KENNEL BLINDNESS
More of a shortcoming than an actual disease, kennel blindness can be rampant in the dog world; fortunately, it affects breeders and not the dogs themselves. Kennel blindness is the breeder’s inability to see faults in his own stock, while finding multiple faults in every other breeder’s dogs. Be wary that the show world is laden with politics and giant egos: not everyone you meet in the show ring is going to tell you the truth. Give a wide berth to breeders who bad-mouth other kennels, judges and certain handlers and spread rumors about their competition. You don’t want to get sideswiped by the planks in these breeders’ eyes!
Is dog showing in your blood? Are you excited by the idea of gaiting your handsome French Bulldog around the ring to the thunderous applause of an enthusiastic audience? Are you certain that your beloved French Bulldog is flawless? You are not alone! Every loving owner thinks that his dog has no faults, or too few to mention. No matter how many times an owner reads the breed standard, he cannot find any faults in his aristocratic companion dog. If this sounds like you, and if you are considering entering your French Bulldog in a dog show, here are some basic questions to ask yourself:
• Did you purchase a “show-quality” puppy from the breeder?
• Is your puppy at least six months of age?
• Does the puppy exhibit correct show type for his breed?
• Does your puppy have any disqualifying faults?
• Is your French Bulldog registered with the American Kennel Club?
• How much time do you have to devote to training, grooming, conditioning and exhibiting your dog?
• Do you understand the rules and regulations of a dog show?
• Do you have time to learn how to show your dog properly?
• Do you have the financial resources to invest in showing your dog?
• Will you show the dog yourself or hire a professional handler?
• Do you have a vehicle that can accommodate your weekend trips to the dog shows?
The Frenchies line up to be evaluated at a large all-breed dog show.
Success in the show ring requires more than a pretty face, a waggy tail and a pocketful of liver. Even though dog shows can be exciting and enjoyable, the sport of conformation makes great demands on the exhibitors and the dogs. Winning exhibitors live for their dogs, devoting time and money to their dogs’ presentation, conditioning and training. Very few novices, even those with good dogs, will find themselves in the winners’ circle, though it does happen. Don’t be disheartened, though. Every exhibitor began as a novice and worked his way up to the Group ring. It’s the “working your way up” part that you must keep in mind.
SEAL OF EXCELLENCE
The show ring is the testing ground for a breeder’s program. A championship on a dog signifies that three qualified judges have placed their seal of approval on a dog. Only dogs that have earned their championships should be considered for breeding purposes. Striving to improve the breed and reproduce sound, typical examples of the breed, breeders must breed only the best. No breeder breeds only for pet homes; they strive for the top. The goal of every program must be to better the breed, and every responsible breeder wants the prestige of producing Best in Show winners.
HOW THE DOG MEASURES UP
Judges must assess each dog’s correct measurements in the show ring, as many breed standards include height disqualifications for dogs that are too short or too tall, along with desired weight ranges. According to the American Kennel Club, “Height is measured from a point horizontal with the withers, straight down to the ground.” Although length of body is not described in the breed standard in terms of inches, it is often discussed in relation to the proportional balance of the dog. The AKC states, “Length is measured from point of shoulder to point of buttock.”
Assuming that you have purchased a puppy of the correct type and quality for showing, let’s begin to examine the world of showing and what’s required to get started. Although the entry fee into a dog show is nominal, there are lots of other hidden costs involved with “finishing” your French Bulldog, that is, making him a champion. Things like equipment, travel, training and conditioning all cost money. A more serious campaign will include fees for a professional handler, boarding, cross-country travel and advertising. Top-winning show dogs can represent a very considerable investment—over $100,000 has been spent in campaigning some dogs. (The investment can be less, of course, for owners who don’t use professional handlers.)
Many owners, on the other hand, enter their “average” French Bulldogs in dog shows for the fun and enjoyment of it. Dog showing makes an absorbing hobby, with many rewards for dogs and owners alike. If you’re having fun, meeting other people who share your interests and enjoying the overall experience, you likely will catch the “bug.” Once the dog-show bug bites, its effects can last a lifetime; it’s certainly much better than a deer tick! Soon you will be envisioning yourself in the center ring at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City, competing for the prestigious Best in Show cup. This magical dog show is televised annually from Madison Square Garden, and the victorious dog becomes a celebrity overnight.
