AKC Conformation

The official term for dog shows is conformation — as in, the act of conforming or producing conformity. While a dog show may look like a beauty pageant, it’s not. Dogs are not being compared to each other; they’re being measured by how closely they conform to the standard of their particular breed. 

Why? Because the closer a dog’s appearance is to the breed’s standard, the better that dog’s ability will be to produce puppies that meet the standard. It’s also the reason why mixed breeds and spayed or neutered purebreds are ineligible to compete in conformation.

As one of the most popular AKC events, conformation events range from large all-breed shows, with over 3,000 dogs entered, to small local specialty club shows that feature only one breed.

And the journey is on...  (in reverse order)

2023 January  The second show that Mookie was entered in was held by the Winnegamie Dog Club at the Sunnyview Expo Center in Oshkosh was much bigger but still there was only one Mudi so again he took Best of Breed, 1st place and Winners!  The best thing about this weekend was the confidence Mookie gained over the weekend.  He started out just visiting the location Friday afternoon and only a handful of dogs were there and his tail was between his legs.  Saturday he was very uneasy until he made friends with a family who spent 30 minutes loving him up and it totally relaxed him. His day continued to get better and when we got there on Sunday, he walked in like he owned the place with his tail up and his head held high! THAT progress was the success of the weekend!! Click here for more photos.

  

2022 September  And finally we dipped our toes into an AKC Conformation show.  It was a small show by the Sheboygan Kennel Club and held at a fairground so a pretty relaxed location.  We hung out with friends, Mookie got Best of Breed and Winners and then we participated in the Group competition of 14 Herding dogs. The IABCA show from a few weeks ago really prepared us and Mookie handled himself quite well but clearly, it's not his favorite thing to do!