Pros and Cons List 1. Most people assume a dog show is where people compete for monetary prizes based on who has the dog that is prettiest and trained to follow commands. I think in the olden days, there used to be some shows that offered money awards, but not any more. Dog showing is a hobby or a sport and like most hobbies and sports, it is a way to spend money, not make it. Dog shows are divided into various categories.
Some dogs compete for form.
Others compete for function. When you talk about show dogs, you are mainly talking about the dogs that compete for form. The other categories of competition may occur at the same facility but they are referred to by their category name, for example obedience competition or agility trials. The form competition is called Conformation. This is a measure of how well a particular dog conforms to the breed standard.