The World of Dog Shows

Exercise, diets, health test… No, I am not talking about top models; I am talking about the world of dog shows. A world in which people try their best to breed pure bred dogs which are sound in health and temperament but which are also as close as possible to the breed standard.

What is a breed standard? I hear you ask. A breed standard is a set of guidelines for each breed of dog. Such guidelines explain what a dog should look like, from the very basic of specifics such as coat texture and color to the most detailed and hidden and which may look the same to the untrained eye such as movement and teeth alignment.  Breed standards are designed on what the dog was originally bred to do when the breed was originally developed. Think of the breed standard as a picture of the perfect dog in that particular breed, bred to do something in particular, and the breeders as the artists trying to create an image of that dog without neglecting the health and temperament of that particular breed. 

In order to do this, breeders spend a lot of time (and money!) analyzing pedigrees and health testing their dogs for genetic diseases, while also keeping in mind the temperament of both the dam and the potential stud dog. Only when a dog that compliments the bitch is found, does a breeding take place. In order to decide which dog is closest to the breed standard, breeders take their dogs to shows, where judges judge the dogs against each other while bearing in mind the breed standard. Besides the breed standard, judges also look at the general condition of the dog such as the condition of its coat and muscle tone.  It is therefore in the breeder’s interest to keep the dogs in the best possible condition and only breed to the soundest available dogs if he or she wishes to win at such shows. It stands to reason therefore that a good breeder does not mate his bitch to the first dog of the same breed that comes along.

For one to show a dog in Malta, it must be registered with one of the official bodies on the island, and have a pedigree issued by the mentioned association. For a pedigree to be issued however, both parents must have a registered pedigree, and the breeder needs to register the litter. The Maltese National Canine Federation and its member associations follow the UK kennel club’s system and breed standards and therefore only breeds which are recognized by the British system may be shown at its shows. I would like to make a special remark on the so called new designer breeds which are being created by irresponsible individuals. During the past couple of years, the dog world has seen the creation of several supposedly new breeds which are generated by crossing two breeds of dogs and giving them a new name. These are cross-breeds and are not recognized by any official organization, thus they cannot be shown or registered.

When buying a puppy, new owners should bare in mind two things, not every pure bred dog has a pedigree and not every pedigreed dog is show quality. It is for this reason that as an association we encourage people to buy only from registered breeders. There have been several episodes where people have paid amounts of money for a pedigreed dog without ever being given the pedigree or being given a computer generated pedigree. When buying a puppy one should always ask to see the registered pedigrees of the parents. Further more, we encourage new owners to tell the breeder whether they intend to show the puppy or not, a good breeder will help you choose the puppy that best fits your household.