Ramblings From a Small Island ...with Frank Kane - A Change of Direction?

The Kennel Club of the United Kingdom, now known as the Royal Kennel Club, was founded April 4, 1873 – the American Kennel club was founded not long after that in 1884. The Kennel Club’s primary purpose was to promote and protect pedigree dog breeds (I would argue it still should be their principal ambition). In those early days, dog shows were designed to promote the best stock for inclusion in breeding programs; the early critiques given by judges on the dogs shown under them were often blunt in their mention of a dog’s qualities and failings. Early dog shows also offered an opportunity to buy and sell dogs: it was literally a stock market. In the catalogue, it was possible to see not only the breeding of the dogs on show, but also their selling price. Judges were specialists in the breed, with very few multi-breed judges.

Fast forward and we see not only the Breed judging but also Group judging and judging for Best in Show. There are now many, many multi-breed judges and all-breed judges (this is especially so outside the UK). There are also various competitions to be top dog, top puppy, top producer, etc., and these prominent awards drive some exhibitors on to aspire to achieve not only top in their breed, but No. 1 in the Group and even across all breeds. These rankings and competitions to achieve top-winning dog status, now seen on both sides of the Atlantic, reflect the influence of the American dog scene on our own. However, the drive to be top-winning dog has brought with it some issues which are detrimental to our sport. Note I use the term “top-winning” dog: that is not necessarily synonymous with best example of the breed. It points to the fact that the dog has been widely campaigned, and most probably widely advertised each week. The United Kingdom is fast catching up with the United States in the adoption of a commercially focused genre of showing. Breed judges in both countries are now relentlessly exposed to “win pics” across all media outlets with the additional caveat that the development of AI-generated images means that promotional pictures can easily be manipulated to present an idealized version of an exhibit. Social media is a very popular outlet for free advertising, especially on Monday morning when many posts commence with the well-used words: “Another wonderful weekend under the very esteemed judge…”

Years ago, before I ever imagined I would judge outside my country, I read about top dogs in America, and was fascinated, and somewhat excited, to read of East Coast dogs and West Coast dogs and then imagine them coming together for a showdown at Westminster or a National Specialty. But I sense now that campaigning stateside for points, and with the facility of air travel and professional handlers on the circuits, has changed that. I read with astonishment the number of Best in Shows accumulated in a year by top contenders and wonder how many miles, how much work, and how much money lies behind those campaigns?

In contrast, we are a small island; it is possible to travel the length of the country in about 10 hours of driving, and since many of our shows are shedding their locality for a venue that is closer to the center of the country, it has meant that it is easier to campaign dogs intensively. In the UK, we have only 25 All-Breed Championship Shows and 14 Group Championship Shows each year and so the traveling is more manageable. But opportunities are limited. In recent years, it has become increasingly popular to hold breed clubs in conjunction with all-breed shows, with the opportunity for exhibitors to show twice; for one lot of traveling expenses, a sort of mini cluster, I suppose. So, we have a more compact dog scene, which means dogs can be widely campaigned in the hope of winning three CCs to gain their championship status. Our show classification and process is different. The classification at championship shows includes classes for certain age groups and then some classes for dogs with different levels of winning (those mysterious Post Graduate and Limit classes which are unique in the dog world!). Then there’s the Open class, which is the domain of the champions and those who have done a lot of winning, and for those which are aiming for the top spot. We do not separate the champions from the non-champions; there is no Best of Winners class. To win the challenge certificate, an exhibit has to defeat every other one of its sex, and in many breeds, there is depth of quality so it is no easy feat. It compares to a dog in the US winning from the classes and beating the specials. This means that many dogs are campaigned for a couple of years, or more, before they achieve their title. And many never do. The Kennel Club has always maintained this showing format and believes that a UK title is a mark of a quality example of its breed. It has resisted calls for change to put it in line with the US or the European classification where there is a champions class and the certificate towards a title (or points in the US). One past chairman, when the suggestion of a champions class was suggested, pronounced, “Over my dead body!”

