Our friend, Chaz Miller of Avalon Dalmatians.

While many people consider the conformation competition a “beauty contest” for dogs, it is actually an evaluation of the dogs’ suitability for a purpose. Regardless of whether the dog actually performs tasks on a daily basis, each breed was originally developed to aid humans even it was only to be a companion.

Each breed club has developed and maintains a written AKC Standard. This standard lists physical characteristics that make a dog most suitable for their specific purpose. The standards also list characteristics that hinder or disqualify a dog from performing its specific purpose. Highly qualified AKC judges evaluate dogs by their written standard in conformation competition. While the dogs’ physical characteristics are most important, attitude and showmanship are also a big factor in every judge’s final decision. It’s the attitude and showmanship that make the conformation competition most interesting and fun.

The Dalmatian Club of America (http://www.thedca.org) developed the AKC Standard for the Dalmatian with his job as a coaching dog in mind.