WORKING Breeds and Varieties ( 31 ) |
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Akita Alaskan Malamute Anatolian Shepherd Dog Bernese Mountain Dog Black Russian Terrier Boerboel Boxer Bullmastiff Cane Corso Chinook Doberman Pinscher Dogo Argentino Dogue De Bordeau German Pinscher Giant Schnauzer Great Dane Great Pyrenees Greater Swiss Mountain Dog Komondor Kuvasz Leonberger Mastiff Neopolitan Mastiff Newfoundland Portuguese Water Dog Rottweiler St Bernard Samoyed Siberian Husky Standard Schnauzer Tibetan Mastiff |
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sport ’ s subjective basis : one judge , applying their interpretation of the
Standard and giving their opinion on which of the entries may be the best dog on that particular day . Different judges may have different interpretations of the standard and may have particular points that they feel are more important than others .
At Westminster , the first level of competition is in the Best of Breed or Best of Variety competition . There , one judge officiates over an entry that consists of dogs of only one breed . The entry may be as few as one dog or as large as more than 50 dogs . All champions are entered in the Best of Breed Class . The Judge selects his BOB or BOV , BOS , SEL , and AOM winners . Only the BOB or BOV winner advances into the next level of competition , the Group .
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Professional Handler : Someone who handles a dog for a fee .
Conformation : The structure and physical characteristics of a dog .
Stack : The pose itself or the posing of the dog by a handler in its natural stance .
Gait : The action of movement of the dog . Generally speaking , a sound and balanced gait usually indicates proper conformation and structure .
Breed Type : The manifestation of those unique traits and characteristics of a dog that distinguish it as a particular breed .
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HOW THE JUDGING WORKS
Competition at The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show consists of three levels . At each level , each competitor is judged in comparison to that breed ’ s Standard ( see previous page ).
Judges select their winners based upon their opinion how close the dog comes to fitting this ideal as described in the Standard . Another important factor in the process is “ judging on the day ” as dogs , like most performers or athletes , may perform or “ show ” better on some days than others . This results in the
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JACK GRASSA |