Straight From the Center of the Ring: Counting Championship Points

Counting Championship Points

Welcome back! Last month we learned what conformation dog shows are all about. This month it’s time to talk about one of our fundamental goals at the dog show. We want our dogs to earn points. Championship points and the system for counting them can feel clumsy and confusing. I’m going to cover exclusively the American Kennel Club conformation championship points system in this article. Future columns can tackle other event organizations and event options.

Taking Count

In order to earn an AKC championship title, a dog must earn 15 points. Points are earned by defeating other dogs. A dog may earn between one and five points at each dog show. The number of points earned depends on three things: the breed of dog, the sex of the dog and the location of the dog show. A dog must defeat enough dogs to earn a “major” win at least twice in the journey to 15. A win is considered a “major” if it earns three, four or five points for the dog.

Classes for Entry

At every AKC dog show, classes are offered by breed. Entries are always in advance of the event by at least 2 ½ weeks. Entries may be made online or by mail. The exhibitor will select the breed of dog being entered and include all of the dog’s registration information. The next step is to select the class. Each breed offers classes for males, then females, then “Intersex” competition for dogs that already have earned championship status.

Classes are generally divided by age and experience, for dogs and bitches, as follows: 6-9 months, 9-12 months, 12-18 months, Novice, Amateur Owner Handled, Bred-By Exhibitor, American Bred, Open. Best of Breed class is only open to dogs which have previously finished their championship title.

Dogs may earn championship points by being awarded Winners Dog, Winners Bitch, Best of Winners, Best of Opposite Sex to Best of Breed or Best of Breed.

Judging the Contestants

Each breed will be scheduled to compete at a specific time and ring number. The judging will begin with the youngest male entry through Winners Dog. It will repeat the process with the females through Winners Bitch. At that point, the Champions enter the ring, followed by Winners Dog and Winners Bitch.

Cue the Qs…

The complication starts with the actual counting of points. As a general rule, more popular breeds in more populous regions require more dogs entered to earn points. Here’s the extreme example, drawn directly from the annual AKC Point Schedule:

In Delaware, New Jersey, New York or Pennsylvania, the point schedule requires an entry of at least 48 Labrador Retriever bitches to earn a five-point major. In California, the same breed, same sex requires an entry of 58 for the same number of points. It takes only 6 Curly Coated Retrievers at the same shows to earn the same number of points.

In Idaho, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah or Wyoming you only need to round up 33 Labrador non-champion bitches for that same five-point major, but you still need 6 Curlies. This is considered a “minimum requirement” for any breed to defeat, any place, in order to earn a five-point major.

Count on It!

Pro Tip: The three component elements of how many points a dog may win requires that the dogs actually be present and in competition. If a dog is marked “absent” from the ring, it does not count in the total for points earned by the winner. In many breeds, wrangling enough dogs to qualify for a “major” is a significant undertaking, often with various fanciers working together to encourage folks to enter. An absence leaves the risk of “breaking the major,” which is considered very poor etiquette short of major emergency situations.

Check back next month...

...where we walk through 10 Secrets to Success when acquiring a show puppy!