There are hundreds of licensed dog shows held throughout the country each year, so you should have no difficulty in finding one close enough to you in which to compete. These shows are licensed by the American Kennel Club and are permitted to give championship points in the Conformation Classes and legs toward an Obedience title in the Obedience Classes. It is possible in one day at an all-breed show that holds classes both in Obedience and in Breed to gain points toward a Breed championship and a qualifying score toward an Obedience title.
Dog shows are put on for the individual dog clubs by licensed superintendents. A list of coming shows is published in the dog magazines. The American Kennel Club compiles this list and publishes it in the Events Calendar, a supplement to the AKC Gazette magazine. You will find the date of the show, the judges, the name of the club, the superintendent, and one of the officers and his address.
Occasionally a dog club puts on its own show, and in this case you should write to its secretary for the premium list. If you write to the superintendents listed in the Events Calendar and ask them to put your name on their mailing list, they will send you premium lists for the coming shows. The premium lists will give you all the pertinent information about shows such as the location, date, judges, prizes, closing date, classes, and so on.
You then fill out the form included in the premium list that asks for your dog’s name, breed, registration number, birthday, sire, dam, breeder, class, and your name and address, and send it back to the show superintendent with the stipulated fee. Most shows also accept faxed entries with a credit card number, and many now take entries online. The premium list will give you all the pertinent information.
The fee varies from show to show, but is generally about twenty dollars for each class. The closing date is three weeks prior to the show, so you must plan to mail your entry a few days earlier to get there in time. A week before the show you will receive an entry slip which is your admission ticket. A schedule will also be included that will tell you at what time the various Conformation and Obedience classes will be judged, your dog’s number, and the number of entries in each class. If the show is benched, your entry slip will give your bench number. (Shows licensed by the American Kennel Club are for purebred dogs of breeds recognized by the AKC only; dogs must be eligible for registration or an I.L.P. number.)
Point shows are held indoors and outdoors and are benched or unbenched. When they
are benched it is necessary to keep your dog in a stall except when he is being shown or exercised. Dogs of the same breed are benched together in adjoining stalls which are separated by partitions. Take a rug four feet by twenty-six inches for your dog to lie on; he will be more comfortable. You will find a metal ring in the back of the stall and you may secure your dog to it by means of a bench chain. These chains are sold at all benched shows and come in different lengths. Dogs must be kept on leash except when being shown.
Match shows are put on by the individual clubs and can be entered the same day as the show. There are no championship points or Obedience credits given, as these shows are for practice purposes only. They are always unbenched, and you may leave when you wish.
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