Why Only One Dog Wins

It's important to understand that there is exactly one Winners Dog and one Winners Bitch per breed at each show. Every other class dog goes home without earning any championship points that day.

This is what makes the Winners competition so significant. If 20 class dogs were entered across all the classes, 19 of them earn zero points. The one dog selected as Winners Dog receives all the points based on those 20 dogs competing.

This structure also explains why exhibitors care so much about entry counts. More dogs competing means more points available — but also more competition to beat.

The scarcity of the win is by design. The AKC championship system is meant to be rigorous: a champion has proven itself as the best among many competitors on multiple occasions.