As with any dog show, the point of the conformation classes is determination of the best breeding stock to continue the breed—and this point is taken nowhere more seriously than at specialties and particular the National. A class win at the national can be a high point of a dog person’s year, and a Best of Breed or Best in Sweepstakes is often a pinnacle achievement for person with a long history in a breed.
There are many specialties across the country every year. Take a look at upcoming national and regional breed specialties or search for national to local specialties, which are often held in conjunction with an All-Breed show at AKC Event Search and Results.
There is no better place to learn about your breed than at a Specialty Show, in particular the national specialty (“the National”), which is usually held annually by the breed’s national parent club. It’s where dedicated fans of the breed meet together year after year, sharing their knowledge and passion and bringing their best dogs to compete.
Whether you’re a prospective owner researching a breed, a new owner, or an experienced breeder, handler or judge, Specialty Shows are your best opportunity spend time with others who share your love of your breed. Many provide educational seminars and may offer other events such as obedience, tracking, and agility, as well as breed-specific performance venues such as earthdog or field trials, herding tests and trials, lure coursing or draft tests.
All-Breed shows are conformation events that are held for the more than 190 breeds and varieties of dogs recognized by the AKC to compete in, unless otherwise noted on the club’s premium list. Also listed under All-Breed are the Group Shows, or shows limited to one of the seven AKC Groups: Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding. Approximately 1,500 AKC All-breed conformation point shows are held throughout the United States each year.
The invention of the gun led to the development of the sporting, or gun dogs, to aid in hunting upland game birds or waterfowl, performing at the direction of the hunter. While a number of these breeds perform more than one task, it is generally the duty of pointers and setters to point and mark game; for spaniels to flush game; and for retrievers to recover dead and wounded game.
While the uses and appearances of the dogs in the Working Group vary, most are powerfully built and intelligent, performing various tasks for their people. These dogs are working farm and draft animals. They guard homes and livestock, serve heroically as police and military dogs, security dogs, guide and service dogs and hunters.
All but two of the terriers evolved in the British Isles. The geography of the specific area (water, rocky terrain) helped to determine the exact duties of each breed, but it usually involved hunting vermin and varmints ranging from rats to badgers to otters and more. These are dogs of great determination, courage and self-confidence, with a great willingness to go to ground in search of its quarry.
The AKC originally registered dogs as either Sporting or Non-Sporting. Eventually, hounds and terriers were split from the Sporting Group, and the Toys and Working dogs were split off from Non-Sporting, with the Herding Group eventually splitting from Working. Today, the Non-Sporting Group is literally every breed that is left, resulting in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, hair, function and history.
Originally classified as sporting dogs because of their function as hunters, breeds in the Hound Group are of a great variety of size, shape and coat. Most of these breeds were developed to hunt somewhat independently for their humans, who usually followed on foot or on horseback as the hounds chased down the prey. This group informally consists of scent hounds, dogs that hunt by tracking a scent, and sight hounds, who spot their game and run it down.
What do judges look for at a Dog Show?
When judges look at dogs in a dog show, they are determining how closely the dog matches up with the “perfect” as described by the breed’s official standard. Dogs are judged on their appearance relative to the breed standard, as well as their temperament and build.
National Dog Show 2022: Best in Show (Full Judging) | NBC Sports
All-Breed shows are conformation events that are held for the more than 190 breeds and varieties of dogs recognized by the AKC to compete in, unless otherwise noted on the club’s premium list. Also listed under All-Breed are the Group Shows, or shows limited to one of the seven AKC Groups: Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding. Approximately 1,500 AKC All-breed conformation point shows are held throughout the United States each year.
Specialty shows are events limited to a single breed, e.g. Bulldogs, or the varieties of one breed like Poodles, which include the three varieties: Toy, Miniature and Standard. Some specialty shows may be held in conjunction with an All-Breed event while others are stand-alone events. There are about 2,000 independent national, regional and local specialty point shows held every year.
There is no better place to learn about your breed than at a Specialty Show, in particular the national specialty (“the National”), which is usually held annually by the breed’s national parent club. It’s where dedicated fans of the breed meet together year after year, sharing their knowledge and passion and bringing their best dogs to compete.
As with any dog show, the point of the conformation classes is determination of the best breeding stock to continue the breed—and this point is taken nowhere more seriously than at specialties and particular the National. A class win at the national can be a high point of a dog person’s year, and a Best of Breed or Best in Sweepstakes is often a pinnacle achievement for person with a long history in a breed.
Whether you’re a prospective owner researching a breed, a new owner, or an experienced breeder, handler or judge, Specialty Shows are your best opportunity spend time with others who share your love of your breed. Many provide educational seminars and may offer other events such as obedience, tracking, and agility, as well as breed-specific performance venues such as earthdog or field trials, herding tests and trials, lure coursing or draft tests.
There are many specialties across the country every year. Take a look at upcoming national and regional breed specialties or search for national to local specialties, which are often held in conjunction with an All-Breed show at AKC Event Search and Results.