Dog Show Terms

Have you ever seen a dog show and been a bit confused by the terminology? You're not alone. But with Westminster fast approaching, you may want to brush up on some of these dog show terms. Tune in Monday Feb. 13 (8pm on USA and 9pm on CNBC) and Tuesday Feb. 14 (8pm on USA) to test your knowledge!

All-Breed Club: an organized group of dog fanciers that is recognized by the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC) and/or the American Kennel Club (AKC). These clubs are able to hold all-breed dog shows and performance events in their respective geographic locations.

All-Breed Show: an event where dogs are judged by how closely they match the Breed Standard for their specific breed

American-Bred: dog born and mated in America

American Kennel Club (AKC): a collective of licensed clubs who attempt to “maintain a registry for purebred dogs and preserve its integrity.” They sanction dog events that promote interest in purebreds, and they look to advance the study of breeding and the exhibiting of purebred dogs.

Armband: printed paper worn on the arm by an exhibitor which indicates the reference number for the dog entered in competition

Bait: using an item to gain a dog’s attention

Benched Show: a show during which once the dogs enter the “benching area,” the area where they are assigned to stay all day when they are not in the ring, they cannot leave until a certain time, and cannot return afterwards if they do. The purpose of keeping the dogs in the benching area is so that attendees, exhibitors and other breeders can discuss the dogs. 

Best In Show (BIS): the winner of a show. He has successfully beaten all the other dogs of all breeds entered in the competition and was rated highest by the judges

Best Junior Handler (BJH): award given to the one junior handler (handler between 10 and 18 years of age) for being deemed the best at skillfully showing their dog 

Best of Breed: dog judged as the best in its specific breed category

Best of Opposite Sex: the best dog opposite in sex to the Best of Breed winner

Best of Winners (BOW): competition between the Winners Dog and the Winners Bitch where each dog (1 male and 1 female of the breed) is judged as to which conforms best to the Breed Standard

Bitch: a female dog

Brace: two dogs of the same breed and ownership shown together so as to display the overall consistency of a breeder’s program

Breed: the act of mating dogs to reproduce them; also used to describe a sub-species of dogs of similar type and heritage

Breed Standard: a written standard that describes the physical characteristics, temperament and care for the perfect specimen of a specific dog breed

Campaign (Conformation): to enter and compete in a large number of shows in order to obtain national rankings in the show world

Canine Good Citizen: certification program aimed to encourage the public to buy carefully bred dogs

Canadian Kennel Club (CKC): collective of licensed Canadian dog clubs devoted to advancing, guiding and encouraging responsible breeders and owners in Canada. Like the AKC, the CKC maintains a system that allows clubs and associations to hold dog shows and other events. They also keep a registration of purebred dogs.

Catalogue: a document sold at shows which lists all the information about a dog show, including dog’s entered and their breeders

Champion: a dog who has won a total of 15 points or more at licensed AKC shows

Choke: equipment used to give quick correction of a dog’s attention

Classes: the different class divisions of a dog show; the classes for Conformation shows are: Junior puppy 6 months to 9 months; Senior Puppy 9 months to 12 months; 12 months to under 18 months (in specialty shows only); Novice (for unpointed dogs); Bred By Exhibitor (shown by the dog’s breeder); Canadian Bred (CanBred) or American Bred (AmBred); Open (open to all dogs aged at least 6 months)

Conformation: how a dog’s structure, type, temperament and other factors match up to the Breed Standard for that specific dog breed

Croup: lower spine region on a dog; contains the back of a dog’s pelvis to his tail

Dog: male canine

Exhibitor: person who brings a dog to a show and shows it in the appropriate class

Ex-Pen: portable, wire fencing unit which allows dogs a safe, clean place to eliminate

Fancier: person highly interested (and more often than not active) in some aspect of the sport of purebred dogs

Finish: to have enough points to be awarded the title of Champion of Record

Free Bait: using food or some other enticement to get a dog to “stack” properly and be alert while being judged in the ring

Gait: quality of a dog’s movement

Groom: using tools to exhibit a dog’s best aesthetic virtues

Group: functional similarities in dogs (Ex: Sporting, Hound, Terrier, Working, Toy, Non-Sporting, Herding)

Handler: person who works directly with a dog in a competition

Heel: command to a dog to stay close to his handler

Judge: official who evaluates and compares how well dogs conform to a Breed Standard

Judging Schedule: shows when and where each breed will be judged and by whom

Junior: young person between 10 and 18 years of age who competes in shows

Lead: equipment used to lead the dog around a show ring. Can be a thin piece of material (leather, nylon, cotton, etc.) usually with a metal snap or clip connector on one end to attach to the dog’s collar, and a loop on the other end for the handler to hold

Loin: area on a the body of a dog between last ribcage and beginning of the pelvis

Major: win for a class dog earning 3, 4 or 5 points toward a championship

Match Show: usually an informal dog show where no points are awarded

Occiput: a boney section of the skull located at the back of the topskull

Pastern: the area between a dog’s paws and its lower arm

Patella: the knee joint of dog’s rear legs

Pedigree: written record of the family tree of a dog for three or more generations

Points: Rating system for shows in conformation competition (competitions based on how closely dogs match a Breed Standard); a dog in the U.S. needs 15 points to be considered a Champion of Record

Post Sternum: the “breastbone” on a dog

Produce: the offspring of a brood bitch

Ring Steward: a judge’s assistant who coordinates exhibitors and dogs entering and exiting the ring

Roadwork: exercising and conditioning a dog through walking, jogging, biking

Set Up: “home-base” for grooming and holding dogs on the show grounds while not in the ring

Sidegait: the dog’s movement, as seen from his side

Soundness: well-being, both mental and physical, of a dog

Special: slang for a Champion of Record who is being actively campaigned

Stacking: causing dog to stand in a manner that best displays its virtues

Standard: the officially recognized written description of the exemplary dog of a specific breed

Stifle: the curved area on a dog’s rear legs containing the thighs and patella (knee)

Stop: the skeletal junction on the skull’s foreface between the back of the muzzle and the beginning of the topskull

Superintendent: official licensed by AKC / CKC who coordinates the show. They’re responsible for catalog creation, distribution and generation of premium lists, entries, etc.

Sweepstakes: a non-regular class, usually offered at specialty shows, which are specifically designed to recognize outstanding young dogs and puppies

Tack: equipment used to prepare and show a dog

Topline: spinal section of the dog from withers to croup

Veterans: non-regular competitive class for dogs aged 7 years or more

Withers: where the shoulder blades meet on a dog

Winners Bitch: the one female of a specific breed that is awarded points toward their championship at a given show

Winners Dog: Same as above, but for males