It’s Westminster Dog Show Time!
February 6, 2011 by Beth
Filed under Dog Activities and Training
That’s right: the 135th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show will be telecast live from Madison Square Gardens on February 14th and 15th, 2011. Individual breeds will be judged during the day, but won’t be telecast.
In the evenings, however, you can catch the higher-level competitions. On Monday, February 14th, look for the Best in Group competitions for the Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding Groups from 8 – 9 pm (ET) on the USA Network, and from 9 – 11 on CNBC. Tuesday night’s telecast will include Best in Group judging for the Sporting, Working, and Terrier Groups, as well as for Best in Show, and will be on the USA Network from 8 – 11 pm (ET).
If you can’t get to your television, make sure to check out our doggies blog for up-to-the-minute results throughout the telecast.
How does one get to Westminster?
As one of the largest and arguably the most prestigious of all dog shows, the Westminster show is limited to Champions only. What this means is that dogs must have already won enough show points to be designated as champions before being invited to Westminster, so you will see only the best of the best.
Here’s how it works. Dogs compete throughout the year at AKC-sanctioned events, where a dog of each breed is judged to be the best of that particular breed in the specific show. The folks at Westminster then look at the number of dogs each dog has defeated at shows from January through October, and the top five dogs of each breed are invited to come to the big show.
For example, if I show my Golden Retriever at 10 small shows and win best in breed at each of them, I may have defeated only 20 other dogs. If you show your Golden Retriever at five large shows, defeating 12 dogs at each show (a total of 60 other dogs), your Golden would be chosen over mine, even though I won at more shows. Owners of the top five dogs must then fill out an entry form and submit it before the closing date early in December.
Owners of other dogs may also submit an entry form before the December closing date. These un-invited entries are kept in no particular order (i.e. it doesn’t help to apply early). Once all of the invited dogs have been placed on the roster, the other entries are processed to fill the show, until 2,500 dogs have been accepted.
All dogs pay a $75 entry fee, regardless of whether or not they were invited. This fee includes one ticket for a person to accompany the dog into the arena for both days of the competition.
How does the show work?
If you’re not familiar with dog shows, the first thing you need to realize is that each dog is being judged against the standard (or ideal) for that breed. For example, the AKC breed standard for an American Foxhound calls for a dog with a “close, hard, hound coat of medium length.” Therefore, a dog who has a short coat or who has excessively soft fur would likely not be first choice for best in breed.
Each portion of the breed standard is weighted, so certain things are more important than others. Going back to the American Foxhound, the head, including the skull shape, ears, eyes, and muzzle are worth 20% of the dog’s total score, while the body accounts for 35%, the legs, hips, and feet for 35%, and the coat and tail for 10%.
To win best in breed, a dog must be a better example of the breed standard than all of the other dogs in the ring. At this level of competition, it’s often hard for the average Joe to see the differences between the dogs, but the judge must choose one as better than all of the others, based on minute differences in size, coat texture, shape, and musculature.
An important note: dogs who have been spayed or neutered are not allowed to compete, as the whole point of a dog show is to choose dogs who are the best example of a particular breed so that they can be used to produce puppies who are excellent examples of the breed. That’s why the judge reaches underneath each male dog during judging. They’re looking to make sure…ummm…how to say this…they need to make sure all the original equipment is still in the package.
Once a dog is judged as the best example of his or her particular breed, the animal advances to the Best in Group competition. Best in Group considers all of the dogs of a particular Variety Group (e.g. Hounds, Working Dogs, Terriers, etc.), not against each other, but each against his or her own breed standard.
For example, if my Vizsla wins Best in Breed during the Vizsla competition, and your Brittany is judged as the best Brittany, they will appear in the ring together in the Best in Sporting Group competition. The judge will then have to decide if my dog is closer to the Vizsla breed standard or if your dog is closer to the Brittany breed standard. Obviously, judges of the Variety Groups must be intimately acquainted with the breed standards of all dogs in the group.
The seven dogs who are proclaimed best in their respective groups are then sent to the Best in Show ring. This competition works the same way as the Best in Group, where the judge must choose which dog is closest to his or her own breed standard.
Westminster Dog Show Judges for 2011
In all, thirty-three judges from across the United States, and even a few flown in from Canada, Italy and Norway will be used for this year’s competition. Judges have years of experience in breeding and showing dogs, and they are assigned to the breeds and groups with which they have the most familiarity. This year, the honor of judging best in show goes to Mr. Paolo Dondina of Italy. Group judges are as follows:
- Sporting Group: Mr. James G. Reynolds (Ontario, CN)
- Hound Group: Dr. Robert A. Indeglia (Narragansett, RI)
- Working Group: Mrs. Dorothy N. Collier (Wellington, FL)
- Terrier Group: Mr. Edd E. Bivin (Ft. Worth, TX)
- Toy Group: Mr. Frank T. Sabella (Tampa, FL)
- Herding Group: Mrs. Lynette J. Saltzman (Westport, CT)
- Non-Sporting Group: Mr. W. Everett Dean, Jr. (Richmond, VA)
Judges must be approved by the AKC for each group they wish to judge and must attend seminars, workshops, and hands-on training before they can be certified. More information about the judges can be found on the 2011 Westminster Dog Show website.
Most of these judges have shown dogs at some point in their lives, so it is not unusual for them to know some of the people and dogs in the show ring. Unfortunately, this means that a dog may have to be excused from the ring if the judge has a conflicting previous relationship with the dog or the owner, handler, or trainer. Even though the dog may be the absolute best example of his or her breed standard, if the judge has a conflict of interest, the dog is excused from the ring and cannot win at Westminster. It’s a shame for the dog, as well as for his or her family, but it does keep the competition reasonably fair.
Why is it called a bench show?
One of the best things about dog shows is that any person who wants to see the dogs up close and personal can go backstage and see the dogs on their “benches”. This year, Madison Square Gardens is undergoing renovations, so the dogs will likely be mostly in cages, but you can ask the handler to take them out and let you have a peek. Each dog is required to stay in the backstage area for both days of the competition, or until released by show officials.
If you are thinking about getting involved in breeding, or even just want to know more about a particular breed, go meet the dogs in the benching area at any show. The handlers, trainers, and owners will be happy to tell you anything you want to know about the breed, and may even be able to help you decide if a particular breed is a good fit for your family.
Hoopla before the dog show
Because the top people in the dog world will all be in New York, there are tons of events that occur during the week leading up to the show. Some are by invitation only, but many are charity events that anyone can attend for the price of the ticket.
For example, the AKC Canine Health Foundation has a Charity Cocktail Party at the Affinia Manhattan hotel on Saturday, February 12th from 6 – 8 pm.
The William Secord Gallery on East 76th Street is presenting an exhibition of nineteenth century dog paintings, opening on Saturday, February 12th.
Many of the breed clubs hold their annual meetings in the days before the Westminster Show as this is often a convenient time to get all of their stakeholders together. For dogs not involved in the big show, there are many specialty dog shows held in and around New York City in early February.