Some terms: Dog = male dog.
dog = animal of either sex
bitch = female dog
class dog = dog that has not yet earned a championship
special = dog that is already a champion and is competing for Best of Breed
This can get complicated. A dog needs 15 points to get a championship. They earn anywhere from 1 to 5 points at a show, depending upon the number of dogs of the same breed and sex defeated. They have to have at least 2 "major" wins – 3 points or more at the same show – under different judges. They have to have at least 1 point under a third judge. For Siberians in Texas, it takes 10 Dogs or 16 bitches defeated in order to get 3 points at one show. Each breed has it's own point schedule (click here to see the AKC schedule for each breed). Most shows are only 1 or 2 points at a time.
Only one dog of each sex of each breed get points per show. Each dog that is not yet a champion is entered in a class. There are certain restrictions for each class, for instance, in "Bred-By-Exhibitor" the person showing the dog has to be the breeder and owner of that dog. The 6 – 9 month puppy class is only for dogs that are between the ages of 6 and 9 months. The "open" class is the only class with no restrictions, and is usually the largest class at each show. The Dogs are entered separately from the bitches, so there will be a 6 – 9 month puppy class for the Dog Siberian Huskies and a 6 – 9 month puppy class for the bitch Siberian Huskies.
All the Dogs are shown first, starting with the puppy classes and going up through the adult classes. Each class is placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, then they have the "Winners Dog" competition. The 1st place winners of each Dog class are then called back into the ring. The judge chooses the best Dog of the class "winners" and that is the only Dog of that breed to receive championship points – it is called the "Winners Dog". After the dog awarded the points leaves the ring, all the other winners stay in the ring. The 2nd place dog from the class the "Winners Dog" was entered in is called into the ring and given a chance to beat all the other class winners (under the theory that just because it was 2nd in it’s class does not mean it is not a better dog than 1st place in another class) – if the dog that got the points was the 1st place winner of the "open" class then the 2nd place "open" dog is called into the ring. The judge then awards "Reserve Winners Dog" – kind of like first runner up. If for some reason the "Winners Dog" is disqualified the "Reserve Winners Dog" gets the points. A dog can be disqualified if it was entered in the wrong class or it is discovered to have been altered surgically or cosmetically (or if the owner’s entry check bounces!) but this does not happen often.
The process is then repeated for the bitches. Only the point winner for the bitches is called "Winners Bitch" and the runner up is the "Reserve Winners Bitch". Winning your class is OK but doesn’t really count for anything. Winning "Winners Dog" or "Winners Bitch" is pretty exciting and counts towards a championship. Winning "Reserve Winners Dog" or "Reserve Winners Bitch" is very disappointing, a "so close but no cigar" experience.
Best of Breed Competition
Once a dog is a champion the owner can continue to show it in the "Best of Breed" competition. This occurs after "Winners Bitch" and "Reserve Winners Bitch" are awarded. In this competition the judge is determining the best representative of the breed on that day. All the dogs that are already champions, plus the "Winners Dog" and the "Winners Bitch" (since they are undefeated for the day) are called into the ring. The dog that is awarded "Best of Breed" is then eligible to compete against the "Best of Breed" winners of other breeds.
When the judge awards "Best of Breed" he or she also picks a "Best of Opposite Sex" to the "Best of Breed Winner". If the "Best of Breed" winner is a Dog, then "Best of Opposite Sex" will be a bitch. If "Best of Breed" is awarded to a bitch, then "Best of Opposite Sex" will go to a Dog. "Best of Opposite Sex" is another token win – you get a ribbon but it doesn’t count for anything.
The third thing the judge awards during this competition is the "Best of Winners". The judge will choose between the "Winners Dog" and the "Winners Bitch" and determine which is the better dog. The "Best of Winners" dog gets more points towards their championship if there were more points awarded in the other sex. For instance, there was only one Dog entered but there were 19 bitches. "Winners Bitch" defeated 18 other bitches and was awarded 3 points. The Dog won "Best of Winners" and therefore also gets 3 points.
It is possible for a dog that is not a champion to win "Best of Breed" or "Best of Opposite Sex", if in the judge’s opinion, the class dog is the best dog in the ring on that day. This is really exciting, and may mean more points towards a championship. If the class dog is awarded "Best of Breed" they get to add up all the dogs of their own sex they defeated, plus all the specials of either sex they defeated and get their points from that count. For instance, "Winners Dog" goes "Best of Breed". He defeated 7 Dogs to become "Winners Dog", which only gave him 2 points. However, there were 3 Dog specials and 2 bitch specials, and he defeated them, too. Therefore, the 7 Dogs plus the 5 specials makes 12 defeated, and gives him 3 points. If the class dog wins "Best of Opposite Sex", they only get to count the specials of the same sex defeated. If "Winners Bitch" is awarded "Best of Opposite Sex", there were 2 bitch specials and she also defeated 8 bitches to get "Winners Bitch", then that makes 10 defeated and gives her 2 points, as opposed to the single point she got for "Winners Bitch". This is the only situation where "Best of Opposite Sex" means anything.
