Only First Place Advances

After all the regular classes have been judged, only the first-place winners (blue ribbon) from each class advance to the next stage.

Second, third, and fourth place finishers are done for the day — with one exception we'll cover later when we discuss Reserve Winners.

So if dogs were entered in five of the seven classes, the judge will have up to five first-place winners returning to the ring to compete against each other for Winners Dog.

The same process then happens for bitches: all first-place class winners return to compete for Winners Bitch.

This is why the blue ribbon matters so much more than any other class placement. It's the ticket to the next round — and the next round is where championship points are earned.

Coming up next: Learn how Winners Dog and Winners Bitch are selected, and why this is the most important placement in the regular classes.