Visiting a dog show as a spectator is a great place to start. Pick up the show catalog to find out what time your breed is being shown, who is judging the breed and in which ring the classes will be held. To start, French Bulldogs compete against other French Bulldogs, and the winner is selected as Best of Breed by the judge. This is the procedure for each breed. At a group show, all of the Best of Breed winners go on to compete for Group One in their respective group. For example, all Best of Breed winners in a given group compete against each other; this is done for all seven groups. Finally, all seven group winners go head to head in the ring for the Best in Show award.
What most spectators don’t understand is the basic idea of conformation. A dog show is often referred as a “conformation” show. This means that the judge should decide how each dog stacks up (conforms) to the breed standard for his given breed: how well does this French Bulldog conform to the ideal representative detailed in the standard? Ideally, this is what happens. In reality, however, this ideal often gets slighted as the judge compares French Bulldog #1 to French Bulldog #2. Again, the ideal is that each dog is judged based on his merits in comparison to his breed standard, not in comparison to the other dogs in the ring. It is easier for judges to compare dogs of the same breed to decide which they think is the better specimen; in the Group and Best in Show ring, however, it is very difficult to compare one breed to another, like apples to oranges. Thus the dog’s conformation to the breed standard—not to mention advertising dollars and good handling—is essential to success in conformation shows. The dog described in the standard (the standard for each AKC breed is written and approved by the breed’s national parent club and then submitted to the AKC for approval) is the perfect dog of that breed, and breeders keep their eye on the standard when they choose which dogs to breed, hoping to get closer and closer to the ideal with each litter.
FOR MORE INFORMATION…
For reliable up-to-date information about registration, dog shows and other canine competitions, contact one of the national registries by mail or via the Internet.
American Kennel Club
5580 Centerview Dr., Raleigh, NC 27606-3390
United Kennel Club
100 E. Kilgore Road, Kalamazoo, MI 49002
Canadian Kennel Club
89 Skyway Ave., Suite 100, Etobicoke, Ontario
M9W 6R4 Canada
The Kennel Club
1-5 Clarges St., Piccadilly, London W1Y 8AB, UK
Another good first step for the novice is to join a dog club. You will be astonished by the many and different kinds of dog clubs in the country, with about 5,000 clubs holding events every year. Most clubs require that prospective new members present two letters of recommendation from existing members. Perhaps you’ve made some friends visiting a show held by a particular club and you would like to join that club. Dog clubs may specialize in a single breed, like a local or regional French Bulldog club, or in a specific pursuit, such as obedience, tracking or hunting tests. There are all-breed clubs for all dog enthusiasts; they sponsor special training days, seminars on topics like grooming or handling or lectures on breeding or canine genetics. There are also clubs that specialize in certain types of dogs, like herding dogs, hunting dogs, companion dogs, etc.
What could be better than one top-quality Frenchie show dog? Well, two, of course!
A parent club is the national organization, sanctioned by the AKC, which promotes and safeguards its breed in the country. The French Bull Dog Club of America (FBDCA) can be contacted on the Internet at www.frenchbulldogclub.org. The parent club holds an annual national specialty show, usually in a different city each year, in which many of the country’s top dogs, handlers and breeders gather to compete. At a specialty show, only members of a single breed are invited to participate. There are also group specialties, in which all members of a group are invited. For more information about dog clubs in your area, contact the AKC at www.akc.org on the Internet or write them at their Raleigh, NC address.
Three kinds of conformation shows are offered by the AKC. There is the all-breed show, in which all AKC-recognized breeds can compete, the specialty show and the Group show.
