As a complete novice to showing, I do get confused by the different shows, can you enter your dog for a championship show if he has not won anything? or is it called a championship show because if you win you gain points or something??

In a word , yes :) As long as your dog is KC registered and you have filled out the forms and sent them off with the payment , you can enter a Championship Show.

It is called a Champ Show because *CC's* (Challenge Certificates) are available to be won (but not all breeds have CC's) and when a dog has won so many (3?) CC's , it is entitled to be called Champion or Show Champion

Melody :)

A bit hazy on the CC's thing as my breed doesn't have them - sorry :)

Yes, Melody,
It's 3 CCs, under 3 different judges, to give the dog the title of Champion.
:)

Most shows are open to all KC registered dogs. 'Open' Shows are generally smaller, less formal affairs, with fewer entries. Most people use them as a training ground for their young stock, to get them used to shows, and to get a rough idea of how good the dog is. 'Championship' shows are the top rung of the ladder, are generally much bigger shows. Again any dog can be entered, but the quality of the competition is usually high, because winning best dog/bitch in breed counts towards becoming a Champion (and certain class placings qualify that animal for entry to Crufts).

Hope that makes it a little clearer!
:)

Thanks, I think I understand it now - well almost ha ha!!

Yep you have the right idea, it is at Cdhampionship shows that you win awards towards making a dog a champion, and yes anyone can enter a champiuonship show with a KC registered dog.

In the UK a dog has to win 3 CCs to become a Champion.

The CC is awarded to the best of each sex at Chyampionship shows where these are on offer to that breed. The KC controld how many sets of these are given to each breed.

In my breed we have 18 sets of CCs, as it isn't a hugely popular and numerically strong breed. This keeps the competition keener as there are fewer chances of getting a CC so hopefully will concentrate the number of people showing to the events where the CCs are offered, but Geography plays a part.

We have two breed club shows with CCs (The Ntional one will draw over a 100 dogs, and the Scottish around 60), and 16 are allotted to the other 27 all breed or Group Championship shows (so obviously some of the champ shows don't have CCs for our breed). for our breed the entry at a general CC show will average at around 45 dogs, but can range from 25 to 80.

For example at Birmingham National Championship show last Friday there was an entry of over 50 Elkhounds, as there is at Bathh on Bank Holiday Monday, but in Scotland this weekend there is an entry of 27, this is Geography playing it's part.

At the show there will be classes for dogs and bitches. some will be age classes (Puppy Junior etc) and some will be based on wins (Post Graduat, Limit etc) and an Open class which is the class the Champions can go in, and any other dog, but usually those who have won out of the lower classes.

When each class has been judged the winners come back in to the 'Challenge'. the judge will then choose the best of sex, then choose the Reserve best of sex from the remaining class winners, and possibly the second to the winnerof best of sex.

As an example: at Birmingham The CC went to the Limit class winner, and the judge called for the 2nd in Limit to compete for the reserve. The RCC then went to the 2nd in Limit, but could as easily have ben awarde to one of the other class winners.

The CC in bitches went to the Open winner, and the RCC went to the Puppy bitch class winner.

The judge then called back the best Dog to compete against the Best bitch to decide BOB, giving it to the Bitch.

Then the RCC winning bitch puppy was called back, and the Dog puppy class winners, to decide the Best Puppy in Breed, which she won.

The Best of Breed then normally goes in to the Group with the other BOB's (in this case theHound Group). Then the winners of the respecitve Groups come together t6o decide Best In Show.

So that is how BIS is arrived at out of entries of between 10000 and 20000 at a Championship show.

oH MY goD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Its so confusing!!!!

Oh dear, I often am, why do you think i have Brainless as a moniker!!!

oh no I think you explained it as well as anyone could.

Theres just so much to get your head round that I havent a clue where to start!!

You start with entering and trying to win a class, by the time (if ever) you have to worry about being best of sex, it will all seem easy peasy.

I first showed a dog in 1989, and won my first RCC in 2001!