A Junior’s Journal: Camryn Sherrin

Interview with Camryn Sherrin

1. Where do you live? Where do you go to school?

My name is Camryn Sherrin. I live in Tucson, Arizona, and I’m currently enrolled as a senior in ASU Prep Digital, taking half high school and half college classes.

2. Do you have any hobbies or interests apart from purebred dogs? Do you have a job?

I currently don’t really have any other hobbies other than dog shows, because I’m focusing on getting good grades in my classes. For work, I DoorDash in my free time.

3. Have you grown up in a doggy family? What is your breed(s)?

I was introduced to Junior Showmanship through my mom, who has bred and shown Cavalier King Charles Spaniels since I was little. My mom’s best friend’s daughter did Juniors, and I became interested. I started competing when I was 9 years old.

4. How were you introduced to Junior Showmanship? When did you start competing?

I have absolutely grown up in a dog family, and have helped to take care of litters of puppies since I was little. After much convincing, my mom got me my first Pomeranian, and since then it’s been my breed.

5. What do you remember about the first time you showed as a Junior?

I remember my first time showing as a Junior; I showed my mom’s Cavalier, Dickens, in a big Cavalier Specialty. I also remember being upset that I didn’t win, which was funny considering it was my first time. I had a lot of fun, though, and got hooked on it immediately.

6. How do you prepare your dog and yourself for the ring? Any rituals? Any good luck charms?

I don’t have any rituals to prepare myself and my dog for the ring, but I am consistent in some things. I always wash, brush, and trim any dogs I’m showing the day before I leave. Then throughout the show weekend, I touch them up. When it comes to myself, I wake up early every morning, around 5:45 or 6:00, and do my makeup, hair, and get dressed in time to go walk dogs for the handler I work for. Recently, I got this cute little glass duck as a lucky charm that I just keep in my grooming bag because it’s cute. But I guess I can count it as a good luck charm.

7. What’s it like in the ring when the pressure is on? Do you have a secret for handling the nerves?

I don’t usually get nervous in the ring anymore, but at big competitions like Orlando, Westminster, and scholarship-winning competitions I definitely get nervous. I actually get visibly shaky from the nerves. Contrary to handling it, I feel like when the pressure is on I perform better than I usually do. When I get shaky, I have to zone in to calm myself down, and then I’m really focused on myself and my dog rather than being distracted or just going through the motions.

8. Do you have a mentor in the sport? Have you assisted any Professional Handlers?

I have had a couple mentors through the sport. My mom, of course, because she has always been supportive and has taught me a lot about taking care of dogs, showing, grooming, and especially, breeding. Amanda Seitzer, who was a handler who focused on mainly Pomeranians and took me to a lot of shows when I was little, taught me almost all of my grooming and showing tips for Pomeranians and really helped me get a start on them early on. And three out of the five Pomeranians I currently own have been bred by her. My third mentor is Kristina Rock, who’s the handler I currently work with. She is friends with Amanda and shows Labrador Retrievers and is mainly focused on big dogs. She has really helped with my experience for handling and showing bigger dogs, as it’s something I used to struggle with. I have learned a lot from all of these people and I am endlessly grateful, because I wouldn’t be as experienced as I am now without them. I have assisted and helped many different handlers, and Kristina is the nicest, most fair, and by far the most enjoyable person to help.

9. Are there any wins for which you are particularly proud? Any memorable losses?

I am particularly proud of one of my most recent wins, where I took my first Best in Show and the Owner-Handled Best in Show on the same day. It gave me a ton of hope for Owner-Handlers because, lately, it hasn’t seemed possible to win big without being a handler. But enough judges recognized and liked my dog to give me that win. It’s the most exciting day I’ve ever had at a show and it’s incredibly rewarding for all the work I’ve put into showing and into my dogs.

