What's a "major" and why do we need them? What are points and how do you get them? Is it better to be Best of Winners or Best of Opposite Sex? Why am I annoyed when Satin gets second in her class but happy when Lacey gets second in a group?
Why do dog shows exist? How do they work. I can't tell you why we spend so much money on them; it's a form of madness. I'll be writing about conformation shows - as distinguished from obedience trials, field trials, or other performance events - held under AKC rules.
The AKC, estabished in 1884, is first and foremost a registry of purebred dogs, the largest and best known in the country. It maintains an enormous number of records of the bloodlines of all the breeds of dogs it currently recognizes, now numbering 150. Registration with the AKC means that the dog and its ancestors are all purebreds of that breed. Dogs can have foreign parents or be imported from abroad, but to compete in AKC events the parents or dogs must be registered with a foreign registry recognized by the AKC.
Registration is no guarantee of the health of a dog or its quality. Anyone wanting to get an AKC-registered purebred dog need to do their homework as to what breed is best suited to your household, the health of the dog, its parents, and any genetic problems to which the breed may be susceptible.
To put it in a most basic way, a conformation dog show is nothing more than a livestock show, a way of evaluating the quality of breeding stock. That's why one of the rules is that all dogs shown must be intact, with normal reproductive equipment in place. dog shows started in this country in the late 1800's. The first Westminster Kennel Club dog show was held in 1877 and is the second longest continuously-held sporting event in the country, trailing the Kentucky Derby by only a few months. The basic form of dog shows evolved by the 1920's and has, with some small modifications, remained the same ever since.
For
a
dog
to
be
eligible
to
compete
in
an
AKC
show
it
must:
1)
be
six
months
of
age
or
older
2)
be
registered
with
the
AKC
3)
be
of
a
breed
recognized
by
the
AKC
4)
be
intact.
Females
cannot
be
spayed
and
males
must
have
both
testicles
of
normal
size
and
fully
descended
into
the
scrotum.
5)
not
have
any
disqualifying
features
as
noted
in
the
standard
of
its
breed.
Most purebred dogs are never shown. That doesn't mean that they're of poor quality or can never be bred, though you are strongly discouraged from breeding if you don't know what you're doing. Showing dogs is a time-consuming, expensive hobby with little remuneration. It can also be a lot of fun and bring you in contact with people just as caring as you are about their dogs and as committed to improving their breeds. It can also bring you in contact with some utterly unethical creeps and dangerous monomaniacs.