CHEAP CHAMPIONS!
What Makes a Championship System Credible?
Sierra
Cheap champions! That term has
been used more than once to validate the archaic show system used by the Kennel
Club (
The American use of the words ‘cheap
champion’ is totally different from the British counterpart. Americans refer to cheap champions as those
who obtain their championships through nefarious means: professional handlers willing to finish a dog
they know is not worthy with judges who lack the fortitude to say… ‘bring me something better!’
When the British refer to ‘cheap champions’ they mean every dog in every
country that has a championship that is not
British. Only the
There are some champions in every
country that falls into the ‘couldn’t get a championship without the good ole
boy system’ and every country should acknowledge and work toward eliminating
the ways this type of ‘cheap champion’ occurs.
In the
We need to work to eliminate these types
of truly cheap champions through tightening up the show system, educating
judges and demanding that closer scrutiny and greater emphasis is placed on
integrity and ethics. With all its
faults, the
Even when faced with the miniscule percentage difference, British
exhibitors will point that their dogs must compete against finished champions
to obtain the necessary three ‘challenge certificates’ for a UK show champion,
while the US dogs compete against unfinished dogs for the Winners’ class and
then go on to compete against the finished champions for Best of Breed. What is amazing though,
is the very small number of champion dogs that continue to compete against the
huge entries for unfinished dogs in the
[NOTE: The actual percentage of championships
awarded annually as compared to the number of dogs competing is revealed at the
conclusion; don’t peek!]
Every system has it flaws, but in my view and having shown in many
countries, the American Kennel Club system is one of the best.
Using data from the American Kennel Club (AKC) and the Kennel Club
(KC) websites, it appears that there are over 700 events in the
Surprisingly, although the Kennel Club was established in 1873 and the
American Kennel Club was established a mere eleven years later in 1884, the AKC
now has a vast computerized system allowing for statistical analysis of such
things as shows, entries, breed growth/decline, etc. The equivalent statistics are very difficult
to obtain from the KC, even after countless calls to various personnel.
History of Championships in the
AKC
Prior to around 1900, the AKC awarded championships very similarly
to the KC. Championships were based upon
a specified number of wins in the Open class, regardless of the number of dogs
in competition. This is similar to the present
KC system whereby a challenge certificate (when available) is awarded to the
winning dog and bitch, regardless of the number of dogs in competition. Conceivably in numerically smaller breeds,
the number of dogs in competition may be less than what is required in the
United States for major wins (of three to five points) necessary as part of the
award system. Granted, the total number
of classes for many breeds here in
The early point system for the AKC was not based upon breed of dog,
but rather the total numbers of dogs in competition for each point level. Somewhere around the 1920’s, it was decided to
limit majors to 18% of the shows. This
means that the numbers required for ‘majors’ (those wins of three to five
points) was raised so that only 18% of the shows would have the numbers in
competition necessary to attain a major.
The system still only had a single schedule for all breeds and sexes for
the entire country.
The next change occurred around the 1930’s when it was decided that
the numbers of dogs varied in different areas of the country (see Table 7 for a
comparison of geographical/population area sizes for each country). Still only a single schedule for all breeds
and sexes, the new point schedule divided the country into four areas and
allowed for the variance in numbers of dogs shown for the points earned. The number of dogs necessary to earn points
at each level varied between the four areas.
In the 1950’s a change to having different point schedules for dogs and
bitches was made, allowing for the fact that the numbers in both sexes often
varied.
The most recent change to the AKC point system occurred in
1989. The continental
The AKC point schedule allots from one to five points to the
Winners Dog and Winners Bitch dependent upon the number of dogs actually
shown. It gets a bit more complicated
when taking into consideration Best of Winners (selected from Winners Dog and
Winners Bitch) and Best of Breed where a class animal can, and sometimes do,
win Best of Breed over the ‘specials’ (dogs which have already attained their
championship). Because many people don’t
have a clear understanding of the AKC system, a comparison between the AKC and
KC classes, manner of attaining points toward a championship, and competing
against the champions of record should be made.
Competition Classes
The AKC shows offer seven classes, divided by sex:
Ø Puppy 6-9 Months
- dogs between six and nine months of age, that are not yet champions.
