High level of Dog Competition Shows

Most dog shows in Britain are held under the auspices of the Kennel Club with various levels of show at which a dog can compete. At the highest level are Championship shows which may have separate classes for the majority of breeds or may be breed-specific, usually organized by a breed club which runs perhaps a couple of shows each year, one of which, with the Kennel Club's permission, is probably a Championship event. Other shows are for one Group only and while the all-breed shows are held over two, three or four consecutive days, a Group show lasts just one. Crufts is of course also a Championship show but for this dogs must have qualified by winning certain awards at Championship level.

At championship level competition is extremely strong and dogs which win regularly are of high quality indeed. Championship shows provide opportunities to qualify for Crufts and for entry in the Kennel Club's Stud Book. Challenge Certificates are also on offer for many breeds at these shows, counting towards the title of Champion. Another important award for which points can be scored at these shows is a Junior Warrant.

Fees for entry at such shows are relatively high and exhibitors regularly travel all over the country, so the cost of actively campaigning a dog in Championship competition is considerable.

To become a Champion a dog has to have won three Challenge Certificates under different judges.

This is more difficult in Britain than anywhere else in the world as in many cases it is necessary to beat several champions to gain this title. At conformation shows Gundogs compete for the title of Show Champion, because only if they have won a championship title in the field are they eligible to hold that of a full Champion. Border Collies, too, can only compete for Show Championship titles at such shows.

Dog challenge certificates
Not all breeds at Championship shows have Challenge Certificates (CCs) allocated to them, this depending upon the numerical strength of the breed and often upon geographical location of the show. It is the Kennel Club which decides which breeds can have such status and at which shows, and in many cases the allocation varies from year to year. Other breeds which can compete at championship shows but are not eligible for CCs are those still on the Rare Breeds or Import Registers, because a breed must have attained a certain status in this country before being allowed to compete for the title of Champion.

Judges who award CCs at Championship shows have to be approved by the Kennel Club, and breed clubs are also asked to offer their opinion on new judges for consideration by the ruling body. This means that judges who officiate at this, the highest level, are usually those with the greatest experience.

Some judges officiate only for their own breed; others choose, over a period of time, move on to award Challenge Certificates in several. Official training of judges is something which is still in its infancy in Britain although in other countries such schemes, or similar ones, have been in operation for years.

Other dog shows
Rather less formal, and with much cheaper entry fees, are Open shows where overall entries at each show are considerably fewer, perhaps 1,000-2,000 exhibits, as opposed to 10,000-20,000 at a Championship event. For these shows exhibitors tend to travel less, perhaps within a radius of about 80 km (50 miles), for there are numerous Open shows throughout the year. They are an especially good training ground for puppies over the minimum permitted age of six months. To attain a Junior Warrant, something competed for up to the age of 18 months, it is now a rule that some points must have been won at Open shows.

From 1999 the Kennel Club has brought in a new rule that any judge officiating for more than three classes in any breed (more than four in the case of highly popular breeds) must be approved to judge at this level by a relevant breed society. Open shows are valuable training grounds for newer judges and indeed for experienced judges wishing to widen their experience of other breeds, but it must be recognized that exhibitors pay for a judge's opinion and so every effort must be made to ensure that the opinions given by judges are well founded.