Let me introduce my beautiful Havanese, Zambo and Luna, who are half-siblings. When they were puppies, I used to walk them together on six-foot leads, and they were inseparable. Their strong bond inspired me to consider competing in brace competitions. The most challenging aspect to teach them was making turns, mainly when they needed to move around the inside of a turn. However, with just a bit of training, we could accomplish this task together, and it turned out to be a lot of fun! And so, we began our adventure into brace competitions.

A pair of dogs forming a brace is a captivating sight and a longstanding tradition in show competitions. A show brace entails connecting two dogs that closely resemble each other regarding breed type, style, and color. This connection requires intricate training and practice to ensure they move and respond in perfect harmony as if they were a single dog. The judges evaluate the brace based on their similarity in behavior, appearance, and adherence to the correct breed conformation.

The American Kennel Club defines a brace competition as a performance where two dogs of the same recognized breed or variety, presenting a similar appearance, perform synchronized movements. The brace is presented by a maximum of two handlers, and both dogs must have at least one common owner. Brace competitions are not recorded by the American Kennel Club, as they fall under nonregular classes and involve multiple dogs rather than individual ones. There are no points awarded toward any title. Consequently, the presence of braces at shows is relatively limited. Thankfully, this allows the handler and dogs to relax and enjoy themselves!

The aim of the brace is to demonstrate how these dogs can harmoniously look and move together. It is essential for the dogs in a brace to possess similar height, weight, and length, as this enables them to naturally synchronize their stride length, speed, and conformation angles. Optimal physical compatibility can be achieved by selecting dogs that are related, such as litter mates or parent-offspring, which also facilitates color matching.

Gaiting a brace team necessitates good compatibility between the dogs. Typically, a brace team consists of a male and female pair, although the dogs can be of different ages or even the same sex if they lack dominance issues. In FCI shows, a brace is referred to as a “breeding couple” event, requiring the team to be comprised of a male and female. However, the AKC does not impose any restrictions regarding the sex of the two dogs.

Based on my experience, the more dominant dog should be walked separately from the handler, similar to the lead horse in a team. When two dogs are walked together and constantly switch positions or compete for dominance, it indicates a lack of practice or an ongoing power struggle. If you fail to control the lead and coupler effectively, the team’s overall control will suffer. This leads to a lack of smooth movement. Signals from your arm, transmitted through the lead and coupler, communicate your instructions to the dogs. Maintaining control is crucial for achieving synchronization between you and the dogs, allowing them to move as a unified entity.

A team in a brace formation benefits from maintaining moderate tension on both the lead and coupler. To achieve this, it is important for you to extend your left arm outward and away from the body, ensuring that the lead is perpendicular to the ground above the dogs. By positioning the dogs out and away from you, they can move freely without any risk of colliding with each other or you.

For the dogs to function as a cohesive unit, they should experience an equal and moderate pull that allows them to move forward together. The lead should provide enough tension to facilitate smooth movement while also leaving enough slack to ensure the dogs’ comfort. It is crucial to note that brace leads, couplers, and collars are not standardized and should be designed to fit the specific dimensions of your Havanese. In our team, we can easily stand side by side, maintaining proper alignment, without any unnecessary slack in the lead.

To present a polished image, the gaiting of a brace should be executed at an appropriate pace. Your movement should be adjusted, whether faster or slower, to ensure that the dogs move in unison and showcase their best appearance. It is important to remember that in all-breed brace competitions, shorter-legged dogs typically follow the larger and faster dogs. These larger dogs can swiftly navigate the ring and confidently position themselves before the judge. The handler of a Havanese team must maintain a brisk pace, avoiding running but also not moving too slowly. Your team should walk at the correct speed, aiming to make an impression on the judge even if they are occupied with examining other dogs on the floor before your Havanese team completes their circuit around the ring.