Group Competition
AKC groups different dog breeds according to their function. For instance, the Sporting group includes spaniels, setters, pointers, and retrievers. The Hound group include the breeds that chase prey, such as Greyhounds and Beagles and Dachshunds. The Working group includes all the sled dogs and guard dogs such as Siberian Huskies and Rottweillers. There is the Terrier group, the Toy group, the Herding group, and also the Non-sporting group (this is for breeds they couldn’t fit elsewhere, such as Dalmatians and Chow Chows).
In the Group competition, the Best of Breed winners of each breed included in that group are called into the ring. The judge then has to decide if, for instance, the Siberian Husky is a better Siberian Husky than the Doberman Pinscher is a Doberman Pinscher. The judge has to know what the requirements of each breed are and weigh in his or her mind how well each dog meets the requirements for that breed. The judge then awards 4 placements in the group. The 1st place winner in each group is allowed to compete for the coveted "Best In Show" award.
Dogs are ranked nationwide in 2 systems. The first system (called the "Breed Standings") is based strictly on the number of dogs of their own breed they defeat by virtue of Best of Breed wins. They get 1 point for each dog defeated. The second system (called the "All-Breed Standings") is based on the number of dogs of all breeds defeated by virtue of Best of Breed wins and Group placements. Again, 1 point for each dog defeated. For instance, a Siberian Husky places third in the Working group, behind the Standard Schnauzer and the Rottweiller and ahead of the Akita. He defeated 15 Siberians to win Best of Breed, so he gets 15 "Breed" points. Since he place 3rd in the group, he gets to count all the dogs of the defeated breeds – 5 Akitas, 22 Boxers, 1 Saint Bernard, 10 Alaskan Malamutes, 15 Siberian Huskies, etc. The only dogs he cannot count are the dogs in the breeds that place 1st and 2nd in the group, in this case the Rottweillers and the Standard Schnauzers. So he got 72 "All-Breed" points. The Akita got 56 points (remember, he can’t count himself). The Standard Schnauzer (there were only 2 entered, so he only beat 1) got 74 (the same 72 points that the Siberian won, plus a point for defeating the Siberian and a point for defeating the other Standard Schnauzer), and the Rottweiller who won the group and beat 56 Rottweillers, got 131. During the year, dogs are ranked according to how many other dogs they have defeated, and some can get up to 70,000 or more on the "All-Breed" standings, for just one year! A dog that wins Best In Show gets to count every dog in the show except himself towards his standings. A dog that wins "Best of Breed" but does not place in the group gets the same number of "Breed" and "All-Breed" points at the show, since the dogs of his own breed defeated count on both systems.
Best In Show Competition
In the Best In Show competition, the judge has to know the requirements for every AKC recognized breed. They have no way of knowing which breeds will be in their ring until a few minutes before Best in Show is judged. The 1st place group winners are called into the ring, seven in all. The judge determines which dog is the absolute best representative of its breed – if the Poodle is a better Poodle than the German Shepherd is a German Shepherd. Or maybe the Chihuahua is a better Chihuahua than both of them are of their breeds. There may be anywhere from 500 to 4500 dogs entered at the show that day, but only one dog will be awarded "Best In Show".
Why We Do This
In most cases, no money is ever won at a dog show. It can be a very expensive thing to do – entries are only part of the expense. There is a considerable amount of travel involved and the necessity of a vehicle that can accommodate the dogs and equipment. The grooming equipment, travelling crates, and other supplies can add up to hundreds of dollars for a single dog. The purchase price of a nice dog is a factor. Amateurs compete against people who show dogs for a living (Professional Handlers, who get paid to condition, groom, and show dogs belonging to other people. They win a lot because they are very good at what they do). At the Group and Best in Show level of competition, many dogs are advertised in Dog publications that go to the judges, in an effort to increase the number of times they win – ads are anywhere from $100 to over $1000, depending on the placement in the magazine (cover, middle, etc.) and the special effects (color bleeds, airbrushing, etc.) The shows are supposed to be an exhibition of breeding stock, but in many cases dogs are not used for breeding because of the overpopulation of pets already. Most people now use dog shows as a way to say "If I WERE going to breed, this is the dog I would be breeding." It is nice for an owner who loves his dog to have the judge tell him "Yours is the best dog here today". For the most part, it is a hobby like any other. Instead of buying new computer games, we enter dog shows. And our hobby loves us back!