Dogs from far and wide compete for top dog crown this weekend

Dogs big and small will come from far and wide to win top dog at this weekend's show, like 2016 winner Murphy the borzoi and his owner Shannon Barden. Photo / Paul Taylor

About 500 perfectly preened purebreds will come from far and wide in a bid to be called Hawke's Bay's top dog at this weekend's Napier and Wairoa Combined Kennel Clubs Championship Dog Shows.

Held at Hastings racecourse, the event offers a chance to see some of New Zealand's "best" dogs, with more than 450 canines competing in four all breeds championship shows.

An added attraction will be two rottweiler speciality shows with 40 dogs from across New Zealand.

"We're one of the only clubs that does the four show weekend," Napier Kennel Club president Carol Kerr said.

"We've combined two local clubs to make it a big extravaganza, it's really busy and we get good entries."

Years of work can go into preparing dogs, with most dogs trained for showing since puppyhood, she said. In the lead up to the show there were hours, if not days spent preparing - especially for longer-coated breeds.

"Its a big undertaking, you can't just get up in the morning and think, "oh I'll go to that show today'."

Overseeing the championship shows will be seven judges - including international judges from Portugal and Japan.

There are seven dog categories: toys, terriers, gun dogs, hounds, working, utility, and non-sporting.

First, dogs compete within their own breed. Then the winning dogs of each breed compete, to be judged the best in that category. Seven dogs - the winners of each category - then compete for best in show.

Each dog is judged by how well they meet the standard for their breed -with criteria ranging from their appearance to the way they move.

"The standard describes what the perfect dog should be, depending on what it's bred for. Your gun dogs need to be able to move out, while some of the toys are bred to be companion dogs so they might not have to run all day."

With free entry to the show, Ms Kerr encouraged anyone interested in dogs to stop by.

"It's an opportunity to see some of the best dogs in New Zealand, and to see them perform.

"It's a lovely chance to see all the breeds and for anyone that's remotely interested in buying a puppy, or knowing more about a particular breed you'll find lots of people passionate about that breed."

Shows begin at 8am at the Hastings racecourse. Saturday: Central Rottweiler Club championship show, Wairoa Kennel Association championship show. Sunday: The Rottweiler Club, Napier Kennel Centre championship show.