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I remember the first time I attended a dog show. It seemed like mass confusion. Dogs and people milling about, running seemingly willy-nilly in and out of rings, people shouting numbers. It made my head hurt just trying to make sense out of it.

Most dog shows in the United States are held by the American Kennel Club, the largest registry of purebred dogs in this country. Upon arriving at a dog show, visit the superintendent's table. They will have free schedules available, known as "judging programs." The judging program has a list of breeds, the number of that breed entered, the ring they will be shown in and the ring time.

After determining what breeds you'd like to observe, locate the rings they are being judged in, and arrive a few minutes before judging time starts. You will see a lot of people holding dogs standing outside the ring, many of them wearing numbered armbands. Two people will be standing in the ring, one of whom wears is a badge saying he or she is the judge. The judge is totally in charge of what happens in the ring.

The second person in the ring is the steward. The steward functions as the judge's assistant and keeps things running smoothly. S/he checks in exhibitors, hands out armbands, calls exhibitors in for the classes, gets ribbons ready for the judge to award, and marks a catalog with all absentees and placements (among other tasks).

When showtime arrives, the steward will start calling the dogs into the ring. The dogs are shown in categories based on sex, age, where they were bred, and if the exhibitor is the breeder. They are also shown in categories for dogs who are working toward their championship, and dogs who are already champions. The dogs are shown anonymously; only the handler's armband number identifies them.

Handlers and dogs move around the ring, and when they have completed the circuit, the dogs are examined individually. The judge examines the dog's bite, to make sure the teeth meet in the manner prescribed by the breed standard (some standards also require the judge to check for missing teeth). The judge also checks for condition (muscle tone), proper coat texture, and structure. This is particularly important in coated breeds, where structural faults can be hidden by skillful grooming. While grooming may fool the eye, it won't deceive a knowledgeable pair of hands! All the males must also be checked for two normally descended testicles.

The winners of each category then return to the ring to compete against each dog of their same sex. The male and female winners of this competition are known as the Winners Dog and Winners Bitch; these are the awards that come with the all-important championship points. "First runner ups" known as Reserve Winners Dog and Reserve Winners Bitch are also selected. (There is no apostrophe after "Winners".)

What happens next? On to the Best of Breed competition in part two!

Copyright 2002 by Kiesha Crawmer. Used with permission. All rights reserved.