How are the rules for Americas Shows?

[amity]

Wich different kinds of Shows do you have in America? How many classes did you have and what is the imply to get into a class.

How many wins on Shows do an amerikan dog need to be a Champion? Do you have different kinds of Champions?

So many questions

If you are interested in, i can tell you about german rules.

[bradl]

American dog shows can seem complicated even to Americans (I'm interested to hear how German shows go, too). We have several kinds of conformation shows (where the dogs are judged on their adherence to breed standards).

One is the all-breed show, where all recognized breeds compete, first in their own breed, then the best of that breed goes on to compete in a Group of similar breeds, then the winner of each group goes on to compete for the Best in Show.

Another is the Group show, where each breed within a subset group (for instance, all the terriers) compete, first in their own breed, and then the best of that breed goes on to Best in the Group show.

A third sort of show is a single-breed specialty show, where only one breed competes. Once a best of breed is chosen, there is no further competition.

There is a second meaning of specialty show which is that shows put on by a specialty club (meaning a club for one breed) are referred to as that club's Specialty. That specialty may be part of an all-breed show, a group show, or it may be a stand-alone specialty.

As for what happens during breed judging and the awarding of championships, the American Kennel Club publishes a helpful booklet called A Beginners Guide to Dog Shows - and includes this information on their website, a short excerpt is quoted below.

Which Dogs May Participate

To be eligible to compete, a dog must:

* be individually registered with the American Kennel Club

* be 6 months of age or older

* be a breed for which classes are offered at a show

* meet any eligibility requirements in the written standard for its breed

Spayed or neutered dogs are not eligible to compete in conformation classes at a dog show, because the purpose of a dog show is to evaluate breeding stock.

Most dogs in competition at conformation shows are competing for points toward their AKC championships. It takes fifteen points, including two majors (wins of three, four or five points) awarded by at least three different judges, to become an American Kennel Club "Champion of Record."

The number of championship points awarded at a show depends on the number of males ("dogs") and females ("bitches") of the breed actually in competition. The larger the entry, the greater the number of points a male or a female can win. The maximum number of points awarded to a dog at any show is 5 points.

Males and females compete separately within their respective breeds, in seven regular classes. The following classes are offered, and are divided by sex:

Puppy - For dogs between six and twelve months of age, that are not yet champions (optional class).

Twelve-To-Eighteen Months - For dogs twelve to eighteen months of age, that are not yet champions (optional class).

Novice - For dogs six months of age and over, which have not, prior to the date of closing of entries, won three first prizes in the Novice Class, a first prize in Bred-by-Exhibitor, American-bred, or Open Classes, nor one or more points toward their championship (optional class).

Amateur-Owner-Handler – For dogs that are at least six months of age that are not champions. Dogs must be handled in the class by the registered owner of the dog and is limited to exhibitors who have not, at any point in time, been a professional dog handler, AKC approved conformation judge, or employed as an assistant to a professional handler (effective January 1, 2009) (optional class).

Bred By Exhibitor - For dogs that are exhibited by their owner and breeder, that are not yet champions (optional class).

American-Bred - For dogs born in the United States from a mating which took place in the United States, that are not yet champions (mandatory class).

Open - For any dog of the breed, at least 6 months of age (mandatory class).

After these classes are judged, all the dogs that won first place in a class compete again to see who is the best of the winning dogs. Males and females are judged separately. Only the best male (Winners Dog) and the best female (Winners Bitch) receive championship points. The Winners Dog and Winners Bitch then compete with the champions for the Best of Breed award. At the end of the Best of Breed Competition, three awards are usually given:

Best of Breed - the dog judged as the best in its breed category.

Best of Winners - the dog judged as the better of the Winners Dog and Winners Bitch.

Best of Opposite Sex - the best dog that is the opposite sex to the Best of Breed winner.

[mattoleriver]

Hi Amity,

there are several organizations that sanction dog events of all descriptions. The largest canine registry and the most prominent overseer of dog events is the American Kennel Club.

The AKC sanctions Conformation, Companion and Performance events. Conformation is what we typically think of when speaking of a dog show.

Conformation is divided into seven groups: Sporting, Hounds, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding. A conformation championship is awarded to a dog who has accumulated the required number of points won in competition. The points reflect the number of dogs in competition.

Companion events include Obedience, Rally, Agility and Tracking. Companion events are open to all breeds. Obedience and Agility (I think) can lead to championships but Rally (I think) and Tracking cannot.

Performance events are open only to specific breeds and include Field Trials, Hunt tests, Herding, Earthdog and Lure Coursing. There are several types of Field Trials depending on the breeds involved. I know that Field Trial championships can be earned by Retrievers and also by Pointers/Setters. I don't know where/if spaniels fit into field trials. Dachshunds and, I believe, some hounds also compete in Field Trials but I do not know if they are able to earn a championship. I don't believe any of the other performance events can lead to a championship.

It all gets very confusing! There are many, many other organizations that sanction each of the events that AKC sanctions plus many more types of events that the AKC does not yet cover.

I hope others will jump in with corrections and clarifications to what I have written.

I would really enjoy hearing about German shows.

George

[amity]

Ok, i hope my english is good enough that you can understand it

Thank you very much for you

[Cairnmania]

Amity,

Your English is very good.

The German show rules are more like the rules here in the U.K.

The biggest difference I think is that in the U.S. to earn a championship title dogs do not compete against "finished" champions; they only compete against other dogs that are not champions. So in the UK and I expect in Germany it is much harder for a dog to become a champion because they must compete against dogs that have already been awarded the champion title.

[Aimfor]

Hi Amity!

Can you explain about Junior Champions please? I just bought a dog in from Switzeland whose father is a JR CHamp in many countries I am still trying to understand the European system and you explain it so well!

Cheers,

[amity]

Sorry, i wasn