Cheap Champions?

When I received an email from Dog News a few days ago with the following information about their Question of the Week …

The term "cheap champion" is used frequently. … In light of this, do we really need additional ways -- such as group placements or Best of Winners in single-sex entries -- to accrue points toward an AKC championship?

… it reminded me of an article I wrote about seven years ago when I was still publisher of Poodle Variety magazine. My article was about the huge number of shows these days (this was 2018) compared with a random year I picked, 1971, which was 47 years earlier. I think the article reprinted below and accompanying stats are real eye openers. In regards to the comments above, there are a few major facts to consider, and I will mention them here.

1. Far more shows than in the past. In fact, double from about 50 years ago.

2. Far fewer AKC dogs registered. Approximately one-half or less the number than when registrations were at their height with 1.5 million dogs registered per year.

3. Because of the increased number of shows, a smaller number of dogs are being shown many more times per year, resulting in yearly entry figure totals that look healthier than they possibly are.

4. Far more recognized breeds/varieties. The first number below is how many breeds/varieties in each group were regularly recognized in 1971, and the second number is how many are recognized today.

                  Sporting:             20 - 33

                  Hound:                 21 - 32

                  Working:             29 - 31

                  Terrier:                  22 - 31

                  Toy:                          19 - 23

                  Non-Sporting: 10 - 20

                  Herding (group established 1983): 0 - 33

5. With all these additional newly recognized breeds yet much lower registrations than in the past, the numbers for many long-recognized breeds have simply shrunk as a result of more competition for puppy buyers.

6. I’ve been told — and I haven’t verified this — that the AKC point-calculation algorithm is approximately the same as it’s always been. The shocking part is that entries in many breeds have fallen to the point that they are essentially “rare” breeds as far as the show ring is concerned.

Probably the most striking example of this is German Shepherd Dogs. They are still incredibly popular with the pet-buying public and are #4 among the most popular AKC breeds (after French Bulldogs, Labrador Retrievers and Golden Retrievers), but when it comes to show entries, they are now a low-entry breed. In the New York region it takes five dogs and six bitches for majors. In 1971 it took 37 dogs and 39 bitches for three-point majors. It’s not AKC’s fault that very few people choose to show GSDs, BUT (and here’s a really big but) …

BY HAVING SO VERY MANY SHOWS, ALL ENTRIES ARE DILUTED.

That’s the bottom line to this whole current situation.