I am showing a new breed of dog - a black labrador. I am used to showing Boxers in general and this will be my first time showing a labrador in 4-H, and overall. I am in need of help!! I have never shown a dog quite like her. I'm asking so many questions that I had already got down and knew about with other dogs I've shown, but she's different and I'm going to need to use different methods with her. I may sound VERY inexperienced but I have been showing for years. It's just, like I said before, she is VERY different. She always finds a way to get me frusterated, and I of course hold it in, I want this to be fun for her and I want her to look forward to it, but it's hard. Any tips in general, and answers to my questions are GREATLY APPRECIATED.

Showmanship:
1. She won't hold a stack. Everytime I get her to stand, she sits down. I rolled a log under her to keep her from sitting, but a log isn't always going to be there. I also put my leg under her, but my leg has to move sometime or another. How can I get her to stand and hold it?

2. She won't hold her position. Everytime I get one foot in place, she moves the other. I tried saying "stay" when I put one foot in position, then moved the other and say "stay" but she still moves.

3. When I try to do the down and back, or any other form of trotting she will pull ahead, stop to sniff the ground, sniff while walking beside me, run ahead and strain on the leash, etc. She does everything EXCEPT trotting nicely beside me. How do I get her to trot beside me, with her head high?

4. How do I train her to stack efficently, and free stack?

She's got baiting pretty much down, but everything else she doesn't.

Any other tips and info, I would really like. Thanks.

Obedience:
1. She won't heel, no matter what I try, she won't. How do I get her to heel and not fall behind or pull ahead?

2. How do I teach her to go around my body and sit at heel?

3. Also, how do I train her to sit when I stop.

Other stuff:
1. Ignoring distractions. Any tips on that?
2. In the show ring I'm betting someone will have a ball. And even if I have a ball too, I'll bet she'd see the other persons ball and want it so bad she won't pay the least bit of attention to me. How do I prevent this?


I really need a lot of other tips, too.

Thank you!!