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If you ask anyone involved in the Conformation side of our sport what problems you feel are hurting it, you’ll get a variety of answers. Many will say too many shows, lower registrations, poor judging, and many other items that are legitimate reasons why our sport seems to be in decline.
While so many of us focus on our problems, what can we do to correct them? Many of the problems exist because, in my opinion, the AKC has lost focus on its main mission: the registration, growth, and welfare of purebred dogs.
I believe that over the last 25 years, we have lost sight of the importance of introducing and promoting our sport to the general public. Many of our shows have left their local communities, where people could attend shows, meet and speak with local breeders, and learn what purebred dogs have to offer instead of adopting mixed breeds from a shelter.
Today, I am going to focus on a couple of areas that might help redirect our efforts not only toward increased registrations but also toward increased participation in the Conformation side of our sport.
For many years, the AKC required, and most show-giving clubs held, one or two Sanctioned B-OB matches per year. These matches served multiple purposes that seem to be lacking in our sport today. At these matches, most people got their first taste of competition. The classes were 2-4 Months, 4-6 Months, 6-9 Months, 9-12 Months, and Open for those dogs over 12 months of age, but they did not carry major points.
Breeders with a young litter would bring entire litters with their new owners to teach them about the competition and get outside opinions on their new hopefuls. When I began my journey in Ohio, you could attend a sanctioned match at least three weekends per month if you wanted to. These matches gave people who were considering entering the judging side of the sport a chance to learn how to evaluate different breeds and hone their procedural skills. These were so valuable to aspiring judges.
Matches were also where newer exhibitors could learn to groom and show their new puppies at a very reasonable cost (entries less than $10) in a relaxed atmosphere. Back in the day, it was not uncommon for a match to have as few as 100 entries, but on some occasions there could be as many as 500-1,000. The experience and camaraderie the newcomer encountered helped build confidence and improve skills, which would prove essential for success when moving up in competition at a real point show. Although we have the 4-6 Month Beginner Puppy Competition at many shows, it is just not the same.
Sanctioned matches should be mandatory for all show-giving clubs. They do not require much hard work or a special facility. They can be held in a local park, school, and a variety of low-cost facilities. They should be offered at least once, and, in my opinion, twice per year on a separate weekend, not in conjunction with any local show weekends.
Ask yourself: How many times have you seen a newcomer at their first show so nervous, with their untrained animal, leaving frustrated after a disastrous show experience that someone could have avoided with the extra training a sanctioned match may have provided?
Some clubs will argue that they only get small entries or lack the facility to put on these matches. Reality: Ribbons are not dated and can be purchased in bulk and used for many future matches. Prospective judges will line up for the opportunity to meet the requirements needed to advance their careers. Members who want to learn about putting on shows or ring stewarding get a low-stress chance to learn.
Believe it or not, over the last 15 years, the number of all-breed shows has stayed around 1400-1450 per year. Based on research of the all-breed club rolls, I counted 717 all-breed clubs across the United States and Washington, DC. These numbers bear out the 1400-1450 shows per year, as most clubs held two shows per year.
While the number of shows has remained consistent, the entries continue to decline while the number of clusters continues to expand. Clusters have taken many of our shows outside their home territories, which has adversely affected our ability to present our sport in the home communities of the show-giving clubs. Also, when the distance limit is only 200 miles between shows, we have too many shows too close together, which hurts both clusters.
In today’s world, traveling 200 miles takes only three to four hours. Exhibitors chasing rankings are known to move between clusters on the same weekend to do so. This is not good for our sport. Certain areas of our country have so many shows at a popular site, while the geographical areas of the show-giving clubs are deprived of showcasing our sport in the home area in which they are domiciled.
Isn’t the purpose of these clubs to promote our sport and its advantages to their home community? How are they doing that when their home shows are a great distance from their home territory?
If you look deeper into the issue, certain areas of the country have an abundance of show-giving clubs, while others in very large geographical areas have very few. Looking at our states and the number of show-giving clubs, 11 states have between 1-5 all-breed clubs; 13 states have between 6-10 clubs; 11 states have between 11-15 clubs; five states have between 16-20 clubs; and another five have between 21-30 clubs. Four states have between 31-40 clubs, one state has between 41-50 clubs, and only one state (California) has 70 clubs.
Looking further into the numbers, I compared AKC all-breed member clubs with clubs that are licensed but not member clubs. Of the 717 clubs, I found the ratio of member clubs to non-member clubs to be about 50-50.
Sites and facilities continue to be a growing problem for so many of our clubs. The high costs and, in some cases, the inability to handle all the RVs, etc., have created a shortage of available sites for many clubs within their own home territory. What these clubs do is partner with another club at a site outside their territory.
I believe member clubs are the backbone of the AKC as a club of clubs. Member clubs send delegates and, hopefully, are invested in the continued and future success of the AKC and our sport. In my opinion, member clubs should receive some benefits for their investment in the sport.
What might help bring back higher entries and encourage clubs to try harder to keep shows in their home areas?
First: There needs to be a minimum distance of at least 300 miles between shows on the same weekend. That is still only about a 5-6-hour drive between sites, but it should cut down on the back-and-forth on the same weekend and the diluting of entries in one geographic area.
Second: We know many of our clusters are not held in the best facilities, and clustering clubs don’t always work well together.
Third: Exceptional sites are few and far between, so we need to pay closer attention to the health and welfare of our dogs. Cluster sites need scrutiny when approved for multiple days.
Fourth: Member clubs deserve some consideration for priorities.
If member clubs hold their show in their home territory, they may be allowed to hold three shows on a weekend. This keeps the shows in the club’s territory. I also believe the three-day weekend brings back the opportunity for the average working person to take off the occasional Friday to attend shows on circuits they might not attend if they were longer. If a member club must go outside its area, it can still hold two shows.
Non-member clubs that continue to hold shows in their home locations can still hold two shows on the same weekend. Non-member clubs that go outside their local territory may hold one show each year or two shows every other year.
With so many shows held outside a club’s area today, this should reduce the total number of shows per year by 15 percent or more, hopefully increasing the overall entry numbers and encouraging clubs to find facilities in their own home areas to promote our sport.
Most clubs are non-profit and should work harder to secure good pricing within their communities for sites or community grants by showing the local government the economic impact of shows in those communities. Civic leaders might be willing to give clubs concessions when they realize the benefits that dog shows bring to their business communities.
Our clubs need to focus on introducing our sport in their communities. We all need to return to some of our roots by using matches to introduce our sport to the newcomers. We need to reexamine past cluster criteria and mileage limits. Some clubs may fail because of economics, and in some states that would be a big loss, but a club that is not healthy and thriving will not be able to do justice to our sport in the long run.
Dog Show Candids
