even more stubborn and insisted to "handle" on the Terrierclub Christmas Show. We were lucky again. Even that Jackson was acting better, mummie was no good and so nervous that the legs was like rubber. The jugde again praised the dog and made comments on the "handler". Jackson won Best of Breed. Birgit Seloy the breeder came over, and this time she was not laughing, she told us that we had to find a new "handler" so that Jackson had a decent chance of winning Best Of Show later that afternoon. At first mummie was angry, but the thought of Jackson winning Best Of Show was making sense. So after being angry for a while mummie went to Inge Lonsdale and asked her to handle Jackson. Inge said yes, Jackson behaved like a proff and did win Best in Show.
A foxterrier is a stubborn creature, but master like dog. Mummie was even more stubborn and insisted to "handle" on the Terrierclub Christmas Show. We were lucky again. Even that Jackson was acting better, mummie was no good and so nervous that the legs was like rubber. The jugde again praised the dog and made comments on the "handler". Jackson won Best of Breed. Birgit Seloy the breeder came over, and this time she was not laughing, she told us that we had to find a new "handler" so that Jackson had a decent chance of winning Best Of Show later that afternoon. At first mummie was angry, but the thought of Jackson winning Best Of Show was making sense. So after being angry for a while mummie went to Inge Lonsdale and asked her to handle Jackson.
Inge said yes, Jackson behaved like a proff and did win Best in Show.
That really hooked us on showing and Inge Lonsdale promised to handle him in the future. We went to 2 shows in Sydsjælland, Jackson got his 1st prices, but wasn't placed in 1-4. Later we went on 2 shows in Frederiksværk and Hillerød and it was much better, Jackson won Certificates on both shows. Then we went on holliday, but went to shows in Haarlev og Brøndby Hallen. In Brøndby Hallen he won his 3rd certificate and became champion, that was celebrated like it should. That was the way it happen that Jackson became Champion within a year and before he was 4 years old. We have to thank the breeder Birgit Seloy for her "advice" when needed. And Jackson thanks Inge Lonsdale for her perfect "hairdressing" and that she follows her customers on the shows, so he and her other dogs always looks perfect when showed, and mostly for ability to "handle" now that it is proved that Daddy and Mummie do not have the skills that it takes.
That was the way it happen that Jackson became Champion within a year and before he was 4 years old. We have to thank the breeder Birgit Seloy for her "advice" when needed. And Jackson thanks Inge Lonsdale for her perfect "hairdressing" and that she follows her customers on the shows, so he and her other dogs always looks perfect when showed, and mostly for ability to "handle" now that it is proved that Daddy and Mummie do not have the skills that it takes.