Fri, 10/31/2025 - 10:37am
Question of the Week
What should the American Kennel Club do to increase the number of registered dogs and entries at dog shows?
Donna DeFalcis
Langhorne, PA
Put up more Owner Handlers in the Group Rings esp on the East Coast!!
not just the smaller shows in rhe midwest !!! it's horrible the shows i
attend ! esp the rare breeds...
Owner Handle Group is just a show for
second class citizens !!!
Kevin Shimel, DVM
Hoboken, NJ
Great question!
Education! Community out reach. The public needs to be educated as to what the AKC stands for and what purebred dog clubs do to fund health studies, support the Veterinary field, and preserve the breed. They need to understand why getting a purebred dog is a more reliable choice for temperament, size, longevity and coat. They need to know thats it's the show breeders and AKC that pay for health research and do the health testing on dogs. Explain OFA and their certification programs. Let people know how these tests become part of the dogs AKC record.
Next: Promote dog shows and junior handling as a way to build social skills, make friends, get outdoors, builds leadership and confidence in youth and adults!
And the dogs really enjoy it!
Education: Go to schools, community fairs and meetings. Advertise.
All basic business!
Vicki DeGruy
Breaux Bridge, Louisiana
Have fewer shows. This business of Thursday through Sunday shows at half a dozen locations in the country any given weekend is ridiculous and unaffordable for anyone but professional handlers.
Michelle Soave
Tappahannock, VA
Give breaks in bred-by and puppy classes for entries. As in the past; breeders are the back bone after all. Conduct more matches at shows. Create a class where a handler can exhibit a dog they breed as an owner/breeder and handler
Katie Stephens
Owensboro KY
An AKC breed mentorship program, where newbies can go to find a list of breed members that have signed up to help newcomers in the sport. The sport has lost the sense of family it had in the 80's 90's and even 2000's. New comers to the sport feel isolated and need to be supported more to keep them in and involved.
Susan Kilgore
Green Lake, Wisconsin
It would be helpful to reduce the fees assigned to registrations. Additionally, reduce the requirements for point wins. Perhaps follow the Canadian point schedule for counting conformation points used as an example would be useful. The latter would make it a quicker process to accumulate the needed point requirements for title achievements. Another suggestion is to rework the way dog shows (conformation) are arranged via looking into individual critiques of each individual entry to accumulate the needed points for title achievements. I refer to the way in which the IABCA conducts its shows and related achievement for titles. This would be a big change from what is currently in place with the AKC. This would remove the initial contesting between exhibitors and forward competition between exhibits to the respective subsequent groups.
Melissa Pearce
McDermott, OH
Allow Silken Windhounds. You're really missing out on this breed. Versatile, talented and becoming very popular. Not unusual for their being more of them than any other breed at UKC, ASFA, ETC.
Ray Harrington
Venetia, PA
Stop raising fees!
Dave Kamphenkel
St. Cloud, MN
Lower your fees!!! Hire younger Judges!! Make sure that the judge is judging the dog and not taking favorite to pro handler because the handler is professional. Judges have favorites!!!!
Julie Felten
Wauconda, IL
Offer special events showcasing breeders and don't exclude handlers. Quite a few professional handlers are doing an outstanding job in the whelping box. Breeders. No exclusions. Prize money. I'm sure people would love to sponsor such events.
Ronny Junkins
McKinney, Texas
The issues that plague the AKC are nothing new, just maybe lately more profound. Those that benefit from the status-quo fail to notice any problems with the system. While a few of the issues affecting dog show attendance and entries are economical, many of the issues are AKC self-inflicted. First, one cannot ignore that rapid cost of entries. In addition to the over-inflated entry fees there is the ridiculous service charge for use of credit. The entry fees alone make dog shows no longer a sport for the middle class. Originally, dog shows were a way to compare breeding stock. Now, dog shows are merely a beauty contest primarily where overall type is completely lost, giving way to big name professional handlers and the latest trends. Lastly, the quality of the judging overall is abysmal! Even with rigorous training, there are so many recognized breeds that it is difficult for judges to understand the nuance of each breed they judge. Therefore, not to look incompetent, they tend to rely heavily on the ads they see in the weekly show magazines. In the past exhibitors were able and willing to enter additional dogs to fill entries to make points. Now, given that the average exhibitor basically has little chance of success, AKC shows have now become just a novelty and something fun to watch.
Robyn Michaels
Chicago, Il
Recognize Doodles & Designer dogs & lower fees...if money matters more than integrity.
Kim Wadas
St Paul, NE
Have the absent dogs count, everyone has their money. Then the people that show up can still have points instead of wasting their money being the only one.
Barbara Miller
Old Brookville, NY
When you find the answer to the question of the week, please let me know. I don’t want to be a “downer” but here on Long Island there isn’t any answer. The Long Island shows have entries of 250, back in the day that was a Match show entry. To offset the low entries the Long Island shows have gone to two shows a day and then telling ourselves the entry was 500. A second grader can tell you it was still 250 at one show. If these two shows a day continue before long possibly the Long Island shows will request the AKC allow them to have three shows a day; Group show and /or All Breed Show. After all the tents are up the porta johns in place etc. When the hell is this going to stop? AKC please get off your behinds and start limiting the amount of dog shows taking place in one area: specifically the 3rd weekend in May on the east coast.
