It's an opportunity for dog owners particularly breeders to compare their animals to others and have the animals evaluated in terms of the breed standard. Each recognized breed has a standard describing the ideal animal of that breed in terms of characteristics such as size, physical conformation, coat, and temperament. The judge's task in each class of a dog show is to rank the dogs according to which most closely approach that ideal.
Competition begins at the breed level.
Classes offered usually include puppy, American bred, bred by exhibitor, and open. All these classes are further divided by sex. After the judge has awarded first through fourth ribbons in each class, all the class winners of that sex come into the ring together to pick the winners dog or bitch. This is the level at which an animal can earn points towards the title of champion. The winners dog and bitch are awarded points based on how many animals they defeated to win the award.