Champion lines

WHEN YOU are scouting for a puppy to become a part of your family, you are likely to encounter "breeders" who would use the “champion” relatives of the puppy, especially the parents and grandparents, as a leverage. It is usually assumed that if there are more champions in the pedigree certificate (indicated by red and green marks), the better the "breeding" of the puppy is. The better the puppy is, the higher the price will be. There is some truth to this, but then again, having bred some litters from champion parents, I could safely say that there is more to it than what the certificates of pedigree may lead us to believe.

But what does a Philippine Champion title mean? And how does one dog attain its title?

All purebred dogs have their respective breed standard. The breed standard is akin to the blueprint of a particular breed of dog that lays out how its musculoskeletal system is constructed, and how it should move and behave. The standard also calls for the requisites in terms of how a particular breed of dog should look in terms of the appearance of its head and expression, the quality of its coat and dentition, and the carriage of its tail, among many others. The breed standard is the (mental) benchmark of a judge when evaluating dogs competing in the show ring.

In the Philippines, under the Philippine Canine Club, Inc. (PCCI), the only dog body in the country recognized by the world dog body Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI), a registered (purebred) dog in the country six months or older, whether bred here or abroad, may earn its Philippine Champion title (as long as it does not have disqualifying faults like bad dentition, aggressive behavior, “one or no balls”, under- or over-sized, etc.).

A dog must earn (accumulate) 15 points to become a champion in one of the dog shows that is accredited by PCCI.

Let us assume that you are in an All-Breed Championship Dog Show. The competing dogs will be categorized according to sex, age, and other groups: Dogs or Bitches (male dogs are referred to as dogs, female dogs are referred to as bitches), Puppy Class (6 months to under 9 months), Junior Class (9 months to under 15 months), Intermediate Class (15 months to under 24 months), Open Class (24 months and over), Champions Class (15 months to under 8 years), and Veterans Class (8 years and over). All the winners in each class will compete against each other. The winner from the dogs’ group will be competing against the winner of the bitches’ group. The winner will be the Best of Breed and the runner-up is the Best of Opposite sex. The Best of Breed would go on to compete for the Best in Group (i.e. Retrievers – Flushing Dogs – Water Dogs – Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, American Cocker Spaniels, English Cocker Spaniels, Pointers, etc.). The winner of each Group (Sheepdogs and Cattle Dogs, Pinscher and Schnauzer – Molossoid Breeds, Terriers, Dachshund - Min-Longhaired, Spitz and Primitive Types, Scent Hounds and Related Breeds, Pointing Dogs, and Retrievers – Flushing Dogs – Water Dogs), would then compete for the Best in Show.

In this show, a particular dog may already earn points even at the breed level if the dog wins in the classes (non-champions), the Best of Breed, or Best in Opposite Sex (technically the second place). Points earned depends on the number of