Cheers to last year’s Top Dogs, the Top Dogs of decades ago and the Top Dogs of tomorrow!

There are certain events in the dog show world that are not to be missed and Morris & Essex Kennel Club Dog Show is definitely one!

Held only once every five years, the Morris & Essex Kennel Club brings back the legacy of Geraldine Rockefeller Dodge's glamourous dog show, originally held from 1927 through 1957. This year’s show was postponed from 202 due to the pandemic and was held on October 6, 2021, at Colonial Park in Somerset, New Jersey.

Did you know that all dogs can compete in CKC sanctioned events like Agility, Obedience, Rally Obedience, and Chase Ability?

With over 3000 CKC sanctioned events held across Canada in an average year, there are literally thousands of opportunities for you to enjoy great fun with your canine companion and meet other dog lovers!

"It is with great pride that I am pleased to announce that the Newfoundland (All Breed) Kennel Club (NKC) hosted one fabulous indoor show weekend from November 20^th to the 22^nd during the Covid-19 Pandemic."

Well for those of you who have been to Newfoundland & Labrador, there is one thing you already know. The folks of our beautiful province have incredible spirit and perseverance.  

A conversation with a great Canadian.

If you don’t know who Taffe McFadden is, chances are, you know her dogs. Taffe is one of America’s premier professional handlers seen at all the major televised dog shows including the AKC National Dogs Show, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show as well as hundreds of shows in between.

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.

We are excited to bring you live coverage from behind the scenes of Westminster 2020.  Bookmark this page and stay tuned. This is the best place to get a truly Canadian Westminster experience! 

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, ... 

Highlights from the AKC National Championship 2019

The AKC National Championship Dog Show was held for the 19^th year in a row at the Orlando Convention Centre. 5,284 dogs from all over the globe competed to be Top Dog. This included 159 Golden Retrievers, 107 Australian Shepherds, 91 French Bulldogs, 82 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels… I could go on, but I’m sure you get the picture. 

 

The annual gathering of Canada’s most talented young dog handlers was witness to an unprecedented display of friendly competition, camaraderie and sportsmanship when the 17 competitors from across our vast country convened for the Canadian Kennel Club Junior Handling National Championships for Conformation and Obedience in Belleville, Ontario on October 26, 2019. 

 

First off, some of you may recall my blog piece titled ‘The New Handler – the Journey to the Show Ring’.  It tells the tale of how I started off and how the journey of my beloved four-legged companion becoming a Canadian Champion was full of ups and downs.  However, if I have learned anything in the last three years, it is that hard work, determination and perseverance prevails in the end.

On October 26^th, 2019, Junior Handlers from across Canada will participate in the CKC Junior Handling National Championships hosted by the Belleville & District Kennel Club in Belleville, Ontario. Juniors will compete for the title of Best Overall Junior of 2018 in their discipline, Conformation or Obedience. In addition, the Conformation winner will have the chance to represent Canada at Crufts in England in March 2020.

​Please meet the talented and dedicated Junior Handling Provincial Zone Winners that are competing in this year’s National.

Every year, CKC holds its Annual General Meeting (AGM) in a different city, making it easier for local members, in addition to Staff and Board Members, to attend this annual event. It also provides CKC with the wonderful opportunity to recognize some of the local members that have contributed to CKC and the purebred dog community.

As CKC owes its existence and continued success to the vision, hard work and dedication of its members, the tradition of celebrating local members began at the 2016 AGM in Quebec City.  It has continued through to this year’s AGM on June 1 in Winnipeg,  where CKC recognized some remarkable Manitoba members. 

Zoey Scott’s debut in the conformation ring at the Champlain Dog Club Show in April has many members of the dog show community talking.

Prior to entering the ring for the first time on April 20 at the show in Petawawa, Ontario, Zoey Scott had only attended one dog show– the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in New York City. The show at the Garden sparked her interest in the sport and upon returning to Ottawa, Zoey signed up for handling classes. She immediately fell in love with the sport and would look forward to her weekly class. During her third class, Zoey began to work with Pointer, KRA N Zensu Tennessee Whiskey, call name “Daniel”. Daniel and Zoey were a great match, and the young Pointer responded very well to Zoey.

