If you watched the Westminster Kennel Club dog show on television, you saw the dog who won it all: Ch Tashtins Lookin For Trouble, also known as Miss P., an adorable little four-year-old female Beagle, awarded Best In Show. While Miss P. stole the show, there were many beautiful examples of dozens of dog breeds who didn’t make the final cut. To even be invited to compete at Westminster is a huge honor, but then each dog must compete for Best in Breed, Best in Group, and finally Best in Show. Since over 3,000 dogs were entered for the 2015 show, it’s obvious that most of them didn’t make the first cut.

So what makes a dog the star of the show? First of all, shows affiliated with the American Kennel Club (AKC), such as Westminster, emphasize what’s known as ‘comformation’, or how well the dog conforms to the breed ideal. The dog must be purebred, and ideally the breeder has begun the all-important task of socialization by the time the pup is around three or four weeks old.

A show dog must be outgoing and enthusiastic, accustomed to being handled by many different people, not easily distracted, and able to keep his cool in the show ring and around other dogs. The new owner will continue the socialization process to help the pup’s confidence grow. ‘Puppy kindergarten’, which emphasizes socialization, is a great way for a future show puppy to get used to being around lots of other dogs and to develop a friendly, outgoing personality.

It will be helpful for the dog to learn some basic commands (such as ‘sit’ and ‘stay’) but since conformation is the most important part of the AKC shows, more advanced obedience training may get in the way of conformation training, so it’s best to leave advanced obedience for later. Conformation training dogs to learn to ‘stack’, which is the posture that best exhibits the breed’s characteristics.

Along with handling, the dog must also be comfortable with judges looking at his teeth to check the bite. Furthermore, the dog must be able to stay in a stacked position as he is examined by the judge, and to walk the show ring in a pattern designated by the judge. Future canine stars begin showing at around three months of age. The dogs are grouped by gender rather than breed at this stage, and the pups can begin winning ribbons. These early shows help get the puppy used to being in the show ring with all the distractions around it. Puppies can start earning AKC points at age six months, which can eventually lead to a champions-only show like Westminster.

Raising and exhibiting a show dog can be VERY expensive. Besides the obvious travel costs (some people actually buy special motor homes for these trips), most show dogs are on a premium diet, and then there’s the grooming. If your dog is a short-coated variety, grooming isn’t such a big deal, but if he has long, thick fur, or must have a special cut (think Poodle or Portuguese Water Dog), the time and cost really starts to add up.

Certain breeds are seasonal shedders (usually fall and spring) and cannot be shown at those times due to coat loss. Another thing to think about–since show dogs must not be neutered, if your dog is a female, she cannot be shown when she is in heat. (Just imagine the chaos that would ensue…eager boys and angry owners.) After everything is factored in (including the shows your dog misses because of the aforementioned issues), annual costs can aproach $100,000(!), depending on how dedicated the dog owner is and how many shows are entered during the year. (This may be the reason why show dogs often have multiple owners–the costs can be spread over three or four individuals rather than one or two.)

And what if your dog has an illness or an injury–or he’s too old–and his career in the ring is done? If you’re lucky, and he’s a much-decorated veteran, you may be able to offer him up for stud service, or breed your female. But there are no guarantees…case in point: My mother-in-law was part-owner of two Border Terriers (male and female) who were of champion bloodlines from a reputable breeder. Despite providing the right stuff (early socialization, conformation training, etc.), her female was too much of a Nervous Nellie to perform in the ring (although she WAS a very cute little dog). Her male became a show dog and earned enough points to be awarded Champion status. My mother-in-law decided to hire him out for stud service, but, even though he was a champion and an excellent example of the breed, there were no takers. She eventually had him and his sister neutered. Although she was a co-owner, she had a spent a lot of money and basically had nothing to show for it except for some ribbons and certificates, along with two cute, charming little terriers.

Our Golden Retriever, Cosmo, is another good example. Cosmo (AKC name: Kay-Lynn’s Cosmic Inspiration) was bred for the show ring by a small-scale breeder in Mt. Pleasant. Unfortunately, when Cosmo and his siblings were in utero, his mama drank contaminated well water and contracted a nasty bacterial infection which affected the unborn babies. She gave birth to a litter of six pups: two males and four females. Cosmo’s brother died, and Cosmo himself was born with a weak bladder sphincter muscle, so he was ‘leaky’ and the breeder was going to have him destroyed because she could not sell, breed, or show him.

Long story short, the breeder’s veterinarian took Cosmo in and he eventually ended up with Golden Retriever Rescue of Michigan, where we adopted him in January 2008. Cosmo is an absolutely beautiful dog and has all the desirable Golden traits. He’s outgoing, friendly, intelligent, calm, and affectionate, and to watch him prance, it would seem that he was born for the ring. But it wasn’t to be, and the breeder’s loss was our gain. Cosmo’s mama was the breeder’s only female and had to be spayed after the pups were born, so Kay-Lynn Kennels is now known as a breeder of Bedlington Terriers (which resemble lambs more than dogs).

Does all this sound like too much work and expense? I think I’m with you on that. If you’re looking for the ideal dog for your situation, check out Petfinder.com. Here you’ll not only find hundreds of mixed breeds, but you’ll also find rescue groups for many breeds (if your heart is set on a purebred).

If you still want to compete in shows, the AKC now has a program called Canine Partners that is open to all dogs. Dogs can compete on local, regional, and national levels for different athletic events such as agility, flyball, and nosework. (We recently enrolled our little Border-Collie mix, Tara, in this program. Her certificate lists her as an ‘All-American Dog’–in other words, a mixed breed.) Shows are all non-conformation.

You don’t need to own a Westminster winner to have an All-Star Dog!!