The annual Westminster Kennel Club dog show is next week, (February 16 and 17, 2015). This is one of the country’s most famous dog shows with this year marking their 139th annual show. You can watch the breed judging online and the group and Best in Show judging on TV. Westminster Kennel Club
It seems like every year people who may only see this one show on TV have some misconceptions about dog shows. They think it is some sort of beauty pageant where dogs are paraded around a ring and then judged one against another. Admittedly, the AKC and local clubs have not always done enough to explain to the average person watching a dog show what they are all about and since we compete in them from time to time, I thought I would go over some basics.
The Purpose Of Dog Shows
The most basic purpose of a dog show is to evaluate breeding stock. Only unaltered animals can be entered in conformation shows.
The Westminster Kennel Club is just one of the many clubs throughout the US sanctioned by the AKC to put on a dog show. There are lots of rules about what a club must do before it is allowed to put on a show and rules about how they set up the show. I won’t go into those here, but suffice it to say that any show takes months of planning by the club members. The bigger the show, the more planning and time required. There is also a set of rules and a point system that governs how a dog becomes a Champion. At any given show there are dogs trying to become breed Champions and other dogs who have earned their Championship that are competing for Best of Breed and perhaps a Group placement or the coveted Best In Show.
The Breed Standard Matters
Each breed recognized by the AKC (some 184 of them at this point) has a written breed standard. The breed standard is a written description of the perfect dog of that breed and describes the characteristics, (mental and physical) that are important to that breed. Most standards include an explanation of why the breed was developed in the first place. This is important because form follows function.
For example, the purpose of the Japanese Chin as expressed in their breed standard is that of a dog primarily developed as a companion:
A sensitive and intelligent dog whose only purpose is to serve man as a companion. Responsive and affectionate with those it knows and loves but reserved with strangers or in new situations.
Is very different from the Chesapeake Bay Retriever which is a working breed and the breed I am most familiar with:
Equally proficient on land and in the water, the Chesapeake Bay Retriever was developed along the Chesapeake Bay to hunt waterfowl under the most adverse weather and water conditions, often having to break ice during the course of many strenuous multiple retrieves. Frequently the Chesapeake must face wind, tide and long cold swims in its work. The breed’s characteristics are specifically suited to enable the Chesapeake to function with ease, efficiency and endurance.
As you can imagine the physical and mental attributes that are important to each of these dogs is very different and these differences are apparent when reviewing the breed standards. The Chessie standard has detailed descriptions of structure, movement and coat which are important for the Chessie to do its “job”. By comparison the Japanese Chin standard has a simple, yet important, explanation of movement and structure with a lot of the standard devoted to head, coat and color. This makes sense for a toy breed developed as a companion dog.
When a dog is being judged in the show ring the judge is comparing the dog to the written standard and his or her vision of the perfect dog of that breed. Judges spend a lot of time learning about the various breeds including why the standard has been developed and written in the way it has for each breed. Most judges do a good job. Do they sometimes make mistakes? Maybe. Whenever you have a human judging anything, the outcome can be subject as to their personal preference or bias or even unfamiliarity with a particular breed.
Parent Breed Clubs Control Their Breed Standard
Did you know that the American Kennel Club does not control the written standard for each breed? It is true. Every breed recognized by the American Kennel Club also has a parent club for that breed. These parent clubs are responsible for developing and maintaining the breed standard.
Who makes up these parent clubs? Well it is mostly breed fanciers or people like you and I. Some are breeders and some are people who love the breed and never breed puppies. The more knowledgeable among the club members are usually responsible for mentoring people new to the breed. If the parent club decides it wants to amend their breed standard then it is put to a vote by all the members. Breed standards are not amended often and it is not easy to change them. If you look through the standards for many of the established ACK breeds, you will notice that many have not been changed for 20 years or longer.
Do breeders ever stray from the breed standard to insert their preference for what is clearly stated in a standard? I am not going to say that they do not. It can happen in the show venue but also in performance venues. Ignoring the standard does not better the breed whether it be to produce a dog that stands out in the show ring, or a dog that wins a field trial or an agility match. Whenever a breed moves to the extreme, it is not a good thing. It is up to the parent club to clarify the standard and educate judges, breeders and fanciers about the standard. If a breed has strayed far from the written standard it may take some time to get back on track, but it can be done if there is a will to do it.
