CoNFoRMaTiON
Conformation showing is a means of evaluating the quality of your breeding stock by comparing them to the standard established for their breed. Since this is generally the purpose of conformation, dogs must be intact, though some organizations such as UKC have competitions for altered dogs.
Dogs are judged by how closely they meet the perfect representation of their breed in looks, movement, temperament and balance.
Several Sittingbullies dogs, both male and female, have earned championships through various organizations by meeting the requirements for that particular venue. These range from the AKC CHaMPiONSHiP–one of the most difficult to attain–the CaNaDiAN CHaMPiONSHiP, the UNiTeD KeNNeL CLuB CHaMPiONSHiP and down to the INTeRNaTiONaL CHaMPiONSHiP which can be earned in a weekend.
Some organizations (ie AKC & CKC) offer Specialty Shows with entries being only a specific breed. These can be run in conjuction with an All-Breed show weekend (with both an All-Breed and Specialty show each day) or as a stand alone event (often with two shows each day). Specialties can draw much larger entries and are a great way to earn those important “major” entries with multiple opportunities over a weekend. These also usually have “Breeder-Judges” who have many years experience as breeders/owners/handlers of the particular breed and carry extra honor when points are won. Specialty shows offer additional classes and awards such as Puppy Sweepstakes Classes (these wins do not count towards championship points, however the winners split a percentage of the entry fees depending on placements and also usually have large fancy rosettes awarded to the Best in Sweeps and Best Opposite in Sweeps), they also offer Veterans and Best Bred By Exhibitor awards. At National Specialties such as the Bulldog Club of America National Specialty winners also receive special medallions along with large rosette ribbons.
AKC and CKC also offer National Owner Handled competition within each Breed, Group and Best in Show competitions along with National rankings.
Below are more detailed descriptions of the process for earning each of the above championships:
AKC CHaMPiONSHiP
A male (“dog”) or female (“bitch”) must earn a minimum of 15 points to attain their AKC Championship, with two of the wins having large enough entries in their sex to be considered a “major”. AKC establishes how many dogs/bitches are required for each area of the country based on entries in that area for the previous year and a “Point Schedule” is posted on their site each May. Check their site for current numbers in your particular area.
Points are determined by how many class dogs or bitches are competing on the day. Any entries that are absent or excused from the ring are not counted in the tally towards points. Only the Winners Dog and Winners Bitch receive points towards a championship title.
The competition starts with the dogs beginning with the youngest ages (6-9 months) on up through the Open Class. The Judge selects his or her winner from each class who then return to the ring for the “Winners Dog Class”. From the class winners the Winners Dog is selected. The second place dog from whichever class the WD came from returns to the ring to compete along with the other class winners for the Reserve Winners Dog award (the “Runner Up” to the best male).
This same process is followed for the females, beginning with the 6-9 month puppies through the Open class with the judge selecting Winners Bitch and then Reserve Winners Bitch from the class winners along with the second place female from the WB’s class. A Reserve Winner may receive the points should the Winner be determined to be ineligible or disqualified for any reason.
The Best of Breed Class follows the Winners Classes. This class consists of dogs and bitches who are already champions and are continuing to compete for the advanced titles of Grand Champion, Grand Champion Bronze, Silver Gold and Platinum. These dogs can also attain status among the top-ranked of their breed or group. Points are given to the dog or bitch who is awarded the Best of Breed as well as the Opposite Sex to Best of Breed and also to a Select Dog or Select Bitch (Runners Up to the breed bests) The judge also decides on his/her choice for the Best of Winners between the two class Winners and the dog or bitch receiving this honor is given the higher amount of points between the two. If one sex had enough entries for a major but the other didn’t, a “crossover major” can be given should they be awarded the Best of Winners.
The requirements for the various Grand Champion levels are as follows:
•GRaND CHaMPiON: Must earn 25 GCH Points including 3 major wins under three different judges with at least one or more points earned under a fourth judge and defeat at least one or more AKC Champions at three different shows.
