AKC CONFORMATION DOG SHOW

Dog Shows are put on to evaluate the results of purebred dog breeding programs. The American Kennel Club recognizes 159 different breeds of dogs. The American Kennel Club accepts qualified people to judge these breeds of dogs. The judges decide which dog is the closest representative of each Breed Standard. The Dog Show has several classes that ultimately result in defeating all the dogs in the show and winning the coveted award of BEST IN SHOW. There are dog shows virtually every weekend in the United States and Worldwide.

The Dog Show World is unique in many ways. It is like a small neighborhood that moves to a new town every weekend of the year. Dogs and their owners or handlers compete against the same dogs in different areas of the country. Dog Show people come together with the common interest of dogs. People from all walks of life and every socio-economic area all compete on the same level. There are friendships born that last a lifetime. The competitors come together for the weekend, visit, share stories about their dogs, have dinner together or help each other groom the dogs. These dog show people sometimes are second and third generation of dog show people. It is a great family sport. The whole family can go to the show and compete in different classes. The children have classes especially for them. The parents compete in their classes. While in the ring, everyone is trying to win with his or her dog. After the judges decision is made these competitors leave the ring and socialize together the rest of the weekend.

People travel hundreds of miles to show their dogs each weekend in the hopes of attaining a Championship Title on their dog. They travel by car, van, truck and motor home. Sometimes the dogs are flown across the country to compete in a show. Dogs can begin to compete at the age of 6 months and continue until they have achieved their Championship title. They can continue to show after that in the hopes of being Number 1 in their breed in the country.

Some things taken into consideration in the judging of dogs in an AKC Dog Show are Breed Standards and Breed Type. The Breed Standard is the “blueprint” for each specific breed of dog. Every breed of dog has a National Breed Club that sets the standard for that breed. A Breed Standard includes a brief history of the breed. It also includes a description of the structure, movement, temperament and other things indicative of that breed of dog. The Breed Standard can include any undesirable traits or disqualification’s for that breed. The Breed Type is the “look” of the breed that makes it different from all others. These are the specific characterizations that make the dog unique. It may be in the unique silhouette of the dog. It may be in the structure of the dog. I may be in the coat texture or clip of the coat. Type is a big part of the Breed Standard.

There are seven groups of dogs represented in an AKC Dog Show. These groups are: Sporting Dogs including retrievers, pointers and gun dogs. The Hound Group is for dogs that hunt by sight or scent. The Working Group includes dogs that do a specific job. The Terrier Group consists of all dogs that “go to ground” after game like rabbits and vermin. The Toy Group is for the companion dogs that we like to cuddle. The Non- Sporting Group is for the dogs that don’t quite fit in one of the other groups. The last Group is the Herding Group. These dogs are the cattle or sheep dogs that work on the farm.

At a dog show there are classes for each breed of dog. These include the Puppy Class, the American Bred Class, the Bred By Exhibitor Class and the Open Class. The male dogs are judged first. The girl dogs go next. This is the one place that is is proper to call a girl dog a bitch. Each winner from each class then is called into the ring to compete for Winners Dog and Winners Bitch. In each of the classes the judge picks the dog that comes the closest to fitting the Breed Standard for that breed. The judge looks for structure, movement, type, temperament and overall condition of each dog. One thing that is important for the judge to look for is the ability of each dog to do the job for which it was originally bred to do.

The Winners Dog and Winners Bitch each receive “points” toward their Championship. The AKC has a “point system” in place to determine how many points the dog receives by defeating the other dogs in their classes. These “points” can be awarded at the Group Level too. A total of 15 points are needed to gain the title of AKC Champion of Record. These points are won as single points and as major points. The majors are harder to achieve, because of the number of dogs needed to defeat. The points are different in different areas of the country depending on the number of dogs of each breed competing in that area.

The Winners Dog and the Winners Bitch go back into the ring to compete with the Champions for Best of Breed. The judge picks the dog that best represents that breed. Then the Best Opposite Sex dog is picked. The Best of Winners aware goes to the best representative between the Winners Dog and Bitch. The judge is allowed to present the Breed win or the Best Opposite win to the Best of Winners dog if they want too.

The seven Groups are judged after the entire individual breed judging is done for the day. There is a different judge for each of the seven groups. The Best of Breed winner from each breed in that group enters the ring to compete for Group One. The judge picks the dog in each group that most closely represents the dog most like the Breed Standard for each breed. It is a misconception that each dog is judged against the other dogs in the ring. The judge picks a 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th place winner in each group.

The final judging for the day is for Best In Show. The judge has seven dogs in the ring to choose from. There are many people sitting ringside for this event. Each dog is again judged against its breed standard. The winner of this class has defeated all the dogs entered and shown on that day. Usually there are between 600 and 3500 dogs entered at a show on any given weekend.

A judge has to have certain qualifications. They must have been active in one breed for at least 12 years, bred 4 litter of puppies and have finished 5 Champions from these litters. The prospective judge has to steward at several dog shows. This is to give the person a good idea of how to run a ring, get the dogs into the ring and generally keep moving for the judge. Then the prospective judge has to have n interview with the AKC Representative. The interview is lengthy and in depth about the breed the prospective judge is applying for. The prospective judge usually applies for the breed they are most involved with first. The application is sent into AKC. Then the prospective judge has to take a written test of the breed applied for. Professional Handlers can apply for several breeds at one time because of their knowledge of many breeds of dogs during their career. These are the most often used ways to attain a judging license from the American Kennel Club.

CLASS DEFINITIONS

BREED STANDARD: The blueprint of each breed of dog. The Standards are available from the AKC or from individual Parent Clubs.

BREED TYPE: The “look” of each dog . This can be found in the Breed standard.

DOG: A male dog. The dog must not be neutered to be shown in an AKC Dog Show.

BITCH: A female dog. The bitch must not be spayed to be shown in an AKC Dog Show.

BEST IN SHOW: The award given to the dog that has successfully defeated all the other dogs entered and shown that day.

BEST OF BREED: The dog deemed the best representative of that breed shown on that day.

BEST OF OPPOSITE SEX: The best dog of opposite sex to the Best of Breed dog that won that day.

WINNERS DOG: The dog that best represents the male dogs shown in the Breed classes.

WINNERS BITCH: The dog that best represents the female dogs shown in the Breed classes.

CLASS DESCRIPTIONS

PUPPY DOG 6-9 (months): Dogs that are at least 6 months old and not more than 9 months old on the day of the show.

PUPPY DOG 9-12 (months): Dogs that are at least 9 months old and not more than 12 months old the day of the show.

PUPPY DOG 12-18 (months): Dogs that are at least 12 months old and not more than 18 months old on the day of the show. This class is most often offered at a Breed Specialty.

AMERICAN BRED DOGS: Designed for the dog who is just out of the Puppy classes. This is a class for the young dog that is not mature yet.

BRED BY EXHIBITOR DOG: Open to dogs bred by the person handling the dog. This class is the showcase of a breeding program.

OPEN DOGS: Dogs that are in prime show condition and very competitive are shown in this class.

The “Bitch” classes are run the same as the “Dog” classes. The bitch classes are held after the dog classes and the Winners Dog is chosen.

Junior Showmanship classes are for children 8 years old through 16 years old. The children are judged on their ability to show a dog. There are 4 categories in this competition. Novice Jr. is open to the children 8-12 years who have not won a blue ribbon in this class. Novice Senior is open to 13 – 16 years old who have not won a blue ribbon in this class. Open Jr. and Open Sr. is for children who have had experience and have not won a blue ribbon in these classes. Many people who are showing today began as Jr. Handlers. This class is judged by one of the judges on the panel for the show.