Show dogs

About show dogs

Dog showing is judged conformation: a dog is assessed against the Royal Kennel Club (RKC) breed standard and placed against others. Its titles are the best-documented in the dog world, which makes show breeders unusually easy to check. This hub explains the awards, how a dog qualifies for Crufts, and what it does and does not mean when a breeder says their puppies are “from show lines”.

What this discipline is

Shows run under RKC regulations at several levels. Open shows are the entry point. Championship shows are where Challenge Certificates (CCs) are on offer for a breed, one for the best dog and one for the best bitch. Crufts, held in March at the NEC in Birmingham, is the RKC’s own championship show and the one everyone has heard of.

The titles:

• Champion (CH) and Show Champion (Sh CH): three CCs under three different judges, at least one won after the dog is 12 months old, or, since 1 July 2023, two CCs plus five Reserve CCs from seven different judges. In gundog breeds and Border Collies this earns Show Champion only; a full Champion must also prove working ability, through a field trial award, a Show Gundog Working Certificate or a sheep working test.
• Junior Warrant (JW): 25 points from first prizes and other awards won between 6 and 18 months, with minimum points required from championship shows where CCs are on offer and from open shows.
• Stud Book number: gained by winning a stud book qualifying award at a championship show with CCs (the qualifying class varies by breed band) or by gaining a Junior Warrant. It qualifies the dog for Crufts for life.
• Crufts qualification: for Crufts 2027, a first, second or third in a listed breed class at a championship show with CCs during the qualifying year, a Champion title, a Stud Book entry, a first prize in a breed class at Crufts 2026, or defined group and Best in Show wins at open shows.

Who trains or supplies these dogs in the UK

Show dogs are bred, owned and handled largely by hobby breeders, with a small professional handling sector. Dogs are usually shown by their breeders or owners from puppy classes at six months. The RKC recognises around 227 breeds and all show dogs must be on its breed register, so pedigrees, registrations and awards can be verified against RKC records. Puppies from show kennels are sold as pets far more often than as show prospects, and a good show breeder will say which is which.

Breeds and lines

“Show lines” means the parents were selected for conformation and type as the breed standard describes them, and often for coat and presentation. In many breeds this is simply the breed as most people know it. In a few, show and working populations have diverged: gundogs, Border Collies and some terrier and pastoral breeds now come in two versions, and a buyer wanting a working dog should look at the working hubs on this site rather than at CCs.

Titles in a pedigree tell you the ancestors met the standard in the judges’ opinion. They do not tell you about health unless the tests are shown too. The RKC Health Standard sets out the tests for each breed at Good Practice and Best Practice levels, replacing the former Assured Breeder Scheme, and the RKC’s own Find a Breeder service now lists breeders meeting Good Practice. Breeders of flat-faced breeds should also be able to show respiratory function grading where the breed scheme exists.

What a buyer should ask a breeder

• Which of the parents’ awards can I see on the RKC records, and how many CCs, RCCs or JW points do they have?
• Which health tests does the RKC Health Standard list for this breed, and what are both parents’ results?
• Is this puppy a show prospect or a pet, and what makes the difference in this litter?
• Will the puppy be sold with or without endorsements on its registration, and why?
• Are you licensed by your council if your breeding requires it?
• Can I meet the dam with the puppies? Lucy’s Law in England bans sales through third parties, so you should always be buying from the breeder who bred the litter.

A pedigree full of champions is a fine thing, but a buyer should weigh it alongside health results, temperament and how the puppies were raised.

What breeders can list here

Breeders may list their breed, the titles and awards in their lines, their health results against the RKC Health Standard, whether they show and at which level, and whether puppies are available as show prospects or pets. Canine Breeder does not grade dogs, award titles or verify show results; buyers should check awards with the RKC. This site is independent of the RKC and Crufts.

If you show your dogs and breed to the standard, list your kennel under show dogs so that exhibitors and pet buyers alike can find you.