# Tell me About AKC Breed Showing the German Shepherd Dog



## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

I have watched.. a little of this.. and have started training for the German Breed Ring where Questa actually has been (handled by someone else) but in all reality I never paid much attention to the AKC Breed ring or how the GSD is presented or shown to the judge. 

Suggestions on where to start and any books or DVD's on handling the GSD for the AKC ring would be helpful. 

Thanks.


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## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

Judging is much faster and much shorter. Dogs are not "worked". I DID actually have a judge WALK all the dogs (in EVERY class), meaning the judge told all the handlers to take the dogs around the ring at a walk. They were looking for faulty action in motion at that speed.

The handling itself is much more hands on, dogs are stacked a bit more extremely. Specialties are very different from all breeds (people double at all breeds, but not to the same degree as specialties, because it's against AKC rules). A judge can and will excuse your dog if they believe you are doubling.

In general, in an AKC show the dog will always be presented at the trot. There is no time in judging to wait for dogs to tire out (sometimes at specialties dogs are worked more, because they have the time for it). 

Heads are held up or are baited up to create a more elegant outline. Dogs with their heads carried far forward look slouchy and inattentive. Though people who show exclusively at specialties do not teach their dogs to freestack, every dog in my house learns how. I refuse to futz around with them after the down and back. They're smart enough to learn how to stack on their own.

Fursavers are popular for use in the American ring as show collars. Personally, I hate them and use a nylon choke on my puppy and start on nice chains as they get older.

Dogs are not faulted in the AKC ring for not knowing how to corner. Their gait (amongst other things) is being judged, not whether or not they understand when to turn.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

Doubling? You mean double handling? (two handlers, one dog or two dogs one handler?)

I saw a little of a breed Specialty for GSD's and the dogs were all trotting around the ring at double time (nothing to do with 'doubling' BTW) on long leads with the handlers running behind (similar to the German show.. but not as long or as many times 'round). I have not seen the GSD handling at an all breed show... not had the chance (yet). Seems my Obedience class always goes off the same time the GSD's do their thing in Breed.


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## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

> Doubling? You mean double handling?


Yes, double handing. Most people just shorten it to doubling.

The handling (and the dogs) in the all breed ring is different from the specialty ring, though I've noticed I do things differently from handlers in both rings *shrugs*

BTW, two dogs and one handler in AKC is a brace competition (in the event you weren't aware)


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

In obedience they are strict about double handling.. 

So (not having red the rule book.. which I would need to read) the Specialty shows allow double handling and the All Breed show does not? Or is it the specialty Ring and All breed Ring? As I get it, the breed dogs first compete in their breed and the best in breed then goes on to compete against the dogs in other breeds for best in show. 

If I have that mucked up it is my ignorance showing....


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## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

> In obedience they are strict about double handling..


I don't know why anybody would double a dog in obedience....

As per the rules, neither ring should have doubling. However, the chance of an AKC rep being at a GSD specialty other than the National is pretty low (in other words, if there's nobody there to catch them, there's no reason not to do it). In fact, at the last specialty I was at, the judge actually asked me if I had anybody to double my dog, and when I told him no, he asked me why not.



> As I get it, the breed dogs first compete in their breed and the best in breed then goes on to compete against the dogs in other breeds for best in show.


At an all breed show they compete for Best Of Breed, the BOB dog goes to group to compete for a group placement, if they go Group 1, they then compete for best in show.

At a specialty, the dogs only compete for BOB. When you see a dog with the initials BISS in front of it, that means Best In Specialty Show. It is not rated as a Best In Show win because it's a different designation.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

OK I get it. Where does the Best of Opposite fit in? If a dog is BOB, the next thing is BOO (which sounds like 2nd place over all and first place for that sex group). If a bitch is BOO that is it for the day, right? They do not move up to the "herding group?" only the BOB does? 

then there is the whole points thing..... which I can get from the rule book. 

I think I need to watch and maybe try to find a handler that can instruct me (if I want to show myself) of find out the cost (I hear it is very expensive) of someone else to handle my dog in AKC if I want to go there.


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## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

The correct acronym for best of ops is actually BOS (Best of Opposite Sex).

In AKC these are the following placements for the BOB class
BOB - Best of Breed
BOS - Best of Opposite Sex
Select Dog - For Grand Championship Points
Select Bitch - For Grand Championship Points

If an animal is BOS, they are done for the day. Only BOB goes to group.

Points are trickier and depend upon the area of the country you're exhibiting in. It is very expensive to have a handler exhibit your dog in AKC. Especially when you factor in "bonuses". Finding handlers willing to instruct you can be hard, because they're really not around to teach (which I find sad). They're around to exhibit and make money.


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## Tami (Aug 31, 2006)

Xeph said:


> In AKC these are the following placements for the BOB class
> BOB - Best of Breed
> BOS - Best of Opposite Sex
> Select Dog - For Grand Championship Points
> Select Bitch - For Grand Championship Points


And BOW - Best of Winners - Only WD/WB are eligible but BOW can also be BOB or BOS.

Here is the AKC point schedule http://www.akc.org/events/conformation/point_schedule.cfm Just find what division you are in based on the state the show is occuring in then find your breed. They are grouped by groups and herding is at the bottom. The 5 columns shows how many dogs/bitches it takes for each point. 

There are some ways to get around the point schedule for your sex though. For example the last show we attended we built (well not me I but the people I was with) a major for bitches. So everyone brought all their girls making a 3 pt major and the dog entry was lower and only 2 pts. The WB would get her 3 pt major and the WD would get the 2 pts. When they go into breed if the WD goes BOW over the WB he actually will get a 3pt major for beating her since she got a 3pt major. Clear as mud right? But just an example 

Good luck at the shows!


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## Xeph (May 7, 2007)

http://www.akc.org/pdfs/events/conformation/point_schedule/2010/division1.pdf <--New York is in Division 1

Point schedule for GSDs is:
2 2 - 1 point
8 8 - 2 points
13 14 - 3 points
17 18 - 4 points
23 25 - 5 points

First number is dogs second number is bitches

Man, that's better than my new point schedule for Jersey/Pennsylvania

Broken majors are fun >.<

It doesn't matter if you've got 13 dogs entered in the show so you have a major on the dog side. If only 12 dogs show up, the major breaks and it's only 2 points unless the class dog can take Best of Winners to pick up the cross over major from the bitch side.


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## Elana55 (Jan 7, 2008)

Well, THAT is easy..... LOL

Geeze loueeze... 
If I do this it won't be until she is full grown.. but I am investigating it. There has been 'talk' about trying to double Ch. this dog.. AKC and German V..... and I am loving how other people are so happy to spend my money (a terrifying prospect)! LOL It is all exciting to THINK about and while it is not as bad (cost wise) as a Thoroughbred Race horse.. it is not for the weak willed or under-funded either (I am not weak willed.. but the LATTER is a reality!). 

BTW I do not OWN a race horse...


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## Tami (Aug 31, 2006)

Elana55 said:


> It is all exciting to THINK about and while it is not as bad (cost wise) as a Thoroughbred Race horse.. it is not for the weak willed or under-funded either (I am not weak willed.. but the LATTER is a reality!).
> 
> BTW I do not OWN a race horse...


Hahaha yeah it can get expensive but it still doesn't touch the bills I had when showing horses so to me it never seems that bad


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