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As the founder of Dog Show Mentor, Lee Whittier helps owner handlers become more knowledgeable, confident, and competitive through education, mentorship, and a strategic approach to showing dogs. Her work encourages exhibitors to look beyond the ribbon, better understand their dogs and the judging process, and continually improve their skills both inside and outside the ring. Lee brings more than three decades of experience in purebred dogs to her mentoring, writing, and judging. An experienced Best in Show breeder and exhibitor, former AKC Executive Field Representative, and internationally respected judge, she now judges multiple Groups at prestigious dog shows throughout the United States and internationally. A regular contributor to SHOWSIGHT, Lee received the 2026 Dog Writers Association of America Award for Op-Ed or Commentary, taking top honors in the category for her SHOWSIGHT article. Lee lives in Vancouver, Washington, where she enjoys her Tibetan Terriers, gardening, and hiking. To learn more about expanding your dog show horizons, contact Lee at: Lee@DogShowMentor.com.
Meet the Owner Handlers
Sometimes it takes discipline to train your dog, so why not create a sequence of habits that makes you happy? Read more.
Meet the Owner Handlers
Goal setting may seem dry, even mundane. Still, think about it like this: With preparation and planning comes success. And winning is FUN!
National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS)
Lee Whittier talks about the National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS), the problems that plague it, and potential solutions. Read more.
National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS)
I was recently asked, “Is there some trick I can use to get my dog to stand still in the show ring?” The answer was staring her in the face.
Meet the Owner Handlers
The exciting part about dog shows is that there are multiple opportunities of learning, that can happen both at ringside and in the ring.
National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS)
How one shows up as a Dog Show Owner Handler is a choice based on career, home, family, lifestyle, or another basis.
Dog Clubs
If you have a better dog, you can win more, right? But there are many elements that influence how the quality of dogs affects your win rate.
Meet the Owner Handlers
Dog people choose breeds for a lot of different reasons. However, an original breed doesn’t have to be the only breed.
National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS)
Owner Handler Group Conflicts – Recently I have heard many exhibitors complain how they feel that all too often the AKC Non-Regular
All About Judging
When you show a dog in its classic breed presentation, you are honoring its lineage—both the breed history and the future of your breed.
Meet the Owner Handlers
Perfectionism, specifically the pitfalls of perfectionism as addressed by Hara Estroff Marano, “may be the ultimate self-defeating behavior.
National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS)
Call to Action Around the confusion Surrounding NOHS Judges | There are National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS) exhibitors who are unsure about
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