Every Dog Has His Day— Sometimes Even a Whole Weekend

Rodger Morrow

Editor & Publisher, Beaver County Business

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Editor & Publisher Beaver County Almanac Most dogs get through life without having their rib spring examined by a stranger in business clothes. They get up, inspect the kitchen, and decide whether anything has happened overnight to justify breakfast. My dog, Seamus, has made a respectable career of this. He has never needed a ribbon to confirm his standing in the household. He knows who gets the comfortable spot and who pays for it.

This weekend several hundred dogs will submit to a more exacting standard at Brady’s Run Park. The Autumn Barkfest Cluster brings three days of American Kennel Club all-breed shows to the Four Winds Recreation Center, where being a good dog requires more than coming when called, or at least appearing to consider it.

The Trumbull County Kennel Club hosts Friday, October 16, and Sunday, October 18. Saturday belongs to the Beaver County Kennel Club. The published calendar lists 594 dogs for Saturday alone, enough for a thorough education in the arrangements of ears, legs, coats, and opinions people have encouraged in dogs over the centuries.

It is a chance to see a remarkable canine gathering without driving to New York, buying Westminster tickets, or pretending to understand what the television announcer means by “beautiful reach and drive.”

You can start learning here.

The first useful word is conformation: how closely a dog conforms to the written standard for its breed. Judges weigh structure, movement, proportion, coat, temperament, and whatever makes a breed recognizably itself. They are evaluating breeding stock. Fetching your slippers earns no credit, however grateful you may be.

This answers the newcomer’s puzzle: How can anyone compare a Chihuahua with a Great Dane? Most of us would start by checking whether the Chihuahua had arrived in the Great Dane’s luggage. The judge has a different job. Each dog is measured against its own breed’s ideal, and the question is which one most convincingly fulfills the requirements of being the sort of dog it is.

There is something enviable in that. Most people spend their lives being measured against somebody else’s specifications.

Judging begins within each breed, with classes divided by sex and other qualifications. Handlers pose their dogs in a stance called a “stack,” then move them so the judge can study their gait. Small dogs may be examined on a table. The judge’s hands find the construction beneath the coat, which can conceal a surprising amount of dog.

To the untrained eye, this looks like a parade of people persuading dogs to stand still and then persuading them to stop. Watch longer and differences emerge. One dog moves easily. Another presents a different outline. A good handler makes the partnership look casual, which usually means a great deal of work went into it.

Breed winners advance to seven groups: Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding. The seven group winners compete for Best in Show. Anyone whose favorite went out earlier is entitled to a private minority opinion. Dog people are well equipped for this.

Each day also offers the AKC National Owner-Handled Series, a separate route for owners who show their own dogs. There is pleasure in watching someone take the dog they live with into the ring, assuming both have agreed on where they are going.

There is daily competition, too, for puppies four months old and under six months, which has obvious appeal for anyone who enjoys watching solemn human intentions meet a creature with other interests. A puppy may have a promising future and still be deeply interested in a shoelace. It is hard to begin a public career before you have finished investigating the floor.

Junior Showmanship is another reason to linger. Young people are judged on handling: keeping a dog properly presented while minding the judge and everyone else in the ring. Plenty of adults can’t manage themselves in public without taking responsibility for an extra set of legs.

If you’re thinking about getting a dog, the weekend beats an afternoon of photographs online. A photograph cannot tell you how much room a large dog occupies when he decides to stand crosswise, or how much coat one animal can carry, and how much of it will eventually belong to your furniture.

At a show you can see breeds in person and ask the people who know them. The AKC recommends shows for exactly that. Pick your moment, though. Someone about to enter the ring has duties that outrank your curiosity about shedding.

Ask what living with the breed involves. How much exercise? How much grooming? What health problems should you look into? What happens when the dog gets bored? The last answer may be the most useful. An animal bred for hard work can find retirement in your living room less satisfying than you had hoped.

Remember, too, that a dog in the ring is giving a public performance. Your household companion will also have ordinary Tuesdays. Ask about those. Afterward, talk with breeders, breed clubs, and rescue groups, when there is time to consider whether your habits and the dog’s needs can share an address.

The spectator rules are simple. Leave your own dog at home; generally only entered dogs and service animals are admitted. Ask before petting. Keep ring entrances clear, watch your children, and wait until handlers are done showing before approaching. A freshly groomed dog looks irresistible because somebody worked hard to make him that way.

Keep food away from the rings, silence your phone, and watch your step. There will be feet, tails, and noses at heights where people don’t usually look. The rings belong to exhibitors and officials. A shortcut across one would make you an attraction, though not the one the clubs had in mind.

The show is at Four Winds Recreation Center, 121 Brady’s Run Road, Beaver Falls. Hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., with all judging indoors. Admission is $5 per car. Single-day admission does not

allow re-entry; a three-day cluster pass does. Check the judging programs at InfoDog before you go, especially if you want to see a particular breed.