Life After Juniors

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172 – February, 2023

By Caroline Coile Photos by Lisa Croft-Elliott

In 1932, the Westbury Kennel Association offered the first “Children’s Handling Class.” It was an idea that had been percolating for years, as children accompanying their parents to shows were bored and restless. Leonard Brumby, Sr., then the President of the Professional Handlers’ Association, came up with the idea of a special class for these youngsters that would be both entertaining and educational. At first, the judges were local celebrities, told to base their choices on the child’s ability to present the dog “quietly, proficiently and to its best advantage.” Later, professional handlers and then AKC judges judged the classes, often on the spur of the moment. Junior Showmanship has been a Westminster fixture since 1935, with a Westminster Best Junior win being the golden fleece of the sport. In 1951, the competition was renamed “Junior Showmanship.” More changes were to come as the sport gained in popularity. The AKC began offering scholarships and added performance and companion events to Junior eligibility.

At one time judges could ask Juniors to trade dogs, but that’s no longer allowed. They were also expected to ask each Junior something about their breed, but again, that was eventually disallowed. Classes have been divided, and divided again, by age and win level, affording younger and less experienced Juniors more chances to win.

Click here to read the complete article
172 – February, 2023

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Posted by AnthonyA on Feb 20 2023. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.