I'll echo Tanza's comments about waiting to enter. I've only been doing this since late July, and I'll say it's very easy to let nerves get the best of you when you get in the ring and you almost don't realize what you're doing sometimes when nerves get the best of you. I'd suggest waiting until Eli is confident and practiced in class or at home about what to do and Jaycee is comfortable with the procedures before doing it for real. There isn't any rush, and it's more of a challenge with puppies too.
Ideally, it would be great if he can develop a system, so that everytime he goes into the ring, he does things the same exact way every time (of course, Jaycee may throw that off a little) regarding stacking, etc. That way he almost won't have to think about the procedure so much and he can concentrate on making the dog look good as he gets more experience and more practice. I'm learning this now from personal experience, I've been a little lucky in the ring starting out, but it's been more due to my dog versus my handling (not sure I want to see the video from Nationals, lol). This past weekend at a show one of my club members who was also attending basically communicated those tips as she very nicely ripped apart my handling techniques (or lack thereof) and rebuilt them to something more effective. So I've got lots of practicing to do before my next show.
All that being said, I think it's a lot of fun so I hope Eli and Jaycee have a good time in a new adventure!
Also, before I got a grooming table, I used the kitchen counter with one of those soft rubber shelf liners that you can get at Wal-Mart. My dog can stand on it easily without slipping.
