AKC dog shows are conducted under the rules established by the American Kennel Club (AKC). Individual shows are authorized by the AKC and sponsored by specific member clubs or associations or by licensed non-member clubs and associations. Shows are administered by either Show Superintendents or Secretaries. Each show has various officials including veterinarians, judges and stewards.

There are several different types of shows but the most common type is Conformation Shows where the dogs are judged based on their conformance to the standard defined for the breed. Each breed of dogs that is recognized by the AKC has a published breed standard that describes the ideal specimen of that breed.

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Conformation show are important to the dog breeding community, because the winners of the various competitions are awarded points that count toward a dog’s designation as a Champion. It is generally recognized that a Champion is considered to be an excellent representative of the standard for that breed.

There are three basic types of Conformation Show:

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All-Breeds Show: a show that is open to all of the recognized breeds.

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Specialty Show: a show tha is open to only one specific breed.

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Group Show: a show that is open to any of the breed in one specific group of dogs. The seven official groups of dogs recognized by the AKC are:

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• Group 1: Sporting Dogs

• Group 2: Hounds

• Group 3: Working Dogs (Berners)

• Group 4: Terriers

• Group 5: Toys (Havanese)

• Group 6: Non-Sporting Dogs

• Group 7: Herding Dogs

Competitions are held for each breed to determine which dog at the show is the Best of Breed. The dogs are first divided into category groupings, with the male and female group for each of the following categories:

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• Puppy Class: dogs at least 6 months and under 12 months of age. The club may also further divide this class into 6-9 months and 9-12 months.

• 12-18 Month Class: dogs at least 12 months and under 18 months old. This class may also be further divided into 12-15 months and 15-18 months by the club.

• Novice Class: dogs that have not previously won 3 first places in Novice Class, a 1st place in Amateur-Owner-Handler, Bred-by-Exhibitor, American-bred, or Open Classes or who have not earned one or more points toward their championship.

• Amateur-Owner-Handler Class: dogs handled by the registered owner who has not, at any point, been a professional dog handler, an AKC approved conformation judge or employed as an assistant to a professional handler.

• Bred-by-Exhibitor Class: dogs handled and owned by its breeder.

• American-bred Class: dogs whose sire and dam were mated in America and the dog was born in America. This is a required class.

• Open Class: a required class that any dog may enter. This is the only regular class that Champions are eligible to complete in.

The winners from each category for the Winners category. The selection of Best of Breed is taken from the Winners category.

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All the winners from Best of Breed in each group compete for the Best of Group.

A finial competition is held where the Best in Show is selected from the winners of the Best of Group competitions.

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The American Kennel Club requires a dog to obtain a total of 15 points with two major wins (a major win is worth three points or higher) to become a champion. The majors must be won under different judges and at least one other judge must award some of the remaining points — so you need to win under at least three different judges.