What is a handler ?

All of us one day, during a show dog, sawn this man or woman crossing at a run the aisles with gorgeous dogs groomed in a sophisticated way.

A handler is a professional of a dog who is covering the country(ies) to present dogs in dog shows. This dogs have been intrusted the handler by breeders or just simple owners.

Being all the week-ends in the show rings, assure him / her to be known by the judges. This indisputable advantage don't release the handler from the fact to be always at the top, and more, he must be an excellent groomer and above all an excellent presenter if he want to remain at the best level.

Sometime, the reality is different, some handlers are excellent with some breed and feel less comfortable with other breeds. Regarding our Coton we often sawn some handlers persisting stubbornly in flattening down hair like a Shi-Tsu, or positioning the dog stretching him (back legs completly backwards; like Cockers).

Why entrust our dog to a handler ?

For the breeder, it's often a way to get some results in show staying at home to take care of the other dogs, above all when the show is set far from home, or in a foreign country.
Being breeder doesn't obligatory mean that we are an excellent presenter. Sometime when we are too good to some dogs ... they have tendancy to behave better with a stranger than with their master. Most of the time, breeders entrust the handler their better dog, because it's also sometimes the only way to win with a dog who haven't any chance to win with a "normal" presenter.

For the owners, the main is often linked with the fact that they paid for a very good dog and the breeder encourages them to participate to a show ; if the result was good, the proudness to be the owner of an excellent dog lead them to entrust the dog to a handler, because the owner hasn't enough knowledge regarding the dogs to bring the dog to the highest level as possible.

Some handlers have such a reputation with judges that it seems that they are able to win with any dog, even if it hasn't the necessary qualities.

How much is it ? 

We must say that we can find all kind of things ... A high price isn't necessary a quality guarantee. We must admit that in some countries being friend with some judges or some shows organizer must be payed a very high price ...

Some advices

:It's better to go to several shows before to choose, just to see how the handler is doing with the dogs. Just think that you'll entrust him your dog during several days, weeks ...
The very bad handlers don't stay generally in this job a long time because the competition is hard. Some people act as handlers but they haven't any feeling with the dogs nor enough knowledge of the standard to present a dog in the better way.

With a Coton it's essential that the handler hasn't a lot of dogs with him because the hair you care of during a lot of time can suffer. I must admit that I always had difficulties with that, just because it's hard to explain to a professional of grooming that your Coton isn't a Lhassa Apso , nor a Shi-Tzu, and even if he / she is used with long hair the coton texture is very hard to care and using card brushing can imply months to repare this.

We can add also that some groomers being very conscientious will refuse to take charge a medium quality dog.

To conclude :

Good handler's duty generally give the satisfaction to win in show. On another hand they never give you what a dog owner can feel presenting and wining with his dog.

Cathy Armani