Ø Puppy 9-12 Months – dogs between nine and twelve months of
age, that are not yet champions
Ø Twelve-To-Eighteen Months - dogs between twelve to eighteen
months of age that are not yet champions.
Ø Novice - dogs that have never won a blue ribbon in any of
the other classes, or have won fewer than three first place ribbons in the
Novice class.
Ø Bred By Exhibitor - the dog is not yet a champion, and
the exhibitor is the breeder and the owner.
Ø American-Bred - a dog whose parents were mated in
Ø Open - any dog of the breed, at least 6 months of age.
The first place
winner of each of these classes will compete to see which is best of the
winning dogs. The sexes are judged
separately. The Winners Dog and Winners
Bitch will then go on to compete against the Champions in the Best of Breed
class. Three awards are given at this
stage of the competition (see Table 1):
Ø Best of Breed – the dog judged to be best in the
breed
Ø Best of
Winners – the dog
judged as the better of the Winners Dog and Winners Bitch (This is important
because the Best of Winners will also receive the larger number of points
available for that day. More on that
later.)
Ø Best of
Opposite Sex – the best
dog of the opposite sex to the Best of Breed winner
Speciality
shows may offer additional classes divided by sex in addition to the above six
classes. For example, the German
Shorthaired Specialities may also have classes for:
Ø Puppy 6-9
Months – dogs
between six and nine months of age, that are not yet champions (winner of this
class will compete for Winners)
Ø Puppy 9-12
Months – dogs
between nine and twelve months of age, that are not yet champions (winner of
this class will compete for Winners)
Ø Junior – dogs between the ages of twelve and
eighteen months of age, that are not yet champions (winner of this class will
compete for Winners)
There may also
be classes available wherein the winners will not compete for Winners Dog or
Winners Bitch points, but will compete in the Best of Breed class, along with
the Champions, Winners Dog and Winners Bitch.
These classes, using the German Shorthaired Pointer as an example, are:
Ø Veterans – dogs considered by the breed club to
be of veteran status; normally 7 years of age or older. This class may also be divided by age, i.e.
Veterans 7-10 years; Veterans 10 years and older.
Ø Field Trial – dogs that have earned a placing at an
AKC sanctioned Field Trial event
Ø Hunting Class – dogs that have earned a hunting title
(such as Junior Hunter, Senior Hunter, Master Hunter)
The KC, by
comparison, has the following fifteen classes as compared to the AKC seven
classes:
Ø Minor Puppy – dogs of six and not exceeding nine
calendar months of age on the first day of the show
Ø Puppy – dogs of six and not exceeding twelve
calendar months of age on the first day of the show
Ø Junior – dogs of six and not exceeding
eighteen calendar months of age on the first day of the show
Ø Maiden – dogs which have not won a Challenge
Certificate or a First Prize at an Open or Championship show (Minor Puppy,
Special Minor Puppy, Puppy and Special Puppy classes excepted, whether
restricted or not)
Ø Novice – dogs which have not won a Challenge
Certificate or three or more First Prizes at an Open or Championship show
(Minor Puppy, Special Minor Puppy, Puppy and Special Puppy classes excepted,
whether restricted or not)
Ø Tyro – For dogs which have not won a
Challenge Certificate or five or more First Prizes at an Open or Championship
Show (Minor Puppy, Special Minor Puppy, Puppy and Special Puppy Classes
excepted, whether restricted or not).
