Learning to Show Guide for Beginner Swine Exhibitors

First time pig project owners have a serious task ahead - training your hog to show! It's no easy task but it is doable and thousands of new project owners do it every year. You'll need to be able to get your pig to the wash rack, the show ring and finally around the arena with style.If you're just starting out with your first project we'd like to help with a few key basic pointers that start at home.

• Let your animal get used to you. Spend time to build trust with your animal while you are feeding and cleaning so it become ok with you touching and handling it.
• Work your pig 2-3 times per week. It's going to take a few lessons for you and your pig...when was the last time you learned a difficult skill on the first try? Plan to start working your pig a few times a week starting with 10 minutes and upping your practice time each week until you get to 45 min.
• Use a wooden cane to start. Today there are lots of fancy, shiny and sparkly "canes" but you'll find playing around with friends - those things hurt!! And they will leave marks on your pig. Start with a wooden cane while practicing, save the fancy one for the show ring.

Ok, so you are out there and you've got a cane. Now what?Your pig is running all over the place or at a dead stop! Here are the basic goals to keep you on track...

• Keep your pig moving at an even pace. Use just a hand flat on the top of their back a few times to get them going. You can also try turning your pig with a tap to the jowl or steady presure with your cane to get them started walking. You'll also have to keepan even pace, if your pig is running you'll still need to be walking calmly to where ever it went, don't chase.
• Use a practice judge. Walk your pig back and forth in half circles about 15-25 feet in front of the judge. You'll want to be in eye sight of the judge where he can easily see your project at all times and so you can see when he/she gives you instruction. Stay out of corners and away from the sides of the ring, and remember keep your pig between you and the judge.
• Turn your pig into your knees. The judge cares the least about your pigs head. He or She wants to see the side, the butt and how well your animal can move. To turn your hog into your knees reach over their head with your cane, tap their jowl and push their head toward your knees while you take a step in front of them. After your project learns to turn all you'll have to do is put your cane in front of their eye and guide them around the turn without even touching them! (Seriously, it's magic.)
• Be more stubborn than your project, in a nice way. With pigs this is a hard task but at the beginning you'll need to make them go where you want a few times each practice, even if they are making a B-line for their pen. When you are practicing have a place in mind you are steering towards, that pole over there, that patch of weeds over here - it really doesn't matter. The point is you are navigating, not them.
• Make sure your pig is practice ready. Practice is best done in a cool environment after you've fed your pig.If they arelooking for food or water or have not had a chance to get out and run around it will be almost impossible to practice. Early morning orlate afternoon arelow temperaturetimes where you canpractice after feeding and you'll have a lot more success.

Safety Tip: What is the hook for on the cane? Put your hook down and it's your tool as a herdsman to get your pig away from a fight when the obstacle presents itself with out using your hands.An even better tool is aboard, just put it between the too pigs and keep your hands out of it. In the show ring your ring staff will bring a board in this situation.

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