Second, "Best In Show" is not literally, the best in the show. It is simply the single dog that most closely conforms to the written AKC standard for it's individual breed. "Best in show" is not a competition between all the dogs in the show, but more so a competition between individual breeders and their ability to produce a dog that exemplifies the written standard for its breed.
I've owned either GSDs or Belgians virtually my whole life, and have never once felt slighted by the AKC shows. Why fret about "best in show" when you already own "best on earth"?
>Second, “Best In Show” is not literally, the best in the show. It is simply the single dog that most closely conforms to the written AKC standard for it’s individual breed. “Best in show” is not a competition between all the dogs in the show, but more so a competition between individual breeders and their ability to produce a dog that exemplifies the written standard for its breed.
I’ve owned either GSDs or Belgians virtually my whole life, and have never once felt slighted by the AKC shows. Why fret about “best in show” when you already own “best on earth”? <
Well said, Joe. Best in Show at Westminster can literally be a curse to a breed. The Papillon has experienced huge problems with overbreeding and the breed rescues are overwhelmed because naive people get them for children - not a good idea as they are too fragile and easily hurt.
I hope Scotties don’t explode in popularity. They’re a tough dog and they can be fierce if mistreated. They need a firm owner and they need training.
Most people don’t really get what dog shows (conformation) are about. And most of what the media prints is written from a position of ignorance. But you are exactly right.
I’ll add to what you said by saying that once you get out of the breed and into the group and more so best in show rings, you really can’t compare the dogs to each other. I think the down side to this is that you are likely to get a judge who is more well versed on some breeds than others (who can REALLY know each breed AKC registers equally well??) and so they may default to the best *show dog*. Some breeds are not bred to have a showy personality, and they will likely always do less well once they get into the group and best in show rings.