There are, of course, far more breeds of dog than the 150-odd recognized by the AKC. When a substantial, sustained nationwide interest in a non-recognized breed exists with breeding programs and activities to advance the integrity of the breed, an active national parent club may apply to the AKC for recognition. If approved, the breed is put into the Miscellaneous Class. Dogs in the Miscellaneous Class are eligible for performance events and can enter AKC-licensed conformation shows. If the interests of the breed continue to be advanced, the national parent club may apply for the breed to be admitted to the AKC Stud Book and be recognized as a breed by the AKC.
Miscellaneous breeds may be judged together or separately, with one class for dogs and one class for bitches. The best of these miscellaneous breeds do not advance any further in the show. The current miscellaneous breeds are:
Beucerons and Swedish Vallhunds have now been recognized and will be eligible to be shown in regular classes effective June 27, 2007, both in the Herding group.
Junior Showmanship (once called Children's Class) is a class which allows youngsters an opportunity to show how well they are able to present themselves and their dogs in the show ring. It is open to amateur (i.e. not handling dogs for money) children between the ages of 10 and 18. It is divided into two classes: Novice for junior handlers who have not won three first place ribbons in competition, and Open for junior handlers who have won three or more first place ribbons. These classes are usually further divided into Junior (10-14 years old) and Senior (14-18 years old) classes.
Dogs shown in Junior Showmanship must be registered with the AKC. Bitches in season cannot be shown because of the difficulty of children controlling their dogs when the "spell of the smell" takes over.
(Parenthetical note: Bitches in season can be shown in regular classes. Frequently they perform much better in the Best of Breed lineup because 1) they're sluts and thus more showy, and 2) they distract the males horribly.)
The emphasis in Junior Showmanship is not the quality of the dogs themselves but on how the junior handler presents themselves and their dog. The handler must be clean (and their dogs as well!), appropriately dressed, relaxed, know their ring procedure and how to follow the judge's instructions, and how to control and present their dog. While the judge may not ask any questions, it should be clear that the handler knows enough about their breed to provide the best showcase for it, both in stacking it and moving it around the ring.
The dog and handler must seem to work together as a team. Economy of effort is the key and exaggerated or over-showy handling is to be penalized. A friend of mine who judges Junior Showmanship says that he eliminates in his mind the handlers who restack their already well-presented dogs when he's going over the lineup for the last time. The problem nowadays is that too many junior handlers show all the faults of their older, professional counterparts, like over-competitiveness, unobtrusive dirty tricks, and inappropriate baiting of the dog (a particular pet peeve of mine).
Ribbons are awarded for 1st to 4th place. The winners of all the Junior Showmanship classes are brought back into the ring for another examination, at which time the judge will award the Best Junior Handler ribbon. The lucky youngster may be asked to show their dog before Best in Show competition.