We had two four-day dog show weekends in a row in Doswell, Virginia. The first weekend we did not do well at all. But we hung in there, and it paid off big time!
The second weekend we could not have done better. I entered all three of my girls again, and each one got a major, and Roz got an extra point. We literally got winners bitch* every day! I could not have been happier or more proud of my girls. SeeSee’s major makes her a champion now!
Here are some candid pics from ringside after our wins. I will post professional pics when I get them. Thank you Vera and Keith for taking pics!
Because I had more than one bitch to show, I needed to have a handler, so Adrienne Isham handled Daphne while I had Roz and See See. On Thursday, Daphne not only won winners bitch*, she also got best of breed! Because she beat the boys and specials too, she got a five-point major, her first points. Adrienne did an absolutely fantastic job! Thank you, AKC judge Lloyd Graser!
On Friday, SeeSee got winners bitch* for a three-point major to finish her championship title! I am particularly proud that I put all her points on her myself. Thank you, AKC judge Brian Meyer!
On Saturday, Roz got winners bitch* for a three-point major, her first major win. Thank you, AKC judge Raymond Filburn!
On Sunday, Roz got winners bitch* earning one more point. (It was not a major because some dogs did not show up.) Roz now has a total of 6 points towards her championship title. Thank you, AKC judge Elizabeth Muthard!
Special thanks to Adrienne Isham for handling Daphne, and to Kai Degner for stepping in to take in Roz and SeeSee when needed. Also, many thanks to all my friends who are encouraging and supportive in my little German Shepherd/dog show world. Vera Symonds, Kevin Brown, Patricia Ray, Ron Webb, Kaitlyn Hollinger, Charlotte Larosa, Grace Bakeman, Barbara Friedman, Tom Dowell, Keith Cousins, Lisa Reynoldson, this means you!
* in case you are not familiar with dog show lingo, “winners bitch” means a female who has beaten all of the other females of that breed in the classes. There are different classes depending on age and experience in the show ring. The winner of each class competes for winners bitch. Only Winners bitch gets points towards her championship title.
The number of points depends on the number of entries. The more competition there is, the more points the winner receives. One, two, three, four, or five points can be earned. Three to five points is a major win. Each year the AKC determines how much competition is needed for major wins in each gender of each breed depending on numbers of registration and entries the previous year in each region.
Of the 15 points needed for a championship title, there must be two major wins under two different judges, plus at least one more judge.
Males are called dogs. So they compete for “winners dog”.
Here is a link to a more complicated explanation by AKC:
Counting Points
Shepherd Sight 