The Westminster Show Represents A Small Sample Of All Dogs
The dogs entered in the Westminster show are only a small sample of all the great dogs that compete in shows over the course of the year. For example, last year I think there were 14 Chessies entered at Westminster, compared to 16 entered in the show we attended in January, and over 60 entered for Best of Breed alone at our 2014 Chessie Specialty.
Westminster invites the top five Champions of each breed and the Best Of Breed winner from the Breed’s National Specialty; however, some of those dogs do not end up attending the show. In addition to the invited dogs there are other guidelines for entering dogs up to a set total entry (2800 total entries for 2015). Westminster Show Premium
My point is that critics often point to a dog or two at a large national show that they feel is not representative of the breed or strays from the standard; however, you should realize that these are a few select dogs that don’t necessarily represent the whole of the breed or what you may see if you attend a show near where you live. The very best way to learn what a dog show is all about and see some nice dogs is to attend a show in person.
Do you plan to watch the Westminster show?
No we won’t watch our ones anymore simple because the over breading of bad traits in some breeds and actually it is not the working breeds but the fashionable and toy ones. Have a terrific Tuesday.
Best wishes Molly
Have a great Tuesday Molly. 🙂
it was interesting to read about the rules of THE show. i think, if the beauty or the correct standard is in the eye of the beholder, it happens that we may think :bah unfair! but i agree, the most judges try to be fair and they do a good job, even when it ends sometimes with tears and disappointment… it’s a show and only one can be BIS. i wish i could see westminster once… and currently i’m super sad, that we can’t do the next show in france, because of this darned hell-bow… life happens while we making plans :o(
Westminster live streams the breed judging. Might get your mind off the hellbow. Of course it is probably in the middle of the night for you. I usually try to see the Chessies live stream.
Well, you know our feelings about the show and the Labs. I’d like to think that Westminster isn’t necessarily representative of all ‘show’ Labs, that they aren’t all chunky and overweight, but I’m not sure. It’s unfortunate that the extremes are rewarded as that is not true to the standard. What’s unfortunate is the average person watches Westminster and thinks their pet Lab is supposed to look like that, so they unwittingly encourage extra weight. I guess we’ll see how things go this year, but not holding my breath.
And you know that I don’t necessarily disagree with you about the show labs, but some of the field labs while not overweight have extremely flawed structure. Extremes either way are not good in my opinion.
I’m with you. I’m always bummed at the excessive grooming of the PBGVs. Where’s the tousled, natural appearance they’re supposed to have?
I typically don’t watch, it’s just not my thing, but sometimes the Hubs will put it on, then I watch. Have you ever considered entering one of your dogs in the Westminster show?
No. It is a tough environment for the dogs. A benched show in the middle of a big city. Plus you really need to put a pro handler on the dog to even be noticed so pass. lol I would much rather attend our Specialty.
Interesting. I never knew too much about showing, so I loved hearing the facts of it all.
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Thanks. There is a lot to learn and i am still learning. 🙂
Awesome post and I will be sharing! I dread this time of the year when show dogs take a hit because of what the media chooses to highlight. There is so many great things a show has to offer if people would just take the time to attend one and see for themselves. I’m not saying it’s perfect in anyway because it does have its flaws, but what you and I see as flaws is totally different then what the general public sees.
Well said and so true. I wish more people would take the time to learn. I have to say that the show we attended in January was very well attended by the general public.
Generally, we don’t watch the show. As Jodi said “it’s not my thing”; mostly because I just prefer watching my own dogs play together than watching other peoples’ dogs being paraded around a ring in endless circles that make me dizzy.
That is another misconception about shows. The handlers are not just parading around in circles. The handlers are moving the dogs so that the judge can observe the dog’s movement. Poor movement may indicate an unsound dog and/or potential for injury and/or inefficiency of effort. When Freighter took Winner’s Dog last month, the judge had his handler move him around the ring several times. He was choosing between two dogs that moved nicely and he wanted to make sure he got it right. Look at how the dogs feet land moving away and then toward you at a trot. Do the dog’s legs cross in front or back? Is the dog cow hocked in back? Elbows out in front? Does the dog roll side to side when it moves? Look at their side gait. Do they have good range of motion? You get the idea and each breed may have different things the judge is looking at.
