Please could someone help me as I seem to think I am getting somewhere with understanding some of these rules of showing, only to find I have managed to completely confused myself.
Anyway I have just figured out (by reading many other posts on here) what AVNSC means and I think that this could be what I need to enter my DDB into as there are not many shows local to me which have DDB classes which have not already closed their entries.  But then I saw on a post someone talking about AV - is this the same as ANVSC or a completely different class and if it is different would this be better for me than AVNSC?.
Also have I got it right that if there is no puppy class I should be entering my Louis into another class e.g. junior (as he has only just turned six months) and then if he gets placed but beaten by older dogs he will be best puppy dog? Or does this just happen when there are DDB clases but no puppy classes. 
Thank you in advance for any help in de-fuddling my brain

AV classes are for ALL dogs, whether they have breed classes or not. (So AV Working would include ALL working breeds.) AVNSC classes are for those breeds that do not have breed classes. So you would normally enter AVNSC with a dog of a breed that had no classes at the show in question, and best AVNSC is the same as BOB and that dog will go forward to compete in the group (if there are groups) in the exact same way as if it had won BOB out of its own breed. AV is just another class, an extra class, that doesn't really count for anything.  So AVNSC is the main one to go for.

Yes, if there is no Puppy class enter the next one up. It can be Junior, it could even be Post Gard, and at some shows with few classes some breeds may only have one Open class and nothing else.

Good luck!

Wow, Thanks for your speedy reply and your help - I just don't want to be making a fool of myself by turning up to a show, finding out I have entered the wrong class and then my baby doing what he does best which is sitting when he should be standing and bouncing when he should be walking.
Thanks again

If you're a real beginner the book Good Showing by Peggy Grayson might be useful to you. She covers all the basics from filling out forms correctly and ring etiquette to what not to wear in the ring. The author and book are from the UK (you have to watch books as sometimes they're written by, and for, americans) I bought mine from Amazon.

Am I right in thinking the DDB have just come off the Imp Register? Hope so or you are in for a whole new set of instructions.

Hi Nova, yes the DDB have just come off this year and you can now qualify for crufts, however, I am noth thinking that far ahead just yet

Good luck with showing,we didn't enter our first show until Bath which was 11 months ago.But we have built up confidence seem to know what  is what,and within 2 shows we qualified for Crufts.YIPPEE.Mind you Demon was pants but we did have a great day.We now have 4 dogs that we show and are off to our first show of the year that carries C.C s for our breed on Friday.Mind you not looking forward to the 2.30 am start.Remember to ask for advise most people are only too happy to give it.

I would enter both AVNSC and AV if I were you, more practice for both of you. And if you win Best AVNSC which as Marianne says is like getting BOB, withdraw from the AV classes to remain eligible for the Group (unless the Group judge is doing AV, in which case if he doesn't like you in AV he won't like you in the Group!). And yes, if you are unbeaten by any other PUPPIES in a Junior or Graduate class, you should stand ready to challenge for Best Puppy AV or AVNSC, make sure the steward remembers you!

Think it is a good idea to enter as many classes with a puppy as you can for the practice, you can allways withdraw if you or the pup are tired. Remember you can't withdraw from breed or AVNSC classes but you can from all others and you can sometimes get a pup under as many as 3 different judges at the one show.

The problem with entering a lot of classes is that if the judge doesn't like you in your first class you are likely to get disheartened. When you are new I wouldn't enter loads of classes, maybe 2 or 3, just to get the feeling of it. Remember that if you have a puppy you will probably be at a great disavantage against older, more mature dogs. Keep to the lower classes (puppy, junior, yearling) until you know what you are doing.

We did this in our first show.First class is fine,but it can get boring and tiring for the dog especially if it is consequative classes under the same judge.You will end up standing in a corner as the judge has already gone over your dog.You may be lucky if you pick up a place but can be disheartening if you don't.It is very rare now that we enter in more than one class as the dogs do get bored.

Don't think I made myself clear, you would not keep entering under the same judge, no point but if you can enter under two or three different judges it is worth it with a pup better than any ringcraft class.

Thanks for all the encouragement and advice, I have entered him in the closed DDB club of great britain show which is in a couple of weeks, but this is more to compare him against other DDBs, I will have to have a look over the weekend and get him entered into some more and see how he (and I) cope.
Thanks again.
Lindsey

We went to our first show on Sunday.  Apart from arriving quite a bit too early for our class and hanging arund, we had a great day.  The stewards were really friendly and great for helping novices like us understand what we were doing.  Godd luck and most of all have fun!