Conformation
Shows
Since
the establishment of the first dog
breed, there has been competition between breeders
to determine who has the best animal. From small fairs to huge sports
facilities, dog shows can be found in most parts of the world. Today,
conformation showing is a large part of the sport of dogs. Tens of
thousands of spectators attend shows like the SV's Sieger Show, Westminster
Kennel Club or Crufts and cheer on their favorites. Many more watch
the events on television. The Westminster
dog show is one of the oldest sporting events in this country.
While
the rules and the style of showing may differ, the basic purpose of
any conformation show is to determine how close an individual comes
to the Breed
Standard. But it is also a show -- and the difference between
very close competitors can come down to the attitude and charisma
of the individual dogs.
Cheered on by the audience, that special dog
will rise to the occasion and gait his way to the top!
Dog
shows
are held somewhere almost every weekend of the year. Shows of different
sizes and competitiveness offer every owner of a quality purebred
dog a chance to find their level of competition.
There
are two basic styles of conformation shows for German
Shepherd Dogs -- those using the basic rules of the SV (the
German
Shepherd Dog Club of Germany) and those who show in the style
of the AKC. We have included a brief explanation of each style.
SV
AKC
The
other two largest organizations offering Conformation Shows in North
America are the CKC and UKC. Both of them use rules similar to the
AKC style.
