Exhibits are judged against individual breed standards, which have been established for the AKC-recognized breeds by their parent clubs. These written standards describe the ideal size, color and temperament of each breed, as well as correct proportion, structure and movement.

Conformation Championships are awarded to dogs who acquire a total of fifteen points with two major wins (a major win is worth three points or higher up to a maximum of five points), in competition against other dogs of it's breed. The majors must be won under different judges and at least one other judge must award some of the remaining points - so dogs must win under at least three different judges.

Points are awarded at All-Breed Shows, Regional Specialties and National Specialties. The number of points awarded is based on the number of dogs in competition in each gender in the regular classes and in special classes such as Veterans and in Best Of Breed. The AKC has divided the US into a number of regions and assigned point awards to reflect the number of dogs of each breed who are regularly seen in competition in each region.

These points are then given only to correctly entered dogs who are selected as Winners Dog/Winners Bitch (best of each gender in the regular classes), Best of Winners (the Winners Dog or Winners Bitch is further selected as the best of the winners from the regular classes) and Best of Breed (best of all dogs of the same breed entered that day, including all Champions entered) and Best of Opposite Sex (best dog of the opposite sex to the dog awarded Best of Breed). A dog who is awarded Best of WInners, Best of Opposite Sex or Best of Breed may gain extra points towards a title based on the number of additional dogs defeated. There are often special awards offered for Best Puppy, Best Veteran or Best Bred-By Exhibitor, but these honors are not awarded any points.

Fun Matches and Sanctioned Matches

Fun matches are informal events held by local clubs as a way to expose young or inexperienced dogs to showing and as preparation for a club to hold Sanctioned Matches. Sanctioned Matches are semi-formal shows which follow AKC's rules for sanctioned matches as preparation for the club to hold a specialty or all-breed show. No championship points are awarded at Fun Matches or Sanctioned Matches.

Sweepstakes

A Sweepstakes match may be offered in conjunction with a club supported event or specialty. Sweepstakes are usually offered for puppies 6 to 18 months old and/or to veterans who are 7 years or older. The dogs are judged in classes divided into age groups, by experienced breeders who are qualified judges or who are in the process of obtaining an AKC judge's license. No championship points are awarded to Sweepstakes winners, but it is considered an honor to have a dog awarded by a peer at a sweepstakes.

Regional and National Specialties

Specialties are mainly single-breed events which follow AKC rules for championship showing and are held by regional or national breed clubs. These may be held singly or in conjunction with all-breed shows.

All-Breed Shows

All-Breed shows are events which are usually held by local or regional all-breed clubs and follow AKC rules for championship showing. Local or regional breed clubs may also help an all-breed show by offering special prizes for their breed to draw more entries. This is known as a breed Supported Event. Championship points are awarded at Regional and National Specialties, Supported Events at All-Breed Shows and All-Breed shows.

Westminster

Westminster is an annual event similar to Crufts which is for Champion dogs who have qualified to enter by achieving enough points through Best of Breed and Group competition. It is the oldest AKC dogshow in the US.

Here are some links to learn more about AKC dogshowing and competitions:

AKC |  

The United Kennel Club is the second oldest and second largest all-breed dog registry in the United States. Founded in 1898 by Chauncey Z. Bennett, the registry has always supported the idea of the "total dog", meaning a dog that looks and performs equally well.

UKC dog shows may be held for one breed, several breeds or all breeds, depending on the experience of the club in managing such events. Because of the U.K.C.'s strong commitment to promoting breeder/owner-handling, professional handling is not allowed at U.K.C. conformation events. Showing in UKC is also done without the use of any bait or with only very limited use of food or small toys at the judge's discretion.

To earn a UKC Champion title, a dog must
1.Earn a minimum of 100 championship points,
2.Earn points under at least three different UKC-licensed Judges, and
3.Win three Best Male/Female (or higher) classes with competition at three different shows under three different UKC-licensed Judges (Championship competition is defined as more than one male/female entered and shown in any one of the regular classes).

Championship points for Cardigans are awarded in accordance with the Point Schedule for breeds without varieties.

Point Schedule

1st place in Regular Class - 10 pts
(Puppy, Junior, Senior, Adult or Breeder/Handler)
Best Male - 15 pts
Reserve Best Male - 0 pts
Best Female - 15 pts
Reserve Best Female - 0 pts
Best of Winners - 10 pts

UKC |

The CKC founded back in 1888, is at the centre of the world of purebred dogs in Canada. A non profit organization dedicated to "encouraging, guiding, and advancingthe interests of purebred dogs and their responsible owners and breeders in Canada" and "promoting the knowledge and understanding of the benefits which dogs can bring to Canadian society"

To earn a Canadian conformation Championship, a dog must earn 10 points, including two 'major' wins of at least two points with competition under at least three different judges. Competition is defined as more than one entry who is shown in any of the regular classes

A dog awarded Winners at a championship show will be credited with a number of points ranging from 0 to 5 which are determined by the number of dogs of it's gender which have been defeated. For a dog winning higher awards, Best of Winners, Best of Breed or Best of Opposite Sex, the total number of all dogs defeated to win that award are counted.

Point Schedule