United Kingdom

reported by Kyra Karmiloff, Youessay American Cockers

In the United Kingdom there are several different type of dog shows. At the lowest level are what are called Exemption shows. These are "just-for-fun" shows where any dog can enter by turning up on the day. It doesn't matter whether the dogs are registered with the Kennel Club or not, and there are even classes for crossbreeds. The next level of shows are called Limited shows. They are small shows run by recognised societies, but are restricted in the classes and breeds they offer, and wins in these shows do not count towards any titles.

The show scene in general centers around Open and Championship shows. These can be for all breeds, for particular groups, or for single breeds. In the UK there are seven groups - Gundog, Toy, Utility, Terrier, Hound, Working, Pastoral. The American Cocker is in the Gundog group. Different breeds vary in the number of classes they get and the band they belong to in terms of Crufts and Stud book qualifications, depending on their numerical size. Numerically large breeds like Golden Retrievers or Irish Setter get wider classifications at both Open and Championship shows, than American Cockers.

Open shows can be quite large with entries ranging from around 40 at single breed Open shows, to over 500 when they are all-breed. Wins at Open shows do not count towards becoming a Champion, but are necessary for the title of Junior Warrant. Championship shows are much larger, ranging from 120 Americans at our single-breed championship shows, to over 20 thousands at general all-breed championship shows (where we get entries of around 100 American Cockers).

We have two types of Champions here. Full Champions (written Ch. Xxxx) in the Gundog group are those dogs that have gained championship status in both the ring and the field. There are no full champions in our breed at present, we only have Show Champions (written as Sh. Ch. xxxxx). In order to become a Show Champion, the dog must win 3 Challenge Certificates (also known as CCs or "tickets") under three different judges and one of these must be won beyond the age of 12 months. A CC is given to each Best of Sex at Championship Shows where CCs are on offer to the breed (some General or All-breed Championship shows do not have CCs for American cockers and wins at such shows only count as Open show wins). Reserve CCs are also awarded to the reserve best of sexes. These do not count towards the Champion title. However, the judge must sign a declaration that he or she deems the RCC winners to be worthy of the title of Champion. This is because if the CC winner is later disqualified, the CC then transfers to the RCC winner.

Specific wins at championship shows are also needed for qualifying for Crufts and for obtaining a Stud Book number (something which gives the dog life-long Crufts elegibility, and makes it eligible to be included in the Kennel Club's yearly Stud Book). It is not necessary to have a stud book number in order for a dog to be used at stud, however. It is more a prestige thing, and acts as a permanent record of a show dog. A stud book number can also be obtained by gaining the title of Junior Warrant but this does not count towards becoming a Champion, and few people really bother with these.

Classifications (i.e. the classes on offer) can be the same at Open or Championship shows. Single breed shows, of both types, tend to offer wider classifications than all-breed or group shows. Generally, a typical Championship show will offer the following set of classes for each sex in American Cockers. All these classes include wins which lead to Crufts qualification and some provide stud book qualification. We do not have any colour separation. All colours are judged together, and Americans are only split by sex:

Minor Puppy	For dogs of six and not exceeding nine calendar months of age on the first day of the Show.
Puppy	For dogs of six and not exceeding twelve calendar months of age on the first day of the Show.
Junior	For dogs of six and not exceeding eighteen calendar months of age on the first day of the Show.
Post Graduate	For dogs which have not won a Challenge Certificate or four or more First prizes at Championship Shows in Post Graduate, Limit and Open classes, whether restricted or not.
Limit	For dogs which have not won three Challenge Certificates under three different judges or seven or more First prizes in all, at Championship shows in Limit and Open classes, confined to the breed, whether restricted or not, at Shows where Challenge Certificates were offered for the breed.
Open	For all dogs of the breeds for which the class is provided and eligible for entry at the Show.
*(Exceptions are all-breed Open shows where both sexes are shown together and there are usually only four classes on offer because usually entries are small - about 15 or so Americans)

There are other classifications but we don't tend to get them for Americans. An example is Special Yearling which is an age restriction up to 24 months, or Graduate. As you can see, Champions can only be entered Open, unless they are still young enough to go into Junior (which is an age-restriction only). At some Championship shows and at all our single-breed shows, we also have classes like Veteran (dogs of 7 or more), Brace, Progeny etc. These do not count towards titles or qualifiers.