Practice is the cornerstone of preparation as the following critical steps will show balance and control of a brace team or the lack of these:

• Coordinating movement as a unit. The dogs should begin their gait simultaneously. Dogs that start at different times will be out of sync for a while, missing an opportunity to impress the judge.
• Ending together and transitioning into a free-stack. The dogs should be trained to anticipate stopping together and smoothly transitioning into a beautiful free-stack position with minimal handler correction or hard-stacking. A seamless and synchronized stop into a free-stack will leave a positive impression on the judge.
• Maneuvering corners while gaiting around the ring. When making counterclockwise turns around the ring, the outside dog should move faster than the inside dog. It’s important to pay attention to the speed and positioning of the outside dog to maintain unity and synchronization within the team.
• Positioning the team on the examination table for the judge’s evaluation. Efficiently stacking two dogs in front of an eager judge requires practice. In all-breed brace competitions, a challenge can arise if the table is not readily available for smaller dogs. Make sure the steward has the table prepared promptly to avoid keeping the judge waiting.

In all-breed brace competitions, table dogs such as Havanese face a clear disadvantage due to the fact that floor dogs can easily be positioned for stacking. This puts table-dog handlers in a time crunch, as they have significantly less time compared to regular breed rings to table-stack their brace teams. Unfortunately, no additional recognition is given for the level of difficulty faced by table dogs. While a single dog can be table-stacked relatively quickly while the judge’s attention is on the previous dog’s down-and-back movement, achieving the same for a brace team in under thirty seconds requires dedicated practice.

Keep in mind that two dogs weigh twice as much as one, so the handler needs to be strong enough to lift both dogs onto the table while maintaining control efficiently. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Begin by stopping the dogs side by side on the floor, ensuring that you maintain control of the lead and coupler throughout the process.
2. With one hand around each dog on their outer sides, simultaneously lift both dogs, one in each hand. Place them gently on the table while keeping tension on the lead/coupler.
3. Once the dogs are on the table, position them in a way that their heads are under control, as controlling the heads means controlling the dogs. Use your left hand to hold the lead and coupler, while your right hand arranges the front foot positions to align the dogs from the judge’s viewpoint.
4. Transfer the lead back to your right hand while maintaining appropriate tension. Carefully reach around with your left hand to position the back legs. Remember that the judge will pay more attention to the positioning of the outside dog, so its appearance is more critical.
5. Once the back legs are in the best position possible, use the flat of your left palm to stroke the tails and showcase the nice tail set.
6. Throughout the process, ensure that you keep tension on the lead and coupler so that the dogs don’t move out of position while the judge examines them.
7. If the judge asks you to show the dogs’ teeth, transfer the lead back to your left hand and do your best to comply.

Remember, practice and attention to detail are essential in mastering these handling techniques.

• Returning dogs from the table to the floor requires a smooth and controlled approach. Instead of picking up both dogs at once, which can be clumsy and risky, regain control of the situation by transferring the lead back to your left hand after the judge has finished examining the table.

Position yourself beside the dogs and place your hands alongside them. Lift them simultaneously, ensuring a firm grip. As you lift, take a step backward, distancing yourself from the table. Then, carefully lower the dogs together onto the floor between you and the table. Throughout this process, maintain tension on the lead and coupler, maintaining control over the dogs’ positions.

This maneuver has the added benefit of concealing any potential clumsiness from the judge’s perspective, as the table may obstruct their view. Once the dogs are on the floor, extend the lead comfortably while keeping it taut, and move the dogs forward in a synchronized manner.

• Executing the down and back maneuver provides an additional chance for a brace team to display their agility. During the turn on the down and back, the inner dog executes a sharper bend while the outer dog needs to cover a greater distance due to the turn’s geometry. By gently widening the team’s swing, a seamless and elegant turn can be achieved, facilitating synchronized movement as the dogs commence their journey back towards the judge.

All-breed brace competitions have stricter criteria for table breeds compared to regular conformation presentations. The handlers must practice diligently to ensure that their team can move swiftly while maintaining proper form. They must also be able to quickly stack two dogs onto the table without relying on a fatigued judge. It’s important to note that brace competition is often an additional responsibility for the judge, so any delays or clumsiness could result in the team being overlooked. The ideal handler and team are those who possess speed and precision. The dogs should cooperate and feel at ease while moving in a synchronized manner in close proximity. This challenge becomes truly rewarding when the team performs flawlessly, allowing the judge and audience to witness the harmony in their movements.