Hi peoples of Champdogs info Exchange
I've just come back from a gundog show, there were only two classes for my breed, Junior and Open because we are a minority. Anyways I was placed 2nd in Open class. In the Best of Breed judging the dog that came first in the open class got the Best of Breed. Then the steward called my number into the ring and my bitch took the Res Best of Breed. My question is why is this so? I did not come first in my class so how come I was eligable to challenge the winner of the Junior class for the Res Best of Breed? I'm not complaining of my placing but I just don't understand why the judge can do this. I haven't seen this done before but then again I'm new to showing.

you do not need to be place 1st to be called in for the challenge if the only dog who beat you took BOB..

In this case.. as 2nd place to the BOB, you were called in for the challenge because the judge thought your dog warranted it.. The judge, can, at his/her discretion, give the winners of both classes.. BOB and RBOB, respectively, OR.. in this case.. call for the 2nd placed dog (you) into the challenge..

Its not very common at open shows.. but at Championship shows, very often the call for 2nd place to the CC winner to come into the challenge for the RCC..

You are only beaten by the BOB, you were not beaten by the dog who took 1st in the other class..

However.. IF the judge did not feel that you warranted the challenge, the RBOB would have been given to the winner of the junior class, without you being called in.. 

WELL DONE :-)

Thanks for your reply
It sort of felt like stealing though from the dog that took 1st in the junior, I always thought that you must have won 1st in your class to be able to challenge for BOB and RBOB. I just know that I wouldn't particularly like it if my dog had won their class, then for the judge to call in a beaten dog and take the prize.

Think of it another way, if it makes you feel less guilty lol...

If the winner of the Junior class, had also entered the dog into the open class.. it would have still taken 1st in the Junior, but would have taken 3rd in the Open class.. :-)

It sort of felt like stealing though from the dog that took 1st in the junior, I always thought that you must have won 1st in your class to be able to challenge for BOB and RBOB.

Look at it this way -wouldn't it be worse to think a dog not as good as yours took the RBOB? After all, you can have a class of one and a class of 5, and the dog placed 5th out of 5 could still be better than the one placed first of one. :)

This happens a lot, both at champ.shows and open shows, and it means you know the judge gave the awards to what was in their opinion the best dogs. A bitch of mine has done it many a time (those times she has been beaten LOL) -for instance earlier this year at an open show just like in your case there was Junior and Open. She was second in open, there was just one in Junior, and my bitch took RBOB from her second placing. Likewise last year at a breed champ.show she was 2nd in open bitch but was still awarded RBB above the other bitch class winners, and then when it came to the challenge for BOB the bitch took the BOB. With the challenge for RBOB, the judge preferred my bitch to the best dog so gave her the RBOB above the best dog. That said so MUCH about the placings -the fact that this judge felt all the bitches were better than the dogs, for instance.

Look at it this way if it makes you feel more comfortable, even though the 1st placed dog in Junior was unbeaten when they went in for the challenge, they were then beaten by the BOB. Once BOB has been declared all other dogs are now beaten dogs. For RBOB only dogs who have been beaten by the BOB are allowed to challenge, so as the second in Open (in this case) has also only been beaten by the BOB they are perfectly entitled to challenge for RBOB (if they are called back in by the judge). You were called in to challenge for RBOB as by this time both of you (you and the winner of the Junior class) had been beaten only by the BOB.

Thanks for clearing that up for me, I feel better now that I understand the judging had been fair. It makes sense that we were both beaten dogs by the time the BOB was chosen so we were both fair and square to challenge for RBOB. RBOB is the highest placing I have got so far, I just wanted to make sure that it was achieved fairly before celebrating a little. Thanks a lot guys!

I like Ice Cosmos' explanation, that makes it nice and clear doesn't it! And well done!!