Reputable Breeders Know the Purpose of Dog Shows
The basic purpose of dog shows is to facilitate the evaluation of breeding stock for use in producing the next generations.
Each breed's parent club creates a standard, a written description of the ideal specimen of that breed. Generally relating form to function, i.e.,
the original function that the dog was bred to perform, most standards describe general appearance, movement, temperament, and specific physical traits such as height and weight, coat, colors, eye color and shape, ear shape and placement, feet, tail, and more. Some standards can be very specific, some can be rather general and leave much room for individual interpretation by judges. This results in the sport's subjective basis: one judge, applying his or her interpretation of the standard, giving his or her opinion of the best dog on that particular day. Standards are written, maintained and owned by the parent clubs of each breed.
Puppies produced by show dogs are healthier, better behaved and more beautiful. It is better to buy a quality dog. You will clearly have less behavioral and health problems. That is the reason we have dog shows, to weed out the undesirable traits. If you buy a pet puppy from your average breeder with an ad in the newspapers, there isn't much guarantee you will get the healthy puppy you really want. Chances are they might not even grow up to resemble the breed you intended to buy. If you are looking to buy a Boston Terrier, Dachshund, Italian Greyhound or a Rhodesian Ridgeback, it is very important to buy the very best quality you can afford.
It
is very expensive to show a dog to a championship. There are entry fees,
premium dog food, crates, leads, veterinarians, transportation costs, handling charges, hotel
stays, gasoline, car mileage. All
this money is spent in the hopes of winning and recovering the costs
by selling the show dog's off spring -- puppies. No one goes to
that expense of showing a dog with bad genes because the puppies would be
worthless, or certainly worth less.
Reputable Breeders Look for an Indication of the Dog's Ability to Produce Quality Puppies
Showing dogs is a great sport where the thrill of competition is combined with the joy of seeing beautiful dogs. Dog shows are one of many types of AKC dog events in which AKC-registered dogs can compete. These events, which draw over three million entries annually, include dog shows and tests of instinct and trainability, such as obedience trials, Canine Good Citizen tests, field trials, agility trials, lure coursing, rally, hunting tests, herding trials, tracking tests, coonhound and earthdog events.
Dog shows (conformation events) are intended to evaluate breeding stock. The size of these events ranges from large all-breed shows, with over 3,000 dogs entered, to small local specialty club shows, featuring a specific breed. The dog's conformation (overall appearance and structure), an indication of the dog's ability to produce quality puppies, is judged.
Reputable Breeders Recognize the Role of the Judge
Judges examine the dogs, then give awards according to how closely each dog compares to the judge's mental image of the "perfect" dog described in the breed's official standard.
The standard describes the characteristics that allow the breed to perform the function for which it was bred. These standards include specifications for structure, temperament and movement.
The official written standard for each breed is maintained by the breed's national club and is included in the The Complete Dog Book published by the AKC.
The judges are experts on the breeds they are judging. They examine (go
over) each dog with their hands to see if the teeth, muscles, bones and coat texture conform to the breed's standard. They view each dog in profile for overall balance, and watch each dog gait
(move) to see how all of those features fit together in action.
How a Dog Show Works
Each dog presented
at the show is exhibited
(handled) by its owner, breeder or a hired professional. The role of a
handler is similar to that of a jockey who rides a horse around the track
and, hopefully, into the winner's circle.
Most dogs in competition at conformation shows are competing for points
toward their AKC championships. It takes fifteen points, including two
majors (wins of three, four or five points) awarded by at least three
different judges, to become an American Kennel Club "Champion of
Record."
The number of championship points awarded at a show depends on the number
of males (dogs) and females (bitches) of the breed actually in competition.
The larger the entry, the greater the number of points a male or a female
can win. The maximum number of points awarded to a dog at any show is 5
points.