# "Specialing"-What is it exactly?



## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

I was wondering about specialing and asked about it in _Dana Run's _thread about Ziva going BOSS. She gave a pretty good explanation.

A "specialty" as I understand it is a show that's limited to one breed of dog, like the upcoming GRCA National or a specialty hosted by a local GR breed club. The dogs entered in a specialty may be anything from puppies to specials.


_Quote:
Originally Posted by TheZ's  
Big congratulations!

I gather "specialing" a dog is showing it after it has it's CH? Is there more to it than that and can you explain for us non-show people why an owner would "special" their dog?_*

Yes, a special is a dog that already has its championship. It doesn't compete in the classes anymore, but goes directly to the best of breed ring and competes only against other champions.

I can only tell you why we are doing it. It's two reasons for us: Mostly, we miss having dogs in dog shows! It's addictive. Lol!  And second, she is our foundation bitch and we think it will be advantageous in some intangible way to show her to her Grand Championship, or farther if she can. It will say something (not sure what) about the quality we are starting with for our breeding program, which can have have benefits down the line as we try to develop a good reputation.

There is also, I suspect, a good deal of ego involved when people do that. We're not advanced enough to have an ego about it, yet. We are still in the joyous stage (and I hope we stay there).

And then there's the "because it's there" reason. If you have a dog capable of attaining a grand championship or a Top 20 or whatever, you kind of owe it to yourself to do it. Dogs like that don't come around very often, and when you are fortunate enough to breed or buy one it would be a shame not to show them to their full potential. I messed up with my first show dog. I got his championship (in 3 weekends) and quit, and I still regret it. I actually had a very special dog and didn't know it, and I cheated myself, his breeder, and really the breed as a whole by removing him from the ring. Like, if your son has the potential to be the next Michael Jordan and you take him out of basketball after he wins his high school championship. If you think you have something special, you should see how special it really is.

Ziva is no Michael Jordan, but she's a well put together bitch who will probably get her grand championship pretty quickly (despite the fact that she will be competing against the #1 dog in the country at virtually every show). There aren't many dogs like that, so we feel kind of obligated.

Or something like that.*


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

I have an additional question. Ziva got a 5 point major, but since there was 154 dogs and she beat out 152, does that mean she gets 152 points towards her Special points? What does the major count towards if she is already a Champion?


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## Christen113 (Dec 3, 2014)

cubbysan said:


> I have an additional question. Ziva got a 5 point major, but since there was 154 dogs and she beat out 152, does that mean she gets 152 points towards her Special points? What does the major count towards if she is already a Champion?


Are there separate "special" points? How are the top 20 goldens, etc. calculated? Are those the "special" points you're talking about?

In this case, Ziva's major should count towards a GCh. The schedule of points is the same for the GCh as it is for the Ch.

Here's the GCh information from the AKC website. 

A dog must be (1) a Champion of Record or (2) have been transferred to BOB competition based upon the owners' records of their having completed the requirements for a CH title to be eligible for Grand Championship (GCH) competition.

The American Kennel Club requires a dog to obtain a total of 25 points with three major wins (a major win is worth three points or higher) to become a Grand Champion. The majors must be won under three different judges and at least one other judge must award some of the remaining points -- so you need to win under at least four different judges. Also at least one Champion of Record must be defeated at three of these shows.

Best of Breed -- BOB

Best of Opposite Sex -- BOS

Select Dog -- SD

Select Bitch -- SB





I assume the 3 required major wins for the GCh are separate from the 2 required for a Ch? Basically a dog must have 5 majors total to be a GCh-two from the Ch and an additional 3 from the GCh? Or do they just need one more major and a total of 25 points? Or does the point count start over?


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## Christen113 (Dec 3, 2014)

And for a speciality-I did know that it was just one breed but what about the handler needing to have some stake/ownership in the dog? Does that just depend on who's putting on the show? At Nationals, I see tons of professional handlers so I'm thinking it's not a hard rule about needing to own the dog.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

"Specialing" is kind of a loose term. Some people use it to designate a dog competing beyond the CH title in the BOB ring, but others use it to mean a dog that campaigns full time with a handler for a year or even two for rankings rather than a particular title. 

I guess in my mind a handler's special that day is his/her BOB dog like most people here, but specialing a dog to some handlers' minds means a full campaign in the group ring rather than the breed ring. It is a bit of a fluid term. 

The GCH is against all goldens; the Show Dog Hall Of Fame is the next title up from GCH and involves winning placements in the sporting group, Best In Show, Reserve Best In Show, and/or Best In Specialty Show. I think a Group 4 is only like 1/2 a SDHF point.

Besides specific titles, some people are specialing dogs in order to achieve top twenty status in their own breed, and some are specialing to achieve top twenty or even # 1 status in their group, and others are trying to be the #1 or a Top Twenty dog in the whole country, and they live and breath the rankings. 

