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THE BU
CANADIAN CONNECTION
Showing
in Canada
by Marjorie Ross
As you sit
ringside at a Canadian dog show, you glance over the show catalog to
familiarize yourself with the upcoming entries. The numbers are good
today, as are the points available. There is a total of five class males
entered equating to 4 points for WD. This win would be a major if awarded
at an American show.
By now many of
my Canadian counterparts are slightly perplexed. They are seriously
questioning my mathematical capabilities as, anywhere in Canada, an entry
of five class dogs would see the Winners Dog awarded only 2 points. In
fact the scenario given above citing 4 points for 5 class dogs is the
American Kennel Club (A.K.C.) point allowance for Norwegian Elkhounds in
Division One.
Let us not
forget that everything is relative and often a valuable lesson can be
learned when we examine the "bigger" picture. If we step outside
the Boxer ring and just for a moment pretend that we are Elkhound
breeders, we see that the American Championship can require fewer dogs
defeated than does the Canadian. A fact-finding mission discloses the
following:
A.K.C show,
Division One, Norwegian Elkhounds
| #
of Class Dogs |
#
of Points |
| 5 |
4
pt major |
| 5 |
4
pt major |
| 5 |
4
pt major |
| 4 |
3
pt major |
| Totals
for Championship 19 dogs |
15
points (4 majors) |
C.K.C show
Canada Wide Norwegian Elkhounds
| #
of Class Dogs |
#
of Points |
| 10-12 |
4
singles |
| 10-12 |
4
singles |
| 3-5 |
2
singles |
| Totals
for Championship 23 dogs |
(minimum)
10 - (majors not required) |
O.K. Point
made. You can all stop pretending to be Elkhound breeders and return to
the world of our beloved, boisterous, brachycephalics. As a Canadian, I,
like others, have heard many a giggle when mentioning a Canadian
Championship. Personally, I do not take great offense to this and
conversely, I do not assume that every American Champion is top notch. In
Boxers, the points required to obtain an American Championship are far and
away from those of the Norwegian Elkhound or Toy Poodle, etc. in, for
example, Division One of the A.K.C. or those required for a Canadian
title. Still, one must work with what one has and being a Canadian,
residing on the East Coast of Canada, again I say, "everything is
relative."
Before we move
on and examine the Canadian and American Championship point requirements,
let us take a minute and ponder this thought. If we were to allow that
Patricia Craig Trotter’s legendary Elkhound "Vagabond" was to
have become an American Champion in Division One finishing with 15 U.S.
points, four majors, having defeated a total of 19 dogs AND not yet
famous, would that give cause for Canadian breeders that had not yet seen
him to question his quality? Should they snicker snidely as they thought
to themselves that this dog hadn’t yet beat the number of dogs it would
take to attain a Canadian Championship? I think it only fair, just, and in
our best interest, to acknowledge that quality and Championships don’t
always go hand in hand, regardless of where the Championship status hails
from.
Having said
that and with a focus on our breed, I admit that the generalization could
and has been made, that the Canadian Championship carries less credit
within the North American competitive canine public than does the
American. The following comparison of Canadian and American Championship
requirements may best show why this generalization exists. The Canadian
and American Championship point systems vary greatly. In the U.S. there
are a given number of points available based on the number of entries. The
number of points available for given numbers of entries change from one
division or region to another. In Canada we have one point system, country
wide, that allows a given number of points based on the number of entries,
regardless of the show location. In the U.S., you need 15 points and two
majors (3, 4, or 5-point wins) while in Canada we need 10 points, no
majors. Majors don't exist in official C.K.C. wording with respect to
Championship point requirements.
A Canadian
Championship:
(A) Requires a
total of 10 championship points under at least three different judges.
This means
that a dog must achieve 3 or more Winners awards at not less than 3
different shows, under 3 different judges at the breed level.
Each of the
three Winners awards must have earned 1 or more championship points, not
necessarily at the breed level. E.g., if there is only one class male, say
an open dog, entered in the breed, he can be awarded Winners Dog (W.D.)
and Best of Breed (B.O.B.) for 0 points. From there he moves into Group
competition AND if he places in the group, he may be awarded points for a
group placing, depending on the number of breeds competing in the group.
(See point schedule for group competition below.)
All the points
required for championship status may be earned at the breed or group level
or a combination of both breed and group levels.
(B) Also, a
dog must be individually registered with the C.K.C. or have an Event
Registration Number (ERN). *See end of article for URL.
Winning the
Points: (Brackets
denote where A.K.C. differs from C.K.C.)
