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Conformation
'conforming to breed standard'
Conformation is the sport of showing your Berner in a Show Ring among
other Berners before an experienced breed Judge.
There are Conformation Show Rings at All Breed Dog Shows, which happen
in every region of the United States and are generally put on by that
local AKC recognized all breed dog club.
And there are Conformation Show Rings at a Specialty. A Specialty can
be a Regional Specialty or a National Specialty. A Specialty is an
event where only Berners will show, no other breed. Berner Specialties
are normally put on by the BMDCA or by a BMDCA Recognized Regional
Bernese Club (like our Inland Northwest Bernese Mountain Dog Club).
The label 'Conformation' comes from the idea of 'conforming to breed
standard', which is the entire purpose of a Show Ring.
Many people think the Conformation Show Ring is similar to a
beauty contest. Yes, it is that. But it is much more than that.
The purpose of the Conformation Show Ring is to prove which Berners
may be qualified to be breeding stock (or not).
Each Conformation Show Ring will have a qualified Judge, and an
assortment of Berners.
Exhibitors are the people who actually show Berners in the ring. An
exhibitor may be the person who owns the dog, the person who bred the
dog, a professional handler, or anyone else chosen by the dog's owner
to be an agent.
What Judges Look For:
To be qualified to judge Bernese Mountain Dogs, a person must
be well educated about correct Bernese Mountain Dog breed standard and
about dogs and dog breeding in general. And this Judge will have had
much experience in knowing what to look for in a Bernese ring.
As each and all dogs enter the ring, a good Judge looks for correct
movement (front, side and rear). Correct movement basically means that
each paw touches down in the correct spot as the Berner is moved
around or through the ring, given the gait that the Berner standard
dictates that a Berner should have. Gaits, the speed at which the
Berner is moved, can affect how and where the Berner's paws touch down
during movement.
A good Judge will also consider all the other important attributes of
the Berner's breed standard, like correct tail set, ear set, shoulder
set-on, rear assembly, rear angulation, bite, eye color, coat type,
tail carriage, chest depth, and more. Because Berners are a Working
Dog by breed standard, coat markings (coloring) are not nearly as
important as the aspects of correct Berner structure, type and
movement. Although a good judge will consider all aspects of each
Berner in the ring.
When Berners are displayed together in a ring, it can be easy for even
a novice to differentiate between certain traits, good and bad. A
well-trained Judge will see the many important differences, and should
pick the Berner that best Conforms to Breed Standard as the winner.
How The Show Ring Works:
Each show ring has various classes, which enables the judge to
differentiate between gender, ages, and breeding locale. Males show
first, according to class. And a Winner's Dog is selected. Females
show next, according to class. And a Winner's Bitch is selected. Then
the Winner's Dog and the Winner's Bitch go back into the ring, along
with dogs called Specials (who have already won their conformation
championship). These dogs compete for Best of Breed.
Then, each Best of Breed winner goes into its Group ring to compete.
Berners are in the Working Group. After winners have been selected in
each Group, then those winners all compete in a ring for Best In Show.
Depending on the number of Berners entered in the show (that
are
actually shown in each ring), and depending on the region of the dog
show, Points may be awarded to a winner (Winner's Bitch and Winner's
Dog).
If there are enough Berners
at the show in a given region, the event may qualify as a 'Major' win.
Again, AKC has established numbers of Berners in a show that dictate
the point scale and qualification for Major in each region. The Point
Schedule will go up or down, depending entire on the region and the
number of Berners that are actually shown.
To acquire a Conformation Championship in AKC requires a dog to have
won a total of 15 Points, and 2 Major wins.
Berners who are invited to prestigious shows like Westminster are
Berners who have won their Championship and have also gone on to have
many more Best of Breed (and/or better) wins after that. This level of
showing a champion is called 'campaigning', and its considered that
this is usually the realm of the 'Best of the Best' of Berners.
Naturally, a Judge cannot possibly see the health issues (like cancer)
that may lay hidden in a Berner's pedigree. So a lovely Berner that is
a champion, and even a champion of champions, may not be a Berner that
should be bred. But, ideally, the Show Ring is an event that
helps highlight those Berners who may be considered for breeding,
versus those Berners who should not be bred.
How To Learn To Show:
Contact an All Breed Dog Club and/or a Berner Club that is local to
you. These clubs often promote the Dog Fancy by educating newcomers.
Among classes offered by these clubs are 'Handling Classes' (also
called Conformation Classes).
Also, these clubs often have 'Fun Matches', which is a non-point event
geared to help you and your dog learn how to navigate a conformation
show ring.
Other helps are Books and Videos, easily available online at places
like www.amazon.com.
Why Show:
Ethical breeders and avid Berner Fanciers embrace the Conformation
Show Ring as one of the foundational ways to prove breeding stock -
AND one superb way to have a lot of fun with one's Berner and other
Berner lovers!
Where to Find Conformation Events (online
resources):
USA:
Canada:
Copyright © 2004
Inland Northwest Bernese Mountain Dog Club |
