Sport Breakdown - Conditioning the Conformation Dog

Kirrabilli Natural Hatrick "Quinn" 2015 Win for Best Baby Puppy in Show, Ontario Breeders Association

If I asked you to list all the dog sports you could think of would you include conformation in your list? If you didn't ask yourself why? It may come as a surprise but conformation dogs are athletes in their own right and have unique physical and mental demands placed on them to do their sport well.  

In my next edition of sport breakdown I take a look at the sport of conformation and review the physical demands asked of our conformation dogs and how conditioning can have a part in helping your canine athlete succeed in the ring. 

What is Conformation? 

Thor owned by Sarah Anthon (Heather Gould)

CKC "Conformation Shows and Rules and Regulations"

A conformation show, or breed show is a kind of dog show in which a qualified judge familiar with a specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs. Dogs are evaluated based on how well they conform to the established breed standard.  All breeds have their own individual breed standard. The development of breed standards arose out of the need for dogs to have predictable outcomes. Avid dogs owners and breeders started to breed dogs for their performance ability and began to develop distinctive appearances. Some of these distinctive appearances play a key role in the dog's ability to do their job. For example,  the long legs of sighthounds give them their sprinting ability.  When breeding for aesthetics, however, there can be unintended consequences, such as breathing difficulties in brachycephalic breeds of dog.  The ultimate goal of any kennel club and breeder is to maintain and improve upon each breed.

The pedigrees of the different breeds have developed over many years by dedicated owners and kennel clubs. Each kennel club will have their own listed breed standards for dogs to conform to and may or may not recognize some breeds within their registry. Breed standards may also differ between different kennel clubs. For ease in explaining the sport I’ll focus on just one kennel club, the Canadian Kennel Club (CKC). 

During conformation shows, dogs are presented in the ring by handlers who may or may not be the owner of the dog. Owners will often hire professional handlers to show their dogs. Dogs in conformation shows are first shown against dogs within their own breed. Males and females are separated into different classes. The chart on the left here shows the CKC's classes that dogs can enter into. The dogs in each class will be judged for how closely they conform to the breed standard. The dogs that were nearest to that ideal picture of the breed standard wins the class. 

Each dog that places first in each class will then re-enter the ring to compete for the Winners award. The dog selected Winners will be awarded points. These earned points go on the dog’s record as they work towards their championship title. Points are determined by the number of dogs entered into each class - the more dogs in the class the higher the points awarded with a max of 5 points! You can refer to the CKC's Conformation Rule and Regulations to learn more about the point system - here. 

Once the judging for each breed and the Best of Breed (BOB) has been selected, it's time to move onto group competition. There are seven different breed groups in CKC. 

There are seven groups 

• Group 1 Sporting – In this group you’ll find breeds that were developed to help hunters capture and retrieve wild game. In this group you’ll see retrievers (such as Labradors, Flat Coat etc), pointers (Weimaraner, German Short Hair etc), and spaniels (Cocker, Brittany etc).  

• Group 2 Hounds – In this group you’ll find breeds that were developed to pursue prey. Some breeds in this group are the Beagle, Foxhound, Bloodhound, and Dachshund.  
• Group 3 Working – This group is comprised of breeds that were developed to assist people in some capacity. Some of the breeds found in this group are the Boxer, Great Dane, Siberian Husky, and Tibetan Mastiff.  
• Group 4 Terriers – This group is where you’ll find the feistiest dogs around! Some of the breeds found in this group are the Norwich Terrier, Miniature and Standard Schnauzers (note that the giant variety is in the working group), Bull Terrier, and Jack Russel 
• Group 5 Toys – In this group you’ll find breeds that are companion dogs such as the Pug, Shih Tzu, and Pomeranian  
• Group 6 Non-sporting – this group is a hodgepodge of breeds that defy categorization by the other groups and come from a varied history. Some of the breed found in this group are the Dalmatian, Chow Chow, Poodle, Bulldog, and Keeshound 

• Group 7 Herding – This group is where the MCR dogs call home. This group is comprised of dogs that where breed to work closely with people and move livestock. Breeds in this group include the Australian Shepherd, Shetland Sheepdog, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi, and Puli. One of the most popular herding breeds, the Border Collie, is not currently a recognized breed in the CKC.