Judging proceeds through the classes. CCs and RCCs are selected at the end of the judging of classes for each sex. So, for instance, once all the Dog classes are completed, the judge calls in all unbeaten dogs and selects the CC and RCC winners. At this time, a Best Dog Puppy winner is also selected. The judging of Bitch classes then begins. Once the judge has selected the bitch CC, RCC and Best Bitch Puppy, the two CC winners return to challenge for Best of Breed (BOB). After this, the two puppies return to battle it out for Best Puppy in Breed. The BOB winner is the only cocker that will go through to represent the breed in the group judging. The Best Puppy occasionally competes in the Puppy Group if a Best Puppy in Show in on offer, but most all-breed championship shows do not bother with this award.

Each class winner, as long as it has not been beaten in another class, is eligible to compete for the CC. So, in order to pick up each of the three CCs needed to make up a new champion, you have to beat all the other dogs or bitches present. This includes the champions present, one of which has usually won the Open class. It can therefore be very tough! The number of dogs attending the show is irrelevant to the awarding of CCs. However, where CCs are on offer, we have an average entry of 100 dogs, of which perhaps 10 or so will be Champions, and several more will already be CC winners. The judge is allowed to withhold the CC if he or she does not feel there is a dog worthy of being a champion (even if there are Champions present!!). This is extremely rare, however, and has not been done in our breed.

In order to qualify for Crufts, you need to win 1st, 2nd or 3rd in either Minor Puppy, Puppy, Junior, Post Graduate, Limit or Open. If you win a CC, a RCC, a first prize in Limit or a 1st or 2nd prize in Open, this gives the dog a stud book number. This only applies to Championship shows where CCs are on offer.

During the year, there are only 20 sets of CCs on offer to our breed. This means that your chances of progressing towards a championship title is restricted to those 20 shows. It makes it especially tough if, as is often the case, there are one of two top winners picking up the majority of tickets throughout the year (as England is small, we get the same exhibitors at almost every show). But it also means that gaining the title of Show Champion is that much more impressive and important. most of the sets of tickets are allocated to the big general championship shows like Crufts, Birmingham, LKA to name a few. We also have a few Gundog Group Championship shows, and we have two yearly single-breed championship shows (equivalent to your speciality shows). One is held by the parent Club - The American Cocker Spaniel Club of Great Britain. Another set of CCs is shared between our two other Breed Clubs, the Nothern American Cocker Club and the Home Counties American Cocker Club. This means that one club holds a championship show one year, and the other the next year. These specialities are the shows for which overseas judges (especially US judges) are often invited.

Cards and Rosettes At Championship shows, you only get rosettes for CCs and Best Puppy, and Group and Best in Show placements. The other awards are only marked with a card! No money is won. Open shows tend to be much more generous, offering rosettes for first to fifth place in all classes.
First	Red
Second	Blue
Third	Yellow
Fourth (also called Reserve)	Dark Green
Fifth (also called VHC or Very Highly Commended)	White or purple
At championship shows, CC rosettes are usually Green and White (as are the "tickets" and Reserve tickets), Best Puppy is yellow and red. Group and Best in Show rosettes vary from show to show. At open shows, colours for Best of Breed, RBOB, Best Opposite Sex and Best Puppy always vary according to the colours chosen by the society.

Judges

Judges for a breed are classified into three lists. The A list is for those who have been passed to give CCs and only these judges can do so. The B list is for judges who have been judging the breed at Open show level for several years and have attended the relevant breed seminars etc. They cannot give CCs but are allowed to judge at Championship shows where CCs are NOT on offer for the breed, and can also judge the single-breed Open Shows. The C list is for all other judges - those starting their judging careers. It takes at least seven years of judging experience to get onto the A list and also involves passing exams and other criteria. Both the Kennel Club and the committees of the breed clubs are involved in passing a judge for CCs.

Important Addresses:

The Kennel Club 1 Clarges Street London W1Y 8AB Tel: 0870 606 6750

The American Cocker Spaniel Club of Great Britain Secretary, Mrs Eileen Speich 81 Yarnbrook Road West Ashton Wiltshire BA14 6AR Tel: 01225 767 825

The Northern American Cocker Spaniel Club Secretary, Mrs Joan Rock 8 Nelson Close Horden Peterlee Co. Durham SR8 4BY Tel: 0191 587 0405

The Home Counties American Cocker Club Secretary, Mrs Margaret Bunce 41 Beauzeville Avenue Hailsham East Sussex BN27 3PB Tel: 01323 847 397