If you want to enter your dog into dog shows then a quick glance will reveal literally thousands of dog shows at both local and national level that you can enter. They will all have different labels and names that can be extremely hard to decipher if you do not know what you are looking for, so before answering a call for entrants you need to check out the types of dog shows on offer.

There are actually three types of dog shows that you can enter with any pure breed dog, although some have sub-categories that determine the breeds that can be entered. The dog shows are as follows:

Group Dog Shows – Group shows are specific to a certain type of dog, and all breeds within that category can enter. There are seven accepted types or groups of dog and they are as follows: sporting, hounds, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting and herding. All breeds come under one of those sub-categories and group dog shows will be advertised under the group name itself, a terrier dog show for example.

All-breed Dog Shows – All-breed dog shows are just that, open to all breeds! There are often several shows under this one event that do group in types of dog and then lead to one show for the group winners at the end. However, there are some local shows that ask for all-breeds in the one competition

Speciality Dog Shows – Specialty shows deal solely with one breed rather than a group and this is where they differ from others. There are more of these around than there used to be and they improve your odds of getting placed at dog shows!