Dog shows are an exciting sport designed to evaluate the quality of breeding dogs. A winning dog has excellent conformation (appearance and structure) which makes them more likely to produce high quality puppies. Though appearance is only one part of what makes a dog an excellent candidate for breeding, it is still an important consideration. Each breed of dog was designed with a purpose in mind, and evaluating our breeding dogs based on these breed standards not only helps to create beautiful, healthy puppies, but also preserves the quality of purebred dogs for future generations.
I began showing in 2021 with my standard poodle, Buffy, because I knew it would be a helpful tool in evaluating my potential parent dogs, and because it was just another fun thing to do with my pups! If you’ve never been to a dog show, I encourage you to go! It is fun to see so many different kinds of dogs in one place.
At a dog show competition is broken down into different categories much like a tournament bracket.
Dogs compete in their breed categories first, separated by age and gender, and then a winner for Best of Breed is chosen. These winners then compete against each other in their group categories such as Gun Dogs, Herding Dogs, Guardian Dogs, etc. The winners of each group then go on to compete for the coveted title of Best in Show. Competition can be fierce, but when you win a big ribbon, it is a great feeling! Dogs can earn different titles by accumulating points and wins. In the United Kennel Club (UKC), which is the organization I compete in, a Champion dog must have three competition wins from three different judges and 100 points. Points are awarded based on how many dogs you defeated. The more dogs you win against, the more points you earn. You don’t have to win in Group or Best in Show you to Champion your dog, but you do have to win in your own breed.
Most recently I competed in the High Plains Kennel Club’s show at the Arapahoe County Fairgrounds with my miniature poodles Betty White and Bea. Betty had already earned over 100 points and two competition wins before this show, but she needed one more win to secure her Championship title. At the HPKC show, Betty was the only multicolor miniature poodle and so to finish her Championship title she had to place in group. On Saturday morning, November 18th, she did just that by taking first in group over 9 other beautiful dogs!
Little miss Bea was still too young to compete with the big dogs, but she got in some excellent practice. She has a lot of potential, and I can’t wait to see her accomplishments in future competitions!