Two years ago, while I was a Board member, the Royal Kennel Club considered the introduction of a separate champion class, the equivalent of your special’s competition. The lower classes, from Puppy up to the Open class, would be for untitled dogs. The unbeaten winners of those classes could compete for the challenge certificate, and this would start them on their way to becoming a champion. The challenge certificate-winning dog and bitch could then compete with the winners of the champion classes for Best of Breed, and the Best of Breed winner would progress to Group competition. Initially there was support for this idea, but ultimately the idea was rejected. The argument against the champion class was that there might be breeds where there was not enough quality in the lower classes, and that might lead to judges awarding challenge certificates to unworthy dogs and hence create so-called “cheap champions.” I suppose that this might occasionally be true, especially in low-population minority breeds. However, the judge would, as now, have the right to withhold the awards if the potential winners were not of a sufficient standard. Conversely, just because a breed has few exhibits, it should not be presumed there is lack of quality in the small entry. An alternative plan was preferred; a dog which had won two challenge certificates and amassed five reserve certificates could convert the five reserves into the third certificate and claim its title. Some dogs have gone on to claim the title in this way. Personally, I find the five reserve ticket route a little patronizing, and a dog winning its third CC via that route may, in the eyes of some, carry a slightly tarnished crown.

I strongly believe that exhibitors need incentive to carry on showing their dogs. Look at the introduction of graded champion titles in the AKC show system. How many titled dogs go on to be specialed? For many shows with low entries, the champion class system could be a practical encouragement for exhibitors to continue competing. I am certain this would also bring the focus of dog showing back into the Breed ring rather than on the Group judging and Best in Show ring. At the end of a show, the ringside for watching Groups and Best in Show is often sparse except at the major shows in the calendar.

However, when a top winner is extensively campaigned, appearing at almost every show and having a successful run, that makes it more difficult for other dogs to gain their titles. We have examples of dogs winning 50 or more challenge certificates in their campaign and a number of dogs regularly standing behind them and never making their titles. That is dispiriting to those exhibitors. When they see the same dog winning at every show, there is no longer the drive to carry on and they leave the sport. This is, I feel, one of the reasons for the dwindling entries at shows not only in the UK but around the world.

We have a more amateur dog scene, and I use that adjective not to suggest that there is a lack of quality, but to denote that most exhibitors are owner handlers who are in it for the enjoyment of showing their dogs, and for many it would be a great achievement to win the three necessary challenge certificates to become a champion. The majority of exhibitors never achieve that.

For many exhibitors, making up a dog to be champion in its breed is the fulfilment of a long-held dream, alongside the hope of one day getting a Group placing. Most exhibitors in the UK are hobby exhibitors. They cannot afford a sustained advertising campaign. Most handle their own dogs for the pleasure of it (most could not afford a professional handler for their dogs nor would they want to) and for the bonding with their dogs, who outside of the show ring are much-loved canine companions. It is more of an amateur hobby, and I use that adjective with the accent on the concept of taking part in a sport for the love of it and most certainly not with the inference of them being amateurish. Many owner handlers are very skilled and present their dogs well, but there is not the slickness and gloss of the American dog scene. It is true, however, that many of our exhibitors have upped their game in terms of personal presentation, smartness, and glamour, following their American counterparts but on a smaller scale. St. John suits are very much in vogue here too!

The United Kingdom has traditionally been seen as the cradle of specialist judges, people who focus on judging their own breed after having proved their talents as successful breeders and exhibitors, attended breed seminars, and gained experience through judging at Open show level and finally achieve K.C. approval to award challenge certificates in their chosen breed. For many, this is the peak of their ambitions. I am full of admiration for these people whose sole priority is to protect and preserve their “passion breed”; and when they judge, they assess the dogs with integrity regardless of outside pressures. I know that in the past, at Crufts in particular, there has been some criticism from overseas exhibitors that our specialists were parochial, with a small island mentality, and favored friends and dogs they knew. That, for me, is a sweeping generalization. In fact, the opposite scenario has also been seen when, challenged by good dogs from overseas, the UK specialists have often been willing to acknowledge their merits above those of home-based exhibits. I think things have settled now: the number of overseas dogs winning their Breeds and Groups at Crufts is evidence of United Kingdom judges doing their job without an in-built patriotic bias.

