Dog Show – Judging and Winning

The typical dog show includes judges who are very knowledgeable on specific types of dog breeds. They judge the dogs based on how close the dogs meets the standards of the specific breed. Shows are usually held in association with a national kennel club. Some of the high level dog shows are championship shows or all breed shows which include separate classes for most breeds of dogs. Some dog shows are held for a specific breed or a group of dogs.

Standards for the Breeds

During the show the judges choose the dogs that best typify the standards that have been set for each of the breeds of dogs. During the show the judges are not supposed to compare the dogs to each other to determine the winner; their role is to determine which dog is the closest to the standards for the breed. The judges use a list of conformation points to assist them in determining how close each dog conforms to the standards. The dogs are ranked during the dog show based on the conformation points.

The Judges

The judges have to be very knowledgeable about the breed of dog they are judging. Judges that have been selected to judge all the breeds have to have a vast amount of knowledge due to all of the types of dog breeds that are competing in shows. Some owners of show dogs as well as observers believe the judging can be flawed due to a judge not remembering all of the specifications for each of the breeds. Some people in the world of dog shows also believe that favoritism and even bribery exists in the shows.

The dogs compete in various dog shows in order to accumulate points and achieve the title of champion. Every time a particular dog wins a show the dog is awarded points that go towards winning a championship title. The number of points that a dog accumulates is determined by the level of the dog show that the dog had been selected as the winner, the number of dogs that were in the show and if the dog show was considered to be a major show or a minor show.

The number of points that a dog has to accumulate to claim the title of champion varies by the country the dog is competing in. In a typical dog show the winners of the lower levels are combined gradually during the competition until the show reaches the last round of competition which is where the best of show is determined.  During the lower levels of the show the dogs are divided up by the different breeds and each breed of dog is divided into groups based on sex and in some cases they are divided by age. If you like dogs you can have a fun time while at a dog show.