Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

We went to see Pepsi at the show last Sunday and my husband and I were trying to understand how dog shows work!! I get that if she wins her class she goes to the next ring together with the other class winners right? If she wins that she will be BEST OF WINNERS. But what about the male dogs and what is the differents about BOB or BOV?? It is so not clear for me!! Can somebody explain the whole process to me please!!

Your shows are much more confusing than ours, I am trying to understand yours because Craig is showing little Winston who I bred. I think the class winners compete for Winners Dog and Winners Bitch, then they compete for Best of Winners, then they compete against the champion winners for BOB. And I think your cockers have 3 separate collections of classes for the different colour varieties, unlike us, so I assume you get a Best Black, a Best ASCOB, and a Best particolour, and they might compete for BOB, though I think I've seen more than one cocker in the Sporting Group when I've seen American shows on TV. Experts, am I heading in the right direction here?

Lucy you are heading in the right direction with only 1 detour. In the U.S., the cocker spaniels compete in 3 varieties and the winner of each variety is Best of Variety; at least at all breed shows. Now in the case of cocker spaniel specialties, such as ASC, when the 3 BOV winners compete against each other the winner is awarded Best of Breed.

Colleen Keough

Ah, so at an all breed show you have a bunch of BOBs from the other sporting breeds, and 3 BOVs in the group. How odd! At our Cavalier club shows we often have colour classes, but each winner just goes up to compete for Best Dog or Best of Breed etc along with all the other class winners.

Good question and good explanation. Thank you. I, too, was a little confused about how that works.

mary