Suki Wingy, no offense, but there's more to handling than walking a dog at the end of a lead. Eck, you probably already know that I've known people to get upset over the brand of the lead, much less the handler.

My advice is to do what I did. Go to your local show and try not to jump ahead of yourself. If I'm correct, you'll be going to a benched show (?). That's perfect! Choose a breed you REALLY like. Walk around and find a dog of that breed you REALLY like. Like the dog fits the standard superbly and you think it's a greyt example of the breed. Find out who bred him/her and strike up a conversation with the breeder. Do this an hour or so *after* the breed judging. It gives sufficient time for the breeder to cool off. During that convo, emphasize you're looking to start from scratch. Trust me, breeders appreciate new blood who are looking to start from scratch. With some old-timers, you have to earn your way up to showing a dog, and that's how they did it. They started by cleaning up poop, feeding, watering. Eventually, they moved into grooming and handling. It is/was a long process to fully get an idea of the breed and the "proper" way to handle. Those years of labor will pay off because by then, you KNOW the breed/standard and you know your fellow breeders/peers/students. You'll have an excellent intro to the show world, and the rewards will be tenfold.