Abby Nadeau
Community Editor

Demanding hours, strict guidelines and uncontrollable preferences rule the world of professional dog competitions. In order to get ahead in this cutthroat world, you need more than just a beautiful dog; you need the ìwowî factor.

During the weekend of Jan. 14-15 Glen and Susan Kothe, along with their papillon Jag, will attempt to wow the judges at the American Kennel Club/ Eukanuba Best in Show competition in Tampa, FL.

The Kothes, who own Total Recall dog training in Hugo, have been in dog competitions for the last 30 years. Susan started out showing her dog ìMikeî at AKC competitions and won several titles, while Glen worked as a St. Paul police canine handler.

While working for the police department Glen entered the canines he was working withmany police canine competitions. Since retiring from the St. Paul police department Glen has also made dog competitions his ìhobby.î

For two-year-old Jag, whose real name is ChlotekiSpeedingUpJustice (Jag), this will be a first time visit to the competition.

Best of Breeds

In dog competitions like Best in Show there are a set of steps to gain entrance into the show. From October to the following October each dog competes in smaller AKC competitions around the nation; if the dog wins those smaller competitions it gets points. The points, which are based on how many dogs the winner defeated, are counted to help determine the dog with the most points in their breed.

In order to be picked for the Best in Show competition a dog must be placed in the Top 25 in the nation.

Once the points have been tallied the top 25 dogs and their owners are notified of their entrance into the Best in Show competition, usually around November. Then the whole system starts again.

The dog starts out in the Best of Breeds show where it competes with other dogs of the same breed. If the dog wins, it moves onto an All Breeds show.

In this competition there are seven different groups of dogs: sporting, hounds, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting and herding.

The top dog from each group then moves onto the Best in Show. Whoever wins Best in Show is the AKC/Eukanuba national champion.

Jagís position

For Jag, starting slow was never an option. From April to May of 2005 Jag was shown 20 times. In those 20 competitions he won Best of Breed 15 times, accumulating 227 points. Those 227 points help him gain entrance into the Best in Show competition.

Jag will start out in the Best of Breeds show and if he wins he will be entered into the Toy group. When, or if, Jag wins the Toy group he will then move on to compete against the best of the best in the Best in Show competition.

Judges Preference

While the whole system is based on points, the dogs must emulate a certain personality to move beyond points to win the judges over.

ìThe judges have a standard set of guidelines they must follow, but it is their preference as to what dog they pick,î said Glen Kothe.

In the Best of Breeds competition judges are looking at the dogís structure, color, coat, temperament and attitude. They want to make sure the dogís shoulders are not separated awkwardly or that their feet are not bow legged or that their bones do not have any extra bumps.

A judge might not look twice at a dog if there is too much static electricity or the excess hair on their paws is not trimmed.

But most of all the judges are looking at the dogís attitude.

ìThe judgeís preference and how well you show your dog are the most important. A judge might not pick a dog if it is acting up,î said Glen. ìYou want the judge to do a double take on your dog and say ëwowí.î

Since the competition is the best of the best in the nation getting a judge to look twice at another dog is hard. In Jagís case he has a natural ability to know how to look at the judge. According to Glen, he knows how to play the judge.

ìBasically, you want the dog to look at the judge and go ëta-da!íî Glen said. ìIt is a glorified beauty contest.î

While a dog that has a great attitude can win a judge over, the politics of judging are still an obstacle. To move beyond the obstacle handlers learn to look for certain judges that they know will most likely chose their dog.

Most of these are judges that have already seen what the dog can do before, so they are expecting the same in the next competition.

ìI donít doubt that they [judges] have preconceived personal preferences coming into the competition,î Glen said.

However, ìwindow shoppingî for judges is something that is frowned upon.

ìItís a game and you play the game,î Glen said. ìI donít judge judges. A friend once said ëyou pay your $20 and you get an opinion.í In the end all it is, is bragging rights.î

The Benefits

In most competitions receiving prize money is the greatest pay off but in dog competitions the goal is prestige and status, the money is only a bonus.

The winner of the Best in Show competition will receive over $50,000 but a total of $250,000 will be given out to other winning competitors. Although winning money does help the cost to show the dogs, the title of Champion of Best in Show is worth 10 times more.

ìReceiving the title of Best in Show will enhance the breederís breeding stock,î said Glen. ìPeople will want to breed their dogs for show.î

Even though receiving the title of champion of Best in Show is the ultimate goal for Susan and Glen they know Jag is already a champion.

ìJag is special, really, even winning the Best of Breeds competition is an accomplishment in itself,î said Glen. ìHowever, I might have the right judge at the right time and Jag might do the right thing at the right time and we possibly could take Best in Show.î

The Kothes will be flying to Tampa, FL on Jan. 12 to compete in the Best of Show competition from Jan. 13 -15. The AKC/Eukanuba National Championship will air live on Animal Planet at 8 p.m. on Monday Feb. 13.

Top of Page

Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
Fax 651-464-4605