What Does Benching Mean in a Dog Show?

While many dog shows no longer bench competitors, that's not true of some of the nation's premier events. The prestigious Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, held each winter in New York City, is a benched show. As the show management stated in its 2013 program, "The benching area is the heart and soul of Westminster." Benching provides an opportunity for exhibitors to share their love of a certain breed with the general public.

  1. Benching

    • At an all-breed benched show, dogs must stay in a special benching area for the run of the event, with breaks for judging exhibition, exercise and grooming. The public can view these dogs while they are on display, asking questions of the handlers, owners and breeders. The primary purpose of the benched show, held in cities with large attendance figures, is to educate the public about particular dog breeds and dog showing.

    The Benches

    • Many shows still use traditional wooden benching, although some have switched to "pipe and drape" exhibitions, so that draping extends beneath the bench and behind it. Exhibitors are assigned specific benches by the show management -- it's not a matter of finding the bench you prefer or moving around during the course of the show. The location of particular benches, whether mentioning only the breed name or the individual competitors, is published in the show program so that attendees can find the breeds they are most interested in observing.

    Grooming

    • Depending upon the rules of the individual show, grooming might be performed in the benching area rather than a separate location. While this might be a hassle for the groomer or handler, it enables the public to observe all the work that goes into keeping a show dog in top shape. While participants in a benched show are encouraged to answer the public's questions, spectators should wait until the groomer is finished or takes a break, rather than interrupting the work.

    Breeds

    • When you visit a benched show, dogs of the breed and type are found in the same general area. That means the various groups designated by the American Kennel Club are all in the vicinity, so you can easily visit similar types of dogs. These are the sporting group, developed as gun dogs; hounds, hunting dogs that track or bring down game themselves; working dogs, used to aid people in various tasks; terriers, vermin exterminators who bring their quarry to ground; toys, small companion dogs; herding, dogs bred to herd livestock, and the non-sporting group, those canines that don't fit easily into the other categories.