Page 180 - ShowSight - July 2019

Pride of Ownership
BY DAN SAYERS
THE NATIONAL OWNER-HANDLED SERIES BOOSTS ENTRIES
Alot of people are proud to participate in Ameri- can Kennel Club events. Every weekend they team up with their dogs to take part in a variety of con- formation, companion and performance events and, if they’re lucky, they post victory photos on social media. Profession- als and amateurs alike reach for their smart phones and keyboards at the end of a busy show
day, but only the genuine amateur exhibitor is eligible to brag about a win in the National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS).
FOR AMATEURS ONLY
In 2012, the American Kennel Club unveiled a program designed to celebrate the non-professional exhibitor. As reported in an AKC press release at the time, “AKC created the AKC National Owner-Handled Series as a a pilot program in January to celebrate the dedication and enthusiasm of our owner-handler exhibitors, and we’re very pleased with the support the program has gotten since it was opened to every All-Breed club this spring.” The NOHS was established to “recognize and showcase” dogs exhibited by owner- handlers and to provide a forum in which owner-handlers may com- pete with their peers. Eligibility requirements insist that exhibitors remain bonafide amateurs. As noted on AKC’s website, “Any type of remuneration associated with the service of handling a dog in the conformation ring meets the definition of a professional handler in regards to eligibility for the AKC National Owner-Handled Series.”
The NOHS is distinct from the Amateur-Owner-Handler Class from which the winner goes on to compete in the Winners Class for championship points. Per the AKC website Q&A, “The AKC National Owner-Handled Series is a special attraction that selects an Owner-Handled dog from all eligible dogs in the Best of Breed ring including the Winners Dog or Bitch.” The website emphasizes that the Series does not award championship points. As an ama- teurs-only competition, the NOHS encourages exhibitors to com- pete who might otherwise feel intimidated in a ring filled with pro handlers. “The determination of the awards in the AKC National Owner-Handled Series is based soley on the quality of the entry,” according to the Q&A. “The owner/handler’s handling ability is
not a consideration.” Owners of record, according to AKC’s records on the day of the event, are eligible to compete. Professional han- dlers, their current assistants and members of their household are ineligible to compete.
In the seven years since its inauguration, the NOHS has been embraced by many conformation exhibitors. Together with the Grand Championship titles, Bred-By Exhibitor medallions and the Sanctioned Four-to-Six Month (Beginner Puppy) Competition, the NOHS has provided a much-needed boost in participation. As encouraged by AKC’s NOHS Best Practices, “The best chance of increasing entries and providing exhibitors with the most additional opportunities to compete is by offering the NOHS on all days of conformation competition.” Entry is simple and no additional fee is required to participate. Exhibitors need only indicate their eligibil- ity in the “check box” provided on a show’s entry form. An exhibitor doesn’t need to be the dog’s breeder, but he or she does need to be an owner of record. Breed judging for the NOHS takes place at the conclusion of Best of Breed. Eligible dogs that are defeated in the BOB ring, however, remain in contention to compete in the Series.
80/20 RULE
According to the AKC, more than 80 percent of American show dogs are exhibited by their owner-handlers. It is for this majority that the NOHS is offered. The remaining 20 percent—the profes- sional handlers—must remain content to compete in the “regular” Group and Best in Show rings. This 80/20 rule, known as the Pare- to Principle or the Law of the Vital Few, is as true for the sport of dogs as it is useful in business. Named for the Italian economist Vil- fredo Pareto in 1895, the principle was originally used to describe how 80 percent of the land in Italy was owned by 20 percent of the population. In modern business practices, the axiom is translated as “80 percent of sales come from 20 percent of clients.” In the dog sport, the rule would be applied to represent the typical conforma- tion show where 80 percent of dogs are owner-handled and 20 per- cent are presented by professionals. (Conversely, it may be argued that 80 percent of the top awards go to the professionals and 20 percent to amateur owner-handlers.) In all likelihood, this supposi- tion is quite true and it’s precisely why the NOHS was established.
Signore Pareto may not have been a purebred dog fancier, but his principle is certainly relevant to dog shows. Just as the economist noticed how people in Italian society seemed to be split between the “trivial many,” (the bottom 80 percent in terms of money and influence), and the the top 20 percent or “vital few,” so too par- ticipation in the dog game may be divided. For example, at a show with an entry of 1000 dogs, approximately 800 will be exhibited by their owner-handlers and 200 presented by professionals. At this ratio, it might be expected that 80 percent of the Group placements
“The NOHS was established to ‘recognize and showcase’ dogs
EXHIBITED BY OWNER-HANDLERS AND TO PROVIDE A FORUM IN WHICH OWNER-HANDLERS MAY COMPETE
174 • ShowSight Magazine, July 2019
WITH THEIR PEERS.”