One thing I like about conformation showing is it is challenge by choice. You kind of set your own goals to meet, and you even have a definition of some terms like "special" that fits your goals. I can't comprehend having a golden who could be the USA's #1 Sporting Dog or the USA's # 1 dog overall. It is above my pay grade and above my personal goals for my dogs. On the other hand, I am pleased to have the # 11 golden without too much struggle, and I could see shooting for the 1-3 breed spot with a dog some day along the decades. One of my favorite handlers though really sees specialing a dog as a one or two year commitment, while I view it more as spot showing for a month here and six weeks there. You have to kind of negotaiate the term to get everyone using it the same way in a sentence.


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## cubbysan (Mar 13, 2007)

Thank you Jill! I did not know that there was a USA #1 Sporting dog and a USA #1 Overall dog.

By the way, it has been a lot of fun watching Mystic climb his way up.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

For those of you with an iPhone, download iShowCalc. It's excellent for figuring points both toward your Ch and GCh.


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## Christen113 (Dec 3, 2014)

Thanks for the explanation, Jill!!


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## DanaRuns (Sep 29, 2012)

Lots and lots of great questions. I'll take a shot at a few of them.



Christen113 said:


> I'm new (obviously) and I hear about "specialing" a lot and dogs that the handlers are "specialing" but what does it mean exactly? They've finished their Ch and are just going up against other champions? Is this separate from going for a Grand Championship or do they kind of go hand in hand? This is what can eventually lead to Top 20 goldens, etc. correct? And it doesn't have to necessarily be a "specialty" show, correct?


Jill answered this one very well. I'll add that FOR ME, it is the same as going for the GCH and above. So it's a broad term for me. I use it in the sense that my dogs' handlers do: a dog they show in the Best of Breed ring.



> We had our golden "specialty" and from what I understand the difference is that it had to be someone showing with a stake in the dog-ie. owner or handler. Is that always the case with "specialty" shows? And in this case, it was in addition to the regular classes.


No, a specialty show is merely one limited to a particular breed. There can be classes and prizes for "bred by exhibitor" and "owner handled" etc., but that's all optional.



> I have an additional question. Ziva got a 5 point major, but since there was 154 dogs and she beat out 152, does that mean she gets 152 points towards her Special points?


I wish! Especially since it only takes 25 points for a GCH.  The most a dog can get at any dog show is 5 points, no matter how many dogs compete. How many points a dog gets can get complicated in the GCH competition depending on what prize is awarded. But generally speaking, the number of points a dog gets is related to the number of dogs competing and where in the country the dog show takes place.

The AKC divides the country into 15 divisions, and issues a point schedule each year for those divisions. The number of points awarded depends on where you are and the number of dogs competing, and for WD, WB, BOS and SEL, it depends on the number of dogs in your dog's sex. For instance, I live in California, which is Division 9. In Division 9 in order to get one point you need at least 3 dogs or 2 bitches. For two points you need 10 dogs or 13 bitches; 3 points is at least 16 dogs or 21 bitches; 4 points is 24 and 28; and 5 points requires 38 and 40, respectively.

It changes from division to division, breed to breed, and year to year, so to know how many points your Golden can get you need to know (1) which division the show is in and(2) how many Goldens are entered (and, depending on the level of competition and the prize won, you may need to know how many males and females, and how many class dogs and specials are competing). Then you look at the schedule and see how many points for that win. The most you can get is five points. And the points awarded depend on number of dogs defeated and of what the award is, what sex your dog is and some other things. For Best of Breed ("BOB") you count all the dogs entered and compare it to the point schedule. With some prizes you count only the class dogs in your dog's sex, or all dogs of your dog's sex, and it changes depending on the prize.



> What does the major count towards if she is already a Champion?


To earn a CH you need 15 points and 2 majors. Then, when you start going for the GCH, all of those points and majors are wiped clean, and you start all over. Then for GCH you have to earn another 25 points and 3 more majors, defeating champions of record, and you must win under at least 4 judges.

Majors are any win that gets your dog 3, 4 or 5 points. The points are determined by the AKC point schedule for the Division where your dog competes. 



> I assume the 3 required major wins for the GCh are separate from the 2 required for a Ch? Basically a dog must have 5 majors total to be a GCh-two from the Ch and an additional 3 from the GCh? Or do they just need one more major and a total of 25 points? Or does the point count start over?


That's almost it, but not exactly. Yep they are separate. But a dog can get its championship with more than 2 majors. In order to get those 15 points, conceivably a dog could do it with 5 3-point majors, so that the dog has five majors before even beginning its GCH hunt. And that dog still has to start over and get another 3 majors and 5 more points. The absolute shortest path to a GCH is five 5-point majors, but you need at least 3 and then you can fill out the rest with a bunch of 1- and 2-point wins.



