By Sara Drake

Rowan Cooperative Extension

The Rowan County Fair is right around the corner. With the fair comes the 4-H Junior Dog Show.

The dog show is a fun and educational experience that focuses on the youth and their ability to relate to their dogs. This year, the show, which is open to all youth between the ages of 5 and 19, will be held on Sunday, Sept. 27, at 3 p.m. at the Rowan County Fairgrounds.

Check-in will begin at 2 p.m. All participants must be registered by 2:30 p.m. Entry forms can be found online on the 4-H Youth Development page of the Rowan County Extension Website (http://rowan.ces.ncsu.edu/).

 There are many classes available including  hound, sporting, non-sporting, working, terrier, toy, herding, miscellaneous, puppy, cloverbud, senior citizen dog, trick and talent.

 The judge will be looking for several key areas including showmanship, the relationship between the youth and the dog, eye contact and awareness of the judge, and grooming of the dog. The dog should be washed, clean and well cared for. The judge will ask simple questions to the exhibitors to test their knowledge of the dog.

Unlike other competitive shows, based on pedigree and breed characteristics, the 4-H Junior Dog Show is an enriching, fun experience for all members of the family, including the dog. Please come out and support our youth by watching the exciting and entertaining 4-H Junior Dog Show.

For those youth competitors who are interested in participating, there will be two dog showmanship clinics to help you prepare for the dog show.  These clinics are open to youth, ages 5 to 19, and will be held on Monday, Sept. 14, and Tuesday, Sept. 22.

Both events will be from 6-7:30 p.m. and will be held at the Rowan County Fairgrounds, 1560 Julian Road, in the livestock show arena.

At these clinics, youth will work on handling their dog, and  learn some aspects of showmanship to prepare their dogs for the annual 4-H Junior Dog Show at the fair.

Space is limited to 15 youth and dogs for these clinics. Call 704-216-8970 to register for either clinic. All youth are to bring their dogs and record of vaccination and meet at the Rowan County Fairgrounds. Also bring your dog’s collar, leash, a bowl for water, bags for clean-up and a crate.

For the dog show as well as the clinics, all dogs must have their vaccinations for distemper, parvo and rabies and must be a minimum of 4 months old. Proof will be required. Dogs do not have to be purebred, but they do need to be well behaved and on a leash.

For more information concerning the 4-H Junior Dog Show or the North Carolina 4-H program, contact Sara Drake, 4-H Extension Agent, at 704-216-8970 or sara_drake@ncsu.edu.