Understanding a Dog Show

To win the top award of Best In Show at an all breed Show, a dog must be placed first over all the other entries in his own breed, then defeat all the other breed winners in his particular group, and finally top the first place winners of the groups.

 To become a Champion, a dog must attain a total of ten points (including a two point win at either breed or group level) under at least three different judges at breed level and be registered in the records of the Canadian Kennel Club. The owner of the dog at the time of completing its Championship will be issued a “Championship Certificate” by the Canadian Kennel Club.

 Show Qualifications - To be eligible for Championship Show competition in a Show approved by the Canadian Kennel Club, a dog must meet the following requirements:

(a)  It must be a purebred specimen of one of the breeds recognized by the Canadian Kennel Club.

(b)  It must be registered or eligible for registration with the Canadian Kennel Club.

(c)  It must have no disqualifying faults such as lameness, or have been altered in order to correct a disqualifying fault as set out in the standard of the breed.

(d)  It must be at least six months old.

(e) It must not be spayed or neutered.

Regular Classes 

All dogs competing for points at a Show are entered in one of the official classes for their breed and sex. Males entered in these classes are judged first, the females following in the same order of classes.

   Junior puppy       For dogs six months and under nine months of age on the day of the show.

   Senior puppy        For dogs nine months and under twelve months of age on the day of the show.

   Canadian Bred     For dogs born in Canada, Champions in any country excluded.

   Bred by Exhibitor For dogs owned and handled in the ring by their breeder.

   12-18 Months     For dogs 12 months and under 18 months of age on the day of the show.  

   Open                    For all dogs.

   Specials Only       For registered, Champion dogs only. Dogs in this class do not compete for class placement & ribbons, but instead compete directly for breed placement & ribbons.

It is possible, but not usual, for one dog to be entered in several classes. In each class the judge awards colored ribbons – blue for first, red for second, yellow for third, and white for fourth.

Winners Classes

Winners Male After the official classes (except for Specials) for males have been judged, the undefeated males compete for Winners Male and a purple ribbon.

Reserve Winners Males - All dogs which have been defeated only by the dog awarded Winners (the other 1st place class winners and the 2nd place class winner from the class that the Winners Male was selected) are then judged for the award of Reserve Winners Male, which receives a lavender ribbon. 

After the Reserve Winners Male is chosen, the same procedure is used to judge the females and a Winners Female and Reserve Winners Female are chosen.  

Breed Competition

Specials Only - Dogs entered for Specials Only and the dogs awarded Winners Male and Winners Female are brought into the ring to compete for Best of Breed and Best of Opposite Sex judging.

Best of Breed - Judging for Best of Breed is confined to the dogs awarded Winners Male and Winners Female and any dogs entered for Specials Only in the breed. The winner of this competition has now defeated all the other competitors in this particular in this particular breed and receives a red, white and blue ribbon.

Best of Opposite Sex - The dogs which are of the opposite sex to the Best of Breed winner and which competed in the judging for Best of Breed compete for Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed. The winner of this award receives a green and white ribbon.

Best of Winners - The Winners Male and Winners Female are judged at the same time as Best of Breed for the award of Best Of Winners. If the Winners Male or Winners Female is chosen as Best of Breed, that dog is automatically awarded Best of Winners. The Best of Winners ribbon is purple and gold.

Best Puppy In Breed - The final breed award is made to the Best Puppy In Breed. All puppies which have not been defeated by another puppy during class judging compete. If a puppy is awarded Best Of Breed, he receives this award automatically – a pale blue ribbon.

Group Judging

Best In Group - The recognized breeds are divided into seven groups: Sporting Dogs, Hounds, Working Dogs, Terriers, Toys, Non-Sporting Dogs and Herding Dogs. The dogs awarded Best Of Breed compete in their respective groups for awards of Group 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th.  The rosettes are blue, red, yellow and white, respectively.  

Best Puppy In Group – The judge will also select a Best Puppy In Group winner. Each of the Best Puppy In Breed winners compete, unless a puppy has placed in the Best In Group judging. i.e. If the Group 1st winner is also a puppy  then it is automatically awarded the pale blue rosette.  If the Group 2nd winner is a puppy, then it will only compete against the puppy of the same breed as the Group 1st winner (since it has indirectly beaten all other group puppies by placing in the Group). The same logic flows down if the Group 3rd or 4th winner is a puppy.

Best In Show

The seven (7) Best In Group winners are then judged for the top award, Best In Show. A rosette of red, white and blue is presented to the winner. If the Best In Show winner is a puppy, it automatically receives a pale blue rosette. If the Best In Show winner is not a puppy, the seven puppies awarded Best Puppy In Group will compete for Best Puppy In Show.  

A dog earns points toward his Championship from the level of Winners Male or Winners Female and up, according to the number of dogs in competition as set down by the Canadian Kennel Club. The maximum number of points awarded to a dog at any one Show is five (5). This means that even if a dog from the Junior Puppy is awarded Best In Show, he is credited with a maximum of five points, depending on the number of dogs he defeated.