February 7, 2009
Time for dogs to shine at 2009 Westminster Dog Show
Every dog has its day and on Monday, Feb. 9 and Tuesday, Feb. 10 the top AKC champion dogs will shine at the 133rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. This annual event takes place at Madison Square Garden in New York.
This is one time during the year when dogs are in the spotlight. People who don’t normally follow dog events will gather around the water cooler or stop in office hallways to discuss the results of the judging, talk about their favorite dog from the previous night’s televised broadcast of the show, or try to guess which dog will be selected as Best In Show.
Carolyn Schaldecker and CH Imagine Harry Potter, a Keeshond
I contacted Carolyn Schaldecker of Imagine Keeshond in Solon, Iowa to find out what makes Westminster such a prestigious dog show. Carolyn breeds and shows Keeshonden and is an approved AKC judge for the breed. She shares the following information:
The top five dogs in each breed are given special advance invitation to enter Westminster. Then entries are opened to all AKC recognized champions. Total entries for this show are limited to 2500 dogs and typically close within minutes from the time entries open. So, it is quite prestigious to even make it into the show.
This show is only one of three AKC benched dog shows across the country. This means that the dogs are to be onsight during the entire day of their show and have special benching areas so that the spectating public can meet and greet the wonderful champions and their owners up close and personally.
For those of you who are new to dog shows or don’t quite understand how they work, following is some information to help you understand what’s happening as you watch.
First of all, what is conformation? Conformation is the dog’s appearance, movement and body structure. The dog is judged against the “ideal” dog of that breed. The “ideal” dog isn’t a “real” dog but a written standard of what the perfect dog of that breed would be.
The dog show starts with Breed judging. As an example, all of the dogs of the breed Keeshonden will be judged. The dog that comes closest to the ideal conformation standard for a Keeshond will be chosen as Best of Breed for Keeshonden and will be the Keeshond representative in the next round of judging, the Group judging. (Watch last year’s Keeshond judging from Westminster here.)
Westminster’s Breed judging takes place during the daytime hours on Monday, Feb. 9 and Tuesday, Feb. 10. Click here to follow the web updates and videos as Best of Breed, Best of Group and Best in Show dogs are selected on Monday and Tuesday. (Breed judging is not televised but Group and Best in Show judging are televised.)
Ron Bedford and CH Geragold Maximum Joy, a Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier
Next comes the Group judging. A Group is composed of various breeds having similar qualities or functions. For example, a Rough Collie, an Australian Shepherd and a Border Collie are all breeds which belong to the Herding Group because these dogs were traditionally used to herd livestock. A Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier and a Cairn Terrier both belong to the Terrier Group, dogs which were traditionally used to go after vermin.
There are 7 Groups in an AKC dog show — Sporting, Hounds, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding. The Best of Breed winners compete against each other in their respective Groups and one winner is chosen from each Group. Now we are down to 7 dogs.
Group judging is televised live on Monday and Tuesday nights. (Click here for information on TV coverage.)
The 7 dogs that emerge as the Group winners compete for Best in Show. That is the grand prize for bragging rights. The Best in Show judging is also televised live on Tuesday night, as soon as the last of the Group judging is completed. (Click here for information on TV coverage.)
A Beagle was the 2008 Best in Show winner:
You can watch the full judging for 2008 Best in Show competition here.
I’ll be glued to the web updates as the Best in Breed dogs are chosen on Monday and Tuesday and then will be rooting enthusiastically during the evenings for my 2 dog breeds in their respective Groups — the Rough Collie in the Herding Group and the Keeshond in the Non-Sporting Group.
Which dogs or dog breeds are you rooting for?
Good luck to all of the dogs and competitors!
All Creatures 