All About Dogs by LowchensAustralia.com

QUALITY CLASSES
For each breed and sex, the quality classes are (the abbreviations in brackets are the official Norwegian terms for the classes):

Junior Class (JK)
Open Youth Class (AUK)
Open Class (AK)

The Junior Class is restricted to dogs between 9 and 15 months of age, the Open Youth Class to dogs between 15 and 24 months of age and the Open Class to dogs over 24 months of age. In these classes, the following prizes may be awarded:

1st JK, AUK or AK
2nd JK, AUK or AK
3rd JK, AUK or AK
0 JK, AUK or AK (not worthy of a prize).

There is no restriction to the number of 1sts, 2nds etc. to be awarded in each class. Likewise, no 1sts, for instance, need to be awarded at all, in case none of the dogs fulfill the requirements for this prize.

The quality requirements for the prizes have been formulated as follows:

1st (prize): Typical and sound. A dog of pronounced merits with unessential faults. "A very good representative of the breed".

2nd (prize): Typical and sound. Faults no more pronounced than to justify the description "A good representative of the breed".

3rd (prize): Essentially good type. Faults no more pronounced than to justify the description "An acceptable representative of the breed".

In the Junior Class (JK) and the Open Youth Class (AUK), the standard for comparison should be "the normal stage of development" within the specified age limits. In the Open Class (AK) the basis for comparison should be the fully matured specimen, i.e. no allowance should for instance be made for the age of comparatively young dogs in this class.

If the judge is unable to assess the quality of the dog, e.g. due to excessive playfulness, the verdict "Cannot be judged" (KIP) may be given. This does not apply to dogs whose temperament is untypical. Dogs in this category shall invariably be given 0 JK, 0 AUK or 0 AK.

Judges are requested to check that all male animals have two apparently normal testicles fully descended into the scrotum. Monorchids/cryptochids are given a full report and awarded "0. prize on account of monorchism/cryptorchism".

For each dog in the quality classes the judge gives a written critique, as detailed as time permits. The judge dictates the critique to the ring assistant, and each critique must be signed by the judge. Judges' lists are prepared by the steward and signed by the judge when the judging has been completed.

Titles: On the Norwegian pedigrees you will find many titles that you might need to decipher. The system is quite simple, really. As in English, champion is Ch. In front of that you will find a few more letters. They describe the type and nationality of the championship. U stands for utstilling, which is show, Lp is obedience and B stands for working. Int. stands for international championship, the title handed out by the FCI. N is Norwegian, S is Swedish and Fin is Finnish. So, NUCh is Norwegian conformation champion, NSUCh is Norwegian and Swedish conformation, NUCh NLpCh is Norwegian conformation and obedience champion. IntNSUCh is champion in Norway and Sweden, and FCI international champion.

There are some other titles as well. You can bump into titles such as NV-93 or NordV-87. NV stands for Norwegian Winner, a title given to Best of Breed winners at the major international show held by the Norwegian Kennel Club, and the number of course is the year the title is won. NordV is Nordic Winner, an even more exclusive title in that it is given out one year in Norway, one year in Sweden and one year in Finland, to the BOB winners at the specially chosen shows held by the respective kennel clubs.

Another title is "Korad". That is a Swedish title which means that the dog has passed an advanced mental test and that the conformation has been judged as being good enough for a boxer. The challenge is the mental test, the conformation bit is easy to pass if you have something that looks like a boxer.

Show system. The show system in Norway is slightly different from the system in f. ex Britain or North-America, the major difference being the grading of each exhibit. All dogs at a show are judged and graded according to the standard, independent of the other dogs entered. There are basically three grades: first/very good, second/good and third/acceptable.
The classes in each sex are: Junior (9-15 months), youngster (15-24 months), open ( over 24 months), champion (all Norwegian champions) and veteran (over 7 years). In the two youngest classes, first each participant is given a written critique and graded 1, 2 or 3. Here, the judge is only evaluating the dog according to the standard, with no thought about the other dogs present. Then only the ones with 1. prize gradings come back to compete and be placed, 1-4 and reserve. To those that are placed, the judge can award one or more "prize of honour" to especially promising ones. In open, every exhibit is critiqued and graded as above, then the ones from the two younger classes that have been awarded a prize of honour come back into the ring, to compete in the winners class along with the 1. prize gradings from open. Five (1-4 and reserve) are placed, and if the judge finds him/her worthy of the title of champion the winner gets the certificate. Additional "champion quality" gradings may be given to any dog the judge considers of this quality, these automatically counts as reserve certificates. The champions are then judged. They are not graded but receive a written critique, placed, and the judge gives champion quality gradings to those that are worthy of it (in the opinion of the judge). The last class to be judged is veteran, these are also given a critique, graded and placed. Then the judge can give a prize of honour for a well kept oldie, or a champion quality grading if that's in order. To end it all, all the dogs that have received a champion quality grading go back in the ring to compete for best dog (or best bitch). Again, they are placed as 1-4 and reserve, and the winner of this class is best dog or bitch. At FCI International shows, best dog and best bitch may be given a CACIB, a certificate that counts towards the FCI title "International Champion", if the judge thinks the dog is worthy of being a champion in all countries. The best of each sex then compete for Best of Breed and Best of Opposite Sex. It might seem a bit complicated, but is quite easy when you have been through it a few times...

How to become a champion? The basic requirement is to win at least three certificates under three different judges. However, there are a couple of additional requirements: At least one of the certificates must have been won at one of the FCI international shows that the Norwegian Kennel Club holds (about 12 shows during the year throughout the country). This is because we have many small, local shows in Norway, and it is necessary to prove that a champion is able to win also when there is at least a minimum of competition present. The other requirement is that at least one of the certificates must be won after the dog is 2 years old.