Four Factors Portend the Future of the Sport

BY DR. CARMEN BATTAGLIA, AKC JUDGE, MEMBER OF AKC BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Part 1

BACKGROUND

For more than a century, breeding and showing dogs has been a popular American pastime. During this time owning an American Kennel Club registered purebred dog was the gold standard. In most neighborhoods, dog ownership increased, but as America became more industrialized many of the popular pastimes began to change. The technological marvels of the telephone, washing machine, microwave, TV, and personal computer all gained widespread acceptance at a lightning-fast pace. Family life also changed. Both parents became wage earners. This shifted around their use of leisure time and discretionary income. During the 1990s, another change began to occur which was the long and slow steady decline in litter and dog registrations that quietly began to affect the conformation sport. Today we know that many of the problems affecting dog shows can now be traced back to four factors: declining litter and dog registrations, conversion rates, status as a Low Entry breed, and use of the breeder’s tool called Limited Registrations. When taken together these four factors are known to produce a downward pressure on the sport while sending mixed messages to the exhibitors. This article is the first in a series that will focus on the four factors affecting the sport.

The Conformation Sport

The decline in show entries has be- come one of the most noticeable changes talked about at dog shows. Catalogs often show single entries for a breed, which sadly has now become a common occurrence. In the early 2000s, exhibitors began to notice what would become the be- ginning of an eight-year decline in show entries and the lack of competition. Most exhibitors are unaware of the slow down- ward trend in entries from year to year. However, the calculations in Table 1 show that for eight consecutive years entries have steadily declined.

Click the link below to read the rest of Part 1 in our Digital Edition.

Short URL: http://caninechronicle.com/?p=142270

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