The dog community is mourning the loss of Michael Shoreman, a great dog man, who passed away on March 25.
 
Mike loved all purebred dogs and dedicated his life to breeding quality dogs, judging with integrity and, most importantly, sharing his knowledge and enthusiasm with everyone around him. 

Recently I was eating breakfast with a colleague from work.  Of course, as many of our conversations go, we began to chat about our dogs.  Both of her dogs are mixed breeds and beautiful pets.  Nonetheless, she has always expressed an interest in my tales of dog showing.  I was telling her how Victor and I have been preparing for Obedience trials. I shared with her how proud I was the other morning when he mastered the hand signal for down ... 

Max Magder
November 28, 1927 - March 17, 2019

Dog breeder, exhibitor, All Breed Dog Judge, designer, inventor and successful businessman; Max Magder leaves a large void not easily filled. Our thoughts and prayers go to his family, especially his daughter Lori and son Richard from whom his famed kennel name LORRICBROOK originated.

Max was born in Austria in 1927 and immigrated at a young age to Canada with his parents and two older sisters.  The family settled in Hamilton, Ontario, where another brother was born shortly thereafter.
 

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.
 

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!

Remembering the Canadians that wowed at the 143rd Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show 

Another Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show has come and gone. There is so much to see and do during Westminster week:  from the Masters Agility Championship to the two days of the Conformation Show, not to mention all the friends from all over the world you want to catch up with. As you arrive in New York City and look ahead at Westminster week, it seems long, but always passes in the blink of an eye. 

 

A collection from America’s dog show.

You could say my memory is “selective”. I can’t always remember my postal code (it starts with an M..) but I can always recall who won Best in Show at Westminster in 1957 (it was Sunny Shay’s Afghan Hound CH Shirkhan of Grandeur). Because The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show began in 1877, it is not surprising that this 143 year old dog show has collected its fair share of interesting facts. As a child, I watched Westminster on television every year with my father and now have been lucky enough to attend for the past four years. Here are some memorable facts about the show I have learned as I have experienced this glamorous show. 

The most decorated dog in Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show history lives in Caldeon, Ontario with his breeder Sharon Robertson. Last February, American Eskimo Dog Grand Champion Nuuktok’s Atka Inukshuk aka Inuk set a 142 year Westminster record being the first of any breed to have 9 Best of Breed wins. The previous record of 8 Best of Breed wins was formerly held by Akita CH Tobe's Return of the Jedai. The 11-year-old white beauty is headed back to the Big Apple with hopes of scoring one more before he officially retires.

Sharon Robertson was introduced to the American Eskimo Dog in 1985 when her son brought a puppy home. His name was AJ and became Sharon’s companion and apart from a rescue she took in, American Eskimos have been her breed of choice since. Sharon began breeding these lovable dogs from the Non-Sporting Group under the Nuuktok name in 2004.
 

Owning a Top Dog is an honour bestowed on few and remembered by all in the fancy. Taking a dog to the top of your chosen discipline requires hours upon hours of training, research, conditioning, grooming, travel and yes, it also takes money. It’s a feat that no owner gets to by themselves. Even before your puppy was yours, years of careful breeding went into that pup and countless people in the dog community helped bring you to this level.

As we approach the end of 2018, I thought it would be great to look back on how Canada’s Top Dogs began and revisit some great dogs of the past.

In 1963, First Top Show Dog Stats were introduced by Dogs in Canada magazine publisher, Elizabeth Dunn. At this time they were referred to as the “Blue Book of Top Winning Dogs”. This list presented the Top 3 all breeds, Top 3 in Group and Top 3 in each breed. The formula wasn’t always consistent; some years included only the total points, while others total points, plus the number of Best of Breed, Group placements and Best in Show wins. Joan Morden was the first recorded statistician for the Top Show Dogs. A memorial trophy in her honour was awarded to the Top Show Dog up until 2010.

