Now that we've gotten our breed judging finished, we can now proceed to the next level of competition: the Variety Group judging.
There are seven variety groups. There used to be only two, Sporting and Non-Sporting. The first was for dogs used in the field, the second was for all the others. As more breeds were recognized by the AKC, these fragmented into five groups: Sporting, Working, Toy, Terrier, Non-Sporting. The Hound group was split from the Sporting group in the 1920's and the Herding group was split from the Working group in the early 1980's.
Each group represents a class of dogs according to their function:
Sporting: These dogs are field dogs who work with hunters. They may indicate the presence of game (Pointers and Setters), flush game from the field (Spaniels), or return game from field or water (Retrievers). They have to be tough, hardy dogs that can work all day whatever the weather. There are 27 breeds in the Sporting Group
Hound: The hounds are another class of field dog, but one which works separately from the hunter. Hounds are known for their independence, sometimes mistaken for lack of intelligence. There are two types of hounds. Sighthounds (e.g. Afghans, Borzoi, Greyhounds, Whippets) use incredible speed, vision, and agility to chase and catch their prey. Scenthounds (e.g. Beagles, Harriers, Bloodhounds, Foxhounds) have extraordinarily well-developed senses of smell with which they track game. They're known for their voices, which indicate their presence for the hunter to follow. Otterhounds kill in the water and Dachshunds hunt underground. There are 25 breeds in the Hound Group.
Working: This group features dogs with a wide variety of service functions: guard dogs (Rottweilers, Doberman Pinschers), flock protectors (Komondorok, Kuvasz, Great Pyrenees, Anatolian Shepherd Dogs), draft animals (Bernese Mountain Dogs, Greater Swiss Mountain Dogs), sled dogs (Siberian Huskies, Alaskan Malamutes, Samoyeds), or rescue dogs (St. Bernards, Newfoundlands). These are frequently large, strong, imposing, and highly intelligent dogs. There are 21 breeds in the Working Group.
Terrier: Fierce hunters of vermin, these dogs have also found uses in the field and service capacities. They're known for their enormous loyalty to their homes and masters and will defend them courageously and without reserve. There are 27 breeds in the Terrier Group.
Toy: These are often downsized versions of larger breeds. Thus the Toy Poodle is a pint-sized version of the Standard Poodle (a fine hunting dog, by the way). Pomeranians are downscaled from the Spitz breeds, and Italian Greyhounds are shrunk from their cousins in the Hound group. Cute, pampered, and long-lived, they make excellent house companions. There are 22 breeds in the Toy Group.
Non-Sporting: This is a collection of breeds which have frequently lost their primary purpose with time. There are no longer bulls for Bulldogs to bait, no coaches for Dalmatians to keep up with, fewer circuses for Bichon Frises to appear in, and, mercifully, fewer meals at which Chow Chows are the main course. There are 18 breeds in the Non-Sporting Group.
Herding: As the name indicates, this group features dogs who watch and guide flocks. If you have a chance to see a herding trial on TV, try to watch it. While directed by a shepherd, these dogs use their eyes, posture, and quickness to move their charges in the intended direction. They can also drive cattle by nipping them on the hocks, which indicates considerable courage. Some Herding dogs (Malinois, Tervurens, German Shepherd Dogs) have also found use in police work. There are 19 breeds in the Herding Group.
Group judging takes place later in the day. The time at which it starts will be listed in the judging program and show catalogue, but the order in which groups will be judged depends on the schedule of judging of the breeds in that group. The order is set by the show superintendent. MB-F is good enough to put the order of Group judging in the programs, while other show superintendents will post the order about an hour beforehand.
Groups are judged sequentially in a large ring made up of two or more rings no longer in use. In the center is a small standard with the name of the show and removable placards with the names of each group. Flanking it are four placement standards, marked 1 through 4. The Chief Ring Steward is the steward for the Variety Groups. He will call in all the Best of Breed winners of that group. The dogs and their handlers enter and line up for the judge, again in profile with the left side presented. The largest (or fastest) dog of the group is usually in front and the smallest at the end of the line.
The judge of a group is licensed to judge all the breeds of the group. He may have already judged those breeds that day or he may have judged breeds in other groups. It may look odd to see a judge in the same ring going over dogs as big as an Irish Wolfhound and as small as a miniature Dachshund. Remember though, he's not judging them against each other, he's judging them according to his idea of the perfect dog of that breed. The one that most closely comes to his ideal will be the one that wins.
In many respects, the method of judging is identical to the breed ring. The judge will ask everyone to go around once for him to make his initial impressions. Just like in the breed ring, he'll examine each dog standing, then have them move down and back for him to assess their front and rear movement, then go around to the end of the line for him to see what their side movement is like.
What's different is the spectators at ringside. Of course, because the competition is more consequential, there are more people watching. Some of them are handler's seconds. It's a role I've played more than once for my lovely bride and Lacey. I have a small cooler with extra bait, brushes, a bucket of water for Lacey to drink if she needs it, a spritz bottle, and if the weather is hot a cold, wet chamois cloth for her to stand on or have draped over her back. Most of the dogs in the Variety Groups are handled by professionals and they'll have their assistants at ringside doing much the same thing.
And while it's considered bad taste to applaud for a dog in the breed ring, when we get to the Variety Groups, it's considered bad taste to sit on one's hands. No one boos, but every dog has its partisans at ringside, hooting, clapping and whistling when the dog is on its down-and-back or go around. It's not to influence the judge, but it does influence the dog, who moves with extra swagger, and that influences the judge.
When the judge has finished examining all the dogs, he will usually go down the line and pick out 6 to 8 of them for a cut. The others are excused. The judge will not do a re-examination, but instead may look them over with his eye and have them go around one at a time, again to the applause of the spectators. He will then make his placements, from first to fourth place. Only the first place dog goes on to the Best in Show competition.