Congratulations to our fantastic Canadian-bred dogs who wowed at Westminster!

Westminster week 2020 has come and gone. Whenever I arrive in Manhattan for my favourite event of the year, I always believe I have so much time, but the show comes and goes in a snap. Especially this year.

Make the most of WKC as a spectator!

As a child, I watched the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show every year with my father. I used to tell my dad while watching the competition that one day I would be there. The first year I attended was the 140^th annual show and Canadian Dr. Richard Meen was the Best in Show judge which was so special, ... 

Mission was born to do agility and it shows. He has been in the Top 10 for the past five years, finally earning the #1 spot in 2018. More than just an agility star, Mission has also earned top-dog accolades in obedience and rally. We finally caught up with Mission’s breeder and owner Brenda, who gives us some insight into keeping her dog in fit and competitive.

As the old adage goes, it takes a village to raise a child. The same can be said for raising a show dog. Raising, training, and ultimately showing a top show dog takes a team of individuals, dedicated to the success and well-being of the dog. Behind every great show dog is a list of people who have helped that dog and their owners and handlers get to level at which they are at today. 

 

In addition to the Top Dogs that excel in their chosen disciplines, every year there are a few dogs who lead the pack in not one, but two sports. For these dogs, the Top Dogs Category Multi-Discipline was created. Multi-Discipline Top Dogs celebrates the versatility of dogs by recognizing teams who have earned Top Dog status in two or more disciplines at the breed, group or all breeds level.
 

Field events are some of the oldest of dog sports. Designed around the important roles dogs have performed with humans for centuries, field events mirror the tasks many dogs were originally bred to perform. From signaling the presence of game, retrieving it, or chasing and catching it, we find the origins of many of today’s dog sports from field trials to lure coursing.

Being a handler is a job I have always been curious about. What made them want to venture down the path of handling at dog shows? Why did they show a particular breed? I had opportunity to find out more about the dog show world and had the privilege to interview Sarah Drake, a dog show handler of many champions and with over 30 years of experience!

Not many people can claim to have the #1 dog in the country in rally once, let alone twice. Charlie MacMillan, owner/handler/trainer of Ace the #1 Rally Dog for 2018 can lay claim to this title a staggering five times!

Since the start of Rally in CKC, Charlie has been featured in the Top Rally Dogs Top 10 list every single year. He held the #1 spot four times with his dog Fly’R, and this year claimed the #1 spot with his current dog Ace for the young dog’s first time ... 

We caught up with Lee of the amazing Lee and Scooter team while they were down in Florida enjoying a well-earned vacation. They have claimed the #1 Obedience Top Dogs spot for two years in a row, and Lee graciously expanded on her Top Dogs interview, offering some wonderful insight into the world of Obedience training and her work with Scooter. 

The field events are among the oldest of dog sports. Long before there were any formalized dog shows or obedience trials, dogs played a very important role in helping humans hunt for food, performing a variety of tasks from signaling the presence of game, retrieving it or chasing and catching it. Today, many breeders and owners  participate in hunt tests and field trials designed to simulate realistic hunting conditions in order to demonstrate that their dogs still have these abilities.
 
Ask anyone active in field events and they’ll all agree that spending time outdoors, enjoying the camaraderie of fellow competitors and seeing how much the dogs enjoy their ‘work,’ is what keeps them coming back. Field events welcome everyone, whether the goal is a field championship or participating in entry-level hunt tests. Once you experience the joy of watching dogs do what they were bred to do, you’ll be hooked.

Be sure to get a front-row seat so you don’t miss any of the action—from dogs jumping through hoops and weaving through poles to climbing obstacles, guided by an enthusiastic owner. This is the thrilling sport of agility and you won’t want to miss it! Agility made its debut 40 years ago as a demonstration during the Crufts Dog Show in England and is now one of the most popular dog sports worldwide. Once you’ve seen it, you’ll know why.

Agility is a fast-paced and exciting sport in which the handler directs their dog over a series of obstacles while racing against the clock. The obstacles consist of jumps, tunnels, weave poles, dog walk, a teeter and a large A-frame. Points are deducted if the dog knocks down a jump, refuses obstacles, misses ‘contact zones’ or takes too long to finish the course. These are known as ‘faults’ and the team with the fastest time and fewest faults wins.

An excellent introduction to the world of companion dog sports, rally welcomes all dogs—purebred or mixed, dogs that are show dogs, working dogs or champion couch potatoes, able-bodied or physically challenged. The newer, and some would say more exhilarating cousin of obedience, rally aims to promote a positive, fun relationship between dogs and owners, while showcasing a dog’s ability to follow commands.
 
The most important aspect of competition is attitude. While precision is of great importance in obedience competition, rally dogs and their owners need to make it clear to the judge that they are having a blast! The sport appeals to those who seek a fun, positive atmosphere and enjoy developing a working partnership with their dog; think of it as a motivational game. The challenge is for the owner to not only remain upbeat themselves, but also be able to know and read their dog well enough to encourage an outwardly happy, exuberant attitude throughout the team’s performance.

A well-trained dog holds a universal appeal like no other. Dog obedience competitions and demonstrations are wildly popular at fairs and festivals across the country and many of us have fond memories of the spectacular stunts of Lassie, the Littlest Hobo, Winn-Dixie and Beethoven.

Throughout the history of humankind’s interaction with the dog, across the globe and for a multitude of functions, some degree of training has been part of this relationship. In the early days, it was to complement their ‘job,’ accompanying the hunter to retrieve game or tending to a shepherd’s flock.

 

The results have been verified, the scores have been tallied and the winner of the 2017 CKC Top Show Dog Award is all set to be announced via ckc.ca on February 12, 2018.
 
Established in 1963, the Top Dog Award is highly valued and anxiously anticipated by the Canadian purebred dog community. It’s the pinnacle, the ultimate prize for the country’s premier show dogs that arrives at the culmination of an entire year of competing at shows across the country.
 
How does it work? The Top Show Dogs system awards one point for every dog defeated from Best of Breed competition to Best in Show. The dog with the most points at the end of the year takes the title of CKC Top Dog. Top Dogs are ranked according to the Top 5 in each breed, the Top 10 in each group, and the Top 10 all breeds...