Basic Equipment you will want to purchase to get you started showing in conformation competition: *There are many show equipment/products suppliers such as   www.cherrybrook.com   - Check out several websites by doing a search for your equipment and compare prices. There are also vendors at almost all show sites that will carry most are possibly all of these items:

1.  Crate + crate pads…..actually three for each dog is good.  You can then leave one at the show site, one in your vehicle, and one for the motel room so you won’t have to lug one crate around….but one crate can work to get started.  A wire crate is best for shows because sometimes the grooming areas aren’t air-conditioned and they provide for better air-flow. Sometimes you might need to take a fan along to position in front of your dog’s crate to keep him comfortable.
2. Grooming table, arm, clamp, and grooming loop…… You will eventually need a table  that has a surface that is about 36 inches long if you show an adult Cardigan.  You’ll use this table at home and at the shows so it’s a good investment.  There are all sorts of tables.  They all fold, which is a must, but some have bells and whistles like casters on the bottom of the table which enable you to wheel in the folded down table, and even put a crate on top and kill two birds with one stone.  Sometimes the arm and clamp are sold with the table, but often they are purchased separately.  The fold down type grooming arm is really nice for packing your vehicle, but a bit pricey.    If your arm doesn’t come with a grooming loop, you’ll need one of those too.  That’s the cloth loop that you clamp to the top of the arm and place around the dog’s head to keep him on the table.
3.  Crate dolly – this is really optional, but oh so convenient when it comes to lugging your equipment from your vehicle into the show site.  If you can afford to buy a dolly with brakes, do it.  You will need a supply of bungee cords to secure crates and equipment to your dolly.
4. Portable Dremel tool – for grinding nails – do this at home about two days before the show….don’t want your dog limping because you quicked him on the day of the show.  You can buy these at home improvement stores.
5. Hair Cutting Scissors – to remove fur from under pads of feet and to remove excess fur from inside the ear at the base to make the ear appear larger.  We want those Cardi ears to look as large as possible.
6.  Bag or box for your grooming supplies, leads, etc. – You can purchase boxes made especially for grooming supplies, but a good plastic tool box can often work as well.  After you get all of your supplies together you might want to go down to the home improvement store and decide on the size tool box you will need.
7.  Blow dryer – you’ll eventually want one of the commercial dryers used for dogs, but a good quality human blow dryer will work at first.  Some pro-handlers actually prefer them.  You may need to use it on cool if it gets too hot.  Don’t burn your dog!
8.  Heavy duty extension cord to plug in your blow dryer and other equipment such as a fan.  It may be 20 feet to the nearest outlet so keep this in mind.
9. Folding chair – so you can get off of your feet for a while
10.  Snap show lead – I like a medium 48 inch nylon snap lead.  If you can only afford one, I recommend black. Remember you want the judge to see your dog and not your lead so keep it as small as possible…..probably about 3/8 inch is the max you would want to use for a Cardigan. You may want to go for a longer lead when you get adept at folding it up in your hand.  When you are first starting it’s better to have it looped around one finger, using all of the lead rather than having the excess lead dangling from your hand because you failed to get it folded correctly.  Remember that you will be a tad nervous when you first start showing and it’s hard to handle the longer leads when you’re nervous.
11. Show Choke chain – I use a chain martingale for young pups and a regular show choke chain when they start to get the picture.  The martingale controls from the back of the neck and the regular choke chain gives control from the side of the neck near the ear.    If you get a chain martingale you need to measure your dog’s neck and subtract two inches to determine the size you should order.
12. British Style Slip lead – you’ll use this when you take your dog from the vehicle to the grooming site and when you take him out to potty.  This is better than having a collar on him which will flatten the coat.
13. Feed container, Feed bowls and Water buckets – You may want to bring a supply of water as well.  You can purchase a small plastic gas container and fill it with water from home or buy a couple of gallons of bottled water.  You will want to fill a small spray bottle with water to take ringside so you can spray it in your dog’s mouth to keep it from getting dry.  Remember….dog’s don’t sweat so keep him hydrated. You can purchase water buckets that you can clip to the wire of your crate.
14. A small cooler bag that can hold a six-pack and has a shoulder strap – you can pick this up at Wal-Mart.  You’ll need this to take ringside with you.  Things to put in it:  bait, extra lead  just in case you have an equipment failure, a small brush or comb for ringside touch-ups, peppermints for you  (this is to mask the smell of fear…your dog will know if you are nervous), and a squeaky.  This bag is a good place to put your ribbons when you win.  Write your name and cell number on the inside of the flap.  You can leave this bag on the floor or in a chair near ringside while you're in the ring.
15. A groomers smock – you can order these online or from catalogs and you can buy them at beauty supply stores or from vendors at the shows.  You need this because you should be dressed in your show clothes before grooming your dog.  The smock will keep the chalk, etc., off of your clothes.  It’s best to groom your dog and walk him to the show ring without having to put him back in the crate if you can keep from it.  Don’t leave him on the grooming table to run to the bathroom or anywhere without either putting him back in his crate or asking a reliable person to watch him on the table.  He could jump off and choke.
16. Books about handling and dog show procedure…..order some tapes too!  Read and watch everything you can.  Order the booklet from the AKC website about getting started showing your dog.

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