By Julie Reardon

“My dog would have been a champion if he’d been shown.” How many times have we all heard (or maybe even said this) about our dogs? We all think our dogs are champions, which is a good thing. What’s actually involved in earning that title? The country’s largest breed registry, the American Kennel Club, awards that title to dogs that have earned 15 points in shows. Points are earned by winning over other dogs of its breed.

Almost every day of the year, the AKC sanctions a dog show somewhere; over 8,000 are held annually.

AKC member clubs host the shows; locally these include Catoctin, Maryland, Old Dominion, Rock Creek, Middleburg and Warrenton kennel clubs. Most host one or two annual shows and some offer training classes for dog shows and other canine sports like obedience, agility and more. In addition to being the number one family participation sport in the country, dog shows are also one of the oldest forms of organized sports. Showing animals, including dogs, sprang from a desire to find the best breeding stock so in keeping with this tradition, spayed or neutered dogs are not eligible to show.

While at a glance just trotting a good looking dog around a show ring and standing it squarely for the judge to examine doesn’t seem too hard, this is one of few sports where amateurs and professionals compete together. Presenting a dog to a judge at a show takes lots of practice including the art of “stacking” a dog, standing it squarely to show its best features and minimize any flaws. Then there’s presentation: many of the coated breeds require hours of expert preparation time to get their coats show ring ready.

For purposes of showing, the AKC divides dogs into seven groups—sporting, hound, working, terrier, nonsporting, toy, and herding. Within each breed classes are divided into regular and best of breed classes. The best of breed winners next go to their respective group class to find the group winners who then go on to the Best In Show competition. Most shows also have junior handler and obedience trial classes as well.

Classes for a breed are the starting point for beginner and experienced owners to gain championship points.  Some of the more popular breeds that are further divided into variety include Labradors by color, Dachshunds, longhaired, smooth, or wirehaired varieties, and American Cocker Spaniels, split by the colors black, parti-colored, and any solid color other than black (ASCOB).

To earn points, it is not enough for the dog to win its class—it must then go on to win over all the class winners of its same sex.  Classes include puppy divisions (six to nine months, nine to 12, and 12 to 18 for some breeds); novice classes (for dogs and handlers that have never won three blue ribbons), owner/breeder classes, etc. The male and female regular class winners, called Winner’s Bitch and Winner’s Dog, earn points based on how many of its sex it defeated. Only by advancing to this stage is the animal eligible for points, with a maximum of 5 per show. These winners go on to the Best of Breed competition, held for dogs who have already earned their AKC championship, designated in the registered name as CH.

Dogs showing in the regular classes to earn points toward the Champion title are called class dogs; those that are “finished” show in the best of breed class. Many breeders campaign “finished” dogs, also known as “specials” to earn points for best of breed and/or group placings, possibly even best in show, to qualify for year-end high point awards for their breed or group.

Dogs bred and shown by their owners are awarded prizes for Owner-Handler Best of Breed and reserve; these go on to compete in owner-handler groups for Owner-Handler Best in Show and accrue points on the same scale for year-end awards in the owner-handler category. Junior handlers have their own classes too.

The more popular the breed, the more dogs an individual must defeat to gain points. This is where professional handlers have the edge. Even with an outstanding example of the breed, it’s hard for the novice to know how to make their entry stand out in a ring packed with of dozens of dogs.

Professionals, on the other hand, are less affected by nerves, and know all the tricks of the trade to make a good dog catch the judge’s eye, and how to minimize flaws. Then too, many of the judges at today’s shows were once professional handlers. The more a handler is known, the more a judge will assume (rightly or wrongly) that that professional will be the one with the quality in the ring.

So, can the average person take Fido into the ring and ever hope to win? The answer—and the reason the shows attract so many new people each year—is, if you do your homework, yes! Provided your dog is registered, meets the breed standard, and has no disqualifying characteristics, it can win in the ring. However, it’s harder to win with the more popular breeds where the ranks are dominated by the professional handlers, and with the rare breeds, yours might be the only one at the show.

For the beginner, the best way to start is to take show handling at your local kennel club. If you want to start with a puppy, find a breeder who also shows, and explain that you want a show quality puppy. Many breeders are happy to mentor you, and are delighted to have offspring of their stud dogs and brood bitches go to show homes. Local clubs (you can find a list on the AKC’s website) also hold match shows, which are a good place to get your dog used to the show ring and practice your handling skills.

For more information, and a list of local shows, check out the AKC website at www.akc.org or www.infodog.com.