Nihon's Legend
日本伝説
-Nihon densetsu-
Shikoku breeding in the heart of Germany
Breeding with heart and mind, out of passion and love.
Procedure and basics of an exhibition/show
Below is a rough insight into the glittering world of dogs for those who are interested. What are exhibitions?
DThe dogs are differentiated according to sex and age groups.
Classification of age groups: Baby class 16 weeks to 6 months
Puppy class 6 - 9 months
Youth class 9 - 18 months
Intermediate class 15 - 24 months
Open class from 15 months
Veteran class from 8 years
Champion class with confirmed FCI recognized champion title
Working dog class from 15 months with confirmed
Evidence of training/performance
special classes: Breeding group at least 3 dogs from the same kennel or with same breeder Pair class 1 male and 1 female owned by the exhibitor.
Finding the ideal pair.
Progeny group all offspring of a male or a bitch at least 5 offspring from at least
2 litters.
Prerequisite for the special classes is the minimum rating of "good" of the participating dogs on the same day.
Baby and puppy classes are not always offered! Some amateur shows are also offered. Every dog can join in there just for fun :)
Only dogs with a VDH or FCI recognized pedigree are allowed to participate in the major VDH exhibitions. If other third-party associations organize exhibitions, there may be different entry conditions. Therefore, please note the respective advertisements! A pedigree is not the same as a pedigree. Seal of quality is and remains the FCI!
The dog should be sociable. The judge must be able to touch and control the dog without any problems. Checking the teeth and, in males, checking the testicles is particularly important.
Small dogs are examined on tables.
In the ring, the dogs are first judged individually. The judge tells you how he/she would like to see the dog (straight, diagonally, a round in a circle - if necessary several times). Once all the dogs have been judged individually, it's time for the prick and the entire group is judged.
The assessment is made: V - Excellent
SG - Very good
G - Good
Ggd - Enough
Disq. - Disqualified
In the junior class: vv - very promising
vsp - promising
wv - not very promising
Dogs that cannot be given a grade will be released from the ring "without evaluation" with justification in the assessment. "Withdrawn" are dogs that left the ring before judging and "did not show up" are dogs that were not presented in the ring on time.
Basic exclusion criteria include the following faults for all dogs and breeds:
- Dental defects such as overbite or underbite
- Albinosm
- Kinky tail
- missing testicles or castrated males (also chemically)
- aggressiveness
- Lack of gender imprint
- Use of prohibited aids such as squeaky
Further gradations are then made with numbers 1, 2, 3 etc.
Dogs with the assessment V1 compete with the other age groups of the breed for the BOB ("Best of Breed") and the BOS ("Best of opposite sex"). The BOB dog qualifies for the ring of honor. There he competes against his group. There are a total of 10 groups into which all races are divided.
The groups are defined as follows:
I Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs (excluding Swiss Mountain Dogs)
Section 1 German Shepherds
Section 2 Cattle Dogs
II Pinscher & Schnauzer - Molossoid - Swiss Mountain Dogs & other breeds
Section 1 Pinscher and Schnauzer
Section 2 Molossoids
Section 3 Swiss dogs
III Terriers
Section 1 high leg
Section 2 low-barrelled
Section 3 bullous
Section 4 dwarf
IV Dachshunds (teckels/dachshunds)
V Spitz and Urtype dogs
Section 1 Nordic Sled Dogs
Section 2 Nordic Hounds
Section 3 Nordic guard and herding dogs
Section 4 European lace
Section 5 Asian Spitz and related breeds
Section 6 archetype
Section 7 Archetypal Dogs for Hunting Use
VI Hounds, scent hounds and related breeds
Section 1 Hounds
Section 2 Scenthounds
Section 3 related breeds
VII pointing dogs
Section 1 continental
Section 2 British and Irish
VIII Retriever dogs - scavenger dogs - water dogs
Section 1 Retrievers
Section 2 search dogs
Section 3 Water Dogs
IX Companion and Companion Dogs
Section 1 Bichons and related breeds
Section 2 poodles
Section 3 small Belgian dog breeds
Section 4 hairless breeds
Section 5 Tibetan races
Section 6 Chihuahueno
Section 7 English Society Spaniels
Section 8 Japanese Spaniels and Pekingese
Section 9 Continental Toy Spaniel, Russian Toy & Prague Ratter
Section 10 Komfohrländer
Section 11 small mastiff-like dogs
X Greyhounds
Section 1 long-haired or feathered
Section 2 rough haired
Section 3 short haired
These sections are partially subdivided again. We have omitted this for the sake of clarity.
The winner of his group then fights the other groups for the BIS ("Best in Show").
This is roughly the flow and subdivision of a show.
Achievements or titles, ribbons and trophies
An opinion statement from us of the unimportant side. Nevertheless, we will briefly take a personal position on the subject.
We also visit exhibitions, like many breeders and interested people. Certainly some see it more, others less strictly.
Why do we visit exhibitions?
The most important reason for us is the educational work. We would like to offer interested people the opportunity to get to know the breed in their area without great effort.
Another important reason for this is mating abroad or suitability as a stud dog.
We're talking about our club now. If I would like to breed with a male from abroad, he must also submit at least 3 exhibition reports in addition to his health test. Here his phenotype, his appearance/exterior is judged. So you are forced to visit exhibitions. In other clubs, these are also mandatory for a ZZL (breeding approval).
In some associations, some proof of exhibition is even mandatory for participation in a ZZL.
We've been going to a lot of exhibitions. You got to know really great people. Here you can always meet loved ones, friends and other breeders to swap ideas with. This warmth is indescribable!
The dogged part - show
Achievements/titles, trophies and ribbons are NOTHING. They don't say anything about the dog. For us, all of our children are the best. As is the case with others - your dog is the best.
Unfortunately, "madness" is still going on. So-called premium dogs, star males or the like, which only have titles but don't transmit well, can destroy a breed.
You should pay much more attention to health and character, don't narrow the gene pole and much more. Ribbons, titles and trophies say nothing about that. On the contrary. The saying "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder" applies here. We always talk about an objective size that is evaluated subjectively.
Surely some will say now, but there is a standard. Still, this is a double-edged sword. There simply isn’t enough time to precisely assess and check the standard, or to read it up when in doubt, which brings us back to the saying above. Furthermore, the word of the judge is inviolable.
We would like to point out that appraisals must be written like job references. So mostly everything sounds positive in it, but with a hidden message.
My little dear negative example, Noshi. You can read Noshi's story in more detail on his website. Very briefly for everyone... Our dear Noshi is ill. He has HD E and you can already see it when running. We are his 3rd owner and took over this initially unworldly dog when he was a little over 1 year old. Nevertheless, we compete with him in the ring and he also wins. However, he is not suitable for breeding. But we do this to achieve better rehabilitation! But with Noshi's example you can see that his victories say nothing about him personally but are only decoration.
Touching gestures are much nicer than wins, ribbons and titles because they simply show what we want to convey. With this in mind, we would like to highlight the following lines from exhibition reports from us:
- Report: 06.07.2019 - SG1 "... very friendly personality, good contact with the exhibitor"
2. Report: 08/25/2019 - V 2 "... good temperament - free movement"
All pictures are from Adele Eckelmann during a show.
I think something like that is priceless. Without obligation with fun!