Ø Debutant – dogs which have not won a Challenge
Certificate or a First Prizes at a Championship show (Minor Puppy, Special
Minor Puppy, Puppy and Special Puppy classes excepted, whether restricted or
not)
Ø Undergraduate – dogs which have not won a Challenge
Certificate or three or more First Prizes at Championship Shows (Minor Puppy,
Special Minor Puppy, Puppy and Special Puppy classes excepted, whether
restricted or not)
Ø Graduate – dogs which have not won a Challenge
Certificate or four or more First Prizes at Championship shows in Graduate,
Post Graduate, Minor Limit, Mid Limit, Limit and Open classes, whether
restricted or not
Ø Post Graduate – dogs which have not won a Challenge
Certificate or five or more First Prizes at Championship shows in Post
Graduate, Minor Limit, Mid Limit, Limit and Open classes, whether restricted or
not
Ø Minor Limit – For dogs which have not won two
Challenge Certificates or three or more First Prizes in all at Championship
Shows in Minor Limit, Mid Limit, Limit and Open classes, confined to the breed,
whether restricted or not at Shows where Challenge Certificates were offered
for the breed
Ø Mid Limit – dogs which have not won three
Challenge Certificates or five or more First Prizes at Championship Shows in
Mid Limit, Limit and Open Classes, confined to the breed, whether restricted or
not, at shows where Challenge Certificates were offered for the breed
Ø Limit – for dogs which have not won three
Challenge Certificates under three different judges or seven or more First
Prizes in all, at Championship Shows in Limit and Open classes, confined to the
breed, whether restricted or not, at shows where Championship Certificates were
offered for the breed.
Ø Open – for all dogs of the breeds for which
the class is provided and eligible for entry at the show [NOTE:
Any champion of record in any country must enter the Open class.]
Ø Champion – dogs which have been confirmed a
Champion, Show Champion, or Field Trial Champion
Ø Veteran – dogs of not less than seven years of
age on the first day of the show
NOTE: Any champion of record in any country must
enter the Open class. Further, dogs that
have received any championship points in any country should enter the Open
class to prevent possible rescinding of any wins by the KC based on
championship points earned in other countries.
There are
also special classes for the KC:
Ø Special Open – similar to an Open class, except that
it is restricted as to weight, colour, height, coat, etc., or to the members of
an Association
Ø Special
Beginners – dogs and
bitches shown by an exhibitor whose dogs have never won a Challenge Certificate
in the breed (Note: it is the Exhibitor
who has to qualify, not the dog)
Ø Special
Yearling – dogs of
six and not exceeding twenty-four months of age on the first day of the show
Ø Special
Novice – similar to
a Novice class, except that it is restricted as to weight, colour, height,
coat, etc., or to the members of an association
The AKC and
the KC both have categories for Stakes classes which are non-regular classes
and offered as additional enticement to exhibitors and also as a means of generating
additional revenue for the clubs. The
AKC specialty breed clubs also often offer a ‘Futurity’ class which may be
divided by age. The entries in these
classes must have been nominated by the breeder (who pays a ‘forfeit’ or fee to
make the litter eligible) and the eligibility kept current by the owner of the
dog paying the required fees prior to the futurity. Each National Breed club will, of course,
have different rules, though most require the prior payment of fees on a
scheduled payment in order to keep dogs eligible and that the breeder (and
co-breeder if any) and owner both be members of the National Speciality
Club. These Futurity classes are divided
by age and sex and held during the annual National Speciality. It is a way of recognizing both the members’
dedication to improving their lines and the future breeding stock of the
breed.
While the AKC
allows for Stakes class categories, these are seldom seen at all-breed
championship shows and never in the proliferation of various Stakes classes
predominant at all championship and open shows in the
Another
notable difference is that the AKC does not offer ‘any variety’ class
competition categories. Each breed is
judged separately and the only time that a dog will compete against other
breeds is in the Group competitions or in non-AKC events sponsored by a dog
product company. Because the AKC shows,
unless a specific ‘group’ show such as the Montgomery terrier show, have
classes for each and every AKC-recognized breed, there are also no ‘any variety
not specified’ classes under the AKC system.
By looking at
the above ‘normal’ available classes, it is apparent that the KC system should,
theoretically, attempt to encourage newcomers to the sport. Unfortunately, the clubs are not compelled to
offer the fifteen ‘regular’ classes that the KC allows and, instead, pick and
choose the classes by whatever system each club utilizes. For example, taking German Shorthaired
Pointers (with an average entry at 100+) and a brief look at some of the
championship club shows, we find that an average of 7 classes are offered per
show, with Maiden, Debutant, Undergraduate, Mid-Limit and Champion never
offered. (Table 2)
Some breeds
and/or sexes do not fare even that well, having fewer classes still; some breeds
fare better, having more classes.
