Resist the temptation or pressure to enter your dog before he is truly ready.
Entering a show with the hope your dog will perfect an exercise in a given amount of time may only result in frustration and disappointment. Set your goals and decide what level of performance you expect from your dog. Stick to your goals and resist the temptations to bow to pressure from others or compare your dog to what others might be doing with their dogs. When your dog performs the exercises in a confident, reliable, accurate manner in a variety of circumstances and situations when training, it is time to send in the entry fees!
THINK BEFORE ENTERING A SHOW!
Entering a show before your dog is ready, will gain you nothing. It may even have negative effects on your dog. Possibly putting your team-mate in a bad situation where he will not be successful will demotivate and diminish his confidence. Much worse it might even teach him not to trust you. When you enter a show, you are telling your dog, the show committee, and your instructor, that you feel you are ready and have thoroughly trained your dog in all skills needed to be successful at the level you are entering.
Training your dog is a wonderful way to spend time with him. Make all training sessions fun and enjoyable for your dog and he will be eager to learn all you would like to teach him! Set attainable goals and work towards those goals on a daily basis. When he is ready, proof all the skills he needs to know in order to show confidently. You are a teammate with your dog. So, train consistently, fairly and most of all have fun!