Fascinating! Thank you! You know I’m heading to Westminster this weekend, and I feel so green going in. Reading this is helpful, especially seeing your replies to comments. I’ve shared it in the Jones Natural Chews Facebook page and Twitter. 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Have the best time. While I am not sure I would take a dog there, I would love to go and just watch!
We usually watch the Westminster Show for working dogs and hound groups, but they never choose a Kuvasz, and the GBGV isn’t represented yet, so it isn’t too interesting for us. It is still fun to see, but don’t take all that breed stuff real seriously…another reason we don’t show or breed.
As I mentioned to Easy if you are around during the day when a particular breed is being judged, you can watch live online. If you need to find the day and time, I can help. I usually try to check out the Chessies as they show. 🙂
Great behind the scenes info on dog shows. Sometimes I’ll watch because it’s interesting to see the different breeds. I wish they would devote a little more time describing each breed though.
I agree, especially with the lesser known breeds. I also wish they would explain what the judge is looking for or checking.
Interesting information. There’s always so much more behind what we see than we realize. I don’t watch dog shows generally, but I did go to one when an old friend was showing her border collies. Very interesting to watch and such beautiful dogs.
Border Collies are indeed wonderful to watch.
thank you for this fabulous in-depth explanation. Based on some of the “best in show” winners over the years, I have long suspected a lot of subjectivity was involved. I watch Westminster when I can, if I am around I usually do. I have attended smaller dog shows in person but never Westminster.
Next time you make the Novi show you will see how big that one is and I guess the DKC show will be in Novi in June this year but not benched.
I’ve always enjoyed watching the dog shows! I’ve been to a bunch, too. None of the huge ones but small town ones.
Sometimes smaller shows are more fun and less hectic.
Very interesting! Some of that I knew but some I didn’t…especially the part about what their real purpose is. I will probably try to remember to record it so I can tune in and watch some of it. I always thought it would be fun to go to a show, but there aren’t really any close by to us.
Too bad you weren’t closer. I’d love to meet up and watch together.
Great post! Though I don’t necessarily agree with some of the standards, etc, I watch Westminster every year and I’ve often helped a Swissy breeder friend at other dog shows. Agree with MyBrownNewfies. There’s so much more to it than “parading around a ring.”
I bet it was fun to help your friend with the Swissy’s. Dog shows can be exhausting if you are the one parading, or so says hubby. 😆
Thank you for this great post! Very informative!
You are welcome. 🙂
Haven’t done a lot of showing but from my vantage point I see pro handlers getting the call over a better representive of the breed handled by its owner and thats not fair. Weight also has be disturbed as the labs are overweight Chessies also have to be to win. If you have a preformance dog that is muscular forget it you can’t win.
Luckily we have not found that to be true with our Chessies. We show them in field condition and at correct weight (sometimes a bit under). My husband shows the dogs himself and he has beat pros.
I used to go to some local shows when I was growing up back when the Michigan State Fairgrounds were still in existence. I loved watching the dogs (especially the working ones) and the flyball competitions. This is great information for us dog lovers who don’t participate in shows. I didn’t realize that there were parent clubs that make the call on standards. I had to laugh reading the Chessie standard because right now I’m feeling like the worst pet parent ever – Laika and I just got back from a long walk and I didn’t realize it at the time but she’s got some raw skin on the insides of her legs from trudging along in the snow; the exact opposite of being able to handle the harsh climate.
If you went to a conformation show out at the Fairgrounds, that is the one that moved to Novi that we went to last month. I liked that show at the fairgrounds. Easy in and out. That part of the Chessie standard was probably written way back when dogs lived outside. Our dogs live in the house so we have to watch them too and it is also why they wear vests for hunting season.
Hi Y’all!
My Human used to go the the larger local dog shows when she was young. Now she’ll sneak a peak at the Westminster if my Human Papa isn’t watchin’ somethin’ else. She gets so frustrated ’cause she always misses the retrievers! Hey, why look at them on TV when she can look at me?
Y’all come on by,
Hawk aka BrownDog
True Hawk. The Sporting group will be on tv tonight!