DOG SHOW

competition in which purebred dogs are judged on the basis of their physical perfection, as determined by breed standards. Dog shows in the United States are held according to rules set up by the American Kennel Club; shows in Great Britain follow the rules of the Kennel Club of England. The first English dog show was held in Newcastle in 1859, and a more ambitious one followed at Chelsea in 1863. The best known of English dog shows is Cruft's, which has been held annually in London since 1886. The first formal dog show in the United States was held in 1877 and was sponsored by the Westminster Kennel Club. The annual shows sponsored by this kennel club, in New York City, and by the International Kennel Club, in Chicago, are two of the most important dog shows in the United States. The breeds There are approximately 400 separate breeds of purebred dogs worldwide. A purebred dog is considered to be one whose genealogy is traceable for three generations within the same breed. National registries, such as the American Kennel Club (AKC) in the United States, the Canadian Kennel Club, the Kennel Club of England, and the Australian National Kennel Council, maintain pedigrees and stud books on every dog in every breed registered in their respective countries. The Foxhound Kennel Stud Book, published in England in 1844, was one of the earliest registries. Other countries also have systems for registering purebred dogs. The AKC represents an enrollment of more than 36 million since its inception in 1884, and it registers approximately 1.25 million new dogs each year. In the 1800s those interested in the sport of dogs developed a system for classifying breeds according to their functions. The British classification, established in 1873 and revised periodically by the Kennel Club of England, set the standard that other countries have followed, with some modifications. British, Canadian, and American classifications are basically the same, although some of the terminology is different. For example, Sporting dogs in the United States are Gundogs in England. Utility dogs in England are Non-Sporting dogs in the United States and Canada. Not all countries recognize every breed. The United States recognizes seven classifications, called groups (encompassing more than 130 breeds), whereas the English and Canadians have six groups (the American system divides the Working group into two groups: Working dogs and Herding dogs). The groups recognized by the AKC are identified below and in the Table. Sporting dogs These are dogs that scent and either point, flush, or retrieve birds on land and in water. They are the pointers, retrievers, setters, spaniels, and others, such as the vizsla and the Weimaraner.