Conversely at the AKC shows, all breeds have the same classes available
at each and every show. If there is
only one dog in a class, there is, of course, a win for that dog. However, both the KC and AKC judges have the
ability to withhold placements on entries that they do not feel worthy. Additionally, the single entry class winner
still has to compete against the other class winners for Winners’ Dog or Bitch.
Not only is
the difference in classes noticeable between the two countries. While the various classes can serve to
differentiate between those dogs which have won previously, it also serves to
give an unfair advantage to Open and Limit dogs when those important Challenge
Certificates are awarded. The judges are
very ‘safe’ in awarding the tickets to dogs winning one of the classes normally
only entered by dogs who have previously been awarded Certificates. Research into the number of times that a dog
from a lower class is awarded the Challenge Certificate could prove very
interesting. In the AKC system, there is
no such differentiation in the classes until it gets to the ‘Best of Breed’
class. The dogs and bitches competing
for the points in the Winners classes are all on equal ‘win’ footing in the
eyes of the judges.
Difference in Number of Placings and Groups
While the
The breeds
are broken into somewhat different groupings also. The American Kennel Club recognizes Sporting,
Terrier, Hound, Working, Herding, Non-Sporting and Toys, while the Kennel Club
recognizes Gundog, Terrier, Hound, Working, Pastoral, Utility and Toys. Some of the breeds are placed into different
groups in accordance with each organization’s separations. For example, both the
The American
Kennel Club has a miscellaneous group for breeds that have applied for recognition
but have not yet fulfilled all the requirements. Breeds in this category are all shown
together in the various class offerings and winners may not proceed to the
group level.
Critiques
Written
critiques are not the norm for the AKC shows; exceptions to this may be the
‘speciality’ breed shows where the judge(s) may be asked to critique the
winners and give an overall evaluation of what they observed. While it could be debated that critiques give
an exhibitor an idea of what the judge likes or doesn’t like in the dog, most
critiques in the UK tend to be a ‘cookie cutter,’ in that the observations are
so generalized they can be applied to any number of dogs For example – and this
is taken from a recent issue of ‘Our Dogs’: “1.……Spectacular
black and white, loved him from head to toe, in superb form, I understand he
has 2 CC’s, must surely be made up; 2…..Gold so close up and another I’d
happily sign a CC for, totally fills my eye both standing and moving, clever
breeder this, she’s produced so many good ones, be amazed if he doesn’t take
his title.” This doesn’t tell anybody
anything about the dogs themselves or even what type the judge is looking for.
Even more
disturbing are those critiques given on dogs that have been placed yet the
judge could find nothing positive to say about the dog. Where are the comments about angulation, movement, balance, length of leg, eye
shape? The question then arises as to
why that particular dog was placed at all and why the placing was not
withheld. It is not uncommon to see the
same dog described in contradicting terms or to see two totally different types
of dogs critiqued and placed with no similarities explaining the places. Do critiques actually have a value when all
dogs are not critiqued and/or graded which then enables us to get a better
insight?
Obtaining a Championship
Another major difference between the
The
When counting
the number of eligible dogs, any dog that is disqualified, dismissed, excused
or ordered from the ring by the judge, or from which awards are withheld, is
not included in the number calculating the points available. At any given show, the maximum number of
points that can be awarded to a dog is five points. This means that even if there were twelve
bitches entered in Region 8, the points would be determined on the number of
dogs actually competing (absences do not count) and not excused. So, if there were two absentees and one of
the remaining ten bitches competing was excused by the judge for lameness, the
‘major’ would be ‘broken’ and the winner’s bitch would only receive two
points. However, and this is very
important, if in the course of breed judging, there was enough eligible
competing dogs to obtain a major (twelve dogs for three points) and the
bitch was awarded Best of Winners (meaning that she was the best of the Winners
Dog and Winners Bitch), then she would be awarded the major in dogs and both
the dog and the bitch would have earned one of the required three
‘majors’. This becomes crucial when the
inevitable pettiness of ‘breaking majors’ -- seeing who is competing and then
not exhibiting a dog which subsequently means that there is not enough dogs (or
bitches) for a major -- occurs between competitors. This is one of the ways that helps to
equalize the tendency of some exhibitors to attempt to prevent dogs from
obtaining their championships.
