How Canine Beauty Contests Work

Let’s start from a simple fact: all dogs, regardless of their breed, size or build are beautiful, because it is their capacity for dedication and affection that makes us fall in love with them. However, there are contests that look for specific characteristics in dogs and classify that as beautiful, therefore today we will talk a little about the operation of canine beauty contests.

First, to understand what a canine beauty contest is and what they evaluate, it must be borne in mind that when they refer to “beauty” they strictly refer to a standard, therefore it is nothing more than an institutional canon.

The standards defined for each breed are made by the World Canine Organization (FCI) and under the canons that these establish the evaluation guidelines in most of this kind of competitions.

What is the FCI?

This is the institution in charge of determining the breeds of dogs that exist in the world, as well as the specific characteristics of each one and the breeding models that must be followed. Currently, it is made up of 84 countries and is also in charge of defining the rules of dog shows.

The FCI has valued 343 dog breeds, therefore, when a person wants to enter a dog in a beauty contest, the first thing to keep in mind is that the dog must belong to one of the breeds recognized by the institution.

Features to consider

• The dog must be of a breed recognized by the FCI.

• The races are classified according to the country of origin. The origin of the dog must be determined, as this will be taken into account especially in national competitions. In internationals this aspect is less important.
• The judges will analyze the ideal physical characteristics of a dog according to its breed. These will take into account the standard of the pet, receiving more points the dog that is closest to that profile.

Regulations to participate

Before registering your dog in a beauty contest, you should inform yourself a little about some regulatory aspects, as these may vary a bit depending on the country, although they tend to remain the same.

In general, you should keep the following in mind:

• Before you can participate in any beauty contest you must obtain a beauty championship certificate of aptitude. This is a card that recognizes that the dog is an optimal candidate to participate in this kind of competition.

• If you live in Spain, there are 21 official dog breeds to be able to participate in competitions, however, the international ones will give a wider range of dog choices.
• The objective of these contests is to select the most representative candidates of each breed, in order to help improve the characteristics of the so-called “pure breeds”.
• In addition to taking into account the morphological aspects of the animal and other aesthetic values, the behavior of the animal is taken into account and this will affect the result.

Tips if you want to participate

• He knows the regulations well, most of the competitions are governed by the World Canine Organization.

• Keep in mind the characteristics defined by the FCI and verify that your dog meets these characteristics.
• Have the documentation of your dog in order, not only the aptitude card for beauty contests, but the vaccination card.
• Educate your dog well and socialize it appropriately, lest because of a bad reaction from your dog you will be at a disadvantage compared to other contestants.

However, keep in mind, as we said at the beginning of this article, that  this is only a standard that seeks to highlight or reproduce the best characteristics of each breed, but rest assured that the most beautiful dog is the one you have next to you and that he would give up his life for you.