Newbies need to "count the cost" before they hire the handler...if it is not in their budget...and you want to do it anyway....save your money until you can afford it....find a lesser known but good handler; Also, most (I did not say ALL) puppies are not competitive for the points...puppies need to be out having fun...take them to matches, owner handler if you know what you are doing, get a good friend who knows how to handle to take your puppies in.....there are different ways to accomplish the same goal... Pauline Moon - _www.ropajagsd.com_ (http://www.ropajagsd.com/) Ropaja German Shepherds:Member-GSDCAmercia & GSDCAtlanta - Best In Show AKC JAM/AOE/ BISS CH Ropaja's Chateau Beaujolais OFA HIC; BISS AKC CH Ropaja's Chateau Beaulieu OFA HIC; Multi BOB & GRP W AKC CH. Ropaja's Je Suis Fleur De Lis; Multi-BOB & GRP W AKC CH Ropaja's Je Suis Gabrielle. In a message dated 7/25/2012 7:32:37 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time, Showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes: If I were seriously campaigning a dog I would use a handler as I do believe in the long run it is far cheaper. But it is hard to hook newbies and their puppies when a weekend costs them so much. Ruth ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2011. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Each Author is responsible for the content of his/her post. This group and its administrators are not responsible for the comments or opinions expressed in any post. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org SUBSCRIPTION:http://showgsd.org/mail.html NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ ============================================================================