For a dog to become an AKC champion of record, the dog must earn 15 points at shows. The points must be awarded by at least three different judges and must include two “majors” under different judges. A “major” is a three-, four- or five-point win, and the number of points per win is determined by the number of dogs competing in the show on that day. (Dogs that are absent or are excused are not counted.) The number of points that are awarded varies from breed to breed. More dogs are needed to attain a major in more popular breeds, and fewer dogs are needed in less popular breeds. Yearly, the AKC evaluates the number of dogs in competition in each division (there are 14 divisions in all, based on geography) and may or may not change the numbers of dogs required for each number of points. For example, a major in Division 2 (Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania) recently required 17 dogs or 16 bitches for a three-point major, 29 dogs or 27 bitches for a four-point major and 51 dogs or 46 bitches for a five-point major. The French Bulldog attracts numerically proportionate representation at all-breed shows.
Only one dog and one bitch of each breed can win points at a given show. There are no “co-ed” classes except for champions of record. Dogs and bitches do not compete against each other until they are champions. Dogs that are not champions (referred to as “class dogs”) compete in one of five classes. The class in which a dog is entered depends on age and previous show wins. First there is the Puppy Class (sometimes divided further into classes for 6- to 9-month-olds and 9- to 12-month-olds); next is the Novice Class (for dogs that have no points toward their championships and whose only first-place wins have come in the Puppy Class or the Novice Class, the latter class limited to three first places); then there is the American-bred Class (for dogs bred in the US); the Bred-by-Exhibitor Class (for dogs handled by their breeders or by immediate family members of their breeders) and the Open Class (for any non-champions). Any dog may enter the Open class, regardless of age or win history, but to be competitive the dog should be older and have ring experience.
PURPLE AND GOLD HERITAGE
The Westminster Kennel Club show, America’s most prestigious dog show, gained its name from the founders’ favorite Manhattan hotel bar where they gathered to discuss their sporting ventures. Another theory about the name comes from a Pointer named Juno, who came from the kennel of the Duke of Westminster in England. Although Juno participated in the first show in 1877, the Duke’s kennel name likely had less bearing on the choice of the club’s name than did the gentlemen’s celebrated watering hole. Juno, by the way, is not the Pointer in the Westminster symbol: that Pointer was a celebrated show dog by the name of Sensation, who was owned by the club.
Today the Westminster Kennel Club dog show is the oldest uninterrupted annual dog show in the world, and the second oldest sporting event in America. The first show was held on May 8–10, 1877 at Gilmore’s Garden, the famous Hippodrome, with an entry of over 1,200 dogs. Presently the show is held in the month of February at Madison Square Garden in New York City with an entry of 2,500 champion dogs and is televised nationally.
AKC GROUPS
For showing purposes, the American Kennel Club divides its recognized breeds into seven groups: Sporting Dogs, Hounds, Working Dogs, Terriers, Toys, Non-Sporting Dogs and Herding Dogs.
The judge at the show begins judging the male dogs in the Puppy Class(es) and proceeds through the other classes. The judge awards first through fourth place in each class. The first-place winners of each class then compete with one another in the Winners Class to determine Winners Dog. The judge then starts over with the bitches, beginning with the Puppy Class(es) and proceeding up to the Winners Class to award Winners Bitch, just as he did with the dogs. A Reserve Winners Dog and Reserve Winners Bitch are also selected; they could be awarded the points in the case of a disqualification.
The Winners Dog and Winners Bitch are the two that are awarded the points for their breed. They then go on to compete with any champions of record (often called “specials”) of their breed that are entered in the show. The champions may be dogs or bitches; in this class, all are shown together. The judge reviews the Winners Dog and Winners Bitch along with all of the champions to select the Best of Breed winner. The Best of Winners is selected between the Winners Dog and Winners Bitch; if one of these two is selected Best of Breed as well, he or she is automatically determined Best of Winners. Lastly, the judge selects Best of Opposite Sex to the Best of Breed winner. The Best of Breed winner then goes on to the group competition.
At a group or all-breed show, the Best of Breed winners from each breed are divided into their respective groups to compete against one another for Group One through Group Four. Group One (first place) is awarded to the dog that best lives up to the ideal for his breed as described in the standard. A group judge, therefore, must have a thorough working knowledge of many breed standards. After placements have been made in each group, the seven Group One winners (from the Non-Sporting Group, Toy Group, Hound Group, etc.) compete against each other for the top honor, Best in Show.