A dog awarded
WINNERS shall be credited with a number of points ranging from 0 to 5
dependant on the total number of entries competing, including the dog
awarded WINNERS.
| # Dogs entered> |
1 |
2 |
3-5 |
6-9 |
10-12 |
13 or more |
| # Pts. awarded> |
0 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
In
counting the number of eligible dogs in competition, a dog that is
disqualified, dismissed, excused or ordered from the ring by the judge
shall be included in the calculation for championship points. (The A.K.C.
does NOT include these dogs when calculating points.)
If a dog is
awarded Winners only, then all the dogs of the same sex in the class
competition shall be included in the total.
If a dog
awarded Winners is also awarded Best of Winners (BOW), then all dogs (both
sexes) defeated directly or indirectly in the breed shall be included in
the total. (The A.K.C. does NOT combine the total number of class dogs and
class bitches to arrive at the number of points to be awarded to BOW but
rather awards the higher number of points given to Winners Dog (WD) or
Winners Bitch (WB) to the BOW.)
If a dog
awarded Winners is also awarded Best of Breed at the show, then all dogs
competing in the breed, including Specials Only, shall be included in the
total. (The A.K.C. does NOT calculate points based on the total number of
class and specials dogs entered but instead counts only the Winners’
same sex entries and all specials, both sexes, defeated.)
If a dog
awarded Winners is also awarded Best of Opposite Sex (BOS) to Best of
Breed (BOB), then all dogs of the same sex including those competing for
Specials Only shall be included in the total.
Clarification:
Example of directly or
indirectly defeating: If the Winners Bitch is awarded Best of Opposite Sex
but not Best of Winners, the Best of Winners Male shall be deemed to have
indirectly defeated the Specials Bitches, and is thus entitled to add them
to the number of dogs and bitches defeated.
In addition to
championship points allocated at the breed level, a dog awarded Winners
which also places in the regular Group competition shall be credited with
the following additional points, provided that a dog was defeated at the
group level. Points awarded at Group level are as follows:
| Number
of Breeds Competing In Group |
1st
Place |
2nd
Place |
3rd
Place |
4th
Place |
| 13
or more breeds |
5 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
| 10
- 12 breeds |
4 |
3 |
2 |
1 |
| 6
- 9 breeds |
3 |
2 |
1 |
1 |
| 5
breeds |
2 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
| 4
breeds |
2 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| 3
breeds |
2 |
1 |
0 |
0 |
| 2
breeds |
1 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| 1
breed |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
(A.K.C. rules
state that, "A dog which in its breed competition at a show shall
have been placed Winners and which also shall have WON its group class at
the same show shall be awarded championship points figured at the highest
point rating of any breed or recognized variety or height of any breed
entered in the show and entitled to winners points in its group.")
*This may OR
may not end up being a 5 point win at an American show depending on the
entries. (There are no additional points awarded for group 2nd,
3rd or 4th as there might be at Canadian shows.)
Also, here in
Canada, any dog - class or special - that wins BOB must stay to compete in
Group competition. If a BOB winner is absent from the Group competition,
all wins / points achieved previously on that day, at that show, are lost.
Ditto for the Group winners who must stay to compete for BIS. Basically, a
dog must stay to compete for any higher awards it is eligible for. The
only exception is if a dog is formally excused by the club holding the
show. For instance, if a dog was to cut a pad on glass while being
exercised, the show veterinarian could excuse it from further competition
and said dog would not lose any prior wins or points.
A dog awarded
Winners which also places Best in Show at an All Breed Championship Show
shall be credited with 5 championship points inclusive of any points
earned at the breed and group level. (The A.K.C. rules state that, "A
dog which in its breed competition at a show shall have been placed
Winners and which also shall have won Best In Show shall be awarded
championship
points figured at the highest point rating of any breed or recognized
variety or height of any breed entered and entitled to winners points in
the show.) No dog will be credited with more than 5 points in a single
show.
On the subject
of puppies: Puppy Championships abound in Canada, much to the displeasure of
many. Though there is always talk of trying to change the present system to
one that would see puppies having to attain some Championship points as an
adult, this has yet to be addressed formally by C.K.C. In the meantime our
puppies compete for wins such as Best Puppy at the Breed, Group and Show
levels. Best Puppy In Breed (BPIB) follows Best of Breed (BOB) judging, Best
Puppy in Group (BPIG) follows the respective Group judging and Best Puppy in
Show (BPIS) follows Best in Show (BIS). Any puppy winning BPIB is required
to stay and compete for BPIG, just as BPIG must stay for BPIS or the puppy
will loose all wins awarded previously on that day, at that show
.