Breeds in the same group compete for Best in Group title.  The dogs in group are still judged based on their breed standard and not against the other breeds in the group. Within each group dogs can be award 1st -4th and the winner will progress to the Best In Show. The seven winning dogs of each group will compete against each other for the Best in Show Title, again being judged on how well they conform to their individual breed standard.​ 

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Will Alexander and Miss P (CTV News)

One of the biggest yearly conformation shows is the Westminister Dog Show held in New York City. The Westminister Dog Show is one dog event that I have been watching every year for as long as I can remember! Starting in 1877, the Westminister Dog Show, is one of the largest dog shows held in the world. In 2015, Canadian bred beagle (Miss P), handled by top Canadian handler Will Alexander took Best in Show!!   It was an amazing moment that sticks with me today! 
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The Physical Challenges of Conformation

As ambassadors of their breed, our conformation athletes have to always be at their best and that can be a big ask for our dogs. The way a conformation dog moves is an important part in the way they'll be judged. The ideal for most breeds is a well balanced efficient symmetrical trotting gait. Physically, there are a lot of demands on our show dogs. Some of these challenges are: 

• Extended periods of time waiting in crates (either at the show or during travel) which can cause muscles to shorten causing tightness. Without a proper warm up, this tightness can affect the way your dog moves and gait's in the ring. 
• In the show ring our dogs make a lot of left turns which can potentially cause a muscle balance between their left and right sides. Having exercises to counter this difference is important!! 
• Our show dogs will also be asked to navigate different terrain throughout their show career - on both hard surfaces (like concrete) at indoor venues and on soft ground at outdoor venues. Outdoor venues on grass can also provide unforeseen difficulties with holes and divots.  
• If you're showing a breed that requires a lot of grooming and management of their coat your dog will spend long periods of time standing on a grooming table. 
• Your dog will also have to learn how to stand in a well balanced stack position (front feet underneath shoulders and hocks perpendicular to the ground) for extended periods of time. This can be taxing on some show dogs who do not normally stand this way in  every day life. In addition to prolonged standing, they have to maintain balance and have heightened body awareness as they move and trot around the ring placing each foot in the right spot! 
• Conformation shows are both mentally and physically challenging and will require you dog to have endurance to handle long show days over the course of a weekend. At breed specialities, there can be over 100 dogs entered which means you could have a lot of standing around time! There can also be multiple shows in a given day.  By having more mental and physical endurance, you can be assured that your dog will perform the same and more effortlessly around the ring at any given time, regardless of the time lapse in between shows. 

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Conditioning the Conformation Dog

Conformation dogs can greatly benefit from a regular conditioning program and quarterly assessments by a qualified health professional. By keeping our conformation dogs in top form and moving well we're actively setting them up for success in the show ring. Here are a couple ways an conditioning exercise program can help. 

• Improving muscular strength and tone: It's important for our dogs to have a general condition program that they complete 2-3 times a week to achieve maximum results. Using both stable and unstable equipment, conditioning exercises improve a dog’s muscular strength by using its own body weight over a specific number of sets and reps. Without sufficient core strength, dogs can develop a saggy topline, which is not desirable in the ring.  
  • Exercise Example - Sit to Stand, Stand to Down
• Body awareness: Beautiful movement is greatly enhanced when the dog is able to place its feet methodically and thoughtfully. This can be trained by using canine conditioning exercises that teach the dog how to move its individual limbs on and off of targets as well as using unstable surfaces that require the dog stabilize itself in multiple directions – this will also help to strengthen their core strength.  
  • Exercise Example - Cavaletties! This is an excellent exercise for show dogs as it helps to improve their reach and drive​.​

• Flexibility: When there is limited range of motion in a joint because of tight muscle groups, the dog is unable to flex or extend the way it usually does. Using a series of specific stretches to restore range of motion allows the dog to move without restriction. A great example of this is reach and drive!! Tight shoulders will limit a dog’s reach and tight hip muscles will limit their ability to drive from their rear.  Passive range of motion to maintain muscle length is key! Aim for 3 times a week; 30 seconds; 1 rep to all major muscle groups.  Remember that warm up before activity and cool downs after is very important for the conformation dog. When we warm up our dogs we prime their muscles for activity and increase blood flow to their muscles which increases muscle flexibility and efficiency. 
• Physical and Mental Endurance: long show days demand our dogs to have the physical and mental endurance to perform as well in their first go around as their last. Canine conditioning helps to improve a dog’s muscular endurance, as well as build their ability to focus and engage with us. ​

As our conformation dogs are representatives of their breed to the public we want them to be at their best and show their best.  Remember that our conformation dogs are judged partly on how they move and our dog's movement can be greatly impacted by regular exercise and conditioning work.  Conditioning can help our dogs stay balanced and have them moving in a symmetrical and efficient gait - all of which can make a big difference in the show ring! 

As dog lovers and avid trainers we want what's best for our dog and we want to have fun while we do that. Regular assessments by a canine PT can ensure your dog is physically capable of the demands of conformation and alert you to potential issues that may be brewing.  These quarterly assessments can give you piece of mind that your dog will move well in the show ring and catch any potential injuries they could experience. By keeping our dogs injury free we ensure that we can continue doing what we love with our dogs for longer! 

Sources

Canadian Kennel Club. "Breed Standards" ​https://www.ckc.ca/en/Events/CKC-Breed-Standards