Moselle's Conformation & Dog Show Terminology

Common / Most Used Terms
~ Organizations ~	~ Non-title Prefixes ~
AKC: American Kennel Club	BIS: Best in Show winning
CKC: Canadian Kennel Club	SBIS or BISS: Best in Specialty winning
ARBA: American Rare Breed Assoc.	AOM: Award of Merit winning
ASFA: American Sighthound Field Assoc.	BISweeps: Best in Sweepstakes
NADAC: North American Dog Agility Council	SBISweeps: Best in Specialty Sweepstakes
USDAA: United States Dog Agility Assoc.	BIF: Best in Field winning
	HIT: High in Trial winning
	BJS or BJH: Best Junior Showman/Handler winning

Terms Used At A Dog Show
~ Term ~	~ Definition ~
Dog	*a male canine*
Bitch	*a female canine*
Put up	*placed in a class or better*
Put down	*not put up for any award*
Ringer	*a substitute for; a dog closely resembling another dog*
Pointed	*has earned at least one point towards AKC bench or field championship*
Major pointed	*has earned at least one major toward AKC bench or field championship*
Cluster	*a group of consecutive shows held at the same show site*
Circuit	*a convenient string of consecutive shows at different locations, not far apart*
Handler's show	*a show that draws large numbers of professional handlers*
Handler draw	*a show that draws large numbers of professional handlers*
Specialty	*a show for one breed only, usually offering more classes and prizes*
Supported Entry	*a show where large numbers of the supported breed will be shown, but not a specialty*
Bench show	*a show where the exhibits (the dogs) must be on display all day*
National	*the specialty put on by the parent club, usually the largest*
Parent Club	*the national club for the breed in the USA*
Sire	*male parent*
Dam	*female parent*
Stud dog	*a male dog used for breeding purposes*
Brood bitch	*a bitch used for breeding purposes*
Foundation Bitch	*a bitch used for starting a line of one's own*
Line	refers to a distinctive "family" of dogs in specified breed; each breeder has his/her own distinct "line"
Inbreeding	*the breeding of immediately related specimens (i.e. brother x sister)*
Linebreeding	*the breeding of closely related dogs, but not close enough to be considered inbreeding*
Outcrossing	*the breeding of unrelated specimens; breeding to a dog or bitch from another line*

Terms Used In The Ring
~ Term ~	~ Definition ~
Stack	*a show dog's standing pose*
Free Stack	*a show dog's natural pose without being touched by the handler*
Gait	*referring to the extended trot of a dog in the show ring*
Bait	*food, treats, or toys used to get a dog's attention, expression, or free stack in the ring*
Baiting	*the use of bait*
Six to Nine	*refers to the dog show class for puppies who are at least six months of age but not over nine months of age*
Nine to Twelve	*refers to the dog show class for puppies who are at least nine months of age but not over twelve months of age*
Twelve to Eighteen	*dogs or bitches, at least twelve months of age but not over eighteen months of age*
Open	*any dog over eighteen months of age*
Special	*referring to a champion of record who is still being shown and campaigned*
Breed	*having won the Best of Breed or Variety award*
Opposite	*having won the Best of Opposite Sex to the winner of Best of Breed or Variety*
Winners	*having taken (won) Winners Dog or Winners Bitch*
Reserve	*having taken Reserve Winners Dog or Bitch*
Making the cut	*being selected out of a larger group for further examination by the judge*
Getting pulled	*being selected out of a larger group for further examination by the judge*
The Cut	*the handful of dogs that the judge wishes to further consider for placements; those that don't make the cut are typically dismissed.*

AKC Conformation Titles
Abbreviation	Placement	Translation	Description
CH	*before name*	*Champion of Record*	*the dog or bitch had met the requirements of the title: having attained 15 points, including two multi-point majors*