Flat-Coated Retrievers gait around the show ring.

You pull up into a huge parking area and see row after row of parked RVs.

All sorts of breeds of beautiful dogs such as Australian Shepherds, Bearded Collies and Cavalier King Charles Spaniels jump, stretch, and sleep in metal dog exercise pens under the RVs' outstretched awnings.

There are lots of vans and trucks too. The multi-colored license plates show these vehicles have come from dozens of different states.

Why have so many people driven so far?

They've come for a dog show!

Dog lovers who participate in the sport of purebred dogs bring their four-legged best friends to compete against other dogs from across the country -- and sometimes even the world. They're all aiming to win the prized Best in Show title at that particular dog show. At an all-breed dog show, most of the 154 breeds of dogs from the tiny Chihuahua to the giant Great Dane compete to see who will win.

Once you walk into the dog show, which is usually in a large building or big grassy area sprinkled with tents, you'll see low fencing or markers outlining competition rings. Above each ring, you'll see a ring number.

While you'll see beautiful, well-groomed purebred dogs walking with their owners or handlers all around the show, the real action at a show takes place in the rings. All the dogs and handlers are there to be the best during a few crucial minutes in the show ring.

You never know whom you might meet at a dog show! Breed: Komondor

Take a seat by the ring of your choice. If you have a particular breed of dog you want to see, then find the show superintendent's office and buy a show catalog or pick up a judging schedule that tell when specific breeds will be judged in specific rings.

Earlier in the day, dogs of the same breed compete against each other to see who a judge will select Best of Breed. For instance, all the Golden Retrievers entered in the show might report to Ring 3 at 8:30 a.m. Within their breeds dogs are divided into different classes, which are then divided by sex. After these classes are judged, all the dogs that won first place in a class compete again to see who is the best of the winning dogs. The winning male and female dogs then compete for Best of Breed.

The Best of Breed winners advance to compete against all the other dogs that won Best of Breed in their particular group. There are seven groups of dogs: Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding. Finally, the seven group winners compete for Best in Show, the highest award at a dog show.

The more dogs entered in a dog show, the more rings there'll be. Some shows can have more than 20 rings. Others may have just a few rings.

Once they enter the show ring with their dogs, handlers' eyes are glued to the judge, watching for directions the judge may give. (The people who "handle" or show the dogs in the ring are the handlers.)

	A junior handler stacks a Chinese Crested ready to be evaluated by the judge.

Judges usually start things off in the show ring by having all the handlers "stack," or pose, their dogs. Then the dogs, who are always on leashes, gait or trot around the ring with their handlers. Next the dogs and handlers stop in a line for the judge to examine the dogs individually. You'll probably see the judge use her hands to measure and examine the dog's structure. She can do this by checking a dog's head, opening its mouth to examine its bite, measuring its ears, and running her hands down the dog's shoulders and chest, among other things.

After the judge has examined each dog, she will have them gait around the ring again before deciding which dog most closely compares to the judge's mental image of the "perfect" dog described in the breed's official AKC standard or description of what the breed should look like.

The road to winning Best in Show is a fun and challenging journey that starts long before a dog show. Carefully selecting a purebred puppy from a responsible breeder; registering the puppy with the AKC; properly feeding, exercising, and grooming the dog from puppyhood; and participating in Junior Showmanship classes will help you and your dog get started.

A Best in Junior Showmanship winner strikes a pose with her English Setter.