Conformation

Conformation is said to be the beauty pageant of the dog world. Conformation shows are where dogs are judged on how they fit the breed standard, not now they compare to other dogs in the ring. A judge, who is familiar with the breed, determines which dogs being presented are closest to meeting that standard.

First, a dog is placed on a table so the judge can evaluate the structure of the dog. Next, the dog is asked to trot around the ring so movement can be evaluated. Then the dogs are asked to stand in the ring and the judge goes down the line to determine which dogs over all are closest to the standard. When this is done, Best of Breed and other awards are given.

The breed standard was developed by the National Shiba Club of America and accepted by the AKC when the NSCA was recognized in 1992.