CKC’s Junior Handling National Championships celebrates the accomplishments and talent of dedicated Junior Handlers from across the country. Bringing together the top Juniors in both Conformation and Obedience, the Junior Nationals is more than a competition – it is an opportunity for some of our most promising, up and coming handlers to see and be seen by fellow canine aficionados in different parts of our spectacular country. Friendships that begin at this event can last a lifetime, bonding contestants as they laugh and learn together, supporting one another as they prepare for the challenge of their respective rings. 

My name is Caroline Holicka, and I had the honour of representing Canada at the International Junior Handling Competition at Crufts this past March. It was one of the best experiences of my life, not only because I had the chance to compete with the best junior handlers in the world, but also because of the love and support I received from our dog show community.

Before I get into the details of my trip, I have to take you back about 10 years, to when my handling career began. I was seven years old, with pigtails and chubby cheeks. My family had just purchased our first boxer, and we started to attend shows sporadically. My mom showed Lambada, our girl, while I was the designated clapper, and even an occasional towel holder. It was a great job, one of my favourites, until one day I got a promotion.

 

As children, we all have dreams.  For some we dream of what we want to be when we grow up or places we wish to see.  I had a different dream.  I dreamed of the day when I would own a purebred dog and be in a dog show. While my friends were planning on becoming doctors or dreaming of the day they would visit Disneyland, I was envisioning myself at the most prestigious dog show in North America: the annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. 

As a small child, I can recall spending endless hours sitting on our shag carpet watching The Westminster on our floor model television.  I remember my mother telling me to move back insisting “You’re going to hurt your eyes.  You’re sitting too close!”  As I sat there with my eyes glued to the screen, I dreamed of the day that I would walk in the ring.
 

Junior Handling is an awesome event offered by the Canadian Kennel Club at most dog shows across the country in two disciplines: Conformation and Obedience. This blog will focus on Junior Handling in the Conformation ring. This is where children and teenagers under the age of 18 compete but, it’s not the dog’s conformation being judged in this ring – it’s the handling skills. Teamwork between handler and dog is what brings home the ribbons here.

The World Dog Show 2018 was held from August 8^th to 12^th, 2018 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Over 33,000 dogs of over 350 different breeds from 74 countries competed and the event drew over 40,000 dog lovers. Beautifully organized by the Dutch Kennel Club, featuring Dutch Cultural Heritage with and an exemplary focus on the well-being of the dogs through their on-site Dog Welfare Team.

The event featured three shows for each breed. The Benelux Winner show was held on the Thursday where Breed, Group and Best in Show winners were awarded. Friday, Saturday and Sunday were World Dog Show days where each breed had ring time and a special show. Best in Show was chosen on Sunday and Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen CH Frosty Snowman was the big winner. Congratulations to owner Gwen Huikeshoven of Holland!

It should come as no surprise that Canadian Dogs  were in the ribbons showcasing the high quality our breeders are know for. Here are some highlights featuring dogs owned, bred and/or handled by Canadian Kennel Club Members.

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...

Sponsored Content 

The World Dog Show has been called the most important dog show in the world. Boasting approximately 20, 000 entries and a new host country each year, the multi-day canine extravaganza is a once in a lifetime experience for attendees and competitors alike!

We recently caught up with Sherri Davidson, the lucky winner of a trip for two to the 2018 World Dog Show coming up this summer in Amsterdam. We asked her a few questions to see how she's handling the excitement of her upcoming trip.

This week we meet Aurora Kimber! Aurora has been a junior handler for about 3 years and enjoys being part of this great community. Learn more about Aurora and her passion for dogs in our latest video profile!

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With over 3000 CKC sanctioned events held across Canada each year, there are literally thousands of opportunities for you to enjoy great fun with your canine companion!

If you haven’t decided which style of event appeals most to you and your dog, you can start at the Overview of Events to find out more about each type of event.

Ready to compete? Once you have decided on your favourite event style, practiced at home or in class and are ready to enter your first event, the steps below will help you navigate the wide world of CKC dog events in Canada. Welcome to the fun!

Using interviews with CKC members, this video series will give you an insider’s look at the canine competition world.

From classic Conformation dog shows to the new Chase Ability trials and all the friendships and fun in between, our video series will tell you what it’s like to participate in dog events and why we love it so much!