•GRaND CHaMPiON BRoNZE: Must have the GCH title and have earned 100 GCH Points
•GRaND CHaMPiON SiLVeR: Must have the GCH title and have earned 200 GCH Points
•GRaND CHaMPiON GoLD: Must have the GCH title and have earned 400 GCH Points
•GRaND CHaMPiON PLaTiNuM: Must have the GCH title and have earned 800 GCH Points
HoW ThE BeST WaS WoN
The first place winners from each class represented will return to the ring to compete for Winners Dog honors and the points associated with that win. Judges have the perogative to withhold ribbons or points if they feel a dog is undeserving. (NOTE: AKC has recently added a Bred-By-Exhibitor Puppy class in addition to the BBE Adult Class) Once the WD is chosen, the 2nd place dog from their class returns to the ring for the selection of the Reserve Winners Dog. Should the WD be disqualified for the win, WD points are transferred to the RWD.
6-9 MoNTH PuPPY DoG
This class is for male puppies between 6 to 9 months old on the day of the show.
9-12 MoNTH PuPPY DoG
This class is for male puppies between 9 to 12 months old on the day of the show.
12-18 MoNTH PuPPY DoG
This class is for male puppies between 12-18 months old on the day of the show.
NoViCE DoG
This class is for any dog who has not won three 1st places (in any class besides puppy classes) nor any championship points.
AMaTeUR OwNeR HaNDLeR DoG
This class is for any dog that is being shown by his owner. The owner can’t be a professional handler or their assistant, nor an AKC conformation judge.
BReD-BY-ExHiBiToR DoG & PuPPY
These classes are for dogs being shown (exhibited) by their breeder. Any eligible dog of any age can enter the regular BBE class but BBE Puppies must be between 6-12 months old.
AMeRiCaN BReD DoG
This class is for dogs who are a product of a US breeding and were born in the US.
OPeN DoG
This class is open to any eligible dog of any age.
WiNNeRS DoG
ReSeRVE WiNNeRS DoG
The first place winners from each class represented will return to the ring to compete for Winners Bitch honors and the points associated with that win. Judges have the perogative to withhold ribbons or points if they feel a dog is undeserving. (NOTE: AKC has recently added a Bred-By-Exhibitor Puppy class in addition to the BBE Adult Class) Once the WB is chosen, the 2nd place dog from their class returns to the ring for the selection of the Reserve Winners Bitch. Should the WB be disqualified for the win, WB points are transferred to the RWB.
6-9 MoNTH PuPPY BiTCH
This class is for female puppies between the ages of 6 to 9 months on the day of the show.
9-12 MoNTH PuPPY BiTCH
This class is for female puppies between the ages of 9 to 12 months on the day of the show.
12-18 MoNTH PuPPY BiTCH
This class is for female puppies between 12-18 months old on the day of the show.
NoViCE BiTCH
This class is for any female dog who has not won three 1st places (in any class besides puppy classes) nor any championship points.
AMaTeUR OwNeR HaNDLeR BiTCH
This class is for any dog that is being shown by her owner. The owner can’t be a professional handler or their assistant, nor an AKC conformation judge.
BReD-BY-ExHiBiToR BiTCH & PuPPY
This class is for female dogs being shown (exhibited) by their breeder. Any eligible dog of any age can enter the regular BBE class but BBE Puppies must be between 6-12 months old.
AMeRiCaN BReD BiTCH
This class is for female dogs who are a product of a US breeding and were born in the US.
OPeN BiTCH
This class is open to any eligible female dog of any age.
WiNNeRS BiTCH
ReSeRVE WiNNeRS BiTCH
This class is for dogs and bitches who have already earned their Championship. The Winners Dog and Winners Bitch are also included in the class. Grand Champion points are given to champions who are awarded Best of Breed (BOB), Best of Opposite Sex (BOS), Select Dog (SD) and Select Bitch (SB).
