NEW YORK — To the informal viewer, competing on the Westminster Kennel Club canine present would possibly look fairly easy: Get a canine. Groom it. Pose it. Lead it round a hoop.
But there’s much more than that to attending to and exhibiting within the United States’ most prestigious canine occasion, now in its 147th yr.
So listed below are the ins and outs of the present, which begins Saturday on the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York.
HOW MANY DOGS COMPETE?
Twenty-five hundred canine from 210 completely different breeds and varieties signed as much as vie for the very best in present trophy that will get awarded Tuesday night time. (Varieties are subsets of breeds. Think easy, longhaired and wirehaired dachshunds.)
Hailing from 49 states and 13 international locations, contestants vary from tiny Chihuahuas to large Great Danes. They embody acquainted breeds like Labrador retrievers, rarities such because the sloughi, and a newcomer, the bracco Italiano. Agility and obedience contests Saturday contain just a few hundred extra canine, together with some mixed-breed ones.
PHOTOS: Dog Show 101: What’s what on the Westminster Kennel Club
HOW DO DOGS GET INTO THE SHOW?
All the canine are champions, that means they’ve racked up a specific amount of prior wins and factors. Certain prime canine within the sport’s difficult rankings are invited, however different pooches can also enter.
The means of turning into a possible finest in present begins when breeders suss out which puppies in a litter have the bodily attributes and disposition to shine in what’s often known as “conformation” competitors.
Some pups ultimately get to Westminster with house owners who realized the ropes after unexpectedly getting a show-quality canine. Other canine contestants crisscross the nation by street and even air, hitting exhibits each weekend with big-name skilled handlers and a technique that may entail gathering intel about rivals’ schedules, pondering judges’ previous picks and even working advertisements to have fun the animal’s accomplishments and enhance its profile. They don’t name it “campaigning a dog” for nothing!
WHAT’S A DOG SHOW DOING AT A TENNIS FACILITY?
It’s a brand new venue for Westminster, which was held for many years all or partly at Madison Square Garden. The pandemic prompted a transfer to outside digs at an property in suburban Tarrytown, New York, for the previous two years. Organizers had been eager to return to New York City this yr. Amid development plans at a pier constructing that used to accommodate the present’s early rounds, organizers linked up with the U.S. Open tennis event’s base in Flushing Meadows. “An iconic dog show event in an iconic venue,” Westminster President Donald Sturz enthuses.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
“Conformation” canine first face off towards others of their breed – typically dozens of others, typically few and even none. Each breed’s winner strikes on to a semifinal spherical of judging towards others in its “group,” comparable to hounds, herding canine or terriers. In the ultimate spherical, the seven group winners compete for finest in present.
WHAT DO JUDGES LOOK FOR?
They’re tasked with figuring out which canine finest matches the perfect, or “standard,” for its breed.
The commonplace is derived from the breed’s authentic operate and will converse to something from tooth to tail to temperament. For instance, a hound developed to hunt in tough terrain is likely to be required to have thick paw pads. A herding canine would possibly want proportions that permit for fast, tight turns.
Judges do hands-on examinations and watch the canine in movement, taking in every canine’s property and imperfections. Especially within the finals, distinctions may be very delicate. Show people usually say that victory can go to “the dog on the day” – or as the remainder of us would possibly say, the one which simply brings it.
WHAT BREEDS HAVE WON THE MOST?
In data going again to 1907, Wire fox terriers have scampered away with the highest prize 15 instances, most lately in 2019. Scottish terriers, English springer spaniels, commonplace poodles and Pekingeses all have 5 or extra wins.
Many breeds have but to triumph, together with such common ones because the Labrador retriever. But winless breeds ought to by no means say by no means: A bloodhound took finest in present for the primary time simply final yr.
Westminster’s agility and obedience competitions had been added solely inside the final decade. So far, virtually all of the agility championships have gone to frame collies, and practically all of the obedience titles to Labs. One Lab, named Heart, gained 5 instances in a row.
HAS A MIXED-BREED DOG EVER WON?
While Westminster has mentioned there just a few mixed-breed entrants in early exhibits, the very best in present prize wasn’t awarded till 1907 and has gone solely to purebreds. The pedigreed set additionally has gained all of the agility and obedience trials up to now, however there’s a particular prize yearly for the highest combine (or “all American dog,” in present parlance).
The deal with purebreds irks teams comparable to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, which usually protests Westminster as a reprehensible canine magnificence pageant. The kennel membership says it celebrates all canine whereas highlighting “preservation breeding” of these with expertise and traits which were honed over generations.
WHAT DO WINNERS GET?
Bragging rights and trophies. There aren’t any money prizes, although the agility and obedience winners every get to direct a $5,000 Westminster donation to a coaching membership or to the American Kennel Club Humane Fund.
SO WHAT’S THE POINT?
Showcasing canine, notably breeds that many individuals don’t see usually, contributors say. Many additionally worth the friendships that develop at exhibits that deliver canine lovers collectively throughout miles and backgrounds.
“We can all talk about dogs,” says canine professional David Frei, who hosted the Westminster telecast for over 20 years. “That’s the beauty of the sport, and the beauty of dogs.”
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