Welcome to the Sheer PANDEMONIUM! You enter the show area and there are people rushing everywhere, carrying dogs, leading dogs, and running to the ring. Dogs are barking, the public address system is blaring, and people are talking, it seems like everyone in the area is talking all the time! How can you make some sense of it all and start to figure out what's going on? First look or ask around for the superintendent, club or catalog table. Once you find the table, you will find a pile of catalogs. Buy a catalog. The catalog has all the information in the judging program, plus it has the name of each dog, its parents, its date of birth, breeder and owner. In the back of the catalog, you will find the addresses of the owners. These addresses will be invaluable to you if you are looking for a puppy or a breeder.
With the judging program or the information in the front of the catalog, you can locate where certain breeds will be showing at a certain time. There will be a ring number and time of judging listed in the program for each breed. It's often impossible to locate someone with a breed you are interested in by cruising the grooming area, so it's a good idea to come early - usually 8:30 or 9:00 AM, so you don't miss what you really want to see. And, it's a good idea to plan to stay late, so you can see the whole event to its grand conclusion, the groups and best in show.
The objective of conformation classes is to identify dogs most suitable to breed and produce the next generations. The most important objective of obedience and agility, as well as the many other kinds of trial, such as hunting and herding, is to identify the inner character and ability of the dog, which combined with the structure, produces the ideal animal. In all dog show related activities, however, whether obedience, conformation, or working events, and so forth, the second most important objective is having good clean family fun.
Dog enthusiasts attend shows every weekend. They meet friends, enjoy themselves, and compete on a very personal level, through their dogs. They may take their dogs in the ring themselves, or they may hire a professional handler. They may own one dog, a leash, and a hatchback, or 30 dogs, hundreds of pounds of equipment, and a Tour Bus size motor home. You never know at a show if you're standing next to a millionaire or a pauper. Well, sometimes you do know, however, often you truly don't. The point is you can attend with just your dog and a leash, and you can also win. You can have your son or daughter compete in Junior Showmanship or in the actual "breed" ring. There are so many levels of competition and so many different kinds of events that you can spend a lifetime shepherding one or many dogs through them. Dog showing for most of us is much more than a hobby, it's a lifestyle.
In the conformation ring, (the 'breed' ring), there are several different levels of competition. First, there are the dogs that are not Champions of record. These dogs compete at what's called the 'class' level, and are working toward their Champion title. They may enter the Puppy class, Novice, American Bred, Bred By Exhibitor, or the Open class. Males and females compete separately at this level. The size of the entry has a lot to do with whether all of these classes will actually have an entry at a given show. If there are only 2 dogs entered, obviously not every class will have an entry. However, each class is always available to the exhibitor to enter their dog in.
In each class there are 4 placements awarded. The first place animal from each class goes on to what is called the 'Winners' class. We still have the males and females separate here. Males are called 'dogs' and females are called 'bitches'. The dogs and bitches are still separated in the winners classes. All of these first place individuals compete as a class, and the winner is called the Winners Dog or the Winners Bitch. A Reserve Winners Dog and Bitch are also selected. The two Winners are the only dogs to earn points toward a Championship.
The number of points earned is dependent on how many were entered in all of the classes. There may be many dogs entered, and the points awarded might be 5, which is the highest number of points that can be earned at one show. There may only be a few and worth only 1 or 2 points, or none at all. A win of 3,4 or 5 points is termed a 'major' win. A dog must win at 2 majors and collect a total of 15 points to earn a Championship. The 'point schedule' of how many entries are required to make up 1,2,3,4,and 5 points, varies in different regions of the country and in different years. Check the AKC pages for the current point schedule in your area.
At the next level of competition, the Winners Dog and the Winners Bitch and any Champions that are entered compete in intersex competition for: Best of Breed (BOB), Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed (BOS), and Best of Winners (BOW). Only the Winners Dog and Bitch can earn the Best of Winners award, but any of the individuals in the Best of Breed Class may win the BOB or BOS. Under some circumstances, extra points may be earned by one of the 'Winners' by going BOW, BOS, or BOB.
The individual that goes Best Of Breed is then eligible to show in the Group. For many of the Specials dogs (Champions being 'campaigned'), this is where the competition really begins. There are 7 Groups at a dog show; Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding. Each BOB from the individual breeds which make up the Group competes for Group I, II, III, and IV. The dogs winning Group I in each of the 7 Groups then compete for Best in Show. In this manner, the Best In Show dog has defeated every other dog entered.
Beyond competing to finish championships, dogs compete to gain points toward informal national ratings at the Best of Breed level and at the Group and Best in Show level. These ratings have nothing to do with the AKC. They are compiled by dog publications or breed clubs and only convey prestige to the top dogs in the country.
(I know a tad redundant, but better explained I think)
Watching a breed competition can be puzzling to those not familiar with the dog show world's routines. The condensed answer is: A generous number may win ribbons and a couple might win points toward a championship, but only one wins the "best of breed" designation and can go on to the show's group competition.Guide to the ribbons
Sometimes it's hard to see who the
judge is pointing at, but the ribbon given to the handler is a good clue:
First Prize: Blue Ribbon
Second Prize: Red Ribbon
Third Prize: Yellow Ribbon
Fourth Prize: White Ribbon
Winners: Purple Ribbon
Reserve Winners: Purple & White Ribbon
Best of Winners: Blue & White Ribbon
Best of Breed (Variety): Purple &Gold Rosette
Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed (Variety): Red & White
Ribbon
Highest Scoring Dog in Regular Obedience Classes: Blue & Gold
Rosette
Highest Combined Score in Open & Utility Classes: Blue &
Green Rosette
Groups
First Prize: Blue Rosette
Second Prize: Red Rosette
Third Prize: Yellow Rosette
Fourth Prize: White Rosette
Best in Show: Red, White, & Blue Rosette
Is that all they win?
The Best in Show and group winners receive engraved trophies. The highest-scoring obedience dogs and top junior handlers receive a cash award of $75 and $100 respectively, and breed winners receive products from the show's sponsor, Ralston Purina. Breed clubs that hold specialty shows also typically award a variety of prizes, often donated by members.
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