The ring steward began calling the individual classes into the ring. The first was the 6 - 9 puppy bitches, then the 9 - 12 month puppy bitches, and soon after he was calling in the “Bred by Exhibitor” class. While you can enter whichever class you choose, there are certain requirements for some of the classes. The age is a requirement for the 6 - 9 month puppy classes. In the “Bred By” classes, the handler has to also be the breeder of the dog or bitch they are showing. Our Addi was entered in the “Bred by” class, and she came in 1st.
The next class was the American bred class, which means all the bitches entered were bred here in the United States, and not in Canada or elsewhere. After that, the steward called in the Open class, which is open to all ages. I held onto Addi, while my daughter took Peyton’s lead. Our Peyton was entered in the Open class, and my daughter was also her handler. And Peyton wasn’t going to let Addi get all the attention, she also won first place in her class This meant that both Addi and Peyton, along with the other 1st place winners, would be competing for Winners Bitch!
Since Addison won the Bred by class, my daughter had to stay on as her handler, so she asked her friend to bring Peyton into the ring. The judge examined each collie, carefully considered all their virtues, and walked over to his table. He wrote down a number, picked up the ribbon…and awarded it to Peyton! This was so exciting, we were so beyond happy. Peyton won Winners Bitch earning more points towards her championship, and because there were so many class bitches entered at this show, it was a major! A class dog or bitch has to win a total of 15 points to become a champion, but of the 15 points, they need two majors. A major is a win of 3, 4 or 5 points. The more dogs entered, the more points awarded for the win.
But it wasn’t over yet…after judging all the class dogs and bitches, and choosing his Winners Dog and Winners Bitch, the judge had one more task. It was time to judge the smooth collie Best of Breed/Variety class. The smooth champions are called into the ring, along with Winners Dog and Winners Bitch. This is extremely competitive, as everyone wants their collie to be chosen as the best! Typically the judge chooses a finished champion as his or her Best of Breed, as they have all earned the champion title, and usually have a lot of experience. But that day Peyton was perfect, you couldn’t take your eyes off her, and the judge chose her as his Best of Breed!
What happens next? Well, the Best of Breed winner gets to go on to compete in the herding group, against the other herding dogs that also won Best of Breed. Then whichever herding dog is awarded a Herding Group 1st, goes on to compete for “Best in Show” against the group winners of the Working group, Toy Group, Hound group, etc. Sadly, the collies aren’t usually awarded a herding group 1, and they rarely win the coveted Best in Show. But when they do, it’s a celebration for us all. We didn’t win anything in the herding group that day, but nothing could diminish our pride in what Peyton had accomplished.…it was an exciting day at the dog show, one that we will always remember!
***I wrote this post, to explain the judging at a dog show. There is so much more happening than what you see on television. We are usually up and on the road by 5:00 AM, if not earlier. The outdoor shows are usually either hot or raining. The indoor shows are usually crowded and very noisy with 600 - 800 dogs in one building. And we wouldn’t change a thing. The fun of competing with your dogs, catching up with friends, and the excitement when you do win, is something that’s hard to capture in words. I hope this will not only explain the judging process, but maybe inspire you to attend a show.
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