Agent or handler: Person 18 years old or older, other
than the owner or co-owner, designated by the owner or co-owner of an entered dog to be the handler of, and the person responsible
for, the dog at the event.
All-Breed show: Conformation show where all breeds are exhibited.
Armband:
Number worm on an exhibitor's arm that corresponds to the number in the event catalog and the judge's book, identifying
the dog in the ring to the dog's information published in the catalog.
Assistant or assistant handler:
Person at a dog show who helps the handler care for the handler's dogs, prepare the dogs for the ring, and show the dogs.
Bait:
Food or object that an exhibitor uses to get a dog's attention or to have it look alert in the ring.
Bench
show: A dog show at which the dogs are kept on assigned benches when not being shown in competition so that interested
people can view and learn more about them. Westminster is an example of a benched show.
Best
in Show: At an All-Breed show, the only dog left undefeated at the end of all judging on that day. Abbreviated
as BIS before a winning dog's name and title.
Best in Show Specialty:
At a show of limited breeds, such as only Papillons, the only dog left undefeated at the end of all judging on that day.
Abbreviated as BISS before a winning dog's name and title.
Best of Breed: Dog selected
by the judge as the best representative of a particular breed on that day.
Best of Opposite Sex: The
best dog that is of the opposite sex to the Best of Breed winner.
Bitch: A female dog.
Bite:
The relative position of the upper and lower teeth when the jaws are closed.
Blaze: A white stripe running
up the center of the face usually between the eyes.
Breed: A domestic race
of dogs with a common gene pool and characterized appearance and function.
Breed standard: A word
picture describing how the perfect dog of a breed should look, move and behave.
Breeder: A person who breeds
dogs.
Brood bitch: Female dog used for breeding.
Championship:
AKC title conferred on dogs after meeting requirements. Conformation champion is designated by CH before the dog's
name.
Cluster: Four All-Breed shows held in four consecutive days at the same location.
Co-owners:
One or more individuals recorded in the AKC records as the owner of a dog.
Conformation: The form
and structure, make and shape, arrangement of the parts in conformance with breed standards.
Dam:
The female parent.
Dewclaw: An extra claw on the inside of the leg; a rudimentary fifth toe,
removed on most breeds.
Dog: Male dog or term used to refer generically to all dogs, male or female.
East-west
front: Incorrect positioning that causes the feet to turn outwards.
Front: The forepart of
the body as viewed head-on.
Gait: The pattern of footsteps at various rates of speed.
Groom:
To brush, comb, trim or otherwise make a dog's coat neat.
Grooming area: Space at
a dog show that is designated for grooming dogs.
Groups:
The breeds as grouped into seven divisions by the AKC to facilitate judging. The seven groups are sporting, hound, working,
toy, terrier, non-sporting and herding.
Judge: Official
approved by the AKC to evaluate dogs in specific AKC events.
Judging
schedule: A program that lists the time scheduled for judging of each breed or variety, obedience class, and other classes
that are offered for the event on that day.