> Are there separate "special" points? How are the top 20 goldens, etc. calculated? Are those the "special" points you're talking about?


Nope. Same points, on the same schedules.

The Top 20 Goldens are calculated by total points won in the Best of Breed ring and up (group and best in show). In two shows Ziva now has 10 points. Where does that put her in the race for Top 20? Lol! Well, last year the #1 Golden, Freedom, had 360 points. So you can see how hard that is to reach. Jill's dog, Mystic, at #20 had something like 97 points (correct me if I'm wrong Jill!).



> And for a speciality-I did know that it was just one breed but what about the handler needing to have some stake/ownership in the dog? Does that just depend on who's putting on the show? At Nationals, I see tons of professional handlers so I'm thinking it's not a hard rule about needing to own the dog.


Nope, it's just limited to the breed. Although they often give prizes for Best Bred By Exhibitor and such.


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## TheZ's (Jun 13, 2011)

So if the most you can get at any one show is 5 pts., Freedom has won in at least 72 (360/5) shows? Or is he getting BOB and Group points at shows so more than 5 pts. per show and fewer shows? Had to check him out on k9data. Why am I not surprised to see a lot of Casey and Kirby in the pedigree.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

I believe that the all time highest winner of GCH points is Miss Chloe ( who is also my odds on favorite to win the National this year) : Pedigree: BIS BISS GCH CH Summits Emery Its In The Bag SDHF. I own her 1/2 brother, but he isnt in her league she is a showy baby and a really great competitor.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

DanaRuns said:


> Lots and lots of great questions. I'll take a shot at
> The Top 20 Goldens are calculated by total points won in the Best of Breed ring and up (group and best in show). In two shows Ziva now has 10 points. Where does that put her in the race for Top 20? Lol! Well, last year the #1 Golden, Freedom, had 360 points. So you can see how hard that is to reach. Jill's dog, Mystic, at #20 had something like 97 points (correct me if I'm wrong Jill!).
> .


There is a lot of strategy to this. For example, June 1st marks the date the Top Twenty Gala and Eukanuba invites are decided by the Canine Chronical and ACK rankings. On June 1st Mystic was the # 11 golden, but he hasnt been shown at all since he won the specialty in MA in mid May, so he will fall in the rankings as other dogs continue to show and he doesnt. Since he just turned two, I am not interested in campaiging him like a top dog, getting in almost every show day. I want him home teaching CGC, playing, hiking, and swimming, and sleeping on my bed right now. I did want to spot show him enough to be in the top twenty for that June 1st date, and might repeat that next year by doing a Westminster month and a few other stints, to stay up in the rankings for that June 1st date again, but I won't special him seriously for his SDHF until he is fully mature at 4, bc then our focus will change from trying to win the breed to trying to win in the sporting group. That is an aspect of conformation I like- everyone sets their own goal. For example I wanted to finish Mystic by his first birthday, and now I am thinking if I have the drive and energy to get Sayer started with the same goal. My handling team likes the idea of setting a goal for her to earn a major from puppy class so they can show father and daughter at Westminster together. Mystic is a promising young special but he is a not really being specialed with a capital "S"the way he will be at four. I chose not to special my Lush beyond her GCH even though she did equally well inthe Group bc she was more a specific style and taste, and hard to show to all comers. Mystic was invited to be a judge's education dog- so those meaningful things tell me he is doing enough to stay growing but his muddy paws on my bedspread tell me he is relaxing enough to have quality of life at home like he should.


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## DanaRuns (Sep 29, 2012)

Ljilly28 said:


> I believe that the all time highest winner of GCH points is Miss Chloe ( who is also my odds on favorite to win the National this year) : Pedigree: BIS BISS GCH CH Summits Emery Its In The Bag SDHF. I own her 1/2 brother, but he isnt in her league she is a showy baby and a really great competitor.


I love Chloe! What a great show dog! I own her niece, Gibbs, sired by her littermate, Sonny. Gibbs is extremely showy, but not the dog Chloe is.


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## Christen113 (Dec 3, 2014)

Thanks for all the explanations!


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

DanaRuns said:


> I love Chloe! What a great show dog! I own her niece, Gibbs, sired by her littermate, Sonny. Gibbs is extremely showy, but not the dog Chloe is.


i wont tell Gibbs you said that, bc he might think of himself as nephew!  Maybe Chloe won't even come out, but if she does I believe the judge has a good chance of loving her enough to take her all the way. I called it right with Samantha and Westminster, so maybe? There is really no actual way to know, but if Chloe were mine I would take this shot with this judge.


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## bethlehemgolden (Aug 2, 2014)

This is a great thread!


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