How Good is Duckie's Conformation???

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It's kinda hard to tell from the angles and with stuff in the way, but he looks fairly decent. It's possible he's a little weak in the shoulders, and his ears look too long to me, but he does sit prettily. :D He might not have enough color. Then again, some rabbits that have borderline enough color can often earn GCh.
 
Okay thanks! :)



Oh, I would like to add that I haven't trained her to "sit pretty" for showing so that's why she might not be sitting perfectly. I just caught her at the right moment :) Anyone know how I might train a five or six month old Lop to "sit pretty"? Or is she too old to start?



ONE more thing, what are GCh's?

 
Does she like any particular treat that she usually gobbles down instead of playing with? That helps for training rabbits to sit.

I've only raised commercial type breeds that don't sit, but I've helped some 4-H members with their showier breeds. Initially it helps to use some sort of square rest, so the rabbit's bun and one side are against a surface, which trains them to sit square. Use the treat to tease her to sit up straight, and back. Sometimes, it's most effective to lift up her front end by pushing gently on her chest until her forefeet don't touch, then set her down with her forefeet just in front of her back toes. The pose should look natural and relaxed.

Some rabbits do bite, but you can't let them win, or they'll learn that biting means they get their way. That being said, I've had very few rabbits bite me while being posed. Usually they're cranky to begin with (such as from heat or stressful play). The key is to work with her when she's in a good mood. If she does happen to bite you, just hold her in place until she settles down (might mean pinning her by her shoulders, or holding her up off the ground, depending on how she's reacting; I'd say scruffing might be an option, but since she's a pet, she's probably not used to being handled by her scruff [which you'll have to work with her on eventually anyway if you plan to show, since the judge will need to flip her over to check nails, belly color, vent, and teeth]), and then try again. Get one more decent pose, treat, and then call it a day at that point.
 
Okay thanks :) I think that Duckie likes celery best but I'm not quite sure. Do you think that I could show at our county fair without being in 4-H? I'll try your idea in a minute here :)
 
Okay, I tried getting Duckie to sit nice and she got all grouchy. Is there something I'm doing wrong do you think?
Or is she just not in a good mood. She kept trying to get away. :p
 
Rabbits usually take a while to get used to it at first. With weekly 4-H meetings, any new rabbits that weren't particularly young, or used to being handled a lot to the point of not caring what people do to it, sometimes took a whole month (can't vouch for how much practice they got at home, though).

I don't see any reason not to enter at the county fair without being in 4-H. I especially like county fairs that aren't ARBA sanctioned because they're not as formal. Lots of times 4-H members and leaders will happily give you pointers. On the show table, it's mostly the judge that does the posing, and you're just there to keep the rabbit from running away (unless they have show coops, which I haven't seen at a small county fair, myself).

Just try working with her some more. Is she struggling as she's trying to get away or just trying to mosy away, sniffing around?

Some rabbits that are new the the show table take a while to learn not to move. When my 4-H kids had rabbits that tried to move while we were doing our showmanship practice, I'd have them place one hand on the rabbit's shoulders while waiting for their next direction (normally, you're not allowed to touch the rabbit until you're moving it; that's what practice/training is for!). Try putting her on a table about waist high that has carpet on it. Talk to someone else in the room, but keep your belly button toward her, and one hand lightly on her shoulders. If she tries to move, press down slightly (don't worry about the pose for now). When she stops, let up, and reposition her. Do that for about 15-20 minutes or until she gets really energetic in her attempts to get away, whichever comes first. Ideally, do this once a day (more if she really seems up to it). After doing the stay still work, give her some fresh treats and some open running play time (but don't just let her go; purposefully move her to a play area).
 
Okay. She seems to try to run away. She really doesn't like it :p I tried to do it with her today and yesterday. Today she did pretty well, but she still wanted ro get away. Thanks again for the advice :)
 
Hi there,
Duckie looks like a very cute bunny. Is she pedigreed? Where did you get her?
Do you think she has more than 10% colour on her? If not she would be disqualified for being a 'Charlie'.
For a doe I would say she is fairly well conformed but I would not say she is necessarily show quality, although very pretty :)
Her ears are bit on the long side and her body is a bit long. Check out this website to see some examples of show quality bunnies: http://www.threelittleladiesrabbitry.com/hollandlopsstandard.php
Also check out pictures of my rabbit Freddie. He is my best Lop I have ever had. My other bunny is a bit too long in the ears.
 
Thanks :) She isn't pedigreed :( We got her from someone on Craigslist for 30 dollars. I don't know how much color... 5% maybe??? Thanks :) Where can I see the pictures of Freddie?
 

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