Qualifying Your Dog for the Westminster Dog Show

If you're a dog lover, then your dream might just be seeing your dog on the grandest stage of them all, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. If you feel like your dog is one of the next champions then let's take a look and see if they meet the qualifications for entering.

The Recognized & Registered

First, you need to have your dog registered with the Kennel Club of your district. In my case, for example, I live in America so I would register with the American Kennel Club. There is also a Canadian Kennel Club and other registers for various districts. The main district of focus for this explanation will be AKC (American Kennel Club).

Go to akc.org were you will be able to register your dog. Registration can be done two ways, online or by mail.

There are also some great tools on akc.org, such as the pedigree overview that will help you distinguish your canine friend's breed and family history. You may need tools like this because only few recognized pedigrees will be accepted into the Westminster Dog Show, using the AKC Stud Book.

Climbing to the Top

In order to compete in the Westminster Dog Show, you will need to complete at least one conformation title on your dog. Only conformation champions are accepted into the dog show so it may be something to build up to. Also keep in mind that certain conformations do not qualify your dog, such as working titles.

Try to build as many points as you can towards your dog's record, as this means everything when it comes to qualifying for Westminster. Only the top five dogs with the most points will be given an invitation. These points are going to be based on how many dogs you defeated within your class, each dog being one point. Points will be collected starting January 1^st and ending on October 31^st each year.

Complete the Entry

If you didn't receive an invitation, make sure the you complete an entry form and turn it in before its due date provided on AKC. You should get word on whether your application was accepted or not sometime between mid-November and mid-December. Make sure to mail the entry form along with the fee per dog, which is also located at the AKC website.

Good Luck Little Pup!

This should completely set you up to compete. It's a long road to the championship, but if you are a true dog lover then it's definitely worth letting your dog stand among champions. I'm sure your dog will thank you in the long run.