JUNIOR SHOWMANSHIP
Since 1934 , The Westminster Kennel Club has offered a Junior Showmanship competition ( formerly known as Children ’ s Handling Class ), which is a limited class for young people who have won Best Junior Handler awards seven times or more at AKC dog shows over a specific one-year timeframe . The Junior Showmanship competition is for children ages 9-18 who are judged solely on their handling skills , independent of the dog ’ s traits . The competition promotes proper training and animal care to prepare future generations for responsible dog ownership , sportsmanship , and the opportunity to bond with one ’ s dog .
These young handlers must demonstrate breed knowledge in the presentation of the dog and the economy of motion . The judge considers how well the handlers present their dogs through control , teamwork , composure , and unexaggerated movement . Like the best adult handlers , the goal for the Juniors is to enhance their dog ’ s qualities to the judge without using distracting , unnecessary motions .
The competition has a preliminary judging round where nearly 100 Juniors from across the country are judged , with eight finalists selected to move on to the Finals round . The competition concludes with the awarding of a Best Junior Handler and 2nd , 3rd , and 4th place winners . This exciting finale for the youth of the sport takes place on Tuesday , February 11 , before the evening ’ s Group judging in Madison Square Garden .
Since 2010 , The Westminster Kennel Club has offered Junior Showmanship Finalist Scholarship Awards to the eight finalists : First place $ 10,000 , second place $ 5,000 , third place $ 4,000 , and fourth place $ 3,000 . Each of the other Finalists receives a $ 500 scholarship award .
40 THE WESTMINSTER KENNEL CLUB 2025