Julianne McCoy
Columbia, SC
Things that AKC can do to increase dog registrations is controversial because pet owners do not see a need to register their puppies. AKC used to educate the public but no information can be obtained outside of the web. I believe AKC has the responsibility to educate public why registration of their pure bred dogs are important. Clubs put on events to educate the public but this cannot be the sole responsibility of local clubs. Due to the cost involved clubs have moved away from education that existed 20 years ago. We have a generation that have never owned a dog of any kind and education is very much needed.
Rescues put out more information out to the public that is distorted and convince the public to get a shelter dog over a pure bred dog or a pure bred surrendered. There needs to be statistics that can be pushed out to the public on the number of exotic breeds which is mixed pure bred dogs, the problems, health issues created for large profit when these dogs are usually bred by back yard breeders.
AKC needs to find ways to bring costs down to get show entries up. AKC is nonprofit but they are the ones going up on costs in all areas which is affecting clubs and exhibitors. We used to get a break when entering puppies at majority of shows but because clubs are trying to make a profit and break even, only a small number of clubs are doing this and I myself cannot afford to enter my puppies or even multiple dogs because too expensive. Used to be affordable where I could enter 3 or 4 dogs but now what we pay to enter 3 or 4 dogs cost can only cover 1 or 2 dogs. If costs continue to rise exhibitors are going to be reluctant to special finished champions and/or enter only one dog to compete. Not to mention paying a professional handler to show any of my dogs as costs continue to climb.
Lorianne Amadeo
British Columbia, Canada
Easy. Judge dogs.
Few judges still do a great job, I call those the old timers.
So many now judge end of leash.
Been showing for over 30 years. New people all I hear is “we don’t stand a chance if a handler is there “
Gone are the days when excitement was in the air at specialties and other big shows as you all had a chance
Now it’s predictable we all know who’s gonna win as the politics has gotten so bad the more money you spend in my power you have your dog will win all the time 99%. The dog wins don’t tell me that that dog is so perfect that there’s no other dog in the ring that can win - politics has destroyed this beautiful sport even myself has been in it for over 30 years and done a lot of winning. Now it’s difficult for me as handlers have taken over and sadly I have seen judges award dogs that would never see a ring from my kennel.
You want people back.
Read the writing on the wall.
People have been complaining about the Political judging for years, the good judges are dying. They love the sport. They love finding that dog, regardless, who was on the end of the leash. Sadly, too many new judges are just judging, but on the end of that leash.
Remember, it’s the breeder. The breeder who gives you a job if it was not for the breeder spending all their money and time to give you a job, registrations pet food company, all the vendors that the breeders have to buy the products from, it’s the breeders the backbone of this sport however, they’re not being rewarded the rewarded for all their work and dedication.
Without breeders handlers would not have a job.
Sure, handlers are needed as some people can’t show their dogs and handlers can do the job.
Owners, breeders, handlers we all work together and all should be judged fairly.
Judges need to know who is the backbone of this sport. The breeders. We have been saying this for years.
This is the number one reason owners are walking away from conformation. Spending hard earned money to watch dogs of less quality be awarded.
Performance is gaining popularity.
I love this sport and have helped many new people and they can’t believe the politics. They get frustrated and don’t want to show anymore and here I’m trying to say to them give it a chance don’t leave. It is very difficult to keep new people in the sport.
Have you not seen all the posts on Facebook people being frustrated of the bad judging? like I said, there’s still some really good judges out there, who aren’t afraid to put up the right dog to put up.
Now it’s all about how many assignments can I get if I put this political person up? I’m going to get assignments if I don’t put this person up and I’m not going to get assignments - that’s what it’s about, the judges.
In 5 years this sport will be gone.
That’s what a handler told me because there will be fewer shows and they can’t make any money due to less shows.
Just judge the dogs. The writing is on the wall. People have been complaining complaining and complaining about some of the bad judging - it’s been terrible.
Go look at the group lineup - it’s usually all handlers. Go look at the best in show lineup - it’s usually all handlers.
I hope the sport does get saved.
Reggie Jose
Birmingham Michigan
Do not announce Judging Panel till after closing.
Continuing Education and Critiquing of Judges.
Remind Judges that 70% of entries are amateurs and therefore 50% of BOB Group and BIS awards should be awarded to Amateurs.
Laura Coomes
Ocala, Florida
I think it's time to start removing small shows and incorporate to one area in their states. But I think a 400 dog dog show has no business being allowed anymore.
Donald Westermeyer
Loveland, OH
Stop increasing fees. The percentage increase is out of line with inflation. Increases in cost affect the affordability for clubs to put on shows and it affects the affordability of breeders and exhibitors to show their dogs. It is not clear what the exhibitors and clubs receive in exchange for the 50 plus percent increase in cost.
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Fri, 10/31/2025 - 10:37am