How A Champion Is Made

The first question most people ask is how one "makes" a Champion. This is done on a point system. The American Kennel Club, upon whose rules the main part of this book is based and which is the principal organization governing dog shows, registrations, pedigrees, dog-club activities, judging, et cetera, issues a Schedule of Points to be awarded, based on the number of dogs entered in one sex at any given show. The United States is divided into four sections: East and North as Division i; West and South as Division 2; State of California as Division 3; and Pacific Northwest as Division 4 (Hawaii is a special division); and the points are different in each section. The Schedule of Points pertaining to each section must be printed in every show catalogue for that particular section. In certain issues annually of Pure Bred DOGS—American Kennel Gazette, the official organ of the American Kennel Club, you will find the complete Schedule of Points for the entire country brought up to date. The Schedule of Points becoming effective on May 15, 1955, is given here primarily with the thought that even when it becomes outdated, you might be interested in seeing how the number of dogs necessary to acquire points changes in the different sections of the country and in the different breeds.

You will notice that the number of dogs necessary to make a point varies in the different breeds according to the breed's show popularity. For instance, in the Eastern division of the United States, where Boxers are very popular at the moment, it takes 28 Boxers competing in one sex for a three-point show, but only 9 Black Cocker Spaniels, only 4 St. Bernards, or 4 Afghan Hounds. That is, it will take 28 male Boxers to make three points for the winning male Boxer. It will take only 27 Boxer bitches to make three points for the Winners Bitch. In some breeds it takes more bitches than dogs, in some more dogs than bitches. The American Kennel Club keeps very close watch, and these ratings change periodically. If it becomes too easy to find a three-point show in your breed, the rating will change; if it is very difficult to find a three-point show, this will also change. Incidentally, the maximum number of points awarded at any show, regardless of the number of entries, is five.

To "make a Champion," or, more correctly, become a Champion of Record, a dog must win a total of fifteen points. These fifteen points must include two major shows and be won under at least three different judges. A major show is a three-, four-, or five-point show, and since the maximum number that can be won is five, it must take even a top winning dog at least three shows to finish his championship. Insisting that a dog win two major shows convinces us that the dog is capable of winning at shows where, because enough dogs are entered, you can reasonably expect to find an entry representative of the breed. Let's take up that business of "under at least three different judges." The major wins must be under two different judges, and one or more of the balance of the points must be won under some other judge or judges. In other words, no dog can become a Champion by winning under only one or two judges—there must be at least three.

(Above schedule must appear in catalog)

If the Winners Class In any breed is not divided by sex as provided in Chapter e, Section 9 of the rules applying to Registration and Dog Shows, as amended to March 9, 1954, the maximum requirements for points in the breed in question shall apply.

(Above schedule must appear in catalog)

Points are awarded to the dog who goes winners dog and to the bitch who goes winners bitch—and to these two only. There are five regular classes in each sex in each breed: Puppy, Novice, Bred by Exhibitor, American Bred, and Open. (The definitions of each of these classes are given in full in the Appendix and are also explained later in the text.) The winner of each of these classes competes for Winners' Dog or Winners' Bitch. For example: the winner of the Puppy Dog Class, the winner of the Novice Dog Class, the Bred by Exhibitor Class, the American Bred Class, and the winner of the Open Dog Class will, immediately after the judging of the Open Dog Class, come into the ring to compete for Winners Dog and Reserve Winners Dog. Then the classes for bitches will begin. The winners of the Puppy Bitch Class, Novice Bitch Class, Bred by Exhibitor Bitch, American Bred, and the winner of the Open Bitch Class will, immediately after the judging of the Open Bitch Class, compete for Winners' Bitch and Reserve Winners' Bitch. The judge immediately after judging winners also names a Reserve Winners' Dog and a Reserve Winners' Bitch, and this dog, the Reserve Winner, will receive the points if for any reason, usually infraction of certain rules of eligibility, the points are taken away from the winner.

The Smooth Dachshund, "Champion Hardway Welcome Stranger" shown to his championship and to five Best In Shows by his amateur breeder-owner Mrs. Jeannette W. Cross of Wilton, Conn. Photo by Tauskey.

The Winners Dog and the Winners  Bitch, immediately after the judging of Reserve Winners' Bitch compete for Best of Winners. This one animal, the Best of Winners, will then automatically go into the Specials Only Class, the class in which only Champions of Record may be entered, and all will then compete for Best of Breed. Immediately after choosing Best of Breed, the judge will choose his Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed. In other words, if the judge puts a dog (male) up to Best of Breed, he will choose a bitch and award her Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed. If he puts a bitch up to Best of Breed, he will choose a dog for Best of Opposite Sex.

The English Cocker Spaniel, "Champion Silvermine Dauntless" shown to his championship along with many kennelmates by his amateur breeder-owner, the author Virginia Tuck Nichols.

This process of elimination goes on in each breed—always winding up with one dog of each breed—the Best of Breed. All the winners of Best of Breed compete in the group judging (there are six groups: Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, and Non-Sporting) and the winner of each group competes for the Best in Show—again a process of elimination. The list of American Kennel Club breeds eligible for registration and show competition found on page 204 in this book will tell you in which group the various breeds belong.

To go back once more to the subject of points I repeat, only the Winners Dog and the Winners Bitch get points. However, should there be more dogs competing than bitches, and therefore more points awarded to the Winners Dog than to the Winners Bitch, and the Winners Bitch goes on to win Best of Winners, she gets the same number of points Winners Dog received; not in addition to the ones she had won but instead of. He, the dog, does not lose the points he had won. For instance: Suppose the dog wins two points when he goes Winners Dog and the bitch wins one point when she goes Winners Bitch (based on the number of dogs competing that day) and the bitch goes on to Best of Winners—her show record will then show that she won two points; the dog's record will show that he won two points. If the bitch goes on to win Best of Breed, even though she may beat three or four Champions when doing so, she does not get any more points for that win. However, should our example bitch go on to win the group, she will get the maximum number of points awarded to any breed in the group that day. Suppose our example bitch is an Afghan Hound and she wins the Hound Group. If there were enough Beagles entered that day in one sex to produce a four-point show, our Afghan Hound automatically takes on four points instead of the two she had won in the breed. Now suppose she goes on to win Best in Show, and there were enough Boxers entered that day to produce a five-point show, she automatically gets those points, not in addition to, but instead of, the four from the group or the two from the breed. As a Best in Show winner she would get the maximum number of points in the entire show that day. However, once a dog becomes a Champion he or she no longer counts points. A Champion may go Best of Breed twenty times, or win the group a dozen times or go Best in Show a dozen times, it has no bearing on the points. He stops counting points as soon as he wins the title Champion.

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