Should a puppy
that has won BOB place in the group, only the puppies that have won BPIB
belonging to the breeds that place AHEAD of the puppy that placed in the
group shall return to the ring for BPIG judging. Picture this.
-
Group 1st
= 3 yr. old Great Dane
-
Group 2nd
= 2 yr. old Sibe
-
Group 3rd
= 10 month old Boxer
-
Group 4th
= 4 yr. old Newf.
All other breed
winners that didn’t place in the Group, puppy or adult, are deemed to have
been defeated by those 4 breeds that placed in the group. The adult Newf
that won BOB obviously beat the Best Puppy in its breed. The Boxer puppy
that won Group 3rd, beating the BOB Newf and thereby indirectly the Newf
puppy, goes on to compete against the puppies it has not yet beat
indirectly. Those would be the BPIB winners of the breeds awarded Group 1st
and Group 2nd. Naturally if a puppy is selected BIS, it
automatically wins BPIS. Although additional points can be awarded for Group
placings 1 through 4 or BIS, NO points are given for the distinct awards of
Best Puppy at the Breed, Group or Show levels.
*Lastly, the
C.K.C. has approved but not yet implemented the requirement of at least one
two-point minimum win. This will end the garnering of any Championships
being won with 10 one-point wins. If this sounds like a task that would be
simple enough to accomplish, we must realize that at many shows, some
longtime recognized breeds routinely experience single class entries. In
such cases, these breeds will have to place in their groups in order to
accumulate the necessary points.
So there you
have it. What does it all mean, what does it stand for? The answers are as
personal and individual as our opinions and priorities. Patriotism is a
wonderful thing but it does not denote unquestionable quality nor the lack
of same. Boxer breeders have enjoyed and benefited from great dogs on both
sides of the border. Both sides can also be credited with finishing
Champions that were less than great. A comparison that comes to mind is the
larger scale breeding program that produces several well-bred animals and
the individual breeder producing one, sometimes two, choice litters a year.
Both sides will produce desirable and less than desirable Boxers.
Here in Canada
we have fewer shows, fewer clubs, breeders, entries and yes, often fewer
points required to obtain a Championship. Still, from that one should not
surmise an absence of quality. Canada is home to many breeders that, like
others outside our borders, strive to breed Boxers of the highest caliber
and succeed in this ambition.
We fight the
same battles in the show ring with regards to handlers, recognized breeders,
less than knowledgeable judges, etc. Our overall numbers may be less but it’s
the ratio that counts. In Canada we have fewer "breed specific"
handlers. The greater majority of our handlers here are more recognized for
whom they are regardless of what breed they are showing. None the less, the
effects are the same.
In smaller areas
with lower total show entries of approximately 100 dogs, we see clubs
holding 4 shows in two days. On a weekend we have Show # 1 held on Saturday
morning and Show # 2 held on Saturday afternoon. The same procedure repeats
for Sunday. In the Maritime provinces there are a few of these events each
year. In Ontario and heading out to our Western provinces, we have shows of
a much larger magnitude, not to mention Boxer Specialties. :-)
The A.K.C. point
system acknowledges that breed entries rise and fall from one geographical
area to another. In Canada we see the same fluctuation from Province to
Province but all are governed by the one point system.
No matter what
your Zip- OR Postal- (Canadian) code may be, Championships can be had with
little or great effort, deserved or not. Any knowledgeable Boxer person can
recognize quality whether or not the letters CH prefix a dog’s name. For
me, having knowledgeable Boxer people agree that your dog is deserving of
being called a Champion is what truly makes the letters meaningful.
It is my opinion
that achieving a Championship can be a two sided coin. On the one side,
Championships may be sought after as a means of public validation with
respect to confirming a high degree of breed type and conformation. On the
flip side, participating in Championship Dog Shows can be a most enjoyable
activity for many whether handling one’s own dog or cheering it on from
ringside. Of course there are the many fringe activities both prior to and
post ring time that add to the whole adventure. Everyone derives their own
pleasures stemming from the love of the breed and to me that is as it should
be.
Cordially
Canadian,
Marjorie Ross
C.K.C.
Shows/Points page = http://www.dogbiz.com/dog-shows-can/show-win-pts-ckc.htm
ERN / Event
Registration # = http://www.dogbiz.com/dog-shows-can/show-ern-num-ckc.htm
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