I’ve often heard judges remark that if two equal rabbits are before them, the one that holds a pose will more than likely win the class. Put yourself in the judge’s place… Could you more easily assess a squirming, jumpy, uncooperative animal or one that just sits there being beautiful as long as you care to examine it?

I taught kindergarten once upon a time. I can see similarities between the row of bunnies on the show table and a room full of 5-year-olds. You have your insecure and frightened little ones, your curious explorers, your over-stimulated excitable ones, your troublemakers, your little angels. The judge sees potential in them all… but those "little angels" are so easy to work with!

     Some rabbits just seem to pose naturally. Maybe it’s genetic and they came from a long line of "posers"! But if yours is not a natural, there are some things you may be able to do to help him/her along.

     Start taking the baby show rabbit out once or twice a day when it is four to five weeks old. Get it used to being handled and set up correctly. Don’t expect it to hold a pose for more than a second or two at first – rabbits have very short attention spans. Always handle it gently and slowly, talk to your bunny, and set it back in the cage softly. You want to make it clear that being picked up and set somewhere is not going to be a frightening experience.  Get your bunny used to having your hand run over its body. As your rabbit gets older you can expect it to hold a pose for longer periods.

     Learn the proper pose for your breed of rabbit. The hind feet should set up flat on the table and in the position the rabbit would normally choose to sit. In compact breeds, like the Jersey Wooly, Polish, and Mini Rex, among others, the toes of the front feet should fall just below the eyes. Try to avoid the temptation to shove the hind end up so far that the hind feet end up just behind the elbows! That might make the rump appear rounder, but it makes the shoulders lower and looks obviously wrong – it is unnatural.

     Placing your fingers under the chin and gently lifting will encourage the rabbit to show its correct headset. Scratching the rabbit gently just in front of the eyes will cause it to bring its ears up and forward into a correct position (reflex response).

     Now to address some of those uncooperative little squirts…

     This is the rabbit that wants to sit flattened out with its chin resting on the table. To some extent, this may be a conformation problem. These rabbits are often long-bodied and lack depth. They do not carry the proper head set because of the way they are built. I’ve had some success in training this type of rabbit to sit up more – I take them out of the cage once or twice a day, and hold their favorite treat in front of them, just above the table. They have to sit up to eat the treat from my hand. While they munch, I set their feet in position and run my hands over their bodies. Most of the time they become calmer and learn to sit up routinely.

     He’s the one that has to consistently stand up to get a better view of his surroundings. Sure, everybody laughs and thinks he’s cute (after all, he is just begging for attention), but a judge can’t assess a vertical rabbit.

     When you are training your bunny to pose, try scratching it under the chest or belly every time it stands up. Rabbits don’t like to be touched there, and he will sit back down. If you do this consistently, he will learn that it’s more comfortable to stay close to the table.

     Sometimes this posture can result from fear or aggression, especially in bucks.  So be careful when you touch the chest or belly that you don't get a finger nipped.

     Also, rabbits that exhibit this posture usually can't stand to have your hand on their head or covering their eyes, so as much as possible try to pose the bunny without touching the head.  As the animal becomes calmer about posing and is getting the idea that it's better to sit down, gently begin to touch the head as you set it up.  Also try giving the bunny a head scratch when it's in it's cage during feeding time -- the idea is to de-sensitize the defensive reflex.

     She believes that she is about to be tonight’s blue plate special and everyone in the crowd brought barbeque sauce. This is an instance where starting young may make all the difference. If the rabbit is never handled except when at shows, it is not likely to strike a calm pose for a stranger. Fear can also cause biting and scratching, and no judge appreciates that. Be sure to keep this bunny in a quiet and calm area before showing her. You may even want to toss a towel over her carrier to keep out strange sights and sounds if it isn’t too hot.

     He’s looking for love in all the right places, has his nose glued to the table sniffing for clues, and his bunny-perfume under-tail marking equipment locked and loaded. His brain only has room for one subject, and you’re not it.

     Sometimes placing a little clear vanilla or peppermint extract on the nose of a buck can help him keep his mind on the task at hand. You may need to also keep your hand at the ready to keep this lover in his hole when he sees other bunnies next door.

     He’s mad as heck that you even decided to bring him here and he’s not gonna’ take it anymore. It seems the more you handle one of these guys, the madder they get. We had one buck that got this way anytime he was at a cooped show. The rest of the time he was a marshmallow!  He was so irate by the end of Convention that he faced off the judge and would have liked to remove a finger or two.

     Patience and calmness usually win out here. You may be able to calm the animal down somewhat.  This rabbit may also benefit from having a towel or curtain around his cage so he doesn't get worked up over the environment.  However, if you feel the rabbit is definitely going to bite the judge, or the hand of a child or exhibitor who may be trying to help keep him in his hole, then do the right thing and scratch the entry. A judge can DQ a biter anyway, and you wouldn’t want anyone to get hurt.

     This bunny is so used to being held and loved that she figures the only safe place is … in the judge’s arms!  We had one buck (one of Anna’s very first bunnies – need I say more?) that consistently leapt into the arms of every judge that ever looked at him.  One guy about fell backward trying to avoid what he thought was a vicious rabbit attack!

     I once heard the saying, "Don’t pet the show rabbits, and don’t show the pet rabbits." The gist is that you want to keep a show rabbit alert and just a little uptight so that it shows well. Being too relaxed doesn’t translate well on the show table. If Gorgeous George spends most of his evenings sitting on your lap and watching TV, perhaps you should just let him be a gorgeous pet. Or at least warn the judge!

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