Tricks of the Trade: From Best Intentions to Best in Show, Revised Edition

by Pat Hastings

In the show ring, judges assess the whole package, which is the sum of effective breeding, evaluating, rearing, teaching, conditioning, nutrition, grooming, care and presentation. Pat Hastings discusses all of these elements in this book and shares a variety of tips and tricks that she has found useful over her long career in the dog world. The revised edition is a significantly enhanced resource, with expanded text, more visuals and all-new illustrations.

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2005

Reviews

[Hugo's Mom · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure this is sacrilege to many who revere Pat Hastings, but I thought this book was extremely antiquated and out of date. If you are looking into it in 2021, I would suggest buying used if you want to read it.

There were a lot of little tips on things, but often more akin to wives' tales than anything reproducible in a documented way. Structure and form win, and there are better books on structure and mechanics in my opinion, so I'd skip this for those.

I truly struggle to get by the prescriptive timeframe for evaluation. There's nothing scientific about 8 weeks and 3 days. And that is essentially the theme throughout. I am all for anecdotal experience being relayed, but on massive generalizations, I would prefer some reproducible studies behind it.

Anyway, I felt this was all a bit legalistic and prescriptive- two qualities I strongly dislike in books. Looking at 8 week old puppies is a toss up at best. Not to mention the "hold them on their back" test as being able to determine owner placement is very eye rolling at this point. How many YouTube scams have you seen where a "behaviorist" grades a breeders puppies by how she holds them? Well, if you search the answer is TOO MANY.

I am glad I read this, sheerly to squelch any remaining curiosity. But I wish I had bought it used and not paid Prime price for expedited shipping. This book is not all that, and now in 2021, you can find most, if not all, of this information on YouTube or other sm places.

[Debra Daniels-Zeller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers a wealth of information about showing dogs and it offs lots of tips and tricks, but the best trick is to have a dog that meets the confirmation standards before entering. Hastings is a long-time judge and makes it clear that hiding faults is a disadvantage to the breed. Confirmation includes soundness in movement. Well-written, this book delivers exactly what the title advertises.