Dog show

In a dog show, judges familiar with specific dog breeds evaluate individual dogs for how well they conform to published breed standards, hence the more accurate term is conformation show (or, sometimes, breed show).

"Dog show" is often used by the general public to refer to any event involving dogs, such as dog sports, but in the dog world it more specifically refers to conformation competitions.

Table of contents

1 Winning at dog shows
2 Judging dog shows
3 Championship titles and registered names
4 Prestigious dog shows
5 External links

Winning at dog shows

Dogs compete at dog shows to earn points towards the title of Champion. Each time a dog wins at some level of a show, it earns points towards the championship. The number of points varies depending on what level within a show the win occurs, how many dogs are competing, and whether the show is a major (larger shows) or minor (smaller shows).

Dogs compete in a hierarchical fashion at each show, where winners at lower levels are gradually combined to narrow the winners until the final round, where Best in Show is chosen.

At the lowest level, dogs are divided by breed, sex, and age. Within one breed, there are male puppies (dogs under a certain age), female puppies, mature male dogs, and mature female dogs. At this level, a dog could earn Best Puppy, Best Puppy of Opposite Sex (that is, opposite sex from the one chosen as Best Puppy), Best Dog, Best of Opposite Sex.

The winners of all the dogs of one breed might then be combined into one class, and from those is selected Best in Breed.

The winners of all breeds within the kennel club's breed groupings then compete. So, for example, all the terrier breed winners compete to determine Best Terrier.

Finally, the winners from each group compete for Best in Show.

Note: This roughly describes the U.S. model; might be quite different in other countries.

Judging dog shows

Judges attempt to identify dogs who epitomize the published standards for each breed. This can be challenging, because some judgements must necessarily be subjective. For example, what exactly entails a "full coat" or a "cheerful attitude", which are descriptions that could be found in the breed specifications.

Breed standards include such items as:

Color of coat
Pattern of markings
Length and angle of legs
Slope of back
Height of stop (where the dog's muzzle stops and rises to the top of the skull)
Set of ears
Shape and color of eyes
Color of nose
Quantity of wrinkles
Health of skin
Quality of stride as dog trots around ring
Dog's attitude (for example, growling or snapping at the judge isn't acceptable in any breed)
Many other qualifiers

Championship titles and registered names

A dog who has earned the Championship title is entitled to use the designation "Champion" (or "Ch") in front of his name, for example, Ch. Emerald's Brightest Sparkle.

Show dogs have a registered name, that is, the name under which they are registered as a purebred with the appropriate kennel club, and a call name, which is how their owners talk to them.

The registered name often refers directly or indirectly to the kennel where the dog was bred, or to the dog's parents, or to its littermates. For example, all dogs bred at the Gold Mine Kennels might be required to have names that include precious stones or minerals; names of all the puppies from one litter might be required to start with "Emerald" or simply the letter "E" or refer to any precious stone that's green.

The call name can be anything that the dog's owner prefers. For example, Emerald's Brightest Sparkle might be called "Sparky", "Bright", "Green", "Precious", "Gem", or, for that matter, "Fido".

Prestigious dog shows

Dog shows take place all year in various locations. Some are small, local shows, while others draw competitors from all around the country or the world. Some shows are so large that they limit entries only to dogs who have already earned their Championships. Therefore, winning Best in Breed or Best in Show can elevate a dog's, a breeder's, or a kennel's reputation to the top of the list overnight. This greatly increases the value of puppies bred from this dog or at the dog's kennel of origin.