BeST oF BReED
BeST oF WiNNeRS
BeST oF oPPoSiTE SeX
SeLECT DoG
SeLeCT BiTCH
DReAMeR
DReAMeR
GaBE
GaBE
TaNK
TaNK
iVaN
iVaN
HuLK
HuLK
GeRTiE
GeRTiE
PiCKLeS
ROuLaDE
TaNK
TaNK
iVaN
iVaN
GeRTiE
GeRTiE
TaNK
TaNK
iVaN
iVaN
CaNaDiAN CHaMPiONSHiP
The Canadian Championship is similar to AKC with dogs and females (CKC doesn’t use the “B” word) being evaluated by a certified judge according to the standard established for the breed.
For this championship your dog must be registered with the Canadian Kennel Club. To do this with a dog born outside Canada you must submit a registration from a recognized kennel club (aka AKC) along with a certified copy of their 3-generation pedigree and an internationally accepted microchip number (or tattoo). You can either apply for a full registration (which costs just under $130) an Event Registration Number (ERN) or a Temporary Competition Number (TCN–an ERN or CKC Registration number must be applied for within 30 days of showing) to be able keep track of the dog’s official show record.
A CKC Championship requires only ten points, and as with AKC these are given to the Winners Dog and Winners Female. Points must be earned under at least 3 different judges and there must be at least one win of 2 points or higher (a “major”) In Canada the point schedule is the same for every breed in all areas of the country and dogs defeated of either sex are counted towards the point tally.
Similar to the AKC, in Canada dogs may continue to earn points towards various Grand Champion titles as follows:
•GRaND CHaMPiON: Must earn a minimum of 20 points including one Best of Breed win and a minimum of two wins of at least 2 points each.
•GRaND CHaMPiON BRoNZE: Must have a Grand Champion title plus an additional 50 points
•GRaND CHaMPiON SiLVeR: Must have a Grand Champion Bronze title plus an additional 100 points
•GRaND CHaMPiON GoLD: Must have a Grand Champion Silver title plus an additional 200 points
•GRaND CHaMPiON ExCeLLeNT: Must have earned at least a Grand Champion Silver Title, a Best in Show or Best of Breed win at a National Specialty, 3 Group 1’s or 3 Best of Breed Specialty Wins, as well as a CKC Performance Title (excluding any instinct level titles, Sprinter, Chase Ability, Herding Novice or CGN)
GaBE
GaBE
DuCKY
SoLO
BeSA
PiCKLeS
iNTeRNaTiONaL CHaMPiON
To earn the International Championship a dog must be registered with the International All Breed Canine Association (IABCA). The organization holds four shows over a weekend (two on Saturday and two on Sunday) with both US and International judges. A dog must earn three “V-1” ratings from three different judges, with at least one being an international judge, making it very possible to earn an International Championship over the weekend.
Each dog receives a written critique from the judge and they are judged according to the standard for their breed. There is no requirement that other dogs be defeated to attain a championship, however judges do grant placements and choose Best of Breed winners who go on to compete at the Group and Best In Show levels. Awards are also given to the Best Bred-By-Exhibitor entries at the breed, group and BIS levels. With smaller entries Group placements and even a chance at Best in Show honors is within reach if you have a good quality dog. Two of our Sittingbullies boys, Gabe and his grandson Pirate, each earned a Reserve Best In Show BBE Award at an International Show.
GaBE
GaBE
CHuBBS
PiRaTE
DuCKY
SoLO
BeSA
UNiTeD KeNNeL CLuB CHaMPiON
For the UKC Championship a dog (male or female) must earn a total of 100 points as well as three competition wins under three different judges. Dogs earn points by winning a first place in class (5 pts.), Best Male or Female (10 pts.) and Best of Winners (5 pts.). There are also bonus points for dogs defeated (from 5-15 pts.) and points can be earned at the Group or Best In Show levels should there be no competition in the breed classes.
After earning the Champion title, dogs can continue on to earn a Grandchampion title followed by Emerald, Ruby, Saphire and Diamond Grand Championships.
After earning the Champion title, dogs can continue on to earn a Grand Champion title followed by Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire and Diamond Grand Championships.
Moxie, in the photo, earned a Reserve Best In Show at a UKC Show when she was an 8.5 year old veteran! Moxie is the only Sittingbullies to earn a UKC Championship.