Dog show

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Dog show" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (January 2021) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

A dog show is an animal show, an event where dogs are exhibited. A conformation show, also referred to as a breed show, is a kind of dog show in which a judge, familiar with a specific dog breed, evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.^[1]

Dog shows can be in the means of evaluating dogs for breeding purposes. A conformation championship from a recognised national kennel club is generally considered as an indication of merit. Many breeders consider championships a prerequisite for breeding. Some critics argue that the shows can encourage selective breeding of traits and lower genetic diversity.

The first modern conformation dog show was held in Newcastle Town Hall in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, in June 1859.^[2]