10. How do you accentuate your dog’s breed type in the ring? How do you try to stand out?

For Pomeranians, you want them to look like a circle inside a square. Another important breed feature is their chest carriage. Therefore, when showing my Poms, I keep the lead tight when moving to accentuate their chest carriage. I also stack them and bait their heads upward, to make them look more like a circle. I try to stand out by being different from others. On the down and back, I learned a turn from someone, who’s actually a judge now, where he turns to the left and the dog turns around him to the right. It looks really cool and isn’t too hard to train, and it just shows that extra polish and makes me stand out a little bit more. I also have a brush in the ring to make sure my dog looks good after the table exam and after down time.

11. Is your breed generally well-suited for a Junior Showmanship career?

My breed is a little difficult for Junior Showmanship. They’re little, so they can get scared and tired easily. And in the heat, they get really hot because of all of their hair. I don’t think they are bad Juniors dogs, though, because if you can get a bond with one they will show their heart out for you.

12. Are there any breeds that you would love to show but haven’t shown yet?

I would love to show a Whippet. I’ve never handled one before, but the breed itself is beautiful and they’re very smart and elegant. I like the idea of being able to stack them on anything (table, ramp, and ground), and they seem like a perfect size to show. I also think they are really cute.

13. What can be done to encourage more young people to participate in Junior Showmanship?

I think, to encourage more Juniors to show, we should advertise Juniors better. I think a lot of kids just don’t know about it. I never would have until my mom’s friend told us about it. We should make a big deal at the big televised shows, and give cool prizes to kids to encourage them to come try it out.

14. Have you bred or co-bred a litter? If so, can you share what you’ve learned from the experience?

I have co-bred multiple litters of Cavaliers and Pomeranians, and I just recently had my first litter of Pomeranians under my own kennel name, Winterboots. When you breed your own dogs, every win and achievement feels so much more exciting. When you breed, train, groom, and put the work into your dogs, finishing them and winning is just that much more exciting. It’s like all of your hard work has paid off.

15. Is breeding something that you’d like to pursue? Is breed preservation important to you?

I’m not sure, right now, if breeding is something I want to pursue in the future. I know I want to take a break from breeding and dog shows when I go to college, but maybe I’ll come back after? Breed preservation is very important to me, as well as keeping up the breed’s quality. I think branching out to breed to stud dogs and working with other breeders is a good way to do those things.

16. What are your goals for the future? Do you see yourself continuing in the sport once you’ve aged-out?

My goal for the future is to become a reputable breeder. I want to become recognized as someone who has nice dogs and helps the breed in the long run. I see myself continuing in the sport once I age-out, but not seriously like a handler. I’d like to do a little breeding and showing as a hobby.

17. Can you share a word or two about your relationship with your current dog? What does s/he mean to you?

I currently show two different Poms in Juniors. My dog, Taki, is a dog I co-bred, raised, and have trained and worked with for a couple of years. I love this dog with all of my heart. And even after Juniors, if I don’t want to show anymore, he will be my pet for life. I have a bond with this dog like no other, and I can’t imagine not having him. Cooper is my first dog under my kennel name, and I mainly focus on showing him in Breed, and sometimes I show him in Juniors. He’s not as well trained as Taki because he has a lot of energy that he doesn’t know how to control when showing. He’s a beautiful dog and I’m incredibly proud of him. I have a great bond with him because I also bred and raised him from a newborn, and have trained and shown him for a year and a half.

18. Is there a funny story that you can share about experiences as a Junior Handler?

I think the funniest story I have about being a Junior happened a few years back. I was in gymnastics at the time and had hyperextended my knee. I had an almost full leg brace on for it, and I was already entered in a show. So, I competed with the brace. For one of the deciding factors that the judge was doing for the class, she was having everyone hand-stack their dogs. When it came to me, I figured she wouldn’t ask me to get on the ground because of the brace, but she did, and I struggled really hard to get on the ground. Only when I was having a really hard time stacking my dog did she notice that I had a HUGE leg brace on. My mom found it quite hilarious, watching me try to stand back up on my own.

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