The American Kennel Club (AKC®) is proud to announce the creation of the AKC National Champion (ANC) title, a new prefix title that will be awarded to the dog earning Best in Show at the annual AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin. The AKC National Championship is the largest dog show in North America […]
If you are not winning your class as often as you would like, you can. To win more in Junior Showmanship, you should focus on skill development, plan and conduct consistent and engaging practices with your ring partner, and develop a competitive mindset that allows you to prioritize your effort and personal growth in the sport over just winning. Also, if you practice good sportsmanship and take ownership of your successes and failures, the wins will come to you.
Woofstock Cluster
Contra Costa County Kennel Club
Yolo County Fairgrounds
Woodland, CA
June 5-7, 2026
One reads lots of comments about how someone “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda” done something in the ring–or, to a certain degree, how they “Woulda, Coulda, Shoulda” improved their results. I see exhibitors making “rookie” errors both inside and outside the ring. So, I think this month we will have a little review of some basic show skills to bring into the ring with you.
My son and I were recently wandering through an antique shop, mostly for a distraction from the daily work routine, and perhaps to experience a transport back in time.
In July of 2026 the United States will celebrate its 250th anniversary, or its “semiquincentennial.” Since this is a hard word to wrap your tongue—or mind—around, it’s generally referred to as the “Semi Q.” In a wide range of celebrations all over the country, homage will be paid to our first citizens—the various tribes representing Indigenous peoples—the founding fathers—Jefferson, Madison, Washington, etc.— and other social, cultural, political and artistic movers, shakers and shapers of the American experience.
Family and friends will gather to celebrate the life of Kathleen Steen at a memorial service on Thursday, July 16, at 11:00 a.m. The service will be held at South Forsyth Memorial Chapel, located at 3545 Peachtree Parkway, Suwanee, GA 30024. For those who are unable to attend in person, the memorial service will also be livestreamed through the South Forsyth Memorial Chapel’s […]
Who could have imagined it…a hairless breed competing in half of the AKC groups. We’ve had some time to reckon with the Chinese Crested in the Toy Group, the Xoloitzcuintli in Non-Sporting, and the American Hairless Terrier, well, take a guess. And now, the Hound Group will have its own hairless representative when the Peruvian Inca Orchid joins the crowd this coming December. And unfortunately, there’s no reason to anticipate any less confusion and misinformation this time around.
For the first century of the sport, no one knew which dogs were number one, or two, or three, or eleventh. It’s not certain if the sport even cared who was number one. With far less than half the number of shows back then, dogs more likely became famous for winning the big shows, the shows with the most entries, the most prestige. Then along came Irene Castle Phillips Khatounian Schlintz (née Foote) who created the sport’s first ranking system in 1956. It became prominent in the late 1960s.
The four-plus day show cluster has become the staple of today’s dog show scene in the United States. A quick glance at our events calendar at www.caninechronicle.com shows how clusters of shows held in one location has become a normal, weekly occurrence in most regions. Heck, we even have a button titled “Cluster View” on our events calendar that groups the shows by cluster each weekend.
