A New Ranking System – Part Two

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74 – August, 2026

By Wayne Cavanaugh

When I began to write “A New Ranking System” (Part One) for last month’s Canine Chronicle, I had no delusions of it being the answer to all the sport’s issues. Instead, I hoped the idea could start conversations about easing the pace of “the race” and more. I was pleasantly surprised.

Summary of Part One

If you haven’t read it, the basic premise was to create The Top 100 Dog Show System that would only count the 100 shows with the highest total entries for the all breed rankings. Rankings for breed points would remain unchanged using the current systems. If you did have a chance to read it, you know it’s a bit more complicated than that, and the direct and indirect benefits of a system change go far beyond the rankings alone, including judging and the approval process.

The story began nearly 75-years ago when Irene Castle Phillips Khatounian Schlintz changed the sport forever by creating a system that ranks dogs by the number of dogs they defeat. She called it the Phillips System. At first, nothing much changed. Everyone went to the same shows every weekend, regardless of judges, as they always had. It was a rare event if someone showed up from another area. They didn’t often fare well. The Phillips System was just a record of what naturally occurred.

Eventually, plans changed for the top dogs and the race was on. There was more travel by air and by land, more shows, and more records set by the dogs most traveled–not necessarily by the best dogs. Some of the most respected judges of the era remarked that the ranking system would be the ruination of the sport. Others–apparently the majority–applauded the idea as fun and inspiring. Both of those sentiments remain alive and valid today.

Either way, one thing is undeniable: it was a tipping point, a moment that created a significant and largely unstoppable effect that keeps growing year after year. The Phillips System caused one of the most consequential changes in history to the culture of our sport. And that change was sparked by one person, not by an organization, and not by AKC. The only involvement the AKC has in the process is selling the data to dog magazines. Yes, one very bright and accomplished woman changed the sport from her kitchen table.

The Response

Click here to read the complete article
74 – August, 2026

Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=365528

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