The dog
awarded Winners Dog has the number of points calculated on the number of
eligible competing dogs, as does Winners Bitch.
Table 1 shows how the winners of each class compete for Winner’s and
then both Winners compete for Best of Winners and against the champions of
record for Best of Breed. It is
important to note that the ‘class’ dogs can potentially have the number of
points obtained increased by winning either Best of Opposite Sex or Best of
Breed. If Winners Bitch or Winners Dog also
is awarded Best of Breed over the ‘specials’ (Champions of record in the Best
of Breed class), the dogs of both sexes that were entered and eligibly
competing (not excused, dismissed, disqualified or ordered from the ring by the
judge) are counted in addition to the dogs competing in the regular
classes. That means, using the examples
above, if there were four dog champions and two bitch champions competing in
the Best of Breed class and the Winners Bitch wins Best of Breed, a total of
six would be added to the number of bitches competing in regular classes (nine)
to make a total of fifteen ‘bitches’, equivalent to a four-point ‘major’
win. If the Winners Dog had won Best of
Winners and Best of Breed, the six dogs would be added to the twelve dogs competing,
making a total of eighteen dogs, equalling a five-point win!
If Winners
Bitch or Winners Dog is awarded Best of Opposite Sex, the dogs of its own sex
that were entered and eligibly competing in the Best of Breed competition, and
were defeated, are counted in addition to the dogs entered and eligibly
competing in the regular classes. Using
the example above, with four dog champions and two bitch champions, Winners
Bitch, if awarded Best of Opposite Sex, would add the two bitches to the nine
competing bitches, making a total of eleven and earning three points. In the case of Winners Dog being awarded Best
of Opposite Sex, the four champion dogs would be added to the twelve dogs
competing eligibly in the regular classes, totalling sixteen dogs and enabling
the Winners Dog to earn a four-point major.
A class dog
that is awarded Best of Breed and then goes on to win its Group is awarded
championship points calculated on the highest point rating of any breed entered
at the group level. So we see that if
the German Shorthaired Pointer bitch who won Best of Breed and had four points
going into the group also won the group and the Labrador Retriever breed had a
five-point major that day, the German Shorthaired Pointer bitch would earn five
points. These five points are not added
to the points she already as earned since the maximum number of points
available at any single show is five points.
Likewise, a class dog that is awarded Best in Show obtains championship
points calculated at the highest point rating of any breed entered at the
show. It is, therefore, possible for a
class dog to have competed singly in his breed and earning no points to go on
to win the group and Best in Show and obtain a five-point major if any breed in
the show had a five-point major that day.
One sees this
‘breaking of majors’ frequently in Ireland where it is necessary to obtain either four different wins of five points or more in the breed
under four different judges as part of a total of forty points or two
wins of five points or more together with one win of ten points in the breed
under three different judges or three wins of five points or more in the
breed together with one group win under four different judges; in all cases it
is necessary to obtain a total of forty points.
There are dogs in Ireland that have been the top show dog of the year,
winning multiple Best in Shows and still not obtaining their championship
because of needing the necessary ‘major’ breed wins.
Looking at Table 6 (under the heading ‘Superintendents’)
and comparing it to the point schedule for Division 5 (Table 3a) which shows
the points available for that particular show, a quick comparison shows that
there were only three ‘majors’ (wins of three, four or five points) available
to the 112 different breeds being shown that day: three points were available for Airedale
dogs, four points for Spinoni Italiano bitches, and three points for Jack
Russell Terrier bitches; and, in most cases, all of the dogs entered for those
sexes would have to appear and eligibly
competing (not excused, dismissed, disqualified or ordered from the ring by the
judge) or the majors would be ‘broken.’
In the
When considering the lower numbers of
dogs at each show, exhibitors from the
This is much different than the
How
Does the AKC Determine the Point System?
Each year in May the AKC publishes a
point system schedule which is based upon a set of percentages. These are calculated on the previous three
years actual dogs in competition and are made in order that a certain
percentage of shows where there was an actual competition for a particular sex
of a breed or variety will carry appropriate championship points. The percentages are calculated using the
criteria shown in Table 4.
