The Dog Days of Summer - How To Navigate Your Way Through A Dog Show

I'm sure most of you have seen a dog show, whether it's a glimpse of the ring on TV or perhaps even in person. But, to the layperson, those spectacles can be highly confusing. Let me be your guide into the world of the breed ring, so the next time you turn on the TV, you can impress all your friends with your canine knowledge.The world of dog shows is as vast as the universe itself, with a dizzying array of terms and procedures. As with any sport, a good foundation is vital. A person needs to know which breed they desire to own and show, and they then need to research that breed and make sure that it will fulfill their desires. A person should not get a Bulldog if they wish to compete in Agility, nor should they go to the pound and adopt a dog if they wish to compete in the breed ring. Only registered, intact (meaning not spayed or neutered) dogs are eligible to compete in most associations' breed ring, and the conformation sport is dedicated to the idea of improving upon the best characteristics of the particular breed, and passing them onto future generations. For other sports, however, your dogs can be altered. Once you've settled on a breed, you then need to find a breeder who will be able to produce a puppy to fit your desires, and acquire that pup. It can sometimes take months, even years to find the right breeder and dog, and the more knowledge you have about your breed and desires with the dog, the more suited you'll be to find just the right puppy.Flash forward - you now have your dream puppy. So, what do you want to do with your pup? There are a wide range of dog sports out there, and choosing one is often a confusing proposition. Knowing a bit about the major sports people participate in, however, can make your decision much easier.

Conformation: As stated a little earlier, conformation is the oldest, and biggest, of the sports in the dog world. Dogs have been participating in conformation tests long before there were any organizations to track these shows. Farmers, ranchers and other prominent dog owners in the early days compared their dogs to dogs of their fellow men, and decided which dogs would make the best parents to produce the more desirable pups. That theory of selection led to the modern day breed ring, which varies a bit from registry to registry, but has the same basic premise. Conformation judges a dog against the breed standard - a written documentation dictating how a registry thinks the "ideal" representative of a particular breed should look. The closer your dog is to the ideal, the better they will place. The dog that best conforms to the standard will be named the Best Of Breed, while a dog of the opposite sex will be named Best Opposite Sex. A Best Of Winners dog is also chosen, as it is also a great example of the breed. All the Best Of Breed winners from ever breed then compete in the Group competitions. Each dog breed is placed into a Group, which is a broader category that highlights the general function of the breed. The most common groups are Hound, Herding, Toy, Terrier, Working, Sporting, and Non-Sporting. The winners of each Group then move onto the Best In Show ring, which is the cream of the crop in a dog show. The Best In Show ring is the toughest and most sought-after events of the day, and to be crowned Best In Show is the ultimate goals of all who show in conformation. Obedience: Obedience trials test out just that - the dog's obedience, willingness to follow a set out pattern of commands, and the dog's general usefulness as a companion and working partner to his owner. A variety of exercises are included in the sport of Obedience, and each level of competition has a different set of exercises that the dog must successfully complete. Dogs are judged on how closely and accurately they complete the judge's pattern of skills, and points are deducted based on how far off course the dog ventures. A variety of levels are in place to test dogs of varying skill levels, and range from Novice, to Open, to Utility, and highest and most complicated set of routines. Dogs must be enthusiastic and enjoy themselves while performing their duties, and accuracy and perfection are keys in an Obedience trial.Agility: Agility is a sport that puts speed, agile ness and obedience to the test. Agility is, for most people, the most exciting and most fun sport to watch and to participate in. Dogs and handlers must navigate a course of jumps, tunnels and obstacles in a timed course, with as few faults as possible to receive a qualifying score. Agility has it origins in England in the 1970's, and has literally exploded onto nearly every continent, with most major registries offering agility competition and titles. As with Obedience, Agility offers classes to a variety of skill levels, and also has different types of courses to run - traditional courses, courses with just jumps and weave poles, and courses in which the dog and handler complete a serious of obstacles, and then additional single obstacles to gain extra points. Agility courses are also divided by height classifications, so that dogs of all shapes and sizes can compete, and succeed in the sport. As in any dog sport, the health and welfare of the dog is of utmost importance, and all precautions are taken to make sure everyone has a safe and enjoyable time.Depending on which registry you participate in, additional sports including Earthdog, Weight Pulling, Schutzhund, Gundog Trials, Herding, Lure Coursing and many others are available. Dog sports are open to people of all races, ages, genders and skill levels, and there are always smiling faces and helpful people available to help you out, answer your questions, and give you a leg up into the ring. The world of dog sports are as varied and diverse and the dogs themselves. They sports offer dogs and handlers alike a chance to prove their mastery of skills, their natural instincts, and their delight in being with one another in a wide range of events. If you've never seen a dog sport before, then you are seriously missing out in one of the best, and most exciting, bonding experiences known to man.


By S L