From The Publisher

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10 – October, 2026

By Tom Grabe

While sitting ringside watching Irish Setters–with a total entry of seven–the discussion among the group sitting there turned to the low number of entries in most breeds we see at dog shows. Some said the problem is too many dog shows, while others blamed it on poor judging and/or seeing the same judges in the ring week-in and week-out across the country. One person chimed in and said it’s becoming too expensive to go to multi-day dog show clusters every week or two. I said, “You are all right. Everything you just mentioned is the reason for declining entries at shows, in my opinion.”

It seems everyone I talk to understands why the participation rate at dog shows is shrinking. The question is two-fold: Can it be fixed? If so, how do we fix it?

Adding more events—and approving more judges for those events—is not the answer. AKC has proven that hypothesis. Some feel this policy is the source of many of the problems outlined above.

If we have to satisfy the demand for more shows with shrinking entries by approving more judges, who may or may not be qualified, it’s time to evaluate the business model of dog shows.

Click here to read the complete article
10 – October, 2026

Short URL: https://caninechronicle.com/?p=371951

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