All about dog shows

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Sunday, May 13th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed

A dog show is basically an elimination-type tournament that consists of many rounds and semi-final rounds that will lead up to the selection of one main winner. This winner wins the title called best in show. The start of the competition begins with the breed ring. This is where dogs that are of the same breed and have similar characteristics will face off with one another through rounds of judging and trials.

Each dog will be judged accordingly against its breed standard.

A breed standard is essentially a set of guidelines and rules that the describes the ideal specimen of that particular dog breed. You can think of it in terms as the ultimate Greyhound or the ideal Great Dane. Some of these rules can be quite specific. For example, some dogs may be eliminated purely on grounds of size. If they are too small or too big compared to the ideal breed standard, they are dropped from the competition.

Other examples of judgment are a little more vague. For example, if a dog does not display the right sense of dignity for that particular breed, then they may be dropped from the competition as well.

Who sets the standards?

The standards of dog breed that all of these competitions are judged against is determined by the breed clubs or the breed registry. First, every dog is divided up by their sex and then sorted into smaller classes. These smaller classes may be a puppy class, an open class, or bred by exhibitor class. These classes are sometimes broken down even further by details such as coat color or anatomy shape.

Each of these classes will result in a winner for that particular class. Then the best female and the best male from those winners will be chosen. These two winners become a pair and will then compete against more established champions for what is called the best in breed honors. The best dog from each group will reach the semifinal round and compete against other dogs in the group. At the end of the show there will be seven dogs that remain to compete for best in show.