1st Place: Lily Bennett, showing her Wirehaired Pointing Griffon and winning a $10,000 scholarship!
2nd Place: Jacob Waters, showing his Miniature Pinscher
3rd Place: Ava Hata, showing her Longhaired Dachshund
4th Place: Jessica Braatz, showing her English Setter
Congrats to all!
The complete field for the Junior Showmanship Competition, which is being held right now:
Lily Angeline Bennett, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons, GCHS Whiskeytown Stonehenge Riding Shotgun JH
Jessica Braatz, Setters (English), CH Huntwood’s Smarter Than A Fifth Grader
Ava Hata, Dachshunds (Longhaired), CH Setsers King Of Rock And Roll, Sl TKN
Parker Lourier, Pointers, GCHS CH Solivia’s Defining Moment At Playlist
O’Malley McGee, Pointers, GCHS CH Southern Enough Said JH CGC TKI
Madison Thompson, Retrievers (Golden), CH Evermore’s Golden Queen Of The Sea BN RI CGC TKN
Alexa Walker, Tibetan Spaniels, GCHB CH R And B’s Show Stopper
Jacob Waters, Miniature Pinschers, GCHG CH Eagle’s The Wolverine
Advancing to Sunday’s finals from the Junior Showmanship entrants are:
Ava Hata Dachshunds (Longhaired) CH Setsers King Of Rock And Roll, Sl TKN
Parker Lourier Pointers GCHS CH Solivia’s Defining Moment At Playlist
Alexa Walker Tibetan Spaniels GCHB CH R And B’s Show Stopper
Jacob Waters Miniature Pinschers GCHG CH Eagle’s The Wolverine
From our friends at the Westminster Kennel Club:
What is Junior Showmanship?
Junior Showmanship competition is for children ages 9-18 years of age. In this competition, the young people are judged solely on their handling skills independent of the traits of the dog. Handling, care and responsible dog ownership are important aspects of Junior Showmanship as well as learning social skills, sportsmanship, and the opportunity to bond with one’s dog.
How is Junior Showmanship judged?
These young handlers must demonstrate breed knowledge in presentation of the dog as well as economy of motion. The judge is considering how well the handlers present their dogs with regard to control, teamwork as well as composure and unexaggerated movement. The goal for the Juniors, like the best adult handlers, is to enhance their dog’s qualities to the judge without using distracting, unnecessary motions.
What is Junior Showmanship at Westminster?
Since 1934 the Westminster Kennel Club has offered Junior Showmanship competition (formerly known as Children’s Handling class). Today Junior Showmanship at Westminster is a limited class for young people who have won Best Junior Handler awards seven times or more at AKC dog shows in a certain time period. The competition has a preliminary judging round held at the Piers where more than 100 Juniors from across the country are judged with eight finalists being selected to move on to the Finals competition.
What can I expect to see in the Finals competition?
The Finals competition brings the eight finalists together for one more round of competition. The first-place winner is crowned Best Junior Handler followed by a 2nd, 3rd and 4th placements. Since 2010, the Westminster Kennel Club has offered Junior Showmanship Finalist Scholarship Awards to the eight finalists at the show: First place $10,000, Second place $5,000, Third place $4,000, and Fourth place $3,000. Each of the other finalists receive a $500 scholarship award. The scholarships are for their use in post-secondary schooling for the college or technical school of their choice.
What breeds are eligible to compete in Junior Showmanship?
All purebred dogs registered with the American Kennel Club are eligible to compete in Junior Showmanship. You may see dogs from the 209 AKC recognized breeds representing each of the seven groups, from Affenpinschers to Vizslas.
Learn more about Junior Showmanship at Westminster.
Prelims for Junior Showmanship are Saturday and Sunday from 9 am to 4:30 pm. Finals are Sunday from 7:00 to 7:30 pm. All will be streamed live at WestminsterKennelClub.org.
Until next time,
Good day, and good dog!
From the Dog Lady’s Mailbag:
The American Kennel Club (AKC®), the world’s largest dog registry, leading industry authority and advocate for dogs, is proud to announce the launch of the AKC Junior Mentor Program.
The goals of the AKC Junior Mentor Program are to provide Juniors just entering the sport or those looking to sharpen their skills (mentees) with a positive role model and friend who will help them on their journey to become an accomplished Junior; and, to provide experienced Juniors (mentors) the opportunity to improve their own skills while sharing their experiences. Mentors will provide advice and support in topics such as handling, grooming, proper dress and behavior, sportsmanship and more. Participating in the Junior Mentor Program as a mentor or mentee counts toward the number of activities required to become a Junior Ambassador, a program that recognizes Juniors for being active in the sport. Continue reading AKC Announces Junior Mentor Program
Meet Shannon Piquet and her 15″ Beagle, Gabriel. Shannon is 14 years old and competes in Obedience, Rally, Junior Handling, Conformation, Lure Coursing, Drag Racing, and Agility. Continue reading Junior Handler Shannon and Gabriel