There are different ways to find out about dog shows in your area. The American Kennel Club’s monthly magazine, the American Kennel Gazette, is accompanied by the Events Calendar; this magazine is available through subscription. You can also look on the AKC’s and your parent club’s websites for information and check the event listings in your local newspaper.
Your French Bulldog must be six months of age or older and registered with the AKC in order to be entered in AKC-sanctioned shows in which there are classes for the French Bulldog. Your French Bulldog also must not possess any disqualifying faults and must be sexually intact. The reason for the latter is simple: dog shows are the proving grounds to determine which dogs and bitches are worthy of being bred. If they cannot be bred, that defeats the purpose! On that note, only dogs that have achieved championships, thus proving their excellent quality, should be bred. If you have spayed or neutered your dog, however, there are many AKC events other than conformation, such as obedience trials, agility trials and the Canine Good Citizen® program, in which you and your French Bulldog can participate.
You will fill out an entry form when you register for the show. You must decide and designate on the form in which class you will enter your puppy or adult dog. Remember that some classes are more competitive than others and have limitations based on age and win history. Hopefully you will not be in the first class of the day, so you can take some time watching exactly how the judge is conducting the ring. Notice how the handlers are stacking their dogs, meaning setting them up. Does the judge prefer the dogs to be facing one direction or another? Take special note as to how the judge is moving the dogs and how he is instructing the handlers. Is he moving them up and back, once or twice around, in a triangle?
Regardless of a Frenchie’s conformational faults, a well-behaved dog can prove an asset to the community as a volunteer, Canine Good Citizen® or simply a family pet.
The world’s oldest dog show is the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, which takes place annually in New York City. The group finals are completely televised and the show has an attendance of more than 50,000 people per day.
If possible, you will want to get your number beforehand. Your assigned number must be attached as an armband or with a clip on your outer garment. Do not enter the ring without your number. The ring steward will usually call the exhibits in numerical order. If the exhibits are not called in order, you should strategically place your dog in the line. For instance, if your pup is small for his age, don’t stand him next to a large entry; if your dog is reluctant to gait, get at the end of the line-up so that you don’t interfere with the other dogs. The judge’s first direction, usually, is for all of the handlers to “take the dogs around,” which means that everyone gaits his dog around the periphery of the ring.
While you’re in the ring, don’t let yourself (or your dog) become distracted. Concentrate on your dog; he should have your full attention. Stack him in the best way possible. Teach him to free-stand while you hold a treat out for him. Let him understand that he must hold this position for at least a minute before you reward him. Follow the judge’s instructions and be aware of what the judge is doing. Don’t frustrate the judge by not paying attention to his directions.
The judge reviews the class of competitors.
When your dog’s turn to be judged arrives, keep him steady and calm. The judge will inspect the dog’s bite and dentition, overall musculature and structure and, in a male dog, the testicles, which must completely descend into the scrotum. Likewise, the judge will take note of the dog’s alertness and temperament. Aggressiveness is a disqualification in most breeds, and so is shyness. A dog must always be approachable by the judge, even if aloofness is one of the breed’s characteristics. Once the judge has completed his hands-on inspection, he will instruct you to gait the dog. A dog’s gait indicates to the judge that the dog is correctly constructed. Each breed standard describes the ideal correct gait for that breed. After the judge has inspected all of the dogs in the class in this manner, he will ask the entire class to gait together. He will make his final selections after one last look over the class.
Whether you win or lose, the only one disappointed will be you. Never let your dog know that he’s not “the winner.” Most important is that you reaffirm your dog’s love of the game. Reward him for behaving properly and for being the handsome boy or pretty girl that he or she is.
After your first or second experience in the ring, you will know what things you need to work on. Go home, practice and have fun with your French Bulldog. With some time and effort, you and your well-trained show dog will soon be standing in the winners’ circle with a blue ribbon!
The handlers and dogs prepare as they await examination by the judge.