In comparison to the
yearly evaluation by the AKC of available points, each year the KC decides on
the allocation of Challenge Certificates for two years into the future.
It is unusual for the KC to ever decrease the number of tickets; although it
should be noted that in 1995 several breeds lost up to five sets (each set
comprised of a Challenge Certificate for dogs and one for bitches). The
number of tickets available does not appear to relate to the number of dogs in
each breed being exhibited or the number of dogs registered.
While the maximum number of Challenge Certificates on offer can be 25 for the
general championship shows and up to four for club shows, the minimum offered
when a breed has been granted Challenge Certificate status is five sets of
‘tickets’.
Championship
Classes
In the
The purists in the sport will adamantly
argue that if the dog is good enough it will beat the show champions of
record. The realists among us have seen
that most often this does not occur.
Theory is wonderful, but we have to live with reality.
The AKC system acknowledges that the
established champions are often at a different level than upcoming dogs, while
at the same time acknowledging that these champions may still be campaigned to
win prestigious Best of Breeds, Groups and Best in Shows. The AKC system also acknowledges that the
publicity these established champions who win multiple Best of Breeds, Groups
and Best in Shows plays an active part in any judge’s mind when choosing
between two good dogs. How many times
has the comment been heard from judges about how the dog they gave breed (or
group or best in show) to had ‘also won’ the week before or the week
after? Human nature being what it is
means that judges like to feel that their decisions are justified or supported
by others who have also chosen that dog.
Robert Killick, a UK columnist, stated
the case very succinctly in a recent piece concerning ‘instant champions’ and
the senselessness of a dog winning numerous tickets in a row under different
judges and in the same breed another dog winning the same number of reserve
tickets to the winning dog being statistically illogical and infeasible. The reasons he gave for the phenomenon were:
“…favouritism, fear, ignorance, fashion, face and ingratiation judging, not
forgetting mutual back-scratching.”
This phenomenon and the manner that the AKC has worked diligently to
prohibit some of the politics in judging will be discussed later under ‘Judging
Criteria’. The fact is openly discussed in
the UK by noted authorities that in every breed there are dogs which come in
reserve repeatedly to dogs owned by other judges, owned by ‘faces’ in the
breed, dogs which have been doing a lot of winning, etc. This reserve dog is no undeserving specimen
of the breed and, perhaps in a different show career timeframe would have been
that top dog. With the champion classes,
it becomes possible to recognize that this dog (and others) are quality animals
and should be proud representatives of their breed.
Taking a very cynical look at the
continued showing of dogs already attaining their championships in the
Perhaps the real answer is that the
owner is craving adulation and that the dog shows have become a place of
obtaining power and recognition rather than the original, though perhaps understated,
purpose of proving that stock is of high enough quality to breed.
The champions’ class helps even out the
playing field while still allowing those champions to be exhibited and compete
for the successes in Groups and Best in Show.
How different might showing be if dogs were required to retire after
obtaining championships!
Judging Criteria
The manner in
which judges are eligible to render their opinions is different in the
The AKC system of licensing judges is
much different. Judges are expected to fulfil
the following mandatory requirements in applying for their initial breed:
Note: Litters
and co-owned litters
must have been
whelped and raised
on applicant’s premises.
The required four champions must be from litters whelped and raised on
applicant’s premises.
If the applicant
for judging does not meet the litter/or champion requirements, the AKC may
ensure that quality of experience, rather than quantity, is employed for
considering new judges. This is called
the ‘60 Point System’ and applicants must have fifteen years of
documented experience in the sport and must achieve a total of 60 points per
breed, of which fifteen points must be accrued in Sections 1 and 2 of the
application, by using the factors in Table 5.
Following a process of initial screening
and interview, the application is sent to the Staff Committee and Board of
Directors for review. After being
notified in writing of the Board’s decision, the applicants are sent the breed
standard tests for the breed(s) accepted by the Board as suitable for the
applicant. Applicants’ names are then
published in the next monthly AKC GAZETTE in order that interested parties may
submit their opinion on whether an applicant is qualified.