In a recent survey in Our Dogs newspaper (sadly no longer present as a weekly force), when exhibitors were asked their thoughts on judging preferences, the majority expressed a preference for specialist judges at both breed club shows and general championship shows. In the United Kingdom, breed clubs are an extremely valuable resource with Breed Education Coordinators to organize and oversee the education of potential judges; breed Health Coordinators informing and educating on health issues, including the organization of health testing days and encouraging participation in these vital assessments. The breed club shows are often judged by breed specialists whose priority is focused on identifying outstanding breed type with accompanying soundness. Aren’t these the principles that drove the foundation of kennel clubs? Breed club shows are generally lower key than all-breed shows, and some are spectacularly staged; I would recommend the Pennine Bulldog Club championship show in the UK as a great show for Bulldog enthusiasts and as an example of how club shows can be run for exhibitors and spectators. It is true to say that many serious breeders and exhibitors skip the majority of all-breed shows and focus on breed club events. I know that in the US, it is also the National Specialty shows which draw the overseas visitors to see the best the breed has to offer. PCA is on my wish list! And isn’t this what dog showing and breeding should be about? I have mentioned previously my admiration of the sponsorship at the AKC shows in Florida, with banners above every ring announcing their aim: “To preserve and protect our breeds.” Is this aim lost in the glamour and drama of competition for major awards? Has dog showing lost its way and changed direction?

This shift is, however, also underpinned by the unavoidable truth that in the United Kingdom and elsewhere the dog show scene is shrinking badly in terms of numbers taking part. There might be some very pertinent factors to explain this. After the COVID years, when dog shows were suspended, many exhibitors came to realize that life was more comfortable without the ongoing expense of both entries and the ever-rising cost of traveling to shows, and at the end of the day there was little to show for it except, if they were fortunate, a few prize cards and colored rosettes. There is no doubt that showing dogs, especially at the highest level, is an expensive hobby.

Another feature which has driven people away is the predictability of results, and what is seen as judges playing “follow my leader” when a top dog gets on a roll. The obsessive drive from prominent exhibitors in campaigning dogs for top awards can give other exhibitors little to aim for. Managing to get to every show and dominating a breed so that results have become predictably monotonous is dispiriting to those looking to break through. Nothing succeeds like success. Obviously, this is understandable when truly outstanding dogs come along in their breed; however, there are times when many perceive the show ring to be an uneven playing field with preference given to famous faces and handlers with average dogs, and therefore, vote with their feet, stay away, and spend their hard-earned money elsewhere.

The other route to reinvigorating the showing scene and to provide classes for the owner handler and the amateur exhibitors I’ve discussed earlier is provision to look to support grassroots shows where the focus is on the exhibitor having an enjoyable day out, regardless of the results in the ring. I recently judged at a local agricultural show, and it was good to see the ringside busy with those attending the show showing an appreciative interest in what was happening in the dog section. It was also heartening to hear from exhibitors that as well as showing their dogs they were having an enjoyable day out; winning becomes the icing on the cake but not the cake itself. At championship show level there has recently been a move to support those who realistically are unlikely to be in contention for the top awards to have their moment in the spotlight with the introduction of Special Beginner group awards. Entry to these classes is restricted to those who have not won a challenge certificate or a reserve certificate. These classes have been well supported and I am sure the incentive of a taste of showing in the Best in Show arena is helping to motivate some exhibitors to attend shows they otherwise would have missed. Maybe there could even be more thought given as to initiatives to allow the spotlight to fall on those who are the backbone of the show world while also ensuring that the cream can rise to the top in terms of rewarding excellence in the world of pedigree dogs. Of course, the Owner-Handled competition in the US is a wonderful event with high-quality exhibits and great breeders. What a treat it was for me to judge one of these at the AKC National Championship a couple of years ago. In the UK, we now have classes for Vulnerable Native breeds and I was instrumental in launching these. The breeds are part of our social history, something I feel passionate about, and getting them seen is an opportunity to make the public aware of them and the threat to their continuance. Their owners and breeders also welcome this opportunity.

In conclusion, I draw on my literary interests with a quotation from English novelist George Eliot who wrote, “It will never rain roses: when we want to have more roses, we must plant more roses.” And so, l look to a future where the dog scene is reinvigorated and once again blooms in celebration of pedigree dogs.