Our judging program is now available online: http://www.onofrio.com/jp/CEIA1JP.pdf.
Check out the pages that have the “Judging Program by Alphabetical Order”. It lists each breed and the ring/time in which they show each day. Each day is a separate show.
The break down by ring is down a little further in the program. It shows the schedule for each individual ring.
The ring break down might look like this:
Ring 1
8:30
15 Doberman Pinschers 6-5-2-2
12 Newfoundlands 1-5-5-1
Neither breed can start before the posted ring time, however if all of the Dobermans are absent, the Newfoundlands would start right at 8:30. If all the Dobermans are there, it will be about 9AM before the Newfies actually start showing.
What do all those numbers mean? The number in front of the breed reflects the total entry. The four numbers after are the breakdown of gender and what is called “class” entries vs “specials”. In the case of the Dobermans above, there are 6 “class” dogs, 5 class bitches, 2 dog specials and two bitch specials. Males are called dogs and females are called bitches. Dogs are always listed (and shown) first.
A class entry would be competing for points towards his/her AKC championship. A special is an entry that has already finished their championship, but are competing for points towards their grand championship and for breed rankings.
For more information about what goes on inside the ring, check out our Dog Show FAQ. We also have a page about Spectator Etiquette.
Questions? Email our corresponding secretary: Bev Klingensmith