PetSmart
By Steve Dale

Dog Show 101

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With the two major dog competitions coming up, we tell you everything you need to know about the shows -- and what the judges say they're looking for when they pick "Best in Show."

These athletes are unique. They never complain about salaries or voluntarily take performance-enhancing biscuits; they love even the fans who jeer.

"If I walk down the street with Josh [the Newfoundland who won the Westminster Kennel Club dog show last year], people call his name. Our top dogs have become celebrities," says David Frei, Westminster's TV voice and communications director. "These dogs get fan mail."

Of course, that has a lot to do with TV coverage. Only top dogs appear at the two top shows. Westminster, the Super Bowl of dog shows, exclusively accepts canines designated as Champions. (Dogs are Champions when they earn 15 points and win two "majors," which means beating a substantial number of your own breed. The number varies from breed to breed.) Exceptional dogs can manage this in a single weekend, but for most the process takes months.

There are 165 breeds and varieties recognized by the American Kennel Club that participate at both shows. Today's most popularly entered breed is the golden retriever. But that breed and the Labrador have never won there. The wire fox terrier has won Best in Show most often -- 13 times. More than 2,300 dogs will be at this month's AKC/Eukanuba National Championship; many of those also will be among the 2,500 at Westminster in February.

Westminster is a "benched show" -- the dogs are stationed at benches where people can stop by and shake paws. There aren't many other sporting events where the public can meet and greet athletes before the big game.

Starting early in the morning, and continuing right up to prime time, dogs are shown in "conformation" within their breeds. One dog is named the best within each breed. This part isn't shown on TV, but, Frei says, "Real dog lovers often attend the shows for this, because you can learn to recognize what makes a really great Brittany or Yorkie."

So the pooches who make it to prime time have already been competing for hours. Meanwhile, the person you see at the other end of the leash is most often a professional dog handler. The handler's goal is to be invisible, moving in such a way as to highlight the pup's best attributes. It's not unusual to catch a handler giving the dog a pep talk before entering the ring.

At each level of competition, the dogs are judged against a breed standard that's written by the national club representing each breed. The standard varies from breed to breed, depending on the function the dog was bred to perform, but often includes size; how the coat should look (such as what colors are acceptable, and whether the coat should be wavy or straight); eye color; number of teeth; the shape and size of the nose; and general temperament.

The TV coverage begins with the seven group competitions: Herding, Hound, Non-Sporting, Sporting, Terrier, Toy and Working. Sporting dogs, for example, include retrievers, pointers, spaniels and setters. For each group, a judge will name the Best, and those seven compete for the coveted Best in Show title.

Michele Billings, who will judge Best in Show at AKC/Eukanuba, has been judging all over the world since 1972, and -- so far -- she says, "I have yet to see the perfect dog."

Looking perfect isn't easy. "Some dogs are wash 'n' wear; a quick brush is all they need," Frei says. "But what goes on backstage with the poodles ... is just crazy. It takes three or four hours to prep some dogs [on the big day]."

The groomers clip faster than you think fingers can move. The whir of hair dryers is so loud it's hard to hear, as dogs are blow-dried, fluffed and puffed. Every hair has to be just right as the contestants depart for the Best in Show ring.

The Best in Show judge is sequestered off-site until the seven dogs actually run into the ring on live TV. "I'm judging the seven dogs at that very moment," Billings says, "not from how they did last month, last week or even a few hours ago."

Frei, who showed champion Afghan hounds for years, says, "Dog shows are the only sports events that always come down to the last second." Aside from the dog that most nearly matches the written standard, Billings will look for one that has that extra something special. "That's the dog I want to point to," she says.

SHOW TIMES -- AKC/Eukanuba National Championship: Jan. 15 and 16, 8 p.m. ET, Animal Planet and Discovery Channel.
-- The 129th annual Westminster Kennel Club show: Feb. 14 and 15 at 8 p.m. ET on USA Network.