Meet the Professional Handler: Chuy Moreno

Meet the Professional Handler: Chuy Moreno

1. How did your journey as a professional handler begin, and what keeps you passionate about this career today? (We’d love to hear about your background, your mentors, and your first time in the ring.)

Chuy Moreno: Everything began in Mexico. I am from Irapuato, Guanajuato. Since I was a child, I have always been fond of animals and nature, but especially dogs. When I was around 12 years old, we moved to a larger house, and finally, I was able to have a dog as a pet. For some reason, my father had a friend with a litter of Akitas and I was the happiest child in the world with my male Akita named Bobby, who also became the family’s dog. In that new neighborhood, I became Jorge Olivera’s neighbor, and he introduced me to the dog show world and invited me to join the local kennel club. That is how everything began for me. I attended my first dog show. I showed for the very first time in Juniors with no knowledge of how to do it. I found a dog to show, and suddenly, I was hooked. I started traveling with Jorge to multiple shows all over Mexico. Years later, Jorge had the opportunity to come to the United States and work for Scott Sommer as an assistant. He migrated to the United States, and I started helping another great handler and trainer, Jorge Flores, who had a lot of experience in German Shepherd Dogs and Working breeds. Later on, Jorge moved to Phoenix to work for Clay Coady, and one time, we got in touch and he invited me to join him and work for Clay as well. I had to sell one of my dogs to pay for my visa and passport, and I ended up at Clay’s kennel, who became one of my biggest mentors. Then Jorge started on his own, and I became Clay’s number one assistant from that moment until he retired two years later.

2. What does being a “professional” mean to you, both in the ring and beyond? How do you preserve the traditions of being a true professional (and not a self-proclaimed one) and how do you ensure the safety of the dogs in your care?

Chuy Moreno: Being a professional to me is everything; it is my life and it needs a lot of respect, dedication, passion, and love for the dog world. I try every day to do my job and apply all the knowledge I learned from all my mentors. The first and most import thing is the care and well-being of the dogs in your care. We are here for the dogs, and that has to be our priority over any ribbon; all of my decisions are based on this—and that is at home, traveling, and during the show. That’s why it is very important to have a safe place, a vehicle with all that you need for the safety of the dogs, to cover every possible situation in case of any accidents. These are live animals and anything can happen, so it is our responsibility to ensure their safety.

3. Can you walk us through your preparation process before stepping into the ring with a dog? From conditioning and training to mindset, what does it take to deliver a top-level performance consistently?

Chuy Moreno: Stepping into a ring is the easiest part if you do your homework. Everything starts at home with having clean facilities, clean crates, clean water, good food, conditioning, training, and grooming. Every dog is part of my life and family, and based on that, and respect, you can have a successful performance from your dogs. When they trust you and know you, they do everything for you.

4. What changes have you seen in the sport over the years—for better or worse? What’s your perspective on judging trends, show formats, exhibitor behavior, mentorship, and the influence of social media?

Chuy Moreno: I’ve seen a lot of changes, but unfortunately, for the worse. Breeding is a constant process and a lot of work to keep improving the quality of your dogs and bloodlines. I believe a lot of new people just breed to breed… and quality has decreased. I’ve also noticed people want instant gratification and don’t ask and search for mentorship. I feel like even the dog show has become more of a status on social media than about breeding stock, which is the main reason of dog shows—to show your breeding program to people and offer your lines, so people can have access to improve their breedings programs as well.

5. How can we teach Juniors the importance of continuing to learn about different breeds, care and training, grooming and handling, and the value of keeping the essence of the sport alive?

Chuy Moreno: I think we need to go back to basics and teach Juniors that the most important things are the care of dogs and learning about the Breed Standards. Work for professional handlers and breeders, and learn from them so that they can also pass their knowledge to future generations. Don’t just show in Juniors and buy a tackle box and become a handler.

6. What are the biggest challenges and opportunities facing the dog show community today? Where do you see growth, and where is improvement needed? Are there positive trends that give you hope for the future of the sport?

Chuy Moreno: In my opinion, the biggest challenge is that we are losing a lot of good dog people, breeders, judges, and handlers, and that knowledge is gone. We need to step in and stop rewarding mediocre dogs, so we can push to produce better quality and motivate new breeders to learn more and seek mentorship. We need to go back and see this as breeding stock if we want to keep having quality dogs in the sport. We need to be more enthusiastic and be proactive about teaching new people. We need less shows in the same areas, so we can have fewer shows with more numbers and better competition. Good competition and good quality make you do better and try harder.

7. What would you like the fancy to know about you? Outside of dogs, what helps you stay balanced, grounded, or inspired? (Any hobbies, interests, or people in your life who help you recharge and bring your best self to the ring?)

Chuy Moreno: Most people don’t know that after I left Clay, I went back to Mexico to run a little pig farm that we had. During that time, I finished my degree in law school with a specialty in labor law, but I couldn’t stay away from my passion… and I believe that was my calling in life. So, one day, I quit everything and called Jorge again. I started working for him for two years until I decided it was time to go out on my own and follow my dream to be a professional dog handler and try to be like the people I have always admired, like Clay Coady, Jorge Olivera, Gabriel Rangel, Ernesto Lara, and Carlos de la Torre, who helped me a lot when I was in Juniors. From the first time I watched Westminster in 1993, when I saw Kimberly Calvacca with the Boxer, Biff, and Jimmy Moses with Mystique, Gary Steele with Futurian, and many others, I knew what I wanted to do in life. That’s why, when people said “who cares,” I responsed that I do because I really care and I really do love my career as a Professional Handler.

8. Lastly, Tell us about your plans for the year ahead. Who will you be showing and what are your strategies for achieving your goals?

Chuy Moreno: Plans for this year include having a great, successful year with my Giant Schnauzer, Flirt, a beautiful girl that just started her career as a special, and so far, with great results. My Scottish Terrier, Jax, finished his championship last year during Montgomery weekend with great results and is already a multiple Group winner and great producer. My Miniature Schnauzer, Push, just recently became a multiple Group winner and Reserve Best in Show winner. And I will keep showing my class animals in different breeds and classes. My plan to achieve all this is to keep working hard and offer the best service to my clients, so they keep trusting me to send their dogs.