Where have all the dogs gone… long time passing, where have all the breeders/owner handlers gone, long time ago, gone to other playing fields one and all!

As the economy declined and the cost of living and travel expenses rose, the presence of Professional Handlers increased in the AKC class competition for championship points. The playing field in the class competition changed from the occasional hired handler in the open class to sometimes as many as five professional handlers in the puppy and open classes! Popular Professional Handlers are walking in the ring and winning, often on the first time out, with puppies that haven’t shown previously and dogs that owners have shown unsuccessfully for sometimes as long as 2 years. Can this sudden success be a coincidence where these veteran show dogs have suddenly blossomed or a judge breaks precedence in awarding points to puppies just as a renowned professional handler has a spot available to show them?  Some blame the politics and others, mostly judges, rationalize that top Professional Handlers only show quality dog clients and have the experience to superbly present a dog in a way that minimizes their faults. When money and clients were plentiful, and the Professional Handlers only dominated the Best of Breed Class, there probably was a time top Professional Handlers were more discriminate in the clients they chose. In a depressed economy Professional Handlers must either cut costs or increase business to maintain their income so choosing only the top quality dogs to show may be a luxury of the past.

Breeders are also looking to cut costs, and hiring the biggest name in professional handling to finish a championship in a few shows on a dog that hasn’t been winning, is a win situation for both Handler and Breeder. Unfortunately, what may be a win for the Handler and Breeder may be a serious disservice to the future generations of our breeds. When championship points are awarded because of who is showing instead of the merits and quality of the dog, our future generations will inherit the faults so expertly disguised. The Professional Handler who dazzled the judge with a superb presentation will be long forgotten and the faults will live on. Breeders produce their stock from the show winners. Choosing the winning dogs based on the Professional Handler who is hired help and not committed to the advancement of the client’s breed can often propagate changes in the breed that may not be easily repaired. For example, when judges chose the larger specimens for the Winners circle, breeders will follow the current winning trend and larger dogs are bred for the show ring. The trend for the larger dog in many breeds generally does not maximize function and structural health. Judging the wrong end of the lead is committing a very serious injustice to the purebred dog.

While Breeder/owner handlers have long accepted the “political” ambiance toward the Professional Handler in the AKC Best of Breed ring, breeders were content playing in their own league for points. The class competitors were for the most part equally unknown to the judges and the dogs were judged on their own merits, not the Handler on the end of the lead. As the number of Professional Handlers increased in the classes, many breeder/owners did the math and found competing against the familiar face that shows up at all the best dog shows in town, winning under the same judges, is financially unfeasible. AKC is feeling the financial strain as many exhibitors realize the futility of showing in an increasingly political playing field.

New registrations in AKC are declining with the number of Owner Handlers leaving the show arena. Breed Clubs are having difficulty breaking even financially with holding AKC breed shows because of the drop in exhibitors over the last couple of years. The world of dog shows, as we have known it for over 100 years has changed. As breeders realize AKC Championships can be bought with the right Professional Handler, the AKC title is becoming less prestigious and coveted. The majority of puppy buyers in the general public no longer care if their puppy’s parents are Champions, let alone AKC Champions. For those who do want to buy from Champion lines, the Internet offers a huge selection of puppies for sale from UKC, CKC, and International Dog Show Champion parents.
In an attempt to recover from the financial impact of the economy and decreasing entries and registrations, AKC has exacerbated the problem by not supporting the Breeder/Owners, the faction that makes up the entries and registrations. AKC is moving in the wrong direction for their financial health by endorsing Professional Handlers with badges they may wear in the ring to identify themselves to the judges and bogus Amateur Classes to identify those that are not Professional Handlers.

What was AKC thinking? If AKC’s intent was to even the playing field for more Sport, a Professional Handler Class should have been created instead of the Amateur Class. Professional Handlers would be restricted to the Professional Class or the Best of Breed Class. The new playing field would consist of one Handler in the Winners Class competing against all the class winners that were chosen on their merits. For those judges that continued to judge the Handlers and reward presentation, the records would reflect their preferences by the wins from the Handler class. Breeders/Owners could choose which shows and judges were financially feasible to enter under instead of quitting over the politics.

So where have all the Breeder/Owner Handlers gone, long time ago? So where have all the dogs gone, long time passing? At one time, AKC was the only game in town for the prestigious Championship. The purist and traditionalist breeder/owners are leaving competition or searching for more equitable venues like UKC where Professional Handlers are excluded unless they are showing their own dogs. Until now the UKC, International Dog shows, and our neighboring countries, Mexico and Canada who hire the same AKC approved judges for their shows have not been a serious rivalry for AKC. Unless AKC wakes up and becomes committed to creating an environment that supports Breeder/Owners who generate all the AKC registrations and entries other venues such as UKC will become a strong force as an alternative to AKC. The future of our AKC dogs is dependent on unbiased judging and honest evaluations based on